It’s been a wild season for Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus. He’s had ups, downs and pretty much everything else in between in the final year of his contract.

The Blue Jackets will host the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night with a playoff spot hanging in the balance. Montreal sits two points ahead of Columbus for the second wild-card spot after winning four of their last five games. But the Blue Jackets have been hot too, having won four straight home games entering tonight’s contest.

Viewers in the Canadiens region watch the showdown on TSN2, TSN.ca and TSN Direct at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.

As Bobrovsky gets the start in net for the Blue Jackets’ most important game of the season, TSN.ca takes a chronological look at his wild 2018-19 season.

Sept. 9, 2018 – TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports on Insider Trading that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen’s top priority is to re-sign Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin, who are both slated to become unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 2019.

Oct. 4, 2018 – Bobrovsky sits the season opener against the Detroit Red Wings as Joonas Korpisalo gets the start between the pipes. Bobrovsky had a .819 save percentage and a 5.15 goals-against average in three preseason contests. It was the first time since 2012 that he didn’t open the year in net for Columbus. However, the move appeared to pay off as the Jackets beat the Wings 3-2 in overtime.

Oct. 5, 2018 – Bobrovsky is back in the starter’s net just one day later and stops 32 of 35 shots en route to a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Oct. 25, 2018 – Through the first six games of the season, Bobrovsky wasn’t the dominant force he had been throughout his career. He was carrying a record of 2-4 and a .872 save percentage at the time.

“Bob has not been Bob,” head coach John Tortorella said, per The Columbus Dispatch. “It’s a unique position, that goaltender position, but the past two games the opposing goaltender has been better than our goaltender. That doesn’t happen often with Bob, but it has been there this year.”

Oct. 31, 2018 – Bobrovsky opens at No. 7 on the first TSN Trade Bait board of the season.

Nov. 1, 2018 – TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports on Insider Trading that “there is tension there” between Blue Jackets management and the netminder.

Nov. 9, 2018 – The Russian makes 33 saves in a 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. He stopped 15 shots in the opening frame and was huge on two third-period penalty kills. Columbus took over sole possession in the Metropolitan Division with the victory.

Nov. 11, 2018 – TSN Senior Hockey Writer Frank Seravalli writes that is “seems unlikely” the Jackets trade the goaltender no matter the contract situation because the franchise has never won a playoff series. Seravalli adds that Bobrovsky is believed to be seeking a seven-year deal approaching Carey Price’s cap hit of $10.5 million.

Dec. 24, 2018 – Bobrovsky is named one of the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week. He stopped 130 of the 134 shots he faced and had a GAA of 1.00, leading the Jackets to four wins.

Jan. 10, 2019 – The Blue Jackets announce Bobrovsky will not be with the team as they take on the Nashville Predators over an unspecified incident.

“There are certain expectations and values that we have established for our players that define our culture,” Kekalainen said in a statement. “An incident occurred in which Sergei failed to meet those expectations and values, so we made the decision that he would not be with the team for tonight’s game. This is an internal matter and we will have no further comment at this time.”

Jan. 11, 2019 – Kekalainen says the team is ready to move forward with their goaltender after a meeting earlier in the day. Head coach John Tortorella echoed his GM, saying “move ahead” when asked about the situation.

“I am here, and I will play here.” Bobrovsky said when asked about finishing the season with Columbus. “I will do my best as I have done for this team, for this organization, for these fans, for this city. I’ve been working hard and I will continue to do that.”

Jan. 15, 2019 – According to multiple reports, Bobrovsky’s conduct after being pulled two nights earlier was the reason he was held out against the Predators. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported Bobrovsky took an early shower and didn’t return to the bench after being pulled, which did not sit well with team veterans.

Jan. 19, 2019 – Despite the drama surrounding Bobrovsky and Panarin, the Blue Jackets enter the break at 28-17-3.

Feb. 16, 2019 – Over his next six games, Bobrovsky leads the Jackets to a 4-2 record with a save percentage of .933, including two shutouts. Three days earlier, LeBrun reported on Insider Trading the team could trade one of Panarin or Bobrovsky – or both – before reloading for a playoff run.

Feb. 23, 2019 – Just two days before the trade deadline, Bobrovsky picks up his second shutout in as many nights as the Jackets blanked the San Jose Sharks 4-0.

Feb. 25, 2019 – The deadline comes and goes with both Bobrovsky and Panarin staying put. Kekalainen said there were no serious offers for either player and acknowledged his preference to keep the duo despite their pending UFA status.

March 6, 2019 – Kekalainen stands by his decision not to deal either star and instead bring in Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel as the team pushes for the postseason.

“There’s definitely risk,” he said at the GM meetings of his decision.

“Would I take it again? Definitely.”

March 9 to present – From this date on, Bobrovsky has been lights out as the Jackets continue their playoff push. Over his last seven games, Bobrovsky has gone 5-2 with a .955 save percentage.

“He’s been good for a while now, and he’s going to have to keep on being better because we have to get on his shoulders as we go through these last half dozen games,” Tortorella said after a win over the Islanders earlier this week. 

Columbus enters their crucial matchup with the Habs at 42-30-4, while Montreal sits at 41-28-8.