Did you miss anything from the past week at The Hockey News - Columbus Blue Jackets? If you did, we have you covered with the Sunday Recap. Click on each card below to read the stories from the past week.
NEWS & NOTES
Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski has had another great week and it has earned him the NHL's third star of the week.
Werenski is joined by Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid and Ottawa Senators' Linus Ullmark as the other two stars in the NHL three stars of the week.
Points
- Zach Werenski - 40 - 2nd among all NHL Defensemen
- Kirill Marchenko - 27 - 11 Power Play Points
- Dmitri Voronkov - 26
Goals
- Zach Werenski - 14 - T-1st among all NHL Defensemen
- Dmitri Voronkov - 13 - 6 Power Play goals
- Adam Fantilli - 12
Assists
- Zach Werenski - 26 - 5th among all NHL Defensemen
- Charlie Coyle - 17
- Kirill Marchenko - 16
A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE often precedes an unstoppable tsunami. In November, the Columbus Blue Jackets warned us of what they were about to do. They humiliated the Montreal Canadiens and goaltender Al Montoya with a 10-0 win Nov. 4, then dropped an eight-spot on the St. Louis Blues eight days later. Columbus beat the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning twice each, not to mention the New York Rangers.
Let's take a quick look at some stats and who the team leaders are.
Points
- Luca Pinelli - 19 - 12th among all AHL rookies
- Mikael Pyyhtiä - 14
- 2 Tied with 13 (Del Bel Belluz, Dumais)
Goals
- Luca Pinelli - 8 - 10th among all AHL rookies
- Jack Williams - 6
- 3-Tied with 5 (Del Bel Belluz, Dumais, Ahcan)
Assists
- Luca Pinelli - 11 - 14th among all AHL Rookies
- Mikael Pyyhtiä - 10
- Will Butcher - 10
“It’s kind of my job (to get us over the hump) being captain, you’ve got to be a leader,” said Nash, who took over the Jackets captaincy last March following Adam Foote’s trade to Colorado. “But we’ve got 22 guys on the team and a lot of older guys who’ve been in the playoffs and won Stanley Cups, so it should be good, but that’s our next step in Columbus.”
Chinakhov requested a trade away from the CBJ last summer, and back in 2023, there were rumors that he was "unhappy" in Columbus and may want out. His agent, Shumi Babaev, told THN Columbus that "At the moment, there are no conversations about a trade on our part. He likes Columbus, both the team and the city." He went to tell us that "We are in touch with the General Manager (Jarmo), the only thing Yegor wants is to have more ice time, feel the coach's trust, and help the team win more games. He's very happy after yesterday's game. Felt great on the new line."
When the Columbus Blue Jackets made Nikita Filatov the first Russian player selected at the 2008 NHL draft, they did so with some degree of risk. The lack of a transfer agreement between the Russian Hockey Federation and the NHL meant there was no guarantee Filatov could leave the Motherland. And playing at home in the upstart, flush-with-cash Kontinental League was a draw many players hailing from the great red hockey-factory of a nation would not resist.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were back in action after the Christmas break. For their first game back, there was a lot of drama.
Newly acquired forward Mason Marchment threw a hit at New York Islanders' rookie Matthew Schaefer that caught the ire of the Islanders players, and Mathew Barzal landed a huge two-handed chop across the shin guards of Marchment. After that, chaos ensued. Eventually, cooler heads would prevail, and the Blue Jackets would go on to win the game 4-2.
It's safe to say the Columbus Blue Jackets did not land the most coveted free agent on the market last summer just to have him grab the keys, jump behind the wheel and steer the bus directly to the Tankville Turnpike. But as the all-star break came and went, that’s where they found themselves, in first place in the Greatest-Connor-To-Come-Along-Since-McDavid Lottery Sweepstakes. Unlike other teams that will remain nameless, (cough, Chicago…cough, Arizona), the Jackets didn’t draw it up this way. Despite signing Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year deal, they’re just really, really bad, and they’ve had a ton of terrible luck when it comes to injuries.
GAME PREVIEWS & RECAPS
Series History vs. The Kings
- Columbus is 28-33-1-7 all-time, and 10-22-1-2 on the road vs. L.A.
- The home team is 6-0-2 in the last 8 games of the series.
- The CBJ went 1-1 vs. the Kings last season.
- Columbus has killed off 20 of the last 23 Kings man advantages.
Mason Marchement(6-PPG, 7-PPG) and Kirill Marchenko(11-PPG) scored for the Blue Jackets, and Jet Greaves made 23 saves in a 3-1 win over the LA Kings on Monday night.
It was a brilliant game by the Blue Jackets, who defensively stifled the Kings all night long, giving them very little. The Blue Jackets' power play scored three goals on seven power plays to stay hot.
Series History vs. The Islanders
- Columbus is 27-23-1-7 all-time, and 18-7-1-4 at home vs. New York.
- The home team is 10-3-1 in the last 14 games of the series.
- The Blue Jackets have won 3 of the last 5 overall against the Isles.
- The CBJ have not had a power play against the Islanders since 2023.
Kirill Marchenko(12,13), Ivan Provorov(5), and Cole Sillinger(4-EN) scored the goals for Columbus, while Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots in a 4-2 Blue Jackets win on Sunday night.
The Jackets scored three late goals in the third period to pull out the victory, something they're not used to doing.
This game pretty much had it all. From a called back goal (controversial) to an allowed goal (also controversial), to multiple major penalties being reviewed, and everything in between.
Series History vs. The Senators
- Columbus is 19-21-2-3 all-time, and 7-13-11 in Ottawa.
- The CBJ are 3-6-1 in the last 10 vs. the Sens.
- The Blue Jackets lost to the Senators on December 11th 6-3.
