The Hockey News Sunday Recap: Columbus Blue Jackets

NEWS & NOTES

Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski Named NHL's Third Star Of The Week Werenski powered the Blue Jackets with five goals and two assists, becoming the first defenseman in franchise history with back-to-back multi-goal games.

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.

Columbus Blue Jackets Christmas Break Stats Check In The Columbus Blue Jackets head into the Christmas break with a record of 15-15-6 with 36 points. They currently sit 8th in the Metro, 16th in the Eastern Conference, and 27th in the NHL.

Points

1. Zach Werenski - 40 - 2nd among all NHL Defensemen
2. Kirill Marchenko - 27 - 11 Power Play Points
3. Dmitri Voronkov - 26

Goals

1. Zach Werenski - 14 - T-1st among all NHL Defensemen
2. Dmitri Voronkov - 13 - 6 Power Play goals
3. Adam Fantilli - 12

Assists

1. Zach Werenski - 26 - 5th among all NHL Defensemen
2. Charlie Coyle - 17
3. Kirill Marchenko - 16

From THN's Archive: To Believe Or Not To Believe Columbus rattled off 16 wins, a historic streak. But could this surprising team truly contend for the Stanley Cup?

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.  

Cleveland Monsters Christmas Break Stats Check In The Cleveland Monsters are 12-10-3-1 with 28 points, and currently sit 6th in the North Division, tied with the Toronto Marlies.

Let's take a quick look at some stats and who the team leaders are. 

Points

1. Luca Pinelli - 19 - 12th among all AHL rookies
2. Mikael Pyyhtiä - 14
3. 2 Tied with 13 (Del Bel Belluz, Dumais)

Goals

1. Luca Pinelli - 8 - 10th among all AHL rookies
2. Jack Williams - 6
3. 3-Tied with 5 (Del Bel Belluz, Dumais, Ahcan)

Assists

1. Luca Pinelli - 11 - 14th among all AHL Rookies
2. Mikael Pyyhtiä - 10
3. Will Butcher - 10

From THN's Archive: Captain Columbus Rick Nash shoulders captaincy, aiming to elevate the Blue Jackets beyond zero playoff games with newfound all-situations play.

“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.”

Is It Finally Time To Trade Yegor Chinakhov? Yegor Chinakhov was drafted in the 1st round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

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."

From THN's Archive: Nikita Filatov The dynamic Russian winger is patiently learning how to light up North American rinks in his first pro season on this side of the pond

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.  

Cannon City Quotables: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders After a chaotic clash, hear directly from Blue Jackets and Wild stars on the drama and their hard-fought victory.

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.

From THN's Archive: Columbus Karma The Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t had much luck in their 20-plus years as an NHL franchise. They signed a hot-shot UFA in a bold attempt to win this season, but, instead, the losses continue to pile up. On the plus side, they’ve also piled up a bevy of bona fide prospects

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.

Blue Jackets Trade Yegor Chinakhov To Pittsburgh Penguins Yegor Chinakhov was drafted in the 1st round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Finally Have The Pest They've Missed For Years In Mason Marchment The Columbus Blue Jackets have been a very easy team to play against for a long time. Mason Marchment should change that.

Blue Jackets Place Isac Lundeström On IR Lundeström was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2018.

From THN's Archive: Brain Boosters Blue Jackets and GM are looking for bright and talented players for their club

GAME PREVIEWS & RECAPS

Columbus Blue Jackets (34 pts) vs. Los Angeles Kings (39 pts) Game Preview Columbus is 28-33-1-7 all-time, and 10-22-1-2 on the road vs. L.A.

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.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Los Angeles Kings The Columbus Blue Jackets are at Crypto.com Arena to take on the LA Kings at 10 PM.

Blue Jackets Score Three Power Play Goals, Two By Mason Marchment to Beat Kings The Columbus Blue Jackets are now 15-15-6 with 36 points.

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. 

Columbus Blue Jackets (36 pts) vs. New York Islanders (46 pts) Game Preview Columbus is 27-23-1-7 all-time, and 18-7-1-4 at home vs. New York.

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.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. New York Islanders The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home after the Christmas break to take on the New York Islanders at 5 PM.

Marchenko Scores Twice In Thrilling Comeback Win Over the New York Islanders The Columbus Blue Jackets are now 16-15-6 with 38 points and have won two straight games.

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.

Columbus Blue Jackets (38 pts) vs. Ottawa Senators (41 pts) Game Preview Columbus is 19-21-2-3 all-time, and 7-13-11 in Ottawa.

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.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Ottawa Senators The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on the road to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7:30 PM.

Blue Jackets Beat Travel Woes And Senators To Win Third Straight Game The Columbus Blue Jackets are now 17-15-6 with 40 points. Although they're still in 8th place in the Metro, they sit just 4 points out of the playoff race.

Columbus Blue Jackets (40 pts) vs. New Jersey Devils (42 pts) Game Preview Columbus is 30-22-1-3 all-time, and 17-12-0-0 at home vs. New Jersey.