Werenski Scores Two Goals, Wild Still Skate Away With A Win

Zach Werenski(12,13) continued his hot streak by scoring the only goals for Columbus, while Jet Greaves played very well for much of a 5-2 CBJ loss on Thursday night. 

Coming into this game, fans of the Jackets weren't very confident. A Wild team that were winners of five straight, and who just pulled off a monster trade by bringing in superstar Quinn Hughes, just had to blow the Jackets out, right? Wrong. 

Despite the score, the Blue Jackets were in this game until the end, and if we're being honest, were the better team for much of this game. But like a lot of the games Columbus has lost recently, it all comes down to one or two plays. 

In this case, Joel Eriksson Ek found himself near the crease with the puck loose and around the pads of CBJ goalie Jet Greaves. Eriksson Ek then seemed to jab at Jet's pads and spin him around, and in the process, slide the puck into the net. It was ruled a goal immediately, and Jackets coach Dean Evason even thought about challenging. But after a minute, he decided against it, knowing it would probably stand. He acknowledged after the game that he thought about it but just didn't pull the trigger. 

The Wild would go on to score two empty net goals to seal the game. 

Zach Werenski had some pointed comments after the game: "I feel like it's the same thing we've been saying. We're playing well enough to win, but it's getting old that we keep losing. Enough is enough. It's unacceptable, and I get the whole thing where you have to stay positive and move forward, but at the end of the day, this is getting outrageous. We're a good hockey team, and we're losing games. So maybe we're not a good hockey team. I don't know. At the end of the day, you have to win games to be a good team. It's frustrating. We're all sick of (losing). At the end of the day, it's on no one else but us to get ourselves out of it. It is a fine line, but we're on the wrong side of it more often than not, and like I said, that's unacceptable."

As you can see by Werenski's comments, he's sick and tired of the losing, and by the sounds of it, so are the fans and people who follow the team.

Something needs to change to right the ship, but what is it? Does Don Waddell finally just pull the trigger and trade somebody just to shake the room up? Does he put Jake Christiansen in since he hasn't played in weeks? At this point, something has to be done. Maybe Zach's comments will light a fire in the locker room and get them going? 

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Zach Werenski scored two goals and had 8 shots on the night. Per CBJ PR: Werenski scored twice (2-0-2) to become the first defenseman in franchise history with multi-goal performances in consecutive games (2-1-3 on Tuesday vs. ANA). He stretched his points streak to four games (4-4-8, 3 multi-point efforts). The goals also extended his home points streak to 12 consecutive games since Oct. 29 (9-13-22) for the second-longest home points streak in franchise history, behind his own 22-game streak set last season from Nov. 1, 2024-Feb. 22, 2025 (14-27-41). He improved to 7-4-11 in 15 career games against Minnesota with goals in each game of 2025-26 (3-2-5) and has points in six of his last nine overall (6-3-9).
• Charlie Coyle picked up an assist and had 3 hits.
• Cole Sillinger recorded an assist.
• Jet Greaves made 23 saves.

Team Stats

• The Jackets' power play went 0/2.
• The Columbus PK gave up a goal on the Wild's only man advantage.
• Columbus won 64.2% of the faceoffs. 43/67
• The Blue Jackets had 26 hits.
• The Blue Jackets scored the first goal for the 18th time overall this season (10-4-4) and the 10th time at Nationwide Arena (6-3-1) as well as for the third-straight game overall and at home.

Up Next: The Jackets travel to Anaheim to play the Ducks on Saturday. 

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