The Blue Jackets’ 2025-26 schedule is out, and fans are surely starting to look at the calendar to see when they can make it to Nationwide Arena – or see the team on the road this year.
This year, Columbus begins on the road, taking on Nashville (Oct. 9) and Minnesota (Oct. 11), respectively, before heading home to take on the New Jersey Devils for the home opener Oct. 13.
The team’s 25th anniversary season features, as usual, 41 home dates and 41 road games. The Blue Jackets will play every team, both home and away, while playing Metropolitan Division foes 26 times, Atlantic squads on 24 occasions, and each Western Conference team twice.
Here’s five takeaways on how the CBJ season starts, how it ends, and other things that stand out.
1. How it starts
In 2022-23, the Blue Jackets were pummeled by an early schedule that featured a bevy of playoff teams capped by a trip to Finland to take on the defending champs. By the time they got back from Tampere after losing a pair to the Avs, they had won just three of the first 12 games. This time around, October features 10 games, with seven of them against squads that battled for the Stanley Cup a few months ago. It’s a tough beginning, but it should help that the stretch includes a three-game homestand at Nationwide Arena, starting with the home opener. From there, November includes a pair of long road trips, but they always say those bring teams closer together, right?
2. A key stretch: March 17-26
In an 82-game season, it’s hard to really focus on games that stand out because, well, there’s just so many of them. But late March draws our attention because of the opponents involved, as the Blue Jackets have a three-game homestand from the 17th through the 21st that includes two divisional foes – Carolina and the Rangers – as well as a visit from Seattle. After that, Columbus immediately hits the road for two more division games at the Islanders and Flyers before visiting a Montreal team that snuck past them for the last playoff berth a season ago. Those six games over a 10-day stretch should be huge when it comes to the standings.
3. Circle this game: April 14 vs. Washington
Not only is the season finale always a notable capper to the campaign, this year, it could take on added significance. The Blue Jackets end April 14 vs. Washington, and it could be the final game of Alexander Ovechkin’s NHL career. There’s no guarantee the league’s all-time leading goal scorer will call it a day after this upcoming season – his 21st in the league – but if it happens, it will be a fitting end considering Ovechkin began his career back in 2005 with a two-goal game against the Blue Jackets.
4. Best road trip: Sunny Florida
It’s early March. The Columbus weather is starting to warm up, but you know what that means – rain is in the forecast. You’ve been working hard since the holidays to get through the winter doldrums. Why not take a trip to sunny Florida to see the Blue Jackets? OK, I’m not being super creative here – no way, Florida is the best road trip? Thanks, Captain Obvious – but this is as good a time as any to head south. The stretch run will be gearing up, the Florida heat won’t yet be oppressive, and you can support the Jackets on March 10 and 12 when they visit the Lightning and Panthers, respectively. The cherry on top is the Jackets then head to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on March 14, and the City of Brotherly Love is fun to explore. You can also never go wrong with the Western Canada trip in early November – it’s a trek, but the spread-out schedule this year will allow for a little more sightseeing – or any excuse to visit Montreal (Nov. 17 and March 26).
5. How it ends
Talk about a frantic finish. The Blue Jackets play five games in the last eight days of the season, including a three-game road trip from April 7-11 at Detroit, Buffalo and Montreal that could be very important to postseason hopes. The NHL slate always ends with a lot of games packed into the schedule, especially with the Olympic break, and the Blue Jackets will play 16 times in the last 29 days with zero two-day breaks between games. But if the team’s improvement a year ago is any indication of where this is headed, they’ll be crucial games down the stretch, and the season-ending two-game homestand vs. Boston and Washington could be rather fun.
