PREVIEW: Blue Jackets complete homestand by welcoming Wild

It could have been a here we go again moment.

With 3:16 left in Tuesday’s game vs. Anaheim and the Blue Jackets holding a 3-2 lead, Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe skated below the red line and fired a shot from off the side of the mask of Jet Greaves and into the net.

Just like that, another late lead was gone, and for a CBJ team on a five-game losing streak, two much-needed points were hanging in the balance.

Yet Adam Fantilli said the Blue Jackets simply shrugged it off and kept going.

“You gotta hand it to (LaCombe), but if that’s what we’re giving up in the third period, come on,” Fantilli said. “We’re doing the right things, so just gotta stay on the course.”

The Blue Jackets did just that, and it paid off when Fantilli scored on a fantastic individual effort with 1:28 remaining in overtime to clinch a 4-3 victory. To head coach Dean Evason, it goes back to the poise the Blue Jackets players showed in not getting down after Anaheim’s late equalizer.

“I didn’t feel that (letdown) on the bench,” Evason said. “I think all the coaches ... we all felt it because you’re not able to get in there and do something about it. But I know the players didn’t have that feeling of (sagging) or, ‘Here we go,’ or, ‘Gosh, this is happening again.’ They just kept going about their business, which is good to see.”

The victory moved the Blue Jackets back to within four points of the playoff line in a tight Eastern Conference, but most encouraging to the team was the style of game the team played. Anaheim entered second in the NHL in goals per game but finished with just five high-danger chances at 5-on-5 per Natural Stat Trick, the third straight game Columbus kept its opponent in single digits.

“I thought we did a good job of eliminating their chances,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Some guys made some good plays to score some goals for them, but other than that I really like the way we played. I thought we checked, scored some nice goals and found a way to win. At the end of the day that’s a big win for us, and just move forward now.”

It doesn’t get any easier tonight, as Minnesota comes to Nationwide Arena having won five in a row and 17 of its last 23 games. On top of that, the Wild shocked the NHL world less than a week ago when they acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner who is one of the most dynamic blueliners in the league.

But for the Blue Jackets, the focus will simply on playing their game again and trying to add two points into the bank.

“We know what’s at stake and how we haven’t been able to get points lately, so these are critical points for us to get and build off,” captain Boone Jenner said. “Obviously I thought (Tuesday) was a resilient win by our team, and we’re back to work (Wednesday) and get ready for Thursday. It’s another big test for us.”

Scratches: F Zach Aston-Reese, D Jake Christiansen

Injured reserve/Non-Roster: F Mathieu Olivier (upper body injury), D Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury)

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets looked to keep the same lines in practice Wednesday and could roll out the same lineup tonight as they did in Tuesday’s victory.

This Day in CBJ History

Dec. 18, 2000: Former Canadiens goalie Ron Tugnutt notches the first shutout in CBJ history, stopping 27 shots in a 2-0 victory at Montreal. Chris Nielsen and Kevyn Adams score for the expansion Blue Jackets in a game that Montreal newspaper The Gazette called "the Embarrassment" with a capital 'E.'

Dec. 18, 2014: Ryan Johansen notches an assist in a 5-4 overtime loss at Washington. He’d go on to set a CBJ record that still stands with points in 13 straight games (8-8-16).

Dec. 18, 2016: Seth Jones scores in overtime and head coach John Tortorella becomes the first American-born coach and 24th overall in NHL history to record 500 career victories when the Blue Jackets win 4-3 in overtime at Vancouver. It’s the Jackets’ ninth straight victory and caps a perfect Western Canada road trip.

The Numbers Game

After his 11th career multigoal game Tuesday, Zach Werenski remains second among NHL defensemen in goals (11) and points (36), first in shots on goal (120), second in average ice time (26:43) and is first in multipoint games (12). He has points in 14 of the last 17 games (7-18-25, tied for fifth in NHL in that span) and an 11-game home point streak (7-13-20). He became the fourth CBJ player in franchise history to play in 600 games Thursday. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 25 goals this season, the most in the NHL. … Jet Greaves has posted a .911 save percentage in his last 13 appearances. ... Adam Fantilli has scored 36 goals in 2025, fourth most ever by a CBJ player in a calendar year behind just Rick Nash (43 in 2009, and 39 in 2006) and Cam Atkinson (42 in 2018). ... Kent Johnson has a three-game point streak with four assists in that span, while Yegor Chinakhov has points in each of the last two contests (1-1-2) ... Miles Wood is one goal away from 100 in his NHL career. ... Werenski is four assists shy of becoming the first CBJ player to notch 300 career assists, while Jenner is three points away from becoming the fourth player in team history with 400 points after Nash (547), Werenski (417) and Atkinson (402).

Know The Foe: Minnesota Wild

Head coach: John Hynes (Third season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.97 (T-19th) | Scoring defense: 2.53 (2nd) | PP: 23.1 percent (9th) | PK: 79.0 percent (T-21st)

The narrative: The Wild have been a model of consistency for the past 10 years – they've made the playoffs eight times in that span but failed to win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs all eight times. The hope coming into this year was that a core featuring Kirill Kaprizov – who signed a record extension before the year – and such names as Matt Boldy and Brock Faber would help push the Wild even further, and this year has already been a roller coaster. A 3-6-3 October was followed by an 11-1-2 November, and the Wild rocked the NHL world with their acquisition of star defenseman Quinn Hughes six days ago.

Scoring leaders: There’s not been a better goal-scoring duo in the NHL than Kaprizov and Boldy, as they’re the only two teammates in the top 10 of the league in tallies this year. Kaprizov sits third in the league with 21 goals, while Boldy is tied for seventh with 19, and both have 38 points on the campaign. Marcus Johansson (11-15-26) and Joel Eriksson Ek (7-17-24) follow, while Hughes had two goals among his 23 points in 26 games with Vancouver before the trade.

In net: Jesper Wallstedt has been one of the breakout stars of the league this season, as the 2021 first-round pick was 7-0-2 in November to earn NHL Rookie of the Month honors; overall, “The Wall of St. Paul” is 9-1-2 with NHL-best marks of a 1.95 GAA, .937 save percentage and four shutouts. Filip Gustavsson hasn’t been shabby, either, going 11-8-3 with a 2.49 GAA and .912 SV%.

What's new: The trade for Hughes cost the Wild a bounty, including three talented young players – forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren as well as standout rookie defenseman Zeev Buium, plus a first-round pick – but the excitement and buzz its earned has been more than worth it. Hughes has a goal and an assist as Minnesota has won its first two games with him on the roster, downing Boston and Washington by a combined 11-2 score. Minnesota is 17-3-3 since the calendar flipped to November, but injuries are mounting; Mats Zuccarello hasn’t played this year, while Johansson and defensemen Jake Middleton, Jonas Brodin, Zach Bogosian and Daemon Hunt are banged up.

Trending: Columbus downed Minnesota by a 7-4 score in St. Paul in the second game of the season Oct. 11, just the second win in the last eight tries vs. the Wild. The Blue Jackets have lost three in a row (0-2-1) vs. Minnesota in Nationwide Arena, including a 3-1 final Oct. 19 of last season.

Former CBJ: Defenseman David Jiricek – drafted sixth overall by the Jackets in 2022 – has skated in 15 games without a point, while Hunt (0-2-2 in 12 games) was in camp with the CBJ but never played for Columbus before the Wild reclaimed him on waivers before the season.