PREVIEW: Blue Jackets put point streak on line vs. Kraken

At this time of year, function is much more important than form. 

Thursday night’s 6-3 win over the New York Rangers wasn’t the prettiest game the Blue Jackets have played all season. In a weird affair filled with strange bounces, penalties and other oddities, Columbus bent but didn’t break. 

The Blue Jackets overcame an early deficit, broke a tie in the second period and then pulled away from the Rangers in the third to extend their point streak to 11 (7-0-4) and move into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by tying the New York Islanders for third in the Metro. 

There was some stuff to clean up, head coach Rick Bowness acknowledged, but the ultimate goal of earning two points was achieved.  

“Bones was saying, not every game can be perfect,” center Adam Fantilli said. “He said not every game is gonna be a Picasso, so to be able to find wins like that is huge. I thought we had some good desperation when we needed it, a lot of big-time goals, big kills too.” 

Part of what made the game so different from Tuesday’s tightly contested 5-1 win over Carolina might have been the opponent. The Rangers came to Columbus in last place in the Metro and with a bevy of young players in the lineup, which gave a natural openness to the proceedings. With that in mind, Bowness was happy with how his team was able to stick to the process and get the job done.  

“They’re hard games to play,” Bowness said. “They’re out of the playoffs, and they have a lot of speed and they have a lot of skill and they’re just playing loose hockey. Those are very tough games to play, so no, that wasn’t our best. But when you can say that and say you still won the game, that’s pretty good.” 

Things might be a little different tonight as Seattle comes to town to end the Jackets’ three-game homestand. The Kraken are battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and every point is just as important for Seattle as it is for Columbus. 

But the Blue Jackets have shown they can win in different ways, in part because of the team’s depth in all areas. Eleven different players scored against the Rangers, and the Blue Jackets have scored 11 goals over the past two games.  

“It says a lot,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “A lot of guys are stepping up. We’re getting production from every line. Our power play, our kill has been doing a great job. We’re stepping up in all areas when it’s needed, and that’s what you need this time of year and that’s what good teams do. It’s a good sign that it wasn’t our best but we still found a way to win. We’re definitely making strides.” 

Tonight will be the fifth and final 25th Anniversary Celebration Game this season for the Blue Jackets. Rick Nash, Andrew Cassels, Jack Johnson, Fedor Tyutin and original captain Lyle Odelein will sign autographs on the concourse pregame and be recognized as part of pregame festivities.

Scratches: Dmitri Voronkov, Miles Wood, Jake Christiansen, Egor Zamula  

Injured Reserve: D Brendan Smith (knee surgery, out three to four months as of Jan. 8)      

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets did a short skate Friday afternoon with largely the same lines and pairs, but Bowness will confirm the lineup in the afternoon ahead of the contest.  

This Day in CBJ History  

March 21, 2015: Rene Bourque scores 4:01 into overtime to push the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 overtime win at Calgary. Boone Jenner plays in the game, starting a career-long streak of 175 consecutive games played that would run through April 2017.     

March 21, 2022: The Blue Jackets make a trade ahead of the deadline, sending forward Max Domi to Carolina in a three-team deal that nets defensive prospect Aidan Hreschuk.     

March 21, 2023: In one of the wildest wins in CBJ history, Boone Jenner scores with 47 seconds to play and Jack Roslovic tallies 2:43 into overtime as Columbus takes a 7-6 victory at Washington. The goal was Roslovic’s second of the game, while defenseman Adam Boqvist also scores twice. It’s just the third 7-6 OT win in franchise history at the time.     

The Numbers Game 

Adam Fantilli is set to play in his 200th career NHL game, while Danton Heinen is set to reach No. 600. ... Zach Werenski is the only NHL defenseman with at least 20 goals (20) and 70 points (72) on the season, tying for third among league blueliners in tallies and placing second in helpers. Werenski has points in 26 of his last 31 games (11-31-42) as well as 37 of the last 45 (16-45-61). He leads NHL defensemen in multipoint games (23, tied for 11th overall in NHL) and is just the second CBJ player with multiple 70-point seasons in his career (Artemi Panarin). ... Fantilli has eight goals in the last 12 games and posted a 9-12-21 line in the last 18 games. ... Kirill Marchenko is one assist from 100 in his NHL career and one point from 200. He has points in 13 of the last 16 games (7-10-17), is second in the NHL lead with six shootout goals and has scored on 10 of 15 career shootout attempts, the best mark in NHL history (minimum 10 attempts). ... Charlie Coyle notched his third four-point game (1-3-4) of the season Tuesday vs. Carolina, tying Artemi Panarin’s CBJ single-season record. He has 11 goals and 30 points in the past 24 games as well as a 7-18-25 line in the last 19 contests, placing him sixth in the NHL in points in that span. ... Conor Garland has five goals in the last six games. … Jet Greaves is 11-0-2 in his last 14 appearances with a 2.34 GAA, while Elvis Merzlikins is 7-2-2 in his last 12 with a 2.54 GAA. ... Mathieu Olivier has nine goals in the last 17 games. … Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 51 goals this season, the most in the NHL, and Columbus is one of five teams to have two defensemen score at least 10 goals this season. … Columbus leads the league by scoring first in 42 of 68 games overall. ... Columbus is 8-0-3 in its last 11 home games, the second longest home point streak in franchise history, and 11-1-4 since the start of 2026. ... The Blue Jackets are 6-1 in shootouts this year. ... Boone Jenner notched his 205th career assist Thursday, passing David Vyborny for third most in team history, and 209 career goals, four behind Cam Atkinson for second in team history. 

Know The Foe: Seattle Kraken 

Head coach: Lane Lambert (First season) 

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.84 (23rd) | Scoring defense: 3.00 (13th) | PP: 20.9 percent (15th) | PK: 73.4 percent (31st)      

The narrative: The Kraken didn’t exactly follow Vegas’ path to dominance in the Western Conference but looked poised for big things after downing reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado in the opening round of the 2022-23 playoffs, but two losing seasons followed. Former Islanders coach Lambert was brought in to replace Dan Bylsma after just one year as Seattle placed seventh in the Pacific Division a season ago. This year's squad remains in the race, as Seattle is a point behind Los Angeles for the last wild card spot as the franchise looks to make its second playoff appearance. 

Scoring leaders: The Kraken are yet to have a player reach 50 points on the season, as veteran wing Jordan Eberle leads the way with team-high totals of 22 goals and 49 points. Matty Beniers places second on the squad with 44 points, including 18 goals, while Chandler Stephenson has a 14-27-41 line. Vince Dunn leads the defense with 10 goals among 40 points, while Jared McCann has 18 goals and 36 points in 44 games. 

In net: Joey Daccord has established himself in Seattle, as the third-year starter is 19-17-5 in 41 starts this year with a 2.87 GAA and .902 save percentage. Philipp Grubauer is 12-9-3 as the backup with a 2.62 GAA and .909 SV%.  

What's new: Seattle was sitting at 12-14-6 as the Christmas holiday neared, but the Kraken went on a nine-game point streak (8-0-1) to pull itself back into the Western Conference race. It appears the last wild card spot could come down to one of Seattle, Los Angeles, Nashville and San Jose, and the Kraken haven’t exactly grabbed the bull by the horns, losing six of the last eight as the team heads to Columbus. Injuries to forwards Jaden Schwartz and Eeli Tolvanen haven’t helped.  

Trending: The Blue Jackets can even the all-time series at five wins apiece after taking the first game of the season series Nov. 11 by a 2-1 score in a shootout. The two teams have split the four games in Nationwide Arena to this point. 

Former CBJ: None