PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Oilers for Hockey Fights Cancer Night

The Blue Jackets are finally home.

After five straight road games – including a four-game jaunt to the West Coast that covered around 6,500 miles, round trip – the Blue Jackets return to Nationwide Arena tonight to start a three-game homestand vs. Edmonton.

The trip included a gamut of emotions, from a pair of losses at Vancouver and Edmonton that the Blue Jackets thought could (or should) have gone their way, to a strong finish Tuesday at Seattle in which Columbus battled its way to a 2-1 shootout win.

It was far from a perfect trip – they rarely are when you head to Western Canada – but in the end, the Blue Jackets earned three of a possible eight points on their journey to remain just a point out of a wild card spot in the crowded Eastern Conference race.

“Not every road trip is going to go as planned,” Charlie Coyle said after he scored the shootout winner against the Kraken. “We can correct some things and learn from it, but to battle back like that and get three out of four (points) in the last two, it depends on how you look at it, right? So take the positives, and to grind (through) the last period going in, 1-1 game, if it takes a shootout, it takes a shootout, but we got it done. We go home with two (points). That’s what we set out to do tonight.”

While the Blue Jackets made some critical mistakes in key moments against the Canucks and Oilers to fall short of two points, the win against the Kraken was a full 65-minute effort. With the Blue Jackets fighting an illness going through the locker room and playing the second half of a back-to-back against a rested foe, Columbus stayed patient in a tight game.

Adam Fantilli’s power-play goal tied things in the second period, then the teams played 25 scoreless minutes through the third and overtime periods. By the time Kirill Marchenko and Coyle scored in the shootout, the Blue Jackets had found a way to win.

“It’s really important,” Werenski said postgame. “I feel like we found ways to lose this trip. I feel like our record on this trip probably wasn’t reflective of how we played, but at the end of the day, you have to get points in this league. (Monday night in Edmonton) is a tough one, and I think it speaks volumes about our group. It’s a tough back-to-back, crossing the border, getting in late last night, and finding a way to get two points tonight after a tough game (Monday night). So we get three points in the last 24 hours.

“We’ll go home happy for a few games and get back in front of our fans, so it’s a huge win for us.”

Scratches: F Zach Aston-Reese, F Boone Jenner (injury), D Dysin Mayo

Injured reserve/Non-Roster: Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury)

Roster Report: Evason said Jenner is not facing a short-term injury layoff after leaving Tuesday's game at Seattle, dealing the CBJ a blow as their captain will be out for a while. A healthy scratch Tuesday, Johnson returns to the lineup, while Greaves will get a third straight start in net.

This Day in CBJ History

Nov. 13, 2001: David Vyborny ties the score with an extra-attacker goal with 1:15 left and Ray Whitney tallies a power-play goal with five seconds to play in overtime as the Blue Jackets rally for a 3-2 victory vs. St. Louis at Nationwide Arena. It’s the first time Columbus wins after scoring an extra-attacker goal in the final two minutes and also the first power-play OT tally in franchise history.

Nov. 13, 2006: The Blue Jackets fire head coach Gerard Gallant after he posted a 56-76-4-6 record in three seasons in charge. Assistant coach Gary Agnew is named interim head coach the following day.

The Numbers Game

With an assist vs. Seattle, Kirill Marchenko extended his career-best point streak to nine games (3-8-11) and has five points in the last three games. The point streak is tied for the sixth longest in franchise history. ... Adam Fantilli has scored in two straight games and has a three-game point streak (2-3-5). … Charlie Coyle’s shootout-deciding goal Tuesday was the 11th winner of his NHL career. … Blue Jackets defensemen have scored in 10 of 16 games so far this year, and the team’s 12 tallies from blueliners lead the NHL. … Zach Werenski is tied for third in the NHL among defensemen in goals (four), first in shots on goal (57) and second in average time on ice (26:45). He played 31:13 Tuesday in Seattle, eighth most of his career, and topped the 30-minute mark for the first time this season. … Sean Monahan has scored four goals in his last four games vs. Edmonton, while Cole Sillinger has a 3-6-9 line all-time vs. the Oilers in eight games. ... Elvis Merzlikins has 98 career victories, two shy of 100, heading into the game. … Jet Greaves participated in the first shootout of his NHL career and got his first win in the skills competition Tuesday.

Know The Foe: Edmonton Oilers

Head coach: Kris Knoblauch (Third season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.00 (T-17th) | Scoring defense: 3.33 (27th) | PP: 31.3 percent (3rd) | PK: 81.6 percent (T-10th)

The narrative: Edmonton sits on a major precipice as a franchise, as they’ve made it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row but lost to Florida both times. After the series went seven games in 2023-24, last year’s was more decisive in favor of the Panthers, and Connor McDavid signed a two-year contract extension last month that indicates it’s time to win now in Edmonton. Now that he's in his 11th NHL season, anything less than contending for – and winning – the Stanley Cup will be another crushing disappointment.

Scoring leaders: You likely won’t be surprised to find out the two players atop the scoring chart for the Oilers. McDavid’s 18 assists are tied for the NHL lead and allow him to tie for fourth in the league with 25 points, and the three-time Hart Trophy winner remains the elite of the lite. Meanwhile, reigning Richard Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl leads the team with 10 goals and adds eight assists for 18 points. Evan Bouchard leads the defense with a 3-9-12 line, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 16 points but is out with injury.

In net: Stuart Skinner is the team’s No. 1 but played last night in Philadelphia, so Calvin Pickard will likely get the call tonight. The former Lake Erie Monsters goalie and 11-year NHL veteran is 2-2-1 in six appearances (five starts) with a 4.00 GAA and .836 save percentage.

What's new: Edmonton has made it all the way to the Final the past two years and qualified for the playoffs for six straight years, but slow starts have become commonplace in northern Alberta. The Oilers won just six of their first 16 games, punctuated by a 9-1 home loss Saturday to Colorado, before beating Columbus on Monday and Philadelphia yesterday, both in overtime. Depth – particularly up front – has been an issue thanks to injuries to Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen and the offseason departures of Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson.

Trending: While Columbus lost to the Oilers in overtime Monday, the Blue Jackets have won four straight home games against Edmonton including a 6-1 final last season on Oct. 28.

Former CBJ: After spending last season with Carolina, Jack Roslovic signed with the Oilers after the start of the season and has scored overtime winners in each of the last two games. He has a 5-6-11 line in 16 games.