PREVIEW: Blue Jackets put win streak on line against Blues

The Blue Jackets found out the hard way last season just how important every point is in the NHL.

Columbus finished just two points out of a playoff berth a season ago, making a long offseason feel even longer. The Blue Jackets won 40 games during the 2024-25 season, but one more victory over the course of the 82-game slate would have meant playoff hockey returning to Columbus.

The Blue Jackets could point to any number of stretches that ended up proving critical, from a pair of six-game losing streaks to frustrating records away from home (14-24-3) and in the second half of back-to-backs (2-10-0).

Head coach Dean Evason’s squad has been better at the latter two categories to start this season, and the Blue Jackets have now won five of six – including three in a row – heading into tonight’s game vs. St. Louis. And through the solid start, Evason feels his team has embraced what it means to grind out points in the early going of the season.

“We made a point to correct some things that we thought we needed to correct from last year to not make the playoffs by two points,” Evason said. “It’s important. There might be a game that one of these games maybe gets us in, maybe it doesn’t get us in if we’re on the right side or the wrong side. So the players are aware of it. We’ve talked about it as a team.

“Everybody is always like, ‘This (game) is the most important point,’ or whatever, but they’re all important.”

Take it from someone who hasn’t missed the playoffs to know just how important it is to consistently put points in the bank. Charlie Coyle has played 13 NHL seasons and made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all of them, the longest active streak for a player at the start of his career, and that experience has taught him the importance of minimizing losing streaks and picking up points in any way they can, as the Jackets have done in the early going.

“It’s huge,” Coyle said. “It doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal right now, but it is. You don’t want to be at the end of the year and say, ‘Hey, one more win or another point could have done it.’ And then you have regrets of, ‘Hey, we should have taken it more seriously, been ready to play at that puck drop or done this better.’

“It’s all very important. It doesn’t seem like it now, but toward the end, playoff time, it all pays off. You want to set yourself up and bank points as much as we can right now.”

Scratches: Zach Aston-Reese, Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury), Dysin Mayo

Injured reserve/Non-Roster: None

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets called up Mayo as Gudbranson continues to work his way back, but Columbus will use the same lineup as the last two games. Greaves gets the net as the goaltender rotation continues.

This Day in CBJ History

Nov. 1, 1996: Columbus Hockey Limited, a partnership formed by five investors interested in attracting a National Hockey League expansion team to Columbus, Ohio, submits an application and a $100,000 fee to the NHL office.

Nov. 1, 2000: Columbus is shut out for the first time in franchise history, as Ed Belfour makes 14 saves in a 4-0 Dallas victory.

Nov. 1, 2009: In a wild game at the Verizon Center in Washington, the Blue Jackets rally to take a 5-4 win against the Capitals. Columbus twice ties the game in the third period, the second time on an extra attacker goal by Raffi Torres at 19:37, before R.J. Umberger wins the game 1:45 into overtime.

Nov. 1, 2016: Columbus wins a game in similar fashion, tying it late and scoring in overtime to take a 3-2 victory vs. Dallas at Nationwide Arena. Sam Gagner ties the game with 16 seconds to go before Seth Jones tallies in OT for the victory.

The Numbers Game

Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko each have points in eight of 10 games this year and have matching 5-5-10 lines. ... Mathieu Olivier and Charlie Coyle each posted career bests with four-point nights Wednesday vs. Toronto, while Coyle had his first four-assist game in the NHL. It marked the 10th time in franchise history that two CBJ skaters posted four points in a single game. ... Coyle also became just the third CBJ player to have at least four primary assists in a game, joining Artemi Panarin (Dec. 8, 2017) and Scott Hartnell (Oct. 23, 2014), and the fifth forward to finish at least plus-5 in a game. ... Wood’s two-goal game Tuesday was the ninth of his 11-year NHL career, while the OT winner was the first of his career in the regular season. ... Dante Fabbro has a three-game point streak (1-2-3). ... The Blue Jackets have outscored opponents 26-17 at 5-on-5 thus far, the best ratio in the NHL. ... Sean Monahan is one point from 600 in his career. He would become the third player from his 2013 draft class to reach the mark following Nathan MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov and Elias Lindholm, 611).

Know The Foe: St. Louis Blues

Head coach: Jim Montgomery (Second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.91 (21st) | Scoring defense: 4.27 (31st) | PP: 25.0 percent (11th) | PK: 70.0 percent (27th)

The narrative: After making the playoffs 10 of 11 seasons from 2012-22, St. Louis missed the postseason for two straight years and looked ready to repeat the same fate a year ago before the team fired head coach Drew Bannister and hired Montgomery. The Blues raced to a 35-18-7 finish under Montgomery then took Presidents’ Trophy winner Winnipeg to seven games in the first round before the Jets advanced. St. Louis hasn’t had the same success at the start of this season, though, and is in the Central Division basement through its first 11 games.

Scoring leaders: Jordan Kyrou has topped 70 points three of the last four seasons and leads the way thus far, posting four goals and four assists for eight points. Jake Neighbours leads the team with six goals but suffered a leg injury that will keep him out long term, while Puis Suter and rookie Jimmy Snuggerud have matching 4-3-7 lines.

In net: It's been a tough start defensively for the Blues, who have allowed at least five goals in six of 11 games. Jordan Binnington is the team’s No. 1 and is 2-4-2 with a 3.21 GAA and .860 save percentage, while Joel Hofer (1-2-0, 5.81, .793) has struggled immensely.

What's new: As noted, the Blues have gotten off to a difficult start to the campaign, one that includes a 0-4-2 record in the last six games. St. Louis has been outscored 27-16 in the last five contests, including Thursday night’s 4-3 shootout loss to Vancouver in which captain Brayden Schenn had the puck fall off his stick on a shootout attempt before Jake DeBrusk scored the winning goal. Injuries to Neighbours and last year’s leading scorer, Robert Thomas, haven’t helped, and the Blues need to get on the right track quickly before they fall too far out of the race.

Trending: Columbus has won four games in a row against the Blues, including a 6-4 win at Nationwide Arena on Jan. 4 in the last meeting here.

Former CBJ: Forward Alexandre Texier is in his second year with St. Louis, posting an assist so far this season in seven games.