The Blue Jackets left Raleigh with a loss, but they also left with something they can build on.
Down 3-0 after Carolina scored 16 seconds into the third period, Columbus could have drifted into damage-control mode against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Instead, the Jackets pushed back hard, got goals from Denton Mateychuk and Kent Johnson, and made it a game before falling 3-2 on Thursday night. It wasn’t enough to steal the result, but it was enough to show what this group looks like when it finally settles into its own style.
That third-period surge was driven by the kids, and that’s been the theme for Columbus so far.
Mateychuk scored for the third straight game and picked up his fourth goal of the season. That ties him for second in the NHL among defensemen with four goals.
Johnson added a power-play goal, with Charlie Coyle’s pass deflecting off Johnson’s skate and in. Johnson now leads the Blue Jackets with seven goals, which matches his total from all of last season in just 11 games.
Those two goals were part of a bigger picture, too. Columbus has 27 non-shootout goals this season, and 18 of them have come from Johnson, Mateychuk, Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger. That’s 67 percent.
Rick Bowness has noticed.
“Love the way Kent Johnson, (Adam) Fantilli, Cole Sillinger and then (Denton) Mateychuk. The young guys.
We asked them to step up. They wanted more responsibility and they’re all responding.
That was very encouraging.”
Mateychuk said the game changed for Columbus once the Hurricanes made it 3-0.
“We wanted to come out for the third and have a good push,” Mateychuk said. “Obviously scored (16 seconds) in, and I think that kind of flipped a switch for us.
Go out there and we need to get our push now. And you see the urgency closing on plays and put them on their heels pretty good in the third there.”
The Jackets still have work to do, and plenty of it. Their veterans have to chip in more on the scoring side, and this team has to find a way to put together a full 60 minutes instead of leaving stretches on the table. Thursday showed the ceiling of the young core, but it also showed there’s a gap between flashes and the kind of complete performance good teams bring every night.
That was the lesson in how Carolina handled the night. The Hurricanes capitalized on Columbus mistakes early and then held off the late charge. That’s what teams at that level do.
The bigger question now is what comes next for Dmitri Voronkov.
Voronkov was a healthy scratch Thursday, his third of the 2026-27 season, with Danton Heinen moving into the lineup in his place. For a player just 11 games into the season, that’s already a problem.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic recently reported the Blue Jackets are listening on Voronkov, and Elliotte Friedman also mentioned his name in his most recent 32 Thoughts Blog. That doesn’t mean a trade is around the corner, but it is meaningful information.
There was already a previous moment where Columbus had a chance to move Voronkov. The Blue Jackets were in on Noah Dobson last year before he went to the Montreal Canadiens, and the Islanders reportedly wanted Voronkov as part of a potential deal. Columbus passed, believing he still had another level to reach.
That level hasn’t shown up often enough under Bowness.
Voronkov has bounced around the lineup, getting a look on the second line before most recently settling on the fourth line, where he played less than eight minutes. He also sat for the final 12 minutes of the game in Philadelphia plus overtime. The message from the coaching staff has been clear enough: he hasn’t earned steady trust.
That puts Columbus in a tough spot. Voronkov is a 20-goal scorer and, when he’s engaged physically, he can be a real problem for opponents. At the same time, that version of him has not appeared consistently, and Bowness has shown a willingness to go with other options.
The Blue Jackets aren’t just going to hand him away. But if he can’t be trusted in the lineup right now and the team is already listening on him, the pressure will only grow. This season matters too much for unresolved issues to linger.
There’s also the simple fact that he had the offseason to arrive ready to go. Columbus needed a power forward who could hit the ground running, and that hasn’t happened.
For now, the Jackets are stuck in the middle. They either need to make Voronkov work or seriously consider moving on. They can’t afford to keep hoping he finds it on his own.
There was also some news on Ivan Provorov, though nothing definitive yet. As of Friday morning, there was nothing new to report, but he appears close to returning. It was previously said he may join the team on the road, though there was no indication whether that has happened or whether he could play Saturday in Dallas.
The roster move that could open the door came with Carson Soucy. Columbus placed Soucy on waivers, he cleared, and he was assigned to the Cleveland Monsters. That leaves the roster at 22 players, so when Provorov is ready, the spot will be there.
Jake Christiansen also drew praise from Bowness after Thursday’s game. Christiansen set up Mateychuk’s goal and continues to make a case for himself.
“Jake’s been fantastic. He’s making plays.
He’s a more reliable defenseman. He’s playing like we hoped he would.
He’s a very confident kid right now. And he’s getting good minutes and he deserves those minutes.
That was a great hockey play he made.”
Once Provorov returns, somebody will have to come out of the lineup. Right now, Christiansen is doing everything he can to make sure that isn’t him.
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