Blue Jackets Blank Blackhawks to Head Into Break on a High Note
The Columbus Blue Jackets are rolling-and they’re not slowing down for anyone, not even the Olympic break.
With a 4-0 shutout win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to seven games. And this one had a little bit of everything: timely scoring, stout defense, and a goaltending performance from Jet Greaves that capped off a historic back-to-back shutout stretch for Columbus.
Greaves turned away all 21 shots he faced, following up Elvis Merzlikins’ 24-save shutout against the Devils the night before. It marked the first time in franchise history that the Blue Jackets posted shutouts on consecutive nights with different goalies.
“It was important for us to go into the break on the right note,” Greaves said postgame. “The start was good and we just built on that throughout the game.”
That start came early, and it came off the stick of Zach Werenski. Just 4:46 into the first period, Werenski’s shot from the left circle took a couple of fortuitous bounces-first off Louis Crevier, then the skate of Alex Vlasic-before finding the back of the net.
It was Werenski’s 20th goal of the season, the most among NHL defensemen, and a continuation of his red-hot form. He’s now riding a seven-game point streak with 10 points over that span.
Ivan Provorov doubled the lead midway through the first with a sharp wrist shot from the low left circle, set up beautifully by a cross-ice feed from rookie Adam Fantilli. That kind of puck movement has become a staple of Columbus’ offense during this surge-they’re not just winning, they’re doing it with structure and precision.
Danton Heinen made it 3-0 early in the second period, finishing off a slick passing sequence with Charlie Coyle. Heinen went short side on Spencer Knight, the puck glancing off the goalie’s shoulder and in. Coyle, who’s been a steady two-way force, notched his second assist of the night and now has 17 points over his last 12 games.
Sean Monahan sealed the win with an empty-netter at 15:33 of the third, and just like that, the Jackets had their third shutout since Rick Bowness took over behind the bench on January 12. Since that coaching change, Columbus is 10-1-0 and has won 11 of their last 12.
“You can’t ever predict that,” Werenski said of the team’s recent surge. “But I definitely felt like we had the team here to do it.”
The Blue Jackets have been especially tough at home, and they’ve also picked up big wins on the road, showing a level of consistency that simply wasn’t there earlier in the season. The defensive structure has tightened up, the goaltending has been stellar, and the offense is clicking with contributions from all over the lineup.
“It feels really good to go in with a little winning streak and feeling good about our game,” Coyle said. “It’s our best hockey we’ve played. We’ve strung a lot of wins together, which is huge to try to get us back in a position, in the mix, which we have done.”
As for the Blackhawks, this was a night they’d like to forget. Spencer Knight made 16 saves, but Chicago struggled to generate much of anything offensively. They’ve now dropped six of their last seven (1-4-2), and the urgency just wasn’t there.
“I thought there was a level of urgency, alertness that we didn’t have that we need to have,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “Every game matters, man.”
Captain Nick Foligno echoed that sentiment, calling the effort “disappointing,” especially heading into a long break. “We’re fighting to be a relevant team; to be in the mix here and you can’t have an effort like that,” he said.
To make matters worse, the Blackhawks lost two players to injury. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser left in the first period after a collision with Werenski, and Colton Dach exited early in the second after taking a hard hit into the boards. Blashill said Kaiser is expected to miss time, while Dach is considered day-to-day.
For Columbus, the timing of this hot streak couldn’t be better. They head into the Olympic break with momentum, confidence, and a clear identity under Bowness. And perhaps most importantly, they’re getting contributions up and down the lineup-from the blue line to the crease.
It hasn’t been perfect, as Coyle noted, but it’s been good enough to climb back into the mix. And with the way this team is playing, they’re not just trying to stay relevant-they’re building something that could last well beyond the break.