Blue Jackets Blank Blackhawks, Ride Hot Streak Into Olympic Break
The Columbus Blue Jackets are heading into the Olympic break with some serious momentum-and a bit of history to boot. Behind a 21-save shutout from Jet Greaves, Columbus rolled past the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena, extending their win streak to seven games and continuing a remarkable run under head coach Rick Bowness.
This wasn’t just another win-it marked the first time in franchise history the Blue Jackets have recorded back-to-back shutouts with different goalies. Elvis Merzlikins got it started with a 24-save performance in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Devils. Greaves picked up where his teammate left off, and the Jackets now haven’t allowed a goal in over seven full periods of hockey, dating back to the second period of Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Blues.
“It was important for us to go into the break on the right note,” Greaves said postgame. “We talked about that coming in, and I thought we did a good job of setting the tone early and building from there.”
Greaves was quick to deflect credit back to the team in front of him, and rightfully so. Columbus has locked things down defensively, and the results speak for themselves: 11 wins in their last 12 games, and a 10-1-0 record since Bowness took over on January 12.
“It’s awesome,” Greaves added. “These shutouts aren’t just about me or Elvis-they’re about the whole group. The guys have been defending really well.”
Offense Clicking, Defense Dominating
Columbus got contributions from all over the lineup. Zach Werenski opened the scoring less than five minutes in, notching his 20th goal of the season-the most among NHL defensemen. His shot from the left circle took a couple of fortunate bounces off Chicago skaters before finding the back of the net, but when you’re on a heater like Werenski is-10 points in his last seven games-those bounces tend to go your way.
Ivan Provorov doubled the lead midway through the first, finishing off a slick cross-ice feed from rookie Adam Fantilli with a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle. Danton Heinen made it 3-0 early in the second, sneaking one short side past Chicago goalie Spencer Knight after a clean setup by Charlie Coyle.
Coyle, who’s been red-hot in this stretch, added two assists to bring his tally to 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in the past 12 games. Sean Monahan capped off the scoring with an empty-netter late in the third.
“It feels really good to go in with a little winning streak and feeling good about our game,” Coyle said. “This is the best hockey we’ve played. We’ve strung wins together, we’re getting great goaltending, and we’re building something.”
Chicago Struggles to Find Urgency
On the other side of the ice, the Blackhawks looked like a team ready for the break, but not in a good way. They’ve now dropped six of their last seven (1-4-2), and head coach Jeff Blashill didn’t mince words.
“I thought there was a level of urgency, alertness that we didn’t have-and we need to have,” Blashill said. “Every game matters, man. And I just thought too many guys didn’t bring the urgency we needed.”
Captain Nick Foligno echoed that frustration.
“Just didn’t have the compete level,” he said. “It’s disappointing, especially going into a break where you’ve got tons of time. We’re fighting to be a relevant team, to be in the mix, and you can’t have an effort like that.”
To make matters worse, Chicago lost two players to injury. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser left in the first after getting tangled up with Werenski, and forward Colton Dach exited early in the second after being checked into the boards. Blashill said Kaiser could be out for a while, while Dach is considered day-to-day.
A Turnaround Under Bowness
Since Rick Bowness took over behind the bench, the Blue Jackets have looked like a completely different team. The defensive structure has tightened, the offense is flowing, and the belief in the room is palpable. With three shutouts in less than a month and a 10-1-0 record under his leadership, it’s clear something has clicked.
And while the Jackets know there’s still work to do, they’re heading into the break playing their best hockey of the season-with confidence, chemistry, and a clear identity.
“It hasn’t been perfect-hockey never is,” Coyle said. “But the fact that we’re still finding ways to win, even with things to clean up, that’s a really good sign.”
Columbus now gets a well-earned rest, but if this stretch is any indication, they’re not just trying to stay in the mix-they’re starting to look like a team nobody wants to face down the stretch.