The Blue Jackets didn’t just beat the Avalanche on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena - they buried them under a seven-goal outburst that matched the most lopsided win in franchise history against Colorado.
Columbus rolled to a 7-2 victory behind a balanced attack that saw six different skaters find the net, with Charlie Coyle leading the way with four points. Mathieu Olivier, Ivan Provorov, Jake Christiansen, Cole Sillinger, Coyle and Val Nichushkin all scored, and Cam Talbot backed it up with another strong night in goal, turning aside 27 of 29 shots.
The game got away from Colorado almost immediately. The Blue Jackets scored 28 seconds into the contest, the fastest opening goal they’ve had this season.
It was also the 19th fastest goal in franchise history to start a game and the quickest since Boone Jenner scored at 0:15 on Mar. 14, 2024.
From there, Columbus kept stacking shifts and goals. The second period was the knockout punch, with the Jackets scoring four times in the frame - their highest-scoring period of the season. By the end of the night, they had seven goals, their most in a game this season and the most they’ve ever scored against the Avalanche in the all-time series.
Coyle was at the center of it all. He finished with two goals and two assists, his first four-point game since Mar. 17, 2026 vs.
CAR, and the sixth time in his NHL career he’s reached that mark. Against his former club, he’s now up to 14-17-31 in 43 career games and has points in nine of his past 11 meetings with Colorado.
Olivier turned in a big all-around night as well, posting a goal and two assists for his first multi-point game of the season and the third three-point outing of his career. He, Coyle and Sillinger combined for four goals, five assists and a plus-11 rating, a line that simply overwhelmed Colorado.
Sillinger added a goal and an assist, while Provorov scored once. Christiansen’s goal was a notable one too - his second of the season set a new single-season career high and gave him his first career game-winning goal in his 163rd game.
Nichushkin chipped in a goal and an assist for his first multi-point game as a Blue Jacket. Zach Werenski also kept the offense moving with two assists, giving him a third multi-assist game of the season and extending his assist streak to four games. Sean Monahan, Damon Severson, Denton Mateychuk, Conor Garland and Kent Johnson all picked up assists as well, with Johnson extending his point streak to five games.
Talbot was steady throughout, stopping 27 shots and helping Columbus kill off two of Colorado’s three power plays. The Jackets went 2-for-4 on the power play themselves, won 52.7% of the faceoffs, and finished with 15 hits and 15 blocks.
The win moved Columbus to 6-7-0 on the season, and the Jackets will be back home Thursday to face the Dallas Stars.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets May Have Found A Third Pairing Answer Again
Jake Christiansens climb up the Blue Jackets depth chart has been one of the quieter but more interesting developments around the blue line. The undrafted defenseman has seen his role fluctuate over the past two seasons, but his recent play has earned more trust from the coaching staff and put him in position to handle a steadier spot on the third pairing.
For a Columbus defense that has spent much of the season sorting through options, Christiansens rise offers a familiar kind of value: a player who has kept working, stayed ready and forced his way back into the conversation. He has appeared in 68 games this season after getting into 40 last year, and the latest signs suggest the Jackets may have found another workable answer on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Desperately Need Offense And Rick Bowness Just Sent A Message
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One of the bigger tweaks was Luca Del Bel Belluz moving into a more prominent role in the lineup, a sign Bowness is willing to keep experimenting to find the right mix. Columbus has needed more production for a while now, and the latest set of line combinations suggests the coach is trying to spark something before the challenge gets any tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Are Inviting Another Roster Debate With Dmitri Voronkov
Dmitri Voronkov has become one of the more curious roster cases in Columbus, especially for a team still sorting out its identity and its cap situation. The winger has been productive enough on the ice to make his recent place in the lineup hard to explain, and his underlying numbers have only added to the sense that there is more going on here than a simple coaching preference.
Around the league, the speculation has only grown that the Blue Jackets could move him sooner rather than later, with general manager Don Waddell looking for ways to create flexibility. No deal has been announced, but the possibility alone is enough to reopen the familiar debate about whether Columbus is prioritizing short-term roster management over keeping a useful young forward in the fold. [Read more 🡒]