The Columbus Blue Jackets keep running into the same wall: the goals just aren’t coming often enough.
Through 16 games, the offense has been too easy to bottle up. Outside of two nights when they erupted for six goals and seven goals, Columbus has managed only 28 goals in 14 games - exactly two per game. That kind of output leaves little margin for error, and it’s why the Blue Jackets keep spending so much time trying to claw back late instead of controlling games from the start.
That showed up again at home against the Florida Panthers, where Columbus fell 4-1. It’s the kind of result that fits the broader pattern. This team keeps searching for answers after the fact, and as the season has worn on, the need for a steadier scoring base has only grown louder.
The challenge was always going to be real after the trade that brought Matthew Knies to Columbus so late before the season, and after the Blue Jackets dealt their best goal scorer, Kirill Marchenko. That left a hole up front, and nearly a month and a half into the year, the same problem is still staring them in the face. Head Coach Rick Bowness has kept pointing to the chances being there and insisting the goals will follow, but the wait continues.
Knies is one of the players they need to wake up.
He opened the season with a two-goal night, then went quiet for the next 15 games. Asked whether the drought is getting to him, he didn’t sound rattled.
“It’ll come you know. I am not too worried about it.
I feel like if I score tomorrow, and it opens up and I score the following day, and then we aren’t talking about this. So, it just kind of comes in waves like that,” said Knies.
Columbus has been trying to shake something loose by moving him around the lineup and pairing him with players such as Kent Johnson and Zach Werenski, both of whom have been producing lately. Knies knows the assignment is simple.
“They’re good players, smart players, they make a lot of good plays, and I just got to find myself in the right areas to kind of bury the puck,” said Knies.
The Blue Jackets are hoping that if Knies starts finishing again, it gives them another layer offensively. With his size and the presence of Dmitri Voronkov in front of the net, there’s a different look there that Columbus still hasn’t fully unlocked. Knies has also been getting time on the top power play unit, where the puck movement around him should create chances for him to slip free, get lost in coverage, or get a stick on pucks in front.
That kind of impact matters even more when the games get heavy. Columbus needs him to be a factor not just as a finisher, but as a body who can shield defenders and hold onto the puck when the pace gets more physical.
Adam Fantilli is dealing with his own slow start.
He has six points in 16 games, and only two of those are assists. That’s not close to the point-per-game level Bowness believes he can reach, and once again he’s lagging behind the pace to open a season. His 2023 NHL Draft counterpart Leo Carlsson is off to a much hotter start with 26 points in 18 games, including 20 assists.
Fantilli has started slowly in each of his previous three seasons in Columbus, so this isn’t unfamiliar territory. Still, the pressure is there, and the puck hasn’t seemed to bounce his way around the net.
Even practice hasn’t gone smoothly. He was banged up a bit on Monday and showed some frustration after getting caught up in a drill.
Talked to Fantilli today. He’s feeling better today, physically, than yesterday … when he accidentally got trucked by Ivan Provorov in a drill and then got his leg awkwardly and painfully pinned on the wall in PP work.
He wasn’t thrilled. All good now, though.
#CBJ
- Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) November 10, 2026
While Johnson and Werenski have found their offensive rhythm, Columbus is still waiting for Fantilli to join them. He’s now on the second power play unit, and he’s also been moved to the second forward line with Valeri Nichushkin and Dmitri Voronkov. That group has the size and physical edge to wear teams down, but it also has the potential to create real offense once it clicks.
The schedule gives Columbus a chance to respond at home. The Blue Jackets have three straight games at Nationwide Arena this week, starting with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, then the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. The Lightning game comes on the second night of a back-to-back, with puck drop set for 7:00pm ET.
There is at least some opportunity here for Columbus to build momentum before a week-long road trip. The Panthers game didn’t go the way they wanted, but the Blue Jackets do have a chance to reset against a team they haven’t lost to since early in 2025, after going 3-0-0 against them last season.
In Other News...
Sam Bennett Delivered In A Panthers Win They Really Needed
Sam Bennett gave Florida exactly the kind of night it needed in Columbus, scoring twice to help the Panthers beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 at Nationwide Arena. Anton Lundell and Aaron Ekblad each picked up assists, and the win nudged Florida to 10-7-2, a timely response for a team looking to steady itself in the early part of the season.
Jacob Markstrom backed it up with a sharp performance in net, turning aside 37 shots and keeping Columbus from ever fully settling in. For the Panthers, it was the sort of road result that can matter beyond the standings, especially when a veteran forward like Bennett is the one driving the offense and the team is trying to build something more consistent. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Just Got A Needed Sign On Two Key Veterans
The Panthers got a welcome sight at morning skate in Columbus, with Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand both back on the ice as the club continues to work through its early-season injury picture. For a team that has had to manage its lineup carefully, getting two established veterans back in the mix is the kind of update that can steady things quickly, even if the full return timeline is still being measured day by day.
There is still no firm date attached to either player, but the latest read from the bench suggests Florida is moving in the right direction with both. For a Panthers group trying to stay on track while other teams around the league deal with their own roster issues, having Barkov and Marchand back in skate work is a meaningful sign that help is drawing closer. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Get A Familiar Opponent In A Road Test They Need
The Panthers head into a road matchup with Columbus carrying a familiar comfort level against a Blue Jackets team they have handled well for years. Since the 2019-20 season, Florida has consistently found ways to get results in this matchup, and the timing matters now with the club trying to steady its recent play while navigating the usual wear and tear of an NHL schedule.
Columbus enters with some lineup uncertainty after Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov both left the last game with injuries and are considered day-to-day, adding another layer to a game that already has some roster-watch intrigue on both sides. Paul Maurice and Rick Bowness have both been talking recently about where their teams are at and what they need from their group, so this one carries a little more weight than a routine regular-season meeting. [Read more 🡒]