The Columbus Blue Jackets have started the 2025-26 NHL season with a 6-4-0 record, demonstrating improved road play and depth scoring in their first 10 games. Key wins in back-to-back road games against Buffalo and Toronto highlighted contributions from multiple lines. While penalty kill remains a concern, the team's early momentum positions them for playoff contention.
The Columbus Blue Jackets entered the 2025-26 season building on last year's momentum, and through their first 10 games, they sit at 6-4-0, on pace for about 98 points. This mark ties them for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, a step up from needing 91 points for playoffs in 2024-25. Head coach Dean Evason noted the team's consistent effort: "Besides the (Colorado) game, I know that we’ve had solid efforts. There’s been some circumstances with our special teams and some circumstances with some maybe lack of scoring, but there hasn’t been a lack of commitment, a lack of effort."
A major improvement has been on the road, where the Blue Jackets are 4-1-0, including a 4-3 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. They averaged over 4.00 goals per game away from Nationwide Arena, with a 44.4% power play success rate. Goaltending has stabilized, allowing 2.80 goals against per road game. Elvis Merzlikins is 3-0 on the road, while Jet Greaves made 35 saves in Buffalo.
Depth scoring shone in the back-to-back set. Against Buffalo, the fourth line of Miles Wood, Isac Lundestrom and Yegor Chinakhov combined for three goals, including Wood's third-period tie and overtime winner; Chinakhov scored his first of the season. The next night, a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs saw the third line of Cole Sillinger, Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier account for 11 points, earning all three stars of the game. Sillinger and Coyle combined for six points, exposing Toronto's defensive issues.
Leading the offense, Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko each have 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points. Defenseman Denton Mateychuk has impressed alongside Zach Werenski, playing 108.3 minutes at 5-on-5 and outscoring opponents 5-3 with a 56.7% expected goal share. Mateychuk has 2 goals and 1 assist.
One area needing work is the penalty kill, successful on just 65.6% of chances (28th in the NHL), allowing 11 power-play goals. Evason said: "We’re working hard at it, and we’ll continue to do that and hopefully we can get some stops." Despite this, the Blue Jackets' four-line depth and road success signal real progress.
