Blue Jackets’ first 10 games show real improvement – Hockey Writer – Columbus Blue Jackets

October is almost over. For the Columbus Blue Jackets, it’s been a month of finding their feet in the new season.

It was also the month that proved the end of last season was no fluke. It’s still very early. But the Blue Jackets’ momentum continues into the 2025-26 season.

The Blue Jackets have a record of 6 wins, 4 draws and 0 losses in their first 10 games and have a 98-point lead in the standings. In the 2024-25 season, they scored 91 points before entering the Eastern Conference playoffs.

At least so far, the Blue Jackets are performing well enough to be a playoff team this season. The obvious question is, can they more than keep up? Can they get better? Let’s discuss some highlights from the first 10 games of the season.

road to success

Remember how bad the road was for the Blue Jackets last season? They won just 14 of 41 games. This is an area that must improve.

How is the season starting for the Blue Jackets away from the national arena? They improved to 4-1-0 on the road thanks to a 4-3 overtime win over Buffalo on Tuesday.

What has changed? There are a few things. First, the Blue Jackets average over 4.00 away goals per game. Their power play also hit 44.4%.

This kept the Blue Jackets from trailing early in the game. Even if they have moments in games, they have shown a tendency to handle situations better when trailing. This is real progress.

Another notable change is better goalkeeping. The Blue Jackets have conceded 14 goals in five away games, averaging 2.80 goals per game.

Elvis Merzlikins has a perfect 3-0 record on the road so far, including wins in Dallas and Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Jet Greaves made 35 saves in Buffalo’s win.

Hitting .800 in road hockey will finally be a little more down to earth. But getting better at this will greatly improve their playoff chances.

depth pass

This has really come through in the last few games. For several nights, the Blue Jackets’ bottom six have been outstanding.

In Buffalo, the fourth line dominated the game. Yegor Chinakhov scored his first goal of the season. Miles Wood tied the game with a goal in the third period. Then in a rare overtime, he won the game.

The next night against the Maple Leafs, it was the third line’s turn to respond. Cole Sillinger, Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier combined for 11 points. You rarely see a game where the three stars are an entire line. The trio accomplished just that on Wednesday.

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This gives the Blue Jackets a different look and feel. The top line of Dmitry Voronkov, Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko is still excellent in many ways. This is despite Monaghan yet to score a goal this season.

The second row may not have the numbers you expect to see at this point, they all have the ability to break out. The Blue Jackets have four lines of defense that can hurt teams.

This is where Coyle and Wood’s acquisitions are showing some early returns. So did Isaac Lundestrom.

The Blue Jackets are winning games and different players are contributing to their victory. This is another strong sign that they can make the playoffs. This is also real progress.

side dishes

Here are some quick side dishes that caught my attention from the first 10 games.

• Rotating goalies benefits everyone involved. It keeps both Greaves and Merzlikins sharp. This also allows them to maintain high energy levels. It became a big thing as the season went on, having two goaltenders that could win on any given night.
• Denton Mateychuk going offside on the first pair was a big factor. In over 108 minutes of 5-on-5 action, Mateychuk and Werenski combined to outscore their opponents 5-3 with an expected goal rate of just under 56 percent. That will work. (Statistics techniques by country.)
• Marchenko and Voronkov led the way with 5 wins, 5 draws and 10 losses respectively in the first 10 games. Voronkov was only beginning to realize how big a threat he posed.
• Coyle did a lot of things well but didn’t get on the scoresheet. There’s a reason he’s never missed the playoffs in his career thus far. Just a solid hockey player.
• I want to see one thing. This should be a top power play unit. Load skills. Welenski, Johnson, Fantilli, Marchenko, Monahan. Interestingly, they have yet to score a power-play goal at home. We’ll soon see how these units develop over time.

Overall, the Blue Jackets should be happy with their 6-4-0 start considering the difficulty of the schedule. They’ve made real progress in key areas, but there’s also plenty of room for improvement.

See you in November.