The daily main story at Hockey Hot Stove is powered by Watrhouse Brands, dedicated to quality, consumer education, and awareness: Benevolent Bakery, SoSHEL beverages, and Smokiez vegan fruit chews. Benevolent Bakeries and SoShel are proud sponsors of Hockey Day in Houston 2026. Today: The Columbus Blue Jackets streak ends.
The Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a 1-0 road loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday. Rick Bowness’ team saw its 12-game point streak come to an end. It was perhaps just a temporary setback. However, any regulation loss in a divisional game is costly this time of year.
From high to low in the blink of an eye: Such is life in the NHL. The Blue Jacket got goalied on Sunday; plan and simple. Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves to slam the door for his NHL-leading seventh shutout of the 2025-26 season.
On Saturday, Zach Werenski led the way with three assists in the first period. It marked his second straight game with three points and his seventh of the season. Columbus extended its point streak to 12 games with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena.
One step forward, one step back
With Saturday’s win combined with the Islanders’ 6-2 loss to Montreal, Columbus sat three points ahead of the Isles and just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now the lead over New York is back to just a single point.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes thumped the Penguins on Sunday, 5-1. Glass half full: Columbus lost no ground on Pittsburgh. Half empty: a golden opportunity slipped away to overtake Pittsburgh and open more breathing room on the Islanders.
In the big picture: Saturday’s game was more indicative of the Blue Jackets’ process since the Olympic break. A deep dive follows.
Saturday Summary: Blue Jackets “Crack” Seattle
On Saturday, Columbus came out flying, scoring three goals in the opening 15 minutes. They never looked back. Danton Heinen (5th goal of the season), Damon Severson (7th), and Mathieu Olivier (14th) all found the back of the net. Joey Daccord was often left exposed by his defense.
Vince Dunn cut the lead to 3-1 late in the first with a slap shot past Elvis MerzÄĽikins, who finished the night with 15 saves on 17 shots.
Werenski was involved in all three Columbus goals in the first period, helping the Blue Jackets outshoot Seattle 13-7 and completely control the pace early.
During the second period, both teams didn’t generate many quality chances, mostly due to poor execution and stronger defensive play on both sides. There wasn’t much space in front of the net, and it resulted in just one goal for each team.
The Seattle Kraken cut the lead to one at 8:31 with a power-play goal from Kaapo Kakko. However, they couldn’t build on that momentum, as the Columbus Blue Jackets responded just over a minute later with Kent Johnson scoring his seventh of the season to restore the two-goal lead.
In the third period, Seattle didn’t generate enough push to get back into the game, largely due to Columbus’ excellent forecheck. Cole Sillinger sealed it with his seventh of the season — his third point of the night — scoring into the empty net to make it 5-2 for Columbus.
Game Stats: Columbus vs. Seattle
| Stat | Kraken | Blue Jackets |
| Shots on Goal | 17 | 28 |
| Face-off % | 42.9% | 57.1% |
| Power Play | 1/1 | 0/3 |
| Penalty Minutes | 6 | 2 |
| Hits | 14 | 15 |
| Blocked Shots | 13 | 13 |
| Giveaways | 19 | 10 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 5 |
My Takeaways
1. Bowness is Changing Everything
The Rick Bowness hiring was a turning point for the Blue Jackets. He didn’t overhaul the entire system—but the adjustments he made, especially defensively, have completely transformed this team. Their structure is tighter, their coverage is better, and as a result, their offense has improved too.
During this 12-game point streak (8-0-4), Columbus is averaging 3.8 goals per game while allowing just 2.75 goals against. That’s a +1 goal differential per game—elite level production.
Since January 1st, the Blue Jackets are second in the NHL with 45 points, just one behind the Buffalo Sabres, posting an incredible 20-5-5 record.
This is not a hot streak anymore—this is a legit contender playing elite hockey.
2. Werenski Playing at an Elite Level
Zach Werenski is playing the best hockey of his career. With 75 points in 63 games (20 goals, 55 assists), he is dominating from the blue line. He was in the Norris conversation last season—and he absolutely deserves to be right back in it again.
He’s only four points behind Evan Bouchard, but Werenski is the more complete defenseman. His all-around game, maturity, and decision-making have taken another step.
And let’s give credit—Bowness has a track record of developing elite defensemen. Just look at Josh Morrissey and Miro Heiskanen during his time in Dallas.
3. Consistency Across the Board
This team is playing a complete, 200-foot game right now. Sunday’s 1-0 loss didn’t change the process.
They are more disciplined, their forecheck is aggressive and effective, and both special teams units are delivering—power play and penalty kill.
But the biggest difference? Structure and effort.
Columbus is giving a full 60-minute effort every night, and their system is finally matching their talent. That’s why they’re winning—and that’s why this run feels sustainable.
Next Games for the Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets headed after Saturday into a crucial stretch of five games in eight nights. There’s no time to lament the loss to the Islanders on Sunday.There’s another divisional matchup on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Thereafter, the Jackets travel to Montreal on Thursday to face the Montreal Canadiens, before wrapping up the week with a tough back-to-back: Saturday against the San Jose Sharks and Sunday versus the Boston Bruins.
This is a defining week for Columbus. With the playoff race tightening, how they perform in this stretch could make—or break—their push.
