Blue Jackets’ Sillinger & Bowness Talk About Confidence and Predictability of the Third Line

Through five games, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a 2-3-0 record and are tied for the least amount of games played in the NHL right now. They only play two more this week, but have to take advantage of all of these early-season games while they are here.

So far through those five games, four of them have been started by the third line. Head coach Rick Bowness and one of the members of the third line, Cole Sillinger, have talked about their confidence and the chemistry that it has.

“Obviously we played together last year, and just picking up where we left off. We take a lot of pride in being reliable in all three zones,” said Sillinger.

They have been one of the brightest parts of this team both last season and now again through the early part of this season. It has been the most consistent and best checking line the Blue Jackets have put together, and the reason they start so many games is to set the tone and pace of play.

A lot of that predictability comes from the center of that line, Charlie Coyle, who is amongst the most predictable players on the roster and has the trust of Bowness. He trusts him to play in any situation, and he makes an impact everywhere he plays.

Coyle’s Calming Presence

Bowness talked about how last Saturday, when they were on the road facing the St. Louis Blues, the lines got jumbled up, and he fell back on Coyle to make it work. Spoiler alert, it worked.

“The other night, the lines got screwed up because a little bit of flow. So, I threw him out there on the right wing, and he goes down and gets an assist,” said Bowness. “His hockey sense, his IQ, yeah, but it’s the compete in a man, and the character in the man.”

Coyle signed a big six-year extension this summer and is expected to be one of the key pieces of this franchise, and their leadership as well. His early play has impressed, and he has proved well worth the contract so far with five assists in the first five games.

The Sillinger-Coyle-Olivier line averages 5.46 expected goals per 60 minutes, which ranks first among NHL lines that have played at least 20 minutes together, per @MoneyPuckdotcom. #CBJ

— Dylan Tyrer (@DylanTyrer) October 13, 2026

The third line has been the only one that has not been jumbled up in recent changes by Bowness, and that is on purpose. They have been creating offense better than any other line in the NHL, and Bowness likes the responsibility he can place on them.

The line has been responsible in almost every phase of the game, and they have been going up against the top opposing offensive line because of their defensive responsibility. They are plus-1 on the season so far, and the top two scorers on this team come from that line.

If the production continues, they will grow increasingly difficult to split up to build the other lines up. As we saw Wednesday morning with the reshuffling of lines, every other line had movement, except the third line.

Sillinger’s Scoring Surge

One thing that has been a noticeable improvement from the third line is their ability to put the puck in the back of the net. Sillinger has already joined Coyle at a point-per-game pace, and the biggest part, he already has three goals.

In five games, he has three goals, compared to last season, when he scored just eight in 81 games. He talked about how he felt there wasn’t much pressure to score more, but he also doesn’t want to live in the past.

“I don’t think there’s really an expectation as far as not living in the past, and not thinking about what has gone on in the past of my career,” said Sillinger. “I think being present, recognizing opportunities, and just believing in my abilities with the group here, where we have a lot of belief within our team.”

That is one of the most interesting parts of his development on this Blue Jackets team since he was drafted in 2021. He dominated the junior circuit, with multiple 40-plus goal seasons, and 22 in 48 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2019-20.

He also had 24 goals in 31 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in his draft-eligible season, but since coming to Columbus hasn’t been able to find the back of the net the same way.

However, this season his production has taken a massive uptick, and maybe it is because of that contract he just signed this summer after his entry-level deal finally expired. He finally is comfortable with his linemates, and has continuity from season to season.

“We’re definitely confident, and chemistry is something we can continue to work on and be built within our group,” said Sillinger. “There has been some shakeups within our team, and some new faces, and we are still molding that chemistry and finding that fit, so to say.”

The Blue Jackets will try to right the ship on Saturday when they host the New York Rangers, before heading to Minnesota to take on the Wild in the second leg of a back-to-back. They could leave the weekend above .500, or put themselves in a big hole to start the season. The pressure is officially on in Columbus.