The Columbus Blue Jackets have opened the 2025-26 season with a 6-4-0 record through their first 10 games and have seen stiff competition in those games. Of the first 10 games the Blue Jackets have played in the 2025-26 season, seven of them have come against teams that made the playoffs the previous season.
Of course, early-season tests are good for a young team with budding expectations like the Blue Jackets, but it’s how they have found ways to win these games recently that provides the most hope for the franchise.
Columbus just recently waltzed into Pittsburgh and took down the second-place Penguins in a shootout on Saturday night, and then followed up by going into Buffalo and stealing an overtime thriller against the Sabres on Tuesday night. This pushes the Blue Jackets’ stellar record on the road to 4-1-0, while the early struggles at home have held the Blue Jackets to a lackluster 2-3-0 record at Nationwide Arena.
This team has found ways to win and contribute from all across the board, and more recently, the production has come in a big way from the bottom-six forwards. On Tuesday night, the fourth line for Columbus may have been the single reason they won the game. Miles Wood netted two goals for the Blue Jackets, and fellow fourth-liner Yegor Chinakhov scored a goal and added an assist.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Columbus Blue Jackets on 2025-10-28: pic.twitter.com/Egye01htYe
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 29, 2025
Chinakhov, Wood, and Isac Lundestrom add a few different elements that allow the Blue Jackets to use their fourth line more effectively than most other teams can. For that reason, the Blue Jackets have a chance to play with fresher bodies more consistently on the ice, and in the grand scheme of things, it helps the top guys stay at their top level.
However, how do they stack up against the rest of the Metropolitan Division? Well, there seems to be a solid top three in the form of the New Jersey Devils, Penguins, and Carolina Hurricanes. All these teams are loaded with talent, and the structure to allow them to fully go into win-now mode.
What Gives Columbus an Edge Moving Forward?
The reason Columbus has to be viewed as a serious threat is because of their success so far this season in five-on-five play. The Blue Jackets have outscored teams 30-20 while at even strength, which is a massive advantage not only throughout the season, but more specifically down the stretch when the season and games get tighter.
When push comes to shove, this Blue Jackets team knows how to win games. At the end of last season, on the brink of the playoffs, they won nine of their final 13 games, including a six-game win streak to end the season. A majority of that same squad from a season ago is skating with this Blue Jackets team this season, and they hope for a different ending to the season, apart from their near miss a season ago.
Projected 2025-26 NHL standings as of October 29 pic.twitter.com/jO8f0pNNpg
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) October 29, 2025
As the model above shows, not a lot of experts believe in this young Blue Jackets team; however, they have competed well through their first ten games and shown resilience with two straight overtime wins. The Blue Jackets have a 38% chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and come in with a projected win total just under 88 points.
At the current pace, the Blue Jackets would finish with 98 total points. This number is usually well within the playoffs every season, but a push for the Metropolitan Division crown will take a sustained push somewhere in between now and April. This Blue Jackets team has the skill to do it; let’s see if they can sustain it.
