The Columbus Blue Jackets snapped their two-game losing streak in style, lighting up the scoreboard Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. In a commanding 7-3 win over the New York Rangers, they didn’t just reclaim the first Eastern Conference wild card spot, they made a statement about the potential of this team.
Adam Fantilli was outstanding, notching a hat trick, while Mathieu Olivier chipped in with a goal and an assist. Altogether, five Blue Jackets had multi-point nights, exactly the kind of effort needed to take down a tired Rangers team coming off a tough 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators the day before.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Fantilli & Olivier Combine For Five Goals in Rout of Rangers
This explosive showing wasn’t just another win, it was historic. With 63 games in the books, the 2024-2025 Blue Jackets are now the highest-scoring team in franchise history. And get this, it’s the 12th time this season they’ve scored at least six goals. When they’re dialed in like this, it’s hard to imagine many teams in the Eastern Conference, let alone the Metropolitan Division, keeping up with them.
Jackets Got to the Hard Areas
The Jackets didn’t just outscore the Rangers, they outworked them in both ends. This team thrives on grit, and it showed. They owned the hard areas in front of New York’s netminder, Jonathan Quick, creating traffic with screens, tips, and overall sheer effort. The shot count wasn’t outrageous—27 total—but the quality of their chances made the difference. Power forward Mathieu Olivier leads the way in this department, doing what he does best, battling in the slot and finding ways to score from the dirty areas.
The fourth line also made an impact Sunday night, staying true to their role as reliable depth contributors. With sharp puck movement, Sean Kuraly delivered a perfect pass to defenseman Dante Fabbro, who capitalized with a pinpoint shot past Jonathan Quick, making it 5-3 late in the middle frame.
These are the kinds of goals that will matter most when it’s playoff time. When the top guys are locked down and space is hard to come by, it’s the depth players who can swing the momentum. Performances like this show the true depth of this team’s potential—from the bottom six forwards to the defensive pairings and right up to the top six. Everyone pulling their weight is what makes this squad so dangerous.
Jackets’ Top Line Found Its Groove
After two tough games in South Florida, the Blue Jackets’ top line roared back to life, led by none other than second-year pro Adam Fantilli. The former Michigan Wolverine scored twice in just 26 seconds, later completing his hat trick with a snipe of a goal from the slot in the third period.
This marked Fantilli’s second career hat trick—and his second of the season—following his three-goal performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this year. His efforts earned him the contest’s and Sunday’s highest adjusted game score at 4.94, according to HockeyStatCards, which factors in both offensive and defensive contributions.
Fantilli has shone as the top-line center in Sean Monahan’s absence due to a wrist injury, tallying 22 points in 22 games in that spot. His breakout speed and ability to create on odd-man rushes have been game-changers, bringing a different style to the top line than Monahan.
“I wish there was inside looks at where he was at the start of the year and how his commitment to playing the game right way, how his commitment to playing defense, how his commitment to being a good leader and a good teammate (has grown). We get a guy that goes down (Sean Monahan) and he steps into a role of a real leadership spot, and he’s done the work. He deserves to get all the accolades or whatever it is that he’s getting” said head coach Dean Evason post-game.
Playing alongside Kirill Marchenko and Dimitri Voronkov has clearly clicked, but it’ll be fascinating to see how coach Dean Evason reshuffles the lines when Monahan returns, which is hopefully not much longer.
Jackets’ Special Teams: Mixed Bag
The Jackets were rock-solid on the penalty kill Sunday, going 4-for-4 and stifling a Rangers power play that includes dangerous weapons like former Blue Jacket Artemi Panarin and star Center Mika Zibanejad. Their defensive structure and ability to clear the puck consistently kept the Rangers from getting anything going, not letting them get set up their power play system at all.
However, the power play told a different story. Columbus gave up two shorthanded goals on their only power play attempt of the night, thanks to some costly turnovers on zone entries. If there’s one area to tighten up before the playoffs, it’s their recent power play struggles. While their five-on-five production produces most games, making the most of man-advantage opportunities is huge in tight games and could be the difference-maker as the season winds down.
“It could have went real sideways, right?” Evason said. “It’s a credit to the guys for (saying), ‘It’s OK.’ Stuff happens in the game, and they’re trying to score, too. They catch a couple of breaks. They score those goals, and it would have been easy or would have been understandable if we didn’t handle that well. But we did” said head coach Dean Evason post-game.
Despite that rough stretch, the team bounced back in a big way, storming ahead with a four-goal outburst, crushing the Rangers’ momentum.
Werenski’s Historic Night
Sunday’s game was just another example of why I think Zach Werenski has a legit chance at the Norris Trophy this year. On Sunday, Werenski became the all-time Blue Jackets assist leader on his beautiful toe-drag move and dish to Justin Danforth in the first period, his 259th assist of his CBJ career, surpassing one of the best Blue Jackets ever in Rick Nash.
He later assisted on one more later in the game, picking up his 260th on the late second period Mathieu Olivier tip-in goal.
“I mean, it’s cool,” he said of the record. “It’s one of those things, I said to these guys in the room after the game, it’s not possible without my teammates. I haven’t really thought about (the record), to be honest. I’m just trying to enjoy the year, enjoy the moment, enjoy the spot we’re in as a team and just keep going and playing my game. It’s one of those things where I don’t really care, as bad as it might sound. I just want to keep helping this team win” said Zach Werenski post-game.
Finish the Road Trip Strong
Next up, the Blue Jackets will head to Newark for a massive game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM EST. The Jackets sit four points behind the Devils for the third Metropolitan Division playoff spot, and with two games in hand, this game is the biggest of the season so far in my opinion.
So, buckle up. With 19 games left, many against division rivals, the playoff push will be wild. Expect sold-out atmospheres at Nationwide Arena as Jackets fans cheer their team toward the postseason, something they haven’t seen in quite some time.
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