Jet Greaves stopped 25 of 27 shots and Kirill Marchenko scored again, but the Columbus Blue Jackets home opener was spoiled by another night of poor special teams play in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.
"We had a real good opportunity to win this hockey game," said head coach Dean Evason.
"We just didn't finish."
Here are the three takeaways from a frustrating night of hockey at Nationwide Arena:
THING ONE: Penalty Kill Couldn't Get It Done, Again
Two more chances on the penalty kill, and two more goals against.
It has not been a pleasant start to the season for the Columbus PK: they've allowed seven power play goals on just 14 opportunities. What's worse is that going back to Thursday night's opener, Columbus has allowed seven straight goals while shorthanded.
Both goals Monday night came in the final seconds of the respective power plays. The first goal came with just one second left, and the second came with four seconds left after a wild back-and-forth sequence that saw the Blue Jackets squander a rare 3-on-1 while down a man. That led to a 2-on-1 for the Devils, and Dawson Mercer capitalized to regain the lead for New Jersey:
Dawson Mercer - New Jersey Devils (2)
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 14, 2025
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/z0x7TWM9fY
A bad penalty kill won't always doom a team — the Blue Jackets allowed four goals while down a man in Saturday's 7-4 win over Minnesota — but it will do more harm than good in almost every instance. Tonight's harm could have been a four-point swing against a divisional rival.
For a team that missed the postseason by two points last year, it's never too early to think about these games in that light.
THING TWO: Power Play Couldn't Get It Done, Either
"(The puck) is going in right now in that area (the penalty kill), so, when it does, your power play should pick you up," said Evason. "It struggled."
Indeed it did.
The struggles started in the first period, when the Blue Jackets could not convert on a four-minute, double minor when the stick of Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton caught Miles Wood in the face at the 6:08 mark.
Wood left the game bloodied and did not return.
The Blue Jackets had another chance just over two minutes later, as well as opportunities in both the second and third periods, but couldn't connect. The 0-for-5 night on the man-advantage sent Columbus to 1-for-9 on the young season, with the one tally coming on a 5-on-3.
Three games is not too early to ask: could it be time to shuffle the power play groups?
THING THREE: ...And That Led To Another Undeserved Loss For Jet Greaves
The performance on special teams doomed a potential home-opening win for Greaves, who looked more than up to the task between the pipes Monday night.
He played well enough to win, just as he did in Thursday's season-opening 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators.
"I think we had a really good start but obviously didn't get it done," said Greaves after Monday's game. "There's some things for us to improve both as a group and myself."
Advanced beyond his years with knowing what to say, but Greaves gave the Blue Jackets a chance to win far more than he was a reason for the loss.
Greaves has stopped 55 of 59 shots in his two starts this season, for a .932 save percentage.
Up Next:
Columbus continues their three-game home stand on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche. Puck-drop at Nationwide Arena is set for 7:00 p.m.
