What's the barometer on the Columbus Blue Jackets?
Thanksgiving is the annual checkpoint to assess and take stock of where teams are with a quarter of the season already completed.
You're going to want your team to be in a playoff spot by Thanksgiving! pic.twitter.com/jYGsHY4pso
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) November 26, 2025
The Blue Jackets haven't played a perfect brand of hockey. Outside of elite teams like the Colorado Avalanche (17-1-5), few teams have.
Columbus (11-9-4) is in 12th place out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, and only one point outside of the playoff dividing line with 26 points. They're tied for points with the New York Rangers, with five points separating Columbus from the conference-leading New Jersey Devils.
That's the reality of the NHL this season: everyone is in it.
That's great news for a Blue Jackets team trying to get on track with consistency and grab a firm hold of playoff positioning in the East. With so many teams clumped together, a few good or bad days can drastically alter the outlook for a team.
| 11/26 | vs Toronto, 2-1 OTL |
|---|---|
| 11/22 | @ Detroit, 4-3 OTL |
| 11/20 | @ Toronto, 3-2 OTW |
| 11/17 | vs Montreal, 4-3 SOW |
| 11/10 | @ Edmonton, 5-4 OTL |
| 11/2 | @ NY Islanders, 3-2 L |
| 10/25 | @ Pittsburgh, 5-4 SOW |
Through the Blue Jackets' first quarter, they've been streaky. Following a season-high four-game winning streak, they followed that up with a season-worst four-game losing streak. Columbus went 4-1-1 before dropping their last three games, two in overtime, and relinquishing third-period leads in two of those three losses. In 16 one-goal games, Columbus is 8-4-4.
As the team looks to reposition itself, they're down two more regulars.
Kirill Marchenko co-leads the Jackets with 22 points, eight goals, and 14 assists — along with Zach Werenski — but missed his consecutive game, Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, with an upper-body injury after missing Monday's 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Mathieu Olivier also missed Wednesday's game after leaving Monday's contest early.
Columbus did get some good news as Werenski, another player to leave Monday's game early, scored a goal in Wednesday's loss.
That loss to the Leafs, in which the Jackets came away with one point but lost out on the crucial second point, is the latest in a troubling trend for the club through the first 24 games, as Columbus has seen far too many third-period leads evaporate with alarming regularity.
Seven times this season, the Jackets have allowed the equalizer when leading in the final frame. They're still 3-1-3 in those games, but a growing inability to shut down teams in the third period will be the reason the team misses the playoffs if they don't figure that out soon.
Columbus is 7-0-2 when leading after two periods, but has a -11 third-period goal differential, and has yielded the second-most goals allowed in the third period (34) this season. Their overall goal differential is -8.
Among the losses that sting the most are a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Nov. 2 after allowing two goals in the final 1:07, the 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 10 after blowing a two-goal third-period lead, and the 4-3 overtime loss at the Red Wings last Saturday after leading 3-1 in the third period.
Columbus is 3-1 in the shootout and 2-3 in overtime this season.
| Nov. 28 | vs Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| Dec. 1 | @ New Jersey |
| Dec. 4 | vs Detroit |
| Dec. 6 | @ Florida |
| Dec. 7 | @ Washington |
| Dec. 9 | @ Carolina |
| Dec. 11 | vs Ottawa |
| Dec. 13 | vs Vegas |
| Dec. 16 | vs Anaheim |
| Dec. 18 | vs Minnesota |
| Dec. 20 | @ Anaheim |
| Dec. 22 | @ Los Angeles |
| Dec. 28 | vs NY Islanders |
| Dec. 29 | @ Ottawa |
| Dec. 31 | vs New Jersey |
Consider where they would be with the second point in contests lost and the frequency with which they've allowed the other team to hang around and collect a point in such a tight race.
The Blue Jackets have been burned before by losing out on the playoffs because of tie-breakers. In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, they tied for the final playoff spot with the Minnesota Wild, but the Wild had more regulation and overtime wins and qualified for the playoffs.
Last season, the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs by two points and would have likely qualified if they could have turned in a better March than when they went 4-8-1.
The upcoming stretch is a critical one for Columbus, with seven straight games against the Eastern Conference, and four of those within their own division.
With points at such a premium every single night, the next month will have a lot to say about where this team stands amongst so many teams that also consider themselves playoff contenders.
As the calendar is about to flip, the Blue Jackets have a great opportunity to prove they belong among those clubs vying for a playoff spot and flip their own narratives.
