Blue Jackets roll past Toronto, win third straight
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
By Kevin Rouch
krouch@cbussports.com
Ivan Provorov celebrates after his second period goal in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday at Nationwide Arena. Photo: Kevin Rouch
The Columbus Blue Jackets returned home for a game with the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday after having won their last two contests on the road in extra time. It only took 60 minutes for the Jackets to post their third straight victory, dominating Toronto, 6-3, in front of a crowd of 16,558 at Nationwide Arena.
It was the third line of Cole Sillinger, Mathieu Olivier, and Charlie Coyle that did the most damage for Columbus. Sillinger scored his first two goals of the season and added an assist. Olivier recorded his first goal of the campaign and helped on three, while Coyle had four assists. All told, that line posted 11 points.
“The depth is what, you know, coaches and teams want,” noted head coach Dean Evason after the win. “We play whatever, 15 back-to-back games. So if you can play all four lines, all six [defenseman] and you have confidence [that] both goaltenders can play, then it’s great, right?”
Elvis Merzlikins makes a glove save on a shot from Toronto’s John Tavares during the Blue Jackets’ home win Wednesday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
eThe other three Columbus goals came from defenseman Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, and Dante Fabbro. “Today’s game, you need, that can’t just be the forwards that are getting involved in the defense,” said Evason. “The goaltenders are too good in this league. So, for us, to get the the D involved is great.”
The final score was closer than the game itself. The Blue Jackets led 6-1 until the final five minutes. Toronto’s second goal was a milestone, not just for the Maple Leafs, but in NHL history. With 4:15 to go in the third period, John Tavares scored his sixth of the season, the 500th of his storied career.
Tavares is the 49th player to score 500 goals in an NHL career. Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was the most recent to do it, getting to that mark last season. It took Taveres 1,149 games to reach it, interestingly enough, one fewer than Malkin. The fastest to 500 was Wayne Gretzky, who did it in 575 games.
Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski looks to pass during the Blue Jackets’ 6-3 win Wednesday at Nationwide Arena. Photo: Kevin Rouch
The game was the only action on the NHL schedule Wednesday, With the win, the Blue Jackets moved into the second wild card spot in the East.
Is it important to win early? “It’s huge,” said Coyle. “It doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal right now, but it is, and you don’t want to be at the end of the year and say, ‘hey, one more win or another point would have done it.'”
The Blue Jackets get two days off after a pair of back-to-back efforts in six days. They kick off November with a home game against the St. Louis Blues Saturday beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The Blues have struggled early, going 3-6-1 in their first 10 contests. They are led by winger Jordan Kyrou, who has four goals and four assists. St. Louis’s top goaltender, Jordan Binnington, is also off to a slow start, going 2-4-0 with an .863 save percentange.
Toronto’s Steven Lorentz is surrounded by the Columbus defense during the Blue Jackets’ home win Wednesday. Photo: Kevin Rouch