Seventh Heaven: Blue Jackets score season-high 7 goals in rout of Avalanche

Tuesday, November 3, 2026
By Ed Francis
efrancis@cbussports.com

CBJ scorebug

Charlie Coyle scored twice and tied his career high with four points as the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a two-game losing streak with a dominant 7-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.

The five-goal victory was Columbus’ largest of the season and their first in 95 games, dating back to a 6-1 win over the New York Islanders in the final game of the 2024-25 season.

Mathieu Olivier added a goal and two assists, while Valeri Nichushkin and Cole Sillinger each contributed a goal and an assist. Zach Werenski had two assists, and Cam Talbot made 27 saves for Columbus.

Ten Blue Jackets picked up at least one point in the game, which helped give Columbus just their second regulation win of the season. Included on the scoresheet was Conor Garland, who picked up his first point of the season and snapped a career-long 20-game streak without a point that dated back to last season.

“I thought we all played well,” said Garland. “We had our stuff going tonight.”

Wearing their new Hometown Remix sweaters for the first time, the Blue Jackets wasted little time taking control as Olivier scored just 28 seconds into the game. Ivan Provorov doubled the lead with a power-play goal before Cale Makar got Colorado on the board.

Columbus broke the game open with four goals in an 8:23 span of the second period. Jake Christiansen and Sillinger scored to chase Scott Wedgewood, then Coyle and Nichushkin beat Mackenzie Blackwood to make it 6-1.

Nazem Kadri added a power-play goal for Colorado, but Coyle’s second goal of the night in the third period capped off Columbus’ highest-scoring game of the season.

“The puck went in the net,” said head coach Rick Bowness. “Seriously, I know that sounds so simple, and I get that. But if you go back to some of those last two games in Carolina and in Dallas, the opportunities we had, and it just didn’t find its way to the back of the net.”

Here’s how the Blue Jackets crushed one of the league’s elite teams:

CBJ: 1, COL: 0 (1ST PERIOD, 19:32 REMAINING)

It didn’t take long. The Blue Jackets open the scoring in the first minute, taking advantage of a rebound in front of the Colorado net. Coyle does great work behind the net and eventually fires a shot toward Wedgewood, who makes the initial save but can’t control the rebound. Olivier is in the right place at the right time, finding the loose puck and slipping it into the net to make it 1-0 Columbus.

CBJ: 2, COL: 0 (1ST PERIOD, 12:23 REMAINING)

The Blue Jackets double their lead with a power-play goal from Provorov. It starts with Nichushkin winning a faceoff — just his fifth draw of the season — and getting to work immediately. They move it around the zone and Garland sets up Provorov at the point, where the defenseman unleashes a powerful one-timer. It gets through traffic, past Wedgewood, and into the net to make it a 2-0 lead.

CBJ: 2, COL: 1 (1ST PERIOD, 9:03 REMAINING)

Colorado gets on the board with a beautifully executed passing play. Malinski moves the puck to MacKinnon, who sends a cross-ice pass to Makar in the right circle. Makar wastes little time getting a shot off, beating Talbot to cut the Blue Jackets’ lead to 2-1.

CBJ: 3, COL: 1 (2ND PERIOD, 15:41 REMAINING)

The Blue Jackets extend their lead as Christiansen gets in on the scoring. Columbus dumps the puck in, then Olivier and Coyle combine to set up Christiansen. He fires a slap shot from the high slot that beats Wedgewood through a bit of traffic and puts Columbus up 3-1.

CBJ: 4, COL: 1 (2ND PERIOD, 12:40 REMAINING)

Sillinger’s strong-effort goal puts Columbus up 4-1. Zach Werenski takes the initial shot from distance and Wedgewood makes the save but gives up a rebound that goes right to Sillinger. His first put-back attempt is a no-go, but he sticks with the play and tries again, this time getting it into the net and ending Wedgewood’s night, as he’s pulled for Blackwood after this one.  

CBJ: 5, COL: 1 (2ND PERIOD, 7:57 REMAINING)

Coyle gets his first of two on the night as the Blue Jackets continue to pour it on in the second period. With the power play in its final seconds, Fantilli sets up Werenski in the high slot. His shot doesn’t  connect and neither does Johnson’s rebound attempt, but the puck trickles behind Blackwood and right to Coyle, who puts it in to give Columbus a 5-1 lead.

CBJ: 6, COL: 1 (2ND PERIOD, 7:18 REMAINING)

This goal is a terrific individual effort from Nichushkin. He picks up the puck in the defensive zone and races down the ice, moving past one Colorado defender and then side-stepping another deep in the Avalanche zone before beating Blackwood with a snap shot from a short distance. It’s the fourth and final goal of Columbus’ highest-scoring period of the season.

CBJ: 6, COL: 2 (2ND PERIOD, 3:25 REMAINING)

The Avs capitalize of a two-man advantage to cut the Columbus lead to 6-2 late in the second period. Kadri scores a 5-on-3 power-play goal after taking advantage of Talbot giving up a rebound on a Nathan MacKinnon shot that pops out of the goalie’s glove.

CBJ: 7, COL: 2 (3RD PERIOD, 8:39 REMAINING)

The final goal of the night is the second of the evening for Coyle and comes in impressive style. Severson’s initial shot from just inside the blue line doesn’t make it through, but Sillinger collects it and sees Coyle moving towards the net. He makes a pristine pass to him, and Coyle makes a fancy move to deke the skates off Blackwood before tucking it past him to give the Blue Jackets their seventh goal of the night.

QUICK THOUGHTS: You can’t ask for much more than this. It felt like everyone got involved offensively, and the defense shut down one of the league’s elite offenses — albeit with them on the second half of a back-to-back.

One good night doesn’t fix everything though, and how this team follows up this performance could go a long way in determining if things are fixed or if it was just a one-night mirage. There were promising signs, though, and the line changes certainly seemed to have sparked something.

NEXT UP: Columbus’ third back-to-back of the season kicks off Thursday when they host the Dallas Stars. It will be the second meeting between the two teams in less than a week after a 3-1 Dallas victory on Halloween. Puck-drop is 7:00 p.m.