There is no way to justify how the Columbus Blue Jackets blew Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. However, they could have leaned on a bunch of different excuses if they had a rough outing on Tuesday in Seattle.

Charlie Coyle’s goal in the fourth round of a shootout gave Columbus something to smile about at the end of a disappointing road trip, sending the flu-ridden, heavy-legged Jackets to a 2-1 win over the Seattle Kraken before 17,151 at Climate Pledge Arena.

“It’s been a long trip out West, going to different time zones pretty much every other game,” Coyle told FanDuel Sports Network after the game. “You can’t look too far ahead in wanting to go home, though. Everybody wants to get home, right?

“But we wanted to take two points with us, and we didn’t start the trip off the way we wanted. You can say we should have had two points in Edmonton, and, yeah, we should have. But what can we do about it now? The best we can do is grab two points here, and we had to grind it out to get ’em.”

Jet Greaves, who became the first Columbus goaltender to make consecutive starts this season, had 22 saves, including a stellar stop on the only shot he faced in overtime. He also stopped three of four Seattle shooters in the shootout.

Adam Fantilli’s power-play goal late in the second period was the only goal in regulation for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a four-game (0-3-1) losing streak.

“It was nice to finish off this trip, especially coming off (Monday’s game),” Greaves said. “It was a tough (overtime) loss, but it’s still nice to get three out of four points to finish off the trip. It’s a positive step for our group.”

WINNER! WINNER! KRAKEN FOR DINNER! 🚨

CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/n7HEktJJtS

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 12, 2025

The Blue Jackets let a two-goal lead slip away on Monday against the Oilers in the final minutes of regulation, including a short-handed goal allowed with 58 seconds remaining to force overtime. Then they watched Jack Roslovic, a former Blue Jackets player, score the OT winner for Edmonton.

It was only right to wonder what sort of mental state the Blue Jackets might be in after that loss, and after arriving in Seattle well into Tuesday morning after a lengthy postgame flight.

And that says nothing about their physical state, which wasn’t great, either.

There’s a flu virus infecting the dressing room, which is why forwards Cole Sillinger and Miles Wood missed Monday’s game before returning to the lineup against the Kraken.

It could also be why forward Kent Johnson and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins didn’t play on Tuesday. Merzlikins and Greaves had rotated starts all season until Tuesday’s game, but Evason would not clarify why he was going with Greaves when asked pregame.

“I don’t know if we need a reason for it,” coach Dean Evason said. “(Jet’s) just going to go tonight.”

The Blue Jackets also lost captain Boone Jenner, only one shift into the second period, with what the club termed an upper-body injury. Evason had no update postgame, saying Jenner would be evaluated by team doctors in Columbus after the Blue Jackets return home Wednesday.

There were times on Tuesday when the Blue Jackets didn’t seem to have much jump in their game, but they managed it wisely. They were helped, too, by some well-timed Seattle penalties that allowed Columbus to use its power play to at least steady the game’s momentum.

“The guys just committed to play hard,” Evason said. “I mean, as you guys know, we’ve been banged up a bit and sick, and the way they played the game tonight against a fresh team … we did all the right things.

“We talked about it before the game, how we need to stay the course and hopefully get rewarded. We got rewarded here tonight.”

The Kraken scored late in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. The Blue Jackets weren’t without chances, but Seattle plays a stifling defensive style that can make it challenging to find open ice and clear shooting lanes.

It took a power play late in the first period for the Jackets to break through, and Fantilli both drew the penalty and scored on the ensuing power-play goal.

Fantilli was going hard to the net when Seattle’s Ryan Lindgren undercut him to keep him from going wide for a clean shot at goaltender Matt Murray. Lindgren was called for cross-checking after Fantilli slammed hard into the goalpost.

MO WON’T BE DENIED! 💥

CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/9K7OJLOeN9

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 12, 2025

With 1 minute, 38 seconds remaining in the second, Fantilli’s shot from the right side of the slot — created off a stellar pass from Kirill Marchenko in the left dot — glanced off Murray’s left pad before going into the net.

It was Fantilli’s fourth goal of the season and his second in as many nights. The assist by Marchenko extended his career-long points streak to nine games. The Blue Jackets and Kraken headed into the third tied at 1.

“We said, ‘It’s the third period, we’ve got to grind this out.’ ” Coyle said. “It’s the end of the road, and we’ve got a chance to win a hockey game on the road trip. Tie game, third period. Let’s grind it out.

“We stuck to it, we believed we could get it done by doing all the little stuff. And if it takes a shootout, it takes a shootout.”

It took a shootout — an extra round, too.

Marchenko’s goal in the second round gave the Blue Jackets an early chance to win, but Seattle’s Eeli Tolvanen kept the Kraken alive in the third round.

After Greaves denied Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko to open the fourth round, Coyle came slowly through the left circle and beat Murray with a quick-trigger forehand over his glove and under the crossbar.

It was the 11th shootout winner of Coyle’s career, but the Blue Jackets were slow to celebrate from the bench. It took a few seconds before they realized: first, that Coyle’s shot had beaten Murray, and, second, that the game was over.

It was a long road trip.