The Blue Jackets entered Nationwide Arena on Dec. 13 during a blizzard and left with their fifth straight loss, dropping late momentum in a 3-2 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights.
After matching the Golden Knights’ intensity for two periods, the Blue Jackets fell flat offensively in the third period. They got some much-needed momentum with a third-period goal from Yegor Chinakhov, but the Golden Knights shut down the pressure just over a minute later with a badly timed line change and a tying goal from third-line defenseman Ben Hutton.
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Already on the ropes, Golden Knights left winger Mitch Marner assisted on his third goal of the game, this time to a looming Brayden McNabb on the right side of the net for a top corner shot.
With 2:59 left, Adam Fantilli got a stick to the face from McNabb, resulting in a double minor penalty and leading to a power play for the final three minutes of regulation. With no luck, the Jackets pulled goalie Jet Greaves for a 6-on-4 for any last hope. They stalled and never got a shot close.
“It’d be nice to get that to an overtime or a shootout,” said Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evanson. “We hit the post, we had a couple of opportunities there at the end… as far as our work, as far as our commitment, as far as our valuing how we need to play, we’ve seen a lot of that.”
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The Jackets applied plenty of pressure through the blue line to open up the first period, outshooting the Golden Knights, but broke through in transition at the 13-minute mark with smooth skating from Zach Werenski. Approaching the goal with a head full of steam, Werenski quickly flicked it back to center Charlie Coyle, who converted a flush wrist shot for his fifth goal of the season.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Charlie Coyle (3) tries to corral the puck in front of Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) during the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Nov. 26, 2025. The Blue Jackets lost 2-1.
Penalty trouble caught up to the Blue Jackets when a goal from Pavel Dorofeyev got through on Vegas’ first power play of the night. Moments after, Ivan Provorov scored, shooting straight up the middle, but the goal was reversed for a Miles Wood offside. Brenden Smith went to check Dorofeyev on the next Blue Jackets sequence, aiming for the chest and instead hitting him straight in the head for another Vegas power play.
Cole Sillinger had the best chance of any Blue Jackets player to score in the quieter latter half of the second period. He flew past the Golden Knights’ defense, but shot straight at Hart’s legs with 7:28 remaining; Coyle got stuffed on the ensuing rebound shot.
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It’s the 10th game of the season the Blue Jackets have dropped when starting with a lead. Late-game intensity has been an issue for Columbus, outscored 48-29 in the third period in 2025.
“I think defensively, [it] was definitely better,” said Coyle. “It’s not perfect, but I think it’s a work in progress and it was a step in the right direction.”
At 13-13-6, the Blue Jackets will look to change their luck with a Dec. 16 home game against the Anaheim Ducks.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets drop 5th straight, lose 3-2 to Golden Knights