Blue Jackets finish emotional season with romp over Islanders
Blue Jackets finish just shy of the playoffs after routing Islanders in season finale, salute fans amid postgame chants of ‘Johnny Hockey!’
Zach Werenski (U.S.), Adam Fantilli (Canada), Kent Johnson (Canada), and Mikael Pyyhtia (Finland) are participating in the IIHF Men’s World Championship.Head coach Dean Evason and assistant Steve McCarthy are coaching Team Canada at the Men’s World Championship.Prospect Cayden Lindstrom is playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the CHL Memorial Cup.
It’s been more than five weeks since the Blue Jackets’ season ended April 17 with Columbus two points shy of the playoffs.
But a group of Blue Jackets are still playing in the men’s world championships in Europe and the junior level Canadian Hockey League’s postseason, while some of the team’s coaches are still coaching.
Zach Werenski (U.S.), Adam Fantilli (Canada), Kent Johnson (Canada) and Mikael Pyyhtia (Finland) are competing at worlds, which reaches the quarterfinals stage May 22 in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark.
Head coach Dean Evason and assistant Steve McCarthy are leading Team Canada. The Blue Jackets also have top prospect Cayden Lindstrom, a power forward, playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the CHL’s upcoming 2025 Memorial Cup Tournament, which runs May 22 to June 1 in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada.Â
Here’s how to watch Blue Jackets coaches, players and prospects who are still playing:
How to watch Columbus Blue Jackets players, coaches in the IIHF 2025 Men’s World Championships
Livestream/broadcasts: IIHF.tv plus all streaming services that offer NHL Network, which picks up broadcasts from TSN in Canada.Â
Dates/times: Quarterfinals to be played May 22 at Avicii Arena in Stockholm (U.S. vs Finland, 10:20 a.m.; Sweden vs Czechia, 2:20 p.m.) and Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning (Switzerland vs Austria, 10:20 a.m.; Canada vs Denmark, 2:20 p.m.)Â
Winners advance to the medal rounds May 24-25 in Stockholm, Sweden. The semifinals are at 8:20 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. on May 24. The bronze and gold medal games, respectively, will be played at 9:20 a.m. and 2:20 p.m. May 25.
Evason, McCarthy, Fantilli and Johnson helped Canada finish the preliminary rounds atop Group A in Stockholm with 19 points on a 6-0-1-0 record (wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, losses). Werenski, who joined the U.S. team after preliminary games had begun, helped the Americans finish second in Group B behind Switzerland with 17 points on a 5-1-1-0 record.
Pyyhtia joined Finland’s roster as a late addition and helped the Finns give Canada its only defeat with a May 19 shootout victory in Stockholm. Finland finished behind Canada and Sweden in the Group A standings.Â
Johnson has contributed three points on two goals and one assist in seven games for Canada, while Fantilli has yet to record a point to go with a +2 plus/minus rating in the same number of games. Werenski has added 1-3-4 in four games for the U.S., and Pyyhtia has yet to score in two games for Finland.
This is the third time Werenski has played for the U.S. at a men’s world championship. Johnson is making his debut for Canada. Fantilli is competing at the men’s world championship for a second time. Pyyhtia is making his worlds debut for Finland.
Evason was an assistant coach for Canada at the 2024 men’s worlds and wore the captain’s ‘C’ on his jersey as a Canadian player in 1997. McCarthy, who played in two world junior championships as a defenseman, is making his men’s worlds debut as one of Canada’s assistants.Â
Former Blue Jackets defenseman Andrew Peeke (Boston Bruins) is also playing for the U.S., contributing 1-2-3 in seven games.
How have Canada and the United States fared in men’s world championship history?
Excluding Winter Olympic competitions that doubled as that year’s world championship, Canada has won gold at men’s worlds 22 times, most recently 2023 in Finland/Latvia. Â
The U.S. has won gold at a men’s world championship only once outside of Winter Olympic competition, in 1933. It has earned the silver medal four times (1931, 1934, 1939 and 1950) and bronze eight times (1949, 1952, 1996, 2004, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2021).Â
Finland has won the gold medal four times in a men’s world championships tournament (1995, 2011, 2019 and 2022).
Livestream/broadcasts: For viewers outside of Canada, all games will be streamed on Victory+ for free. Games will also be broadcast on NHL Network.
Dates/times: May 23 — Medicine Hat vs. Rimouski (7 p.m.); May 24 — Moncton vs. London (6 p.m.); May 25 — Rimouski vs. London (6 p.m.); May 26 — Moncton vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m.); May 27 — London vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m.); May 28 — Rimouski vs. Moncton (7 p.m.); Tiebreaker (if necessary) — May 29 (7 p.m.); Semifinal — May 30 (7 p.m. ET); Championship — June 1 (7 p.m.)
Blue Jackets first-round draft pick Cayden Lindstrom relays his style
Blue Jackets first-round pick, forward Cayden Lindstrom, was asked about his finer qualities. Here he describes what Columbus fans can expect to see.
After missing the entire regular season with a back injury that required surgery in November 2024, Lindstrom returned to action for Medicine Hat during the Western Hockey League’s championship series. He contributed 2-2-4 in four games to help the Tigers win the WHL title and advance to the Memorial Cup, a tournament which determines the top team among the CHL’s three leagues.
Lindstrom, selected fourth overall by the Blue Jackets at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, sustained a minor leg injury in Game 3 of the WHL championship series, but missed only one game. He played in Game 5 to help the Tigers clinch and is expected to keep playing in the Memorial Cup.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.socialÂ
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