After opening January with four consecutive wins, the Chicago Blackhawks (21-25-9) closed out the month in polar-opposite fashion. The Columbus Blue Jackets (26-20-7), led by a hat trick from Charlie Coyle, defeated the Blackhawks 4-2 at the United Center on Friday, sending them to a fifth straight loss. Chicago is also now 1-6-1 in their last eight games on home ice.<\/p>\n
The Blue Jackets\u2019 third line of Coyle, Cole Sillinger, and Mathieu Olivier combined for seven points on Friday. Four came from Coyle, as he added a primary assist on Olivier\u2019s tally to go along with his hat trick. Chicago had no answers against the trio, which led 16-2 in shot attempts, 9-1 in shots on goal, and 9-0 in scoring chances at even strength. Coyle also played a factor on special teams, as he opened the scoring with a power-play goal and added the empty netter to seal the win in the final minutes.<\/p>\n
Speaking of special teams, the Blackhawks lost that battle against Columbus, which played a key factor in determining the outcome. The penalty kill gave up just their third goal since the calendar flipped to 2026, while the power play went without the finished product yet again, including a failed opportunity that would have tied the game late in the third period. That\u2019s now 10 consecutive games without a power-play goal, with the man advantage going 0-for-26 during that stretch.<\/p>\n
One of the few bright spots for the Blackhawks was the play of young defenseman Sam Rinzel, who replaced Artyom Levshunov on the second pairing with Wyatt Kaiser.<\/p>\n
In his first game back after spending nearly two months in the AHL, Rinzel led all defensemen with 22:18 of ice time and recorded three shots on goal and four blocks. He didn\u2019t make any standout plays, but he also avoided any mistakes that would have cost his team. Rinzel used his swift skating to avoid oncoming checkers and successfully defended a few rushes from Columbus. All in all, it was a sharp first game back in the big leagues.<\/p>\n
Here are the highlights from the Blackhawks\u2019 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets, dropping their record to 21-25-9 through 55 games this season.<\/p>\n
FIRST PERIOD<\/p>\n
Neither side scored in the opening 19 minutes, and it appeared as if the game would remain without a goal going into the first intermission. But in the final 60 seconds of the period, both teams found the back of the net to provide an exciting finish.<\/p>\n
After Connor Murphy was whistled for holding, the Blue Jackets\u2019 power play hit the ice for the first time with 1:21 on the clock. It took them just 35 seconds to convert against a stout Blackhawks\u2019 penalty kill that had gone six straight games without a goal entering Friday. Charlie Coyle snapped that streak at 19:13 by following up on his own rebound. 1-0, Columbus.<\/p>\n
The Blackhawks\u2019 offense had issues holding onto the puck against the Jackets\u2019 pressure in the early going. They couldn\u2019t maintain possession for any significant stretch of time and were credited with only one high-danger scoring chance in the first period.<\/p>\n
That one high-danger chance was all Chicago needed though to tie the score 1-1 going into the intermission, as Connor Bedard scored his 22nd goal of the season with 2.7 seconds remaining. Bedard has now scored in back-to-back games and has points in three in a row.<\/p>\n
Tyler Bertuzzi\u27a1\ufe0fAlex Vlasic\u27a1\ufe0fConnor Bedard\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n
Vlasic gets the puck through on his second attempt, and Bedard is in perfect position to pot the rebound for his 22nd goal of the year! #Blackhawks<\/a> tie the game 1-1. Bedard now has points in 3 straight games.pic.twitter.com\/jY27JNX2CL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Talkin\u2019 Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) January 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While the score was tied after 20 minutes, the Blue Jackets were certainly the stronger team in the period. The visitors led 14-8 in shots on goal and 12-5 in scoring chances.<\/p>\n SECOND PERIOD<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a struggle for Andre Burakovsky recently, and he didn\u2019t fare much better on Friday. Just over one minute into the second period, Burakovsky committed a brutal giveaway in the defensive zone. His errant pass went right to Coyle in the slot, and he wristed a shot over Knight\u2019s glove for his 2nd goal of the game at 1:23. 2-1, Columbus.<\/p>\n The Sillinger-Coyle-Olivier line continued to give the Blackhawks fits, as the trio scored their third goal of the game to put Columbus ahead 3-1. Coyle successfully fended off Matt Grzelcyk while circling behind the net and found Olivier in a pocket in Chicago\u2019s coverage. Olivier ripped a shot past Knight\u2019s glove at 6:47.<\/p>\n The start of the second period was eerily similar to Thursday\u2019s game in Pittsburgh, where the Blackhawks were throttled in the middle frame en route to a lopsided loss. The Blue Jackets had two goals in the first seven minutes and were in full control.<\/p>\n Bedard and Frank Nazar connected to halt Columbus\u2019s momentum and give the Blackhawks a key goal just past the halfway point of the game. Tyler Bertuzzi found Bedard skating into the offensive zone, and he set up Nazar, who was streaking down the slot. Nazar flicked the puck top shelf to cut the deficit to 3-2 at 10:49. It\u2019s Nazar\u2019s first goal since returning from injury and seventh of the season.<\/p>\n Tyler Bertuzzi\u27a1\ufe0fConnor Bedard\u27a1\ufe0fFrank Nazar\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Bedard connects with Nazar on the rush for his 1st goal since returning from injury! #Blackhawks<\/a> cut their deficit in half. 3-2. Bedard & Bertuzzi with their 2nd points of the game.pic.twitter.com\/arCzz1EOOx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Talkin\u2019 Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) January 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Nazar\u2019s goal seemed to wake up the Blackhawks, as they came with an inspired push over the second half of the period. The score was still 3-2 in favor of the Blue Jackets after 40 minutes, but it felt like Chicago had life going into the third.<\/p>\n THIRD PERIOD<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets clogged up the neutral zone and forced the Blackhawks to play dump-and-chase hockey in the third, which isn\u2019t their forte. That limited the amount of chances to even up the score, but they had a great opportunity to do so on the power play with just under six minutes remaining in regulation.<\/p>\n Over the final minute of the power play, the Hawks had chance after chance but couldn\u2019t get the puck past Elvis Merzlikins. Just after Kent Johnston stepped out of the penalty box, Bedard had a golden look with a half-open net, but he rushed the shot and fired high of the target. He couldn\u2019t believe that he didn\u2019t bury it.<\/p>\n The extra attacker came onto the ice with 1:22 remaining, but the Blackhawks never got set up in the offensive zone. Coyle capped off the hat trick by hitting the empty netter for his fourth point of the game. 4-2, Columbus.<\/p>\n The final horn sounded, sending the Blackhawks to their fifth consecutive loss to close out January. Only two games remain until the 22-day Olympic break. They\u2019ll return to action next against Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks on Monday.<\/p>\n For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now<\/a> and like our Facebook Page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow us on X:<\/p>\n @chihockeynow<\/a>, @JackBushman2<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t