Washington Capitals @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Season 25 4/14/26

The team, coaches, and fans alike are sad to see the 25th season of Columbus Blue Jackets' hockey end after 82 games. That said, I'm proud of this team. Even if we lost tonight, it would be our first season with over 90 points since the 2018-19 season. The Eastern Division was stacked this year, and many good teams with high point totals are not going to the postseason. Sadly, we are one of them, in a world of ifs, buts, and whats. Things might have been different. That is not reality, though, and in the one we are in, I'm proud of this team. We're seeing improvement with each season, and I can't wait to see what the 26th season holds for our Blue Jackets. That said, we have to wrap up the 25th season first. So, here's the last game recap for our quarter-century celebration season, 5th Line! 

This game would showcase two teams reeling from being eliminated from the playoffs with one game to play. If I'm being honest, I expected more of a spark from the Washington Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin, their captain, could retire at the end of this season. He's a legendary player with so many accomplishments, but his most notable was beating Wayne Gretzky's all-time regular-season goals total (894) last season. I really hope he signs a new contract this summer, but with the possibility looming that tonight could be it, I expected them to play like this was a playoff game. Surprisingly, that didn't happen. Our Blue Jackets would lead the shots on goal this period, 11-4. But with 15 shots on goal between the two teams, no goals would be scored. 

That said, Period 2 would be the opposite of Period 1. Our Captain, Boone Jenner, would score goal thirteen of his season just 00:27 into the middle period. Mason Marchment would add his twenty-sixth assist to his season on the primary, while Danton Heinen would add his sixth assist this season on the secondary. It's hard to believe, but every player with a point on this play, including our captain, needs a new contract to be here next season. We would hold a one-goal lead until Anthony Beauvillier scored his fifteenth goal this season at 10:46. Trevor van Riemsdyk would have the only assist on this goal, giving him eleven this season. No other goals would come this season, so we'd be tied again, 1-1, ahead of the final regulation period of the season. The shots on goal were much closer this period, with the Blue Jackets winning the battle, 9-6. 

Period 3 would have the intensity I expected at puck drop from both teams. The Blue Jackets killed off two penalties to this point, but a third would cost them. Miles Wood would head to the box for two minutes after high-sticking Capitals' Martin Fehervary. The penalty would be assessed at 14:06, and at 15:53, Jakob Chychrun would add his twenty-sixth goal this season. Tom Wilson and Alexander Ovechkin would both add their thirty-second assist on this goal. The Capitals would have their first lead, 2-1, with little time left for the Blue Jackets to find a tying goal. Not long after this goal, teammates of Alexander Ovechkin would constantly pass him the puck to try to score on Jet Greaves' empty home net. Ovi wouldn't get that goal, and the Blue Jackets wouldn't get that tying goal, either. The Capitals win 2-1. The final shots on goal for the last period of our season were in favor of the Capitals, 11-8.

40-30-12 was our final record this season. 

Towards the end of the game, Capitals fans started chanting 'One more year' in Nationwide Arena. Forgive me, 5th Line, but had I been at the game tonight, I would've 100% joined them. The Blue Jackets will always be my team, but watching Ovi's run last year to beat Gretzky's record and seeing the good man he is off the ice in his community grabbed my attention, and it has yet to be released. There are generational players in this league that you remember for your life, and Ovi will be one of mine. Should this be the last game of his NHL career, I congratulate him on a monumental career that I know inspired the next generation of hockey stars. 

As for our Blue Jackets, it's a bittersweet end. A lot of things will change for this team. We have a lot of restricted and unrestricted free agents. Decisions will be made. We also have to see if the franchise offers Head Coach Rick Bowness another contract. I will cover all of this in my season wrap blog. 

Alexander Ovechkin takes home the Third Star of the Game in what could be his last NHL game. He had one assist on the game-winning goal for his Capitals. 

Our captain, Boone Jeenner, takes the Second Star of the Game after scoring the Blue Jackets' only goal tonight. This could also be his last game as a Blue Jacket, and our captain should he not sign a new deal with the franchise. 

The Capitals' goal, Clay Stevenson, comes away with the First Star of the Game after finishing with a .964 save percentage. He stopped 27 of our boys' 28 shots on his visitors' net.  

Congratulations to our Blue Jackets on a 92-point season. I'll have a recap and my final thoughts on the season soon. For one last time, 5th Line, happy 25th anniversary. Here's to 25 more! 

GO CBJ! 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is There a Team Altering Trade Forming in Columbus? 3/3/2026

I'll start out by saying what I normally do the first week of March every season: Unless under special circumstances, I only allow myself to speculate one week a year, and that is NHL Trade Deadline Week.  I could be wrong, and I only have information avalible to the public. I am not an insider, and I've never claimed to be. That said, something has happened tonight that gives me a gut feeling our General Manager, Don Waddell, could be up to something. What I am about to lay out is either a coincidence or a fact, and only time will tell. Here are my thoughts. Let me make this very clear: I have multiple reasons to love each of our players. So, what I'm about to say comes from a business standpoint only. Kent Johnson had been a healthy scratch for the last two games. He's a young player with decent numbers, which could be an asset to any of the other 31 NHL teams. I firmly believed that he'd be leaving us, and, if he did, I would of course wish him nothing but the be...
Read more

If I Were Don Waddell, This is What I'd Do Ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

So, a few days ago, I wrote a blog post that I hoped wouldn't hold up. I think my hopes have been realized. In that post, I centered on how our captain, Boone Jenner, had been listed as out against the Nashville Predators under 'maintenance'. I got an uneasy feeling this could result in a trade due to the timing and the reason he wouldn't play. Tonight, he not only played against the Florida Panthers but also had the game-winning goal. So, although anything can still happen, I feel less anxious about Boone leading us tomorrow before the NHL Trade Deadline at 3:00 p.m. So, with that said, what would I do if I were Don Waddell?  Nothing.  You read that right, 5th Line, I wouldn't touch this team. I say this for two main reasons. First, our best player and defenseman, Zach Werenski, has been out ill for the last three games. This team has rallied without him to win once in overtime and twice in regulation in those three games. Further, the first game they won without h...
Read more

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau: One Year in Memoriam

I've never lied to my readers, and I won't start now; I do not want to write this post. Then again, who would want to? It's been one year since we all learned the devastating news that an 'alleged' drunk driver had killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau while riding their bikes. Honestly, 'devastating' doesn't feel like a strong enough word for how I still feel, and how I know many of you all do, too. It had been the evening before their sister's wedding. We already knew that Matthew's wife, Madeline, was expecting their first child, a son later named Trip, but at the funeral, we'd also learn that Johnny's wife, Meredith, had been expecting their third child, another son they named Carter. The fact that both women had healthy babies amid the stress of losing their partners is nothing short of a prayer answered. The strength of these two women is incredible, as they don't just raise their combined four children without the loves of their l...
Read more