Three Things: Kids Take Over, Werenski Stretches Streak To 16, Home Ice Mastery

By Will Chase on January 10, 2025 at 8:15 am
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) celebrates his goal against the Seattle Kraken during the third period at Nationwide Arena.
© Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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It's starting to feel nearly automatic at home.

Zach Werenski had two points with a goal and an assist to continue a 16-game home points streak as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.

Kids Take Over

We've heard about the kids and the prospects for quite a while. They're really starting to make an impact.

Denton Mateychuk scored his first career NHL goal at 12:27 of the second period to give the Blue Jackets a 4-1 lead, all part of a four-goal second period. James van Riemsdyk (8) had the second of two assists on the night and Luca Del Bel Belluz picked up his first assist in his season debut.

Speaking of Del Bel Belluz, he scored his first goal of the season at 3:29 of the period, which gave Columbus the 2-1 lead at the time. van Riemsdyk had his first assist of the night and Damon Severson, back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last two games, picked up his 12th assist.

In what was Del Bel Belluz's second career game, also featured his second career goal. He scored his first career goal in his NHL debut last season.

For good measure, and a veteran by comparison, Kent Johnson scored the fourth goal of the frame to give Columbus the 5-1 lead at 15:45. Werenski — much more on him to come — picked up the assist (35) as did Dante Fabbro (7).

A Sillinger made his NHL debut Thursday. Following in the footsteps of father and former Blue Jackets captain Mike Sillinger, and brother Cole Sillinger, Owen Sillinger finally cracked his first NHL lineup, taking the place of brother Cole who was out with an illness.

The 27-year-old center from Bemidji State University had 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) for the Cleveland Monsters this season. He played 192 career games for the Monsters.

Philipp Grubauer was pulled after the fifth goal and finished with 14 saves on 19 shots. Joey Daccord made four saves in relief.

Werenski Stretches Streak To 16

Werenski had another multi-point effort with his 13th goal of the night at 10:53 of the second period to give the Jackets a 3-1 lead. Adam Fantilli (11) and Dmitri Voronkov (12) picked up the assists as both extended point streaks. Fantilli has two goals and three assists over a four-game point streak. Voronkov has four goals and one assist over a three-game point streak. 

Werenski's two points extended his home point streak to 16 games (10 goals, 30 assists).

Home Ice Mastery

The Blue Jackets are one of the best teams on home ice, with a home record of 14-5-3. They're also one of the best-scoring teams in the league (3.43 GF/GP) in a variety of categories and the best at scoring goals at Nationwide Arena (4.18). They lead the league with 62 5v5 goals at home.

Columbus has scored six goals in a game 10 times this season.

Elvis Merzlikins made 29 saves on 31 shots in his fifth consecutive start. He's won three in a row and five of his last six starts.

Back On The Road

The yo-yo schedule continues as the Blue Jackets head back on the road to take on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. ET from Enterprise Center.

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Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (10) celebrates after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Nationwide Arena.

CBJ 6, SEA 2: Denton Mateychuk Nets First Career Goal As Blue Jackets Dominate On Home Ice Again

Denton Mateychuk scored his first career goal and Luca Del Bel Belluz picked up his first of the season in another dominant effort from the Columbus Blue Jackets on home ice as they defeat the Seattle Kraken 6-2.