DETROIT — When Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger went down with an injury late in the first period, coach Dean Evason was forced to reconstruct his second line on the fly. Boone Jenner, who had been playing left wing, took Sillinger’s spot in the middle and James van Riemsdyk moved up from the fourth line to play left wing.
It was, in at least a couple of ways, a snapshot of Columbus’ season. Losing a key player is nothing new to the Blue Jackets, but how they’ve responded each time has become a point of pride.
van Riemsdyk scored two goals and Boone Jenner had three assists in a four-goal second period, helping the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings before 19,515 in Little Caesars Arena. It’s the Blue Jackets’ third straight win.
“It’s tough, obviously,” Jenner said. “(Sillinger) is a big piece of our team here, and the guys came together. Again.
“It’s been the theme all year. When guys go down, guys pick each other up. We had guys playing all over the lineup to fill in the four lines and everyone did a great job.”
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason would not say much about Sillinger’s injury, except that it was to his upper body. He left the game with six minutes to play in the first period after taking the worst of a check by Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider.
Sillinger’s potential absence was the only downer as the Blue Jackets flew home late Thursday, flush with confidence now and cleared to focus entirely on Saturday’s Stadium Series outdoor game in venerable Ohio Stadium between these same two clubs.
Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist, while Sean Kuraly and Kirill Marchenko also scored for the Blue Jackets. Daniil Tarasov, making his first start since Jan. 31, made 29 saves, including all 12 Detroit shots he faced in the third period.
Jenner, whose three assists matched a career high, had never before had three points in a single period. He matched a franchise record set numerous times.
You might say the win was “mother-approved,” too. With so many family members in town for Saturday’s outdoor game, the Blue Jackets incorporated the traditional “mothers’ trip” into the weekend, and there were almost 20 moms cheering from a private box.
#CBJ moms hit the scoreboard in Little Caesars Arena. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/34DYLgKFOp
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) February 28, 2025
Evason said he and the coaching staff pulled van Riemsdyk aside last week when the Blue Jackets returned to practice after the 4 Nations Face-Off and Jenner, out all season following shoulder surgery, was cleared to make his season debut.
They wanted to tell van Riemsdyk not just that he was dropping to the fourth line, but why.
“When Boone came back, he took JVR’s spot, right?” Evason said. “We had a chat with JV and told him it had absolutely nothing to do with how he’s playing the game. He just thanked us and understood exactly what was going on. It’s the captain of our hockey team. It’s Boone Jenner.
“He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll play wherever.’ That’s what our team has done from day one. There’s no whining. There’s no coming into the coach’s office and asking why I’m not playing there, or why I’m not playing this number of minutes. It’s a huge credit to our leadership in that room. JVR showed that. And when he got a chance (to move up in the lineup), he went out and scores a couple goals.”
van Riemsdyk, who now has 14 goals on the season, scored his first on a deflection of a Jake Christiansen shot and his second off a pass from Jenner from behind the net. It helped the Blue Jackets turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead with 4:59 remaining in the second.
Jenner, who had a game-high seven shots on goal, also assisted on Johnson’s deflection goal.
JVR nets his 2nd of the night! 🚨🚨@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/SxkYUGg4vH
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 28, 2025
It looked as if Jenner and van Riemsdyk, who have never played together, were speaking the same language immediately.
“Boone was someone who, when I signed here, I knew I’d have chemistry with if I had a chance to play with him, just the way he thinks the game,” van Riemsdyk said. “I feel like I’m the same way. There’s not a ton of fluff to our games. We’re predictable to each other. We’re not trying to make any fancy plays, just be very effective and play around the net.”
The win on Thursday pulls the Blue Jackets and Red Wings into a tie with 66 points each. The Red Wings are the first wild-card in the Eastern Conference because they have more regulation wins (22) than the Blue Jackets (21), but both teams are now four points ahead of their three closest challengers — Ottawa, Boston and the New York Rangers.
It sets up for a game on Saturday that will carry much weight beyond the spectacle of hosting an outdoor game in a 100-year-old football stadium.
“We talked about it (after the game), that it’s a brand-new game (on Saturday),” Evason said. “We’ll hopefully ride some momentum. Both teams are going to be excited. They’re going to be desperate. We’re going to be desperate. Should be a real good hockey game.”
(Photo of Boone Jenner driving the Red Wings net: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
