Adin Hill made 27 saves for his fourth shutout of the season Thursday night. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Blue Jackets Humbled at Home By Golden Knights

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Mark Scheig | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 10:23 PM ET

The Columbus Blue Jackets returned to Nationwide Arena for the first time in 16 days. They were unable to give the sellout crowd what they were looking for.

Adin Hill pitched his fourth shutout of the season making 27 saves while Nicolas Roy and Brandon Saad each recorded a goal and an assist to lift the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Despite the loss, the Blue Jackets will remain in the second wildcard spot on account of games played.

The story of this game was the Blue Jackets’ inability to score when they controlled play in the first period.

Game Recap

The Blue Jackets held a massive advantage in both shots and attempts to start the game. After recent games giving up early goals, the Blue Jackets did everything but score in the first.

But then a power play for the Golden Knights turned into the first goal. Jack Eichel found Roy to make it 1-0. That was their first shot attempt of the game.

The Golden Knights were then able to extend it to 2-0 before the end of the first thanks to Saad. He won a battle in front of Elvis Merzlikins. He was able to lift the puck to the far side while fending off Ivan Provorov.

While that was a deflating goal, the Blue Jackets still felt good about the period given how well they started. But for the final 40 minutes, the Golden Knights showed why they were one of the best teams in the NHL. They tightened up and didn’t allow much in the way of room for the rest of the night.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored his 26th of the season midway through the second to make it 3-0. That was all the Golden Knights needed to lock things down.

Adin Hill made 27 saves for his fourth shutout of the season Thursday night. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Blue Jackets tried mixing the lines up in the third but to no avail. They were only able to muster six shots on Hill in the third while allowing the Golden Knights to get 14. They appeared out of sorts all night.

Postgame, Bonne Jenner said “We gotta be better. We know that. This time of year, it’s crucial when you get that many chances to bury one.”

Zach Werenski still likes the team’s position despite the result. “It’s not gonna go our way every night, but we control our own destiny here.”

Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves on the night but has now lost his last four starts since the Stadium Series. Hill’s shutout was the first time the Blue Jackets have been shutout at home since October 2023.

The Blue Jackets will get ready for a Saturday night showdown with the New York Rangers. The Golden Knights now head to Buffalo for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Sabres.