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Columbus Blue Jackets await Mathieu Olivier injury prognosis
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- Columbus Blue Jackets await Mathieu Olivier injury prognosis
Along with a three-game skid , the Blue Jackets have something else to fret after an ugly 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on March 30 at Nationwide Arena.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets crumble against Boston Bruins. Replay
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Mathieu Olivier , t heir most menacing power forward , left after one shift in the second period and didn't return. Olivier fought Mark Kastelic late in the first period but it's unknown if that's when the injury occurred or whether it happened on his shift in the second.
Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier fights Bruins center Mark Kastelic on March 29.
Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness didn't offer a detailed update on Olivier in his postgame press conference, but his tone while talking about it wasn't upbeat. Olivier will be re-evaluated March 31 during an off day for the Blue Jackets, and his role will be incredibly difficult to fill.
Aside from becoming one of the NHL's most respected enforcers after joining the Blue Jackets in a June 30, 2022 trade with the Nashville Predators , Olivier has worked hard to round out to his game. He set career-high numbers last season, and was on his way to breaking that this season before this injury with 15 goals, 11 assists and 26 points in 61 games.
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) fights Boston Bruins center Mark Kastelic (47) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 29, 2026.
Olivier has played the entire season at right wing on a check-first line centered by Charlie Coyle . They've had some impressive stretches, especially when paired with Cole Sillinger at left wing. As a line, those three earned the trust of both former coach Dean Evason and now Bowness.
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Losing any of them would be detrimental, but losing the Jackets' top power forward/enforcer is gutting. Dmitri Voronkov , another big forward who could've stepped into that role, left the Blue Jackets' 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on March 28 and is out week-to-week with a hand injury.
"It's going to be evaluated (March 31)," Bowness said of Olivier's issue. "That's a tough loss. So, you want to be aggressive, and he's one of our most aggressive forwards, right? He's hard to play against, and when you take him out of that lineup, that's a big hole. But that's... things out of our control."
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets await Mathieu Olivier injury prognosis
