Kent Johnson’s Three Goals Give Columbus a Much-Needed Creative Spark

Columbus has opened the season with poor results, but Kent Johnson is giving the Blue Jackets a reason to believe their attack can find another gear. Through five games, he has three goals, four points and a team-leading 14 shots on goal. He’s tied with Cole Sillinger for the team lead in goals and ranks second on the club in points.

Those numbers stand out, but Johnson’s decisions with the puck may be the more encouraging part. He’s attacking openings, trusting teammates to handle their assignments and turning chances into shots. For a forward whose creativity is a major part of his value, that assertiveness matters. Columbus has leaned toward a bigger, heavier identity after moving Kirill Marchenko and bringing in Matthew Knies. Knies adds skill, but Johnson’s ability to create offense gives the lineup a different kind of threat.

His reads are creating chances

Johnson’s first goal, against Utah, showed the benefit of committing to a read. Rather than staying above the puck, he trusted his linemate to win a battle along the boards and took off into open ice. That decision put him in alone, where he finished the breakaway. The play required both anticipation and confidence: Johnson had to expect his teammate to come away with the puck, then turn that expectation into a scoring chance.

His second goal, against St. Louis, offered a different example. With the puck near the top of the circle, Johnson could have slowed down and looked for a pass. Instead, he recognized the space in front of him and drove toward the net, beating Jordan Binnington with his shot. The choice put pressure on the defense and gave the Blues less time to close the lane.

Johnson’s third goal came against Florida, after the Panthers gave the puck away. He spotted the turnover and attacked immediately, with no extra pause to reconsider the opportunity. The three goals have come from different situations, but each has involved a quick read and a willingness to act. That variety makes the early scoring more interesting than a hot stretch built on one type of chance.

Possession supports the early scoring

There’s also an encouraging signal in the possession numbers. Hockey Reference lists Johnson’s Corsi-for percentage at 55.5%, second on Columbus behind defenseman Damon Severson at 59.6%. Among the team’s forwards, Johnson leads. Corsi-for percentage tracks the share of shot attempts taken by a player’s team while he’s on the ice. It doesn’t tell the whole story of a shift, but this figure supports the impression that Columbus is directing more of the play with Johnson out there.

Five games are a small sample, so those figures don’t settle what kind of season he’ll have. They do offer a useful early check on the scoring: Johnson is producing goals while also seeing his team control a larger share of shot attempts during his shifts. If that combination holds, his value can extend beyond finishing chances. His playmaking and puck skills could help create the sustained pressure the Blue Jackets need from their top forwards.

The contrast with last season is hard to ignore. Johnson’s production fell from the previous year, and the source article points to that decline as one reason Columbus missed the playoffs. The account describes a player who often seemed unsure with the puck: making a poor choice, losing a board battle or getting knocked away from possession. It’s difficult to pin that change on one cause. The source raises his weight loss and coaching as possibilities but doesn’t establish either as the explanation.

Confidence is the signal to watch

What’s visible now is a player acting with more conviction. On the Utah goal, he makes the aggressive move into open ice. Against St. Louis, he takes the puck toward the net himself. Against Florida, he turns a turnover into a goal without hesitation. Those plays don’t prove that every part of his game has changed, but they show how confidence can make his skill useful in live situations.

Johnson was drafted fifth overall, and the Blue Jackets need the offensive talent that made him such a high pick. His role has varied: the source recalls stretches last season when he played on the fourth line or was a healthy scratch. That deployment didn’t give his creative game much room to drive the attack. The opening five games offer a different picture, with Johnson making plays that put defenders under immediate pressure.

Columbus shouldn’t treat five games as proof that a breakout is assured. The schedule will bring tougher stretches, and maintaining this level of production is a separate challenge from starting quickly. Still, Johnson has already supplied three goals, a team-high 14 shots and possession numbers that lead the club’s forwards. For a team that needs more creativity up front, the clearest takeaway is that he’s playing like someone prepared to make things happen. His next test is keeping that assertiveness as opponents adjust.