Where would the Blue Jackets be without Kirill Marchenko?
In hockey, a question like that is frowned upon by players and especially coaches. Singling out one player for a whole team’s success isn’t part of this sport’s culture, but it’s fair to ask of the Blue Jackets (10-7-2) after 19 games.
Nearing the quarter mark, Marchenko leads them in scoring at 22 points on eight goals and 14 assists, which is six points more than Dmitri Voronkov and seven more than Zach Werenski as the next highest scorers.
Marchenko has also scored deciding goals in two of the Jackets’ three shootout wins, including his latest in a 4-3 shootout triumph over the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 17 at Nationwide Arena to save a victory in another game where a late lead vanished.
Marchenko also has a 12-game points streak going that’s the longest active streak in the NHL and is now tied for second-longest in franchise history with Cam Atkinson’s heater in 2018-19. Heading into a back-to-back finale Nov. 18 at the Winnipeg Jets, he’s one shy of tying Ryan Johansen’s 13-game streak in 2014-15 as the longest in Blue Jackets history.
Last season, Marchenko became an up-and-coming young NHL star with a career-high 31-43-74 scoring line in 79 games, scoring at almost a point-per-game pace.
This season, he’s showing the chops of an elite scorer, coming up huge again with two primary assists against the Canadiens to set up goals for Adam Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov. The first of those assists, on Fantilli’s goal in the second, extended Marchenko’s assist streak to a career-high six straight games to top his previous high of five set earlier this season.
Marchenko’s line with Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov actually struggled with possession, according to Natural Stat Trick, but the Blue Jackets scored two goals without allowing any in their 12:49 of 5-on-5 time. Marchenko was the biggest reason.
“Every single night, he’s been awesome,” Fantilli said. “I’m having a lot of fun playing with him. I think we can work off each other really well. … but he’s been phenomenal this year. It’s really great to see. It’s great for our team and it’s great for the city.”
The Blue Jackets now have 22 points and sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in a jam-packed division race. Where would they be without “Marchy’s” magic?
It’s a fair question to ask. Here are three more takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets making habit of coughing up late leads
They don’t sound too concerned yet, but the Blue Jackets have shown an early propensity to cough up leads while sitting on their heels too much in third periods.
Allowing another two-goal lead to disappear in the third against Montreal, they were forced to survive an overtime the Canadiens dominated with a 6-0 edge in shots before winning on shootout goals by Kent Johnson and Marchenko.
That’s no way to go through life in the NHL, Bluto.
The tying goal scored by Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson with 1:19 left in regulation was the third 5-on-6 goal the Blue Jackets have allowed, which has them tied with the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins and Islanders for second-most in the league and one behind Montreal’s four as the most.
Fortunately for the Jackets, they’ve won two of those games in shootouts Oct. 25 in Pittsburgh and this game against the Canadiens. Each time, Marchenko scored the deciding goal of a shootout. Their other 5-on-6 collapse was to the Islanders, which robbed the Blue Jackets of getting at least a point in overtime or a shootout.
It’s a concerning trend, but it is still early.
“There’s no theme,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “It’s different things happening. We lose coverage on (Montreal’s second goal) and we break our stick on the 6-on-5, basically 6-on-4 (goal). It’s a wrist shot that goes through a screen and hits (goalie Jet Greaves). Are we disappointed, again, that we didn’t win in regulation? Of course, but are we beating ourselves up for letting the lead slip away? No.”
Columbus Blue Jackets showcase Yegor Chinakhov with line bump
The scouting section of Nationwide Arena’s press box has been a crowded space for most of the Blue Jackets’ first nine home games for one primary reason.
There’s at least dabbling interest around the NHL in Yegor Chinakhov, a forward with top six skills who’d skated exclusively with the Jackets’ fourth line until this game. Chinakhov hasn’t been happy with his ice time under Evason going back to last season, has requested a trade for a change of scenery and for now that situation is just simmering on the back burner.
The scouting section was busy again, though.
Ten scouts from nine different teams were assigned credentials to attend, including two from the Anaheim Ducks. It was a rough night for Chinakhov and his entire line in terms of goals scored vs allowed. Their possession numbers weren’t bad, but Chinakhov and Johnson finished with -2 plus/minus ratings and Monahan was -3.
Columbus Blue Jackets face another grueling back-to-back finale
Every NHL team can look at its schedule this season, all compressed by the league’s February break for the Winter Olympics, and find some crazy turnarounds and weird travel itineraries.
The Blue Jackets, however, might have a claim as the most aggrieved team in the league. Yes, they fly first class with charter flights but tell that to a human body after playing an exhausting hockey game before a long, late night flight to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Now, throw in a 7:30 p.m. start against Montreal, 30 minutes later than usual, plus a border crossing in Winnipeg and little rest before facing the Jets, a playoff contender that’s had two days between games.
If the Blue Jackets look like they’re skating through quicksand in Winnipeg, that’s why.
They faced a similar situation in back-to-back games against the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders on Nov. 1-2, barely fending off the Blues at Nationwide Arena before playing the Isles on roughly 20 hours rest in a game they lost on two late goals in the last 67 seconds of the third.
The Jackets also split a daunting back-to-back Nov. 10-11 at the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken, coughing up a three-goal lead in the third in Edmonton before flying West to Seattle for a 2-1 shootout win over the Kraken.
“Not the most ideal schedule, in terms of back-to-back, but other teams go through it,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Get on the plane, get to Winnipeg and just get ready (to play again).”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Marchenko’s magic lifts Columbus Blue Jackets to victory over Canadiens: takeaways
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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