As the Eastern Conference playoff race tightens up, the Columbus Blue Jackets faced one of the Western Conference’s best teams, the Dallas Stars, before a critical home-and-home with the Red Wings. It was also Hockey is for Everyone night at Nationwide Arena, as the Jackets celebrated the inclusion and diversity of hockey. Here’s what happened.
First Period
Kirill Marchenko got the party started early tonight, scoring off a rebound 30 seconds in for an all-Russian goal.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Kirill Marchenko from Ivan Provorov and Dmitri Voronkov – 0:30 1st Period
The Jackets were flying to start this one, and were rewarded yet again. This time, noted offensive threat Mattieu Olivier tipped in a point shot from Damon Severson.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Mattieu Olivier from Damon Severson and Zach Aston-Reese – 4:37 1st Period
The Jackets absolutely dominated the Stars to start the game, as Dallas didn’t get their first shot on net for over nine minutes, and by that point Columbus was already up 2-0. Unfortunately, Jamie Benn jammed in a netside rebound immediately after to stem the bleeding.
STARS GOAL – Jamie Benn from Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley – 9:37 1st Period
After their goal, the Stars were much more effective and began to pressure the Jackets. However, the Jackets weren’t completely smothered. Denton Mateychuk was making a noticeable impact in most of his shifts. Marchenko was also continuing to make some plays; the writers chat collectively realized how his playmaking ability has gone underappreciated this season, and it’s a major reason why the top line has been clicking as much as it has.
2nd Period
Another period, another quick goal from Kirill Marchenko! This time, he kept in the puck at the blueline, and executed a perfect give-and-go with Adam Fantilli, finding the backdoor uncovered and slamming the puck home.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Kirill Marchenko (2) from Adam Fantilli – 1:11 2nd Period
Matt Duchene took a penalty shortly after the goal, much to the delight of the crowd. It was a decent powerplay for the Jackets, but no dice. A few minutes later, Ivan Provorov would extend the CBJ lead to 4-1, thanks to Jason Robertson, who executed a perfect tip into his own net.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Ivan Provorov (via Jason Robertson) from Kent Johnson and Boone Jenner – 8:46 2nd Period
And the Stars responded immediately, with Roope Hintz collecting his own rebound after a point shot, before slinging it past Elvis.
STARS GOAL – Roope Hintz from Mikael Granlund and Jason Robertson – 9:38 2nd Period
A couple minutes later, after being hemmed in the zone for a bit, Marchenko was able to generate a semi-breakaway before getting hauled down by Esa Lindell. It was another pretty good powerplay for the Jackets, but the Stars got the kill, and immediately after Robertson avenged his own goal with a goal for. Denton Mateychuk had an unfortunate turnover to Mikael Granlund, who slid it over to Robertson to pull back with one.
STARS GOAL – Jason Robertson from Mikael Granlund – 13:57 2nd Period
With 4:07 remaining, Mateychuk’s stick had a bloody encounter with Hintz’s face, resulting in double-minor powerplay for Dallas. The Jackets were able to kill it off, including a massive block from Boone Jenner, getting the CBJ a big momentum swing and a standing ovation from the 5th Line at the end of the period.
Third Period
Once again, the Jackets pounced on the Stars out of the gate. It was another tip drill after another turnover, this time with James van Riemsdyk deflecting Sean Kuraly’s lob from the point.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – James van Riemsdyk from Sean Kuraly – 2:37 3rd Period
The game would enter its first real lull of scoring, with the teams playing chess as Dallas looked to close the gap, while Columbus balanced playing prevent and going for the finisher. Zach Aston-Reese was nabbed for tripping at the 5:40 mark, a penalty the Jackets were able to kill. Things started getting feisty, especially whenever Robertson was involved. You would think that we’d give a player who scored for us a bit more love.
Dallas come back from the last TV timeout with their goalie pulled, and they were dominant at 6-on-5. After the CBJ cleared the puck, Dallas countered on the rush, and Mavrik Bourque literally crashed the net to finish off a netfront scramble. However, once they repulled the goalie, the top line once again combined to ice it off. Marchy cleared the puck, Dmitri Voronkov won the race, and Fantilli slammed it home.
STARS 6-ON-5 GOAL – Mavrik Bourque from Evgenii Dadonov and Logan Stankoven – 17:53 3rd Period
BLUE JACKETS EMPTY NET GOAL – Adam Fantilli from Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko – 19:28 3rd Period
Zach Werenski’s home point streak was unfortunately snapped tonight, but otherwise it was a great night all around. The Jackets have a critical home-and-home to close out the week with their buddies in the wildcard, the Detroit Red Wings. It starts with a road trip to the state up north Thursday, before culminating in an outdoor showdown at the Horseshoe for the 2025 Stadium Series on Saturday.