COLUMBUS, Ohio — You might say the Columbus Blue Jackets welcomed two players back into their world on Thursday: one literally, one figuratively.

Kirill Marchenko, who missed the past four games with a knee bruise, and Kent Johnson, whose high-level offensive production had gone missing early this season, each scored in regulation and in the shootout as the Blue Jackets came back to beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 before 16,818 in Nationwide Arena.

It was Marchenko’s snap wrister, which split the pads of Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot in the third round of the shootout, that ended the game.

“I feel fresh. I go on vacation,” Marchenko joked. “I had energy, I had power, and yeah, happy to win.”

Johnson, whose shootout goal in the first round counts as his fifth career game-deciding goal, had gone 19 games without a goal and 10 games without a point when he scored midway through the second to give the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead.

“It’s been too long, and it’s always fun to score,” Johnson said. “Yeah, it definitely felt good. I was trying not to (think about the scoring slump), but I know (it’s happening). Every game we lose and I’m not producing, it’s frustrating. But, like I said, we’re in the NHL and we play so many games, so I just try to move past it and keep working and stay positive and stay hungry.”

The game was a wild affair that saw the two teams combine for five power-play goals in the second period, three by the Red Wings and two by Columbus.

The Blue Jackets lost leads of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3, and they fell behind 5-4 when the Red Wings scored two soft goals on goaltender Elvis Merzlikins only two minutes apart in the middle of the third period.

Another third-period lead blown?

Nope. Adam Fantilli scored his second goal of the game with only 1:31 remaining, and Merzlikins pulled for an extra skater, tying the score at 5 and sending the Blue Jackets beyond regulation for the ninth time in 13 games.

HE WANTED MO! 💥

CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/l0py2gCVSD

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 5, 2025

Ivan Provorov also scored for the Blue Jackets, while Zach Werenski had Sean Monahan each had three assists. For Werenski, that’s three straight multi-point games. Merzlikins, making consecutive starts for the first time this season, stopped 28 shots.

Of all the young talent the Blue Jackets have acquired in the last five seasons, Marchenko has emerged as the most dangerous goal-scorer. He played 19:43 in his first game back and led the Blue Jackets with 10 shot attempts, though only four on goal.

The Blue Jackets survived without Marchenko, going 1-1-2 while he was sidelined, but they didn’t consistently thrive.

“It was great (having him back),” Fantilli said. “He’s a huge part of this locker room, a huge part of our team on the ice. And personally, I think we play really well together. We work off each other really well. We think similarly. I was really happy to have him back.”

As Marchenko was having his post-game conversation with the media, Fantilli walked past on his way to the showers and twice shouted: “Superstar!”

Fantilli’s no slouch himself, of course. He scored a blistering power play goal from the right circle at 13:50 of the second period to give the Blue Jackets a 4-3 lead.

His next goal was even bigger.

The Blue Jackets pulled Merzlikins while coming out of a media stoppage with 2:28 remaining, with veteran center Charlie Coyle taking the ice as the extra skater.

Fantilli was skating above the right circle when Werenski found him in stride, allowing him to skate high in the zone while a crowd gathered before Talbot. Fantilli’s wrister through traffic, perhaps aided by a Dmitry Voronkov screen, found the net.

“I mean, do you want to get to that point? No,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said of having to play without a goaltender. “But you want to get reinforced (as a team), that you can (score like that). Do the right things, and we did. We got the puck to the net, got people at the net and scored a goal, like you’re supposed to in those situations.”

NEVER A DOUBT WHEN KJ’S IN THE SHOOTOUT! 🚨

CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/5SRj8uGfmf

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 5, 2025

The Blue Jackets improved to 4-1 in shootouts this season, converting 10 of 16 attempts. Marchenko is an NHL-leading 5-for-5 so far this season, while Kent Johnson is 3-for-4. You could feel their confidence as they approached Talbot.

Johnson, shooting first, skated through the right circle, carried the puck wide to the far post, then switched it back to his backhand and roofed under the crossbar while Talbot scrambled to shift his weight back to follow him.

It’s a move Johnson has scored on at least twice already this season. If the goalie follows him across the mouth of the goal, it’s almost impossible to recover when Johnson makes his move.

Fantilli attempted a similar move in the second round, but Talbot snuffed it out.

Merzlikins stopped Detroit shootout shooters Lucas Raymond and James van Riemsdyk, who spent last season with the Blue Jackets. Once Marchenko scored to give the Jackets a 2-0 lead in the shootout, a third Red Wings shooter wasn’t necessary.

Still, Marchenko was able to use those shots to his benefit in the third round.

“I just closed my eyes,” Marchenko joked. “I know right away (after Johnson’s move) that I will shoot five-hole.”