Where would the Blue Jackets be without the NHL’s last-ditch methods of deciding wins?
Hockey purists may feel the NHL’s 3-on-3 overtime periods and shootouts are gimmicky ways to dole out points, but the Blue Jackets aren’t complaining. They’re 4-1 in shootouts after downing the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 on Dec. 4 at Nationwide Arena and have added points in 11 of their first 27 games beyond regulation time, including nine of the last 13.
They’ve dropped to last in the Metropolitan Division after coughing up a slew of late leads but are just three tantalizing points out of third with 31 points. That wouldn’t be so without six of their 13 wins decided by overtime or shootout, particularly the latter.
The NHL’s 82-game grind of a schedule will ultimately determine whether that’s a sustainable way to chase a playoff spot, but it’s working for now.
Here are four takeaways:
Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson and Columbus Blue Jackets goalies are shootout aces
There’s a good reason the Blue Jackets are confident once a game gets to the shootout stage.
Actually, there are four reasons: Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson as shooters plus goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves. Marchenko, who usually shoots third, is 5-for-5 and Johnson improved to 3-for-4 with his leadoff goal against Detroit.
That’s a sizzling 89% combined success rate that goes a long way toward winning shootouts within the first three rounds. The Blue Jackets’ 4-1 shootout record ranks second in the NHL, trailing only the Philadelphia Flyers’ perfect 5-0 mark.
“The (confidence) comes from ‘KJ’ and ‘Marchy’ scoring every time,” said Adam Fantilli, who usually shoots second. “I think they’re like 90% this year, so, yeah … that’s where the confidence comes from.”
Merzlikins and Greaves are factors too, splitting the Blue Jackets’ four shootout wins evenly at two apiece. Merzlikins stopped Red Wings shooters Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond in the first two rounds to give Marchenko a chance to win it, which he did by beating Detroit goalie Cam Talbot.
Columbus Blue Jackets overcome more blown leads vs Detroit Red Wings
The Blue Jackets have let too many wins and points slip away by losing late leads but still added valuable points by getting most of those games to overtime.
That’s the bright side.
More concerning is the fact it keeps happening, including three more times against the Red Wings, who’d already overcome a 3-1 margin Nov. 22 in Detroit to down the Blue Jackets 4-3 in OT at Little Caesar’s Arena. In the rematch, the second of three games this season, the Red Wings overcame two leads in the first two periods and a third on Patrick Kane’s tying goal to make it 4-4 in the third.
One of the leads the Red Wings overcame was a 3-1 margin in the second that vanished with two power-play goals on Dmitri Voronkov’s double minor for high-sticking. It was the second two-goal lead Detroit has overcome against the Jackets, who’ve made fumbling two-goal leads an art form by failing to hold nine of them in just 27 games.
The NHL is the world’s best league, filled with elite talent, and that accounts for at least a portion of those woes. Solving the issue of blowing leads, however, remains the Jackets’ biggest priority. The good news is they’re still getting chances to protect leads regularly.
Kirill Marchenko impresses in return for Columbus Blue Jackets
Marchenko slammed into the boards Nov. 22 in Detroit and missed four games with a leg injury. He returned to the Jackets’ top forward line and power-play unit against the Red Wings in Columbus and had an immediate impact.
The most obvious was a power-play goal that put the Blue Jackets up 2-1 in the second, but Marchenko’s intensity in puck battles was also big for his line.
“He’s a huge part of this locker room and a huge part of our team on the ice,” said Fantilli, who centers Marchenko’s line. “Personally, I think we play really well together. We click off each other, we think similarly, so I was really happy to have him out there.”
Kent Johnson relieved to end scoring drought vs Detroit Red Wings
Johnson finally got a fortunate break when the rebound of Cole Sillinger’s shot landed close enough to him for an easy tap-in goal to make it 3-1 in the second.
It was just the third goal and sixth point of the season for Johnson, who hadn’t scored one since Oct. 21 against the Dallas Stars, a span of 19 games. Johnson finished last season with 24 goals, 33 assists and 57 points in 68 games, so his offensive slump weighed on his mind.
“I try not to (think about it) but obviously I know,” he said. “Every game that you lose and I’m not producing, it’s frustrating. But we’re in the NHL. We play so many games, so just try to move past it, keep working, stay positive, and stay hungry. We have so many games left, so I just want to look forward.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social