It’s only one game, but already this five-game road trip is more successful than the one that nearly derailed the Columbus Blue Jackets’ season in early November.
Six players scored goals, four had multi-point games, and 10 players hit the scoresheet in the Blue Jackets’ 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks before 17,393 on Sunday at United Center. The Jackets scored three times in the third period to pull away.
The Blue Jackets (11-9-3) extended their points streak to six games (5-0-1), their longest since January 2021, and scored five or more goals for the 10th time in only 23 games. It also marked the first time Columbus has won consecutive road games this season.
“We’re playing a more mature game,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski told reporters in Chicago. “Nothing is really fazing us. We know in any situation … we can come back in games. We can hold leads. We can kinda do anything right now.
“We have a lot of confidence. We just have to keep going.”
TOP SHELF MARCHENKO 🚨@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/vRf7IjFTQd
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 1, 2024
Ivan Provorov, Kent Johnson, Sean Monahan, Dante Fabbro, Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov each scored goals, while Damon Severson had three assists and Cole Sillinger and Werenski each had two assists.
Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who has made every start during the point streak, had 28 saves to improve to 8-5-2 on the season. He had 13 wins all of last season.
Werenski’s points extended his point streak to a career-best eight games, the longest for a defenseman in franchise history. During those eight games, he has 5-11-16 and a plus-14 rating.
What does the hottest run of play in his NHL career mean to Werenski?
“Nothing really,” he said. “This is a great start to our trip. We’re going out west now, and nothing makes me feel better than a win.”
All three goals scored by Chicago were power-play goals, marking the first time in franchise history the Blue Jackets have won a road game in regulation despite allowing three man-advantage goals.
On Sunday, the Blue Jackets had a quick answer every time the Blackhawks scored.
Just 1:28 after Connor Bedard gave Chicago an early lead, Provorov answered with a wrister from the slot to tie it at 1. Just 1:50 after the Blackhawks’ Craig Smith scored to make it 2-2 early in the second period, Monahan scored to restore the Columbus lead.
And just 2:44 after former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno pulled Chicago to within 4-3 midway through the third period, Marchenko scored an unassisted goal to make it 5-3. Voronkov’s empty-net goal with 1:26 to play sealed the win.
Connor Murphy ➡️ Kirill Marchenko • #HFhits
Blackhawks 🆚 Blue Jackets • NHL 2024 DEC 01
Voronkov’s tilt 🆚 Connor Murphy ⬇️ https://t.co/b1f1qP027i pic.twitter.com/EiT9CFFqEe— hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) December 1, 2024
Voronkov deserved the empty-net goal, too.
At 1:26 of the second period, the big Russian took exception to a hit Chicago’s Connor Murphy laid on Marchenko as he tried to carry the puck over the blue line. While Marchenko went hard to the ice, Voronkov went hard after Murphy, his gloves sailing.
Voronkov came into the game with just four penalty minutes, but picked up 17 minutes in a flash. He was given a 10-minute misconduct and a two-minute minor for instigating, plus a five-minute major for fighting.
The Blackhawks scored a power-play goal just 1:34 later, but that did not change Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason’s view of Voronkov sticking up for Marchenko.
“Do we not like what Ronny did?” Evason said. “No. We love it.”
For the Blackhawks, Bedard scored his fifth goal of the season and assisted on a later Chicago goal, but finished with a minus-4 rating.
The Blue Jackets flew after the game to Calgary, where on Tuesday they’ll meet up with the Flames in the Saddledome just four days after a nasty, fight-filled game in Nationwide. It’s game two of a five-game trip that also swings through Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
No matter what happens over the next four games, it’ll be better than the five-game trip they took to Washington, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Seattle in early November. The Jackets went 0-4-1 on that trip while a scoring slump gripped the roster.
They limped home from that trip with a 5-8-2 record, frighteningly similar to the slow starts of the previous two seasons. They’re 6-1-1 since then, giving them a surge of confidence.
“It’s just growing together,” Evason said. “It’s the process and it’s playing the same way, learning to play the same way consistently and being predictable in all areas of our game. If we do that, we give ourselves a chance.”
(Photo of Kent Johnson: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
