After setting the franchise record for single-season goals by a rookie with 21 in just 59 games, Kirill Marchenko failed to score in his first seven games of the 2023-24 season. He was then a healthy scratch for two consecutive games, but finally lit the lamp against Tampa Bay on Thursday and again on Monday in Florida.
#CBJ Marchenko (1) goal pic.twitter.com/ek85ib4oY2
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 2, 2023
Now that he's scored twice in his last three games, is there a wave of goals in the near future?
#CBJ Marchenko (2) goal pic.twitter.com/lZglG9DXsd
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 7, 2023
According to moneypuck.com, he's tied for fourth on the team with 3.3 expected goals, which means that he should be scoring more than he has.
Marchenko clearly has the ability to be an elite goal-scorer in the league, so it's encouraging to see him start to score again. With 70 games remaining in the season and a 0.2 goals/game pace, Marchenko is on pace to score 16 goals this season, which would be a five-goal regression from last season, where he scored at a 0.36 goal/game pace.
The Blue Jackets are scoring just 2.67 goals per game this season which is eighth-worst in the league, so an increase in production from Marchenko would massively benefit the team.
