| 1 | 2 | 3 (OT) | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | 0 | 1 (0) | 2 |
 |
1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 3 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
||||
Elvis Merzlikins had another great start in net and Kirill Marchenko scored the overtime game winner in the smoothest of ways as the Columbus Blue Jackets picked up two more points Saturday night, this time with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Zach Werenski got the scoring started for Columbus, picking up his 16th of the season in the first period. The goal put him into a tie with Cale Makar for the league-leader amongst defensemen.
Werenski's goal also continued his home point streak, which now stands at 19 games. That's tied with John Van Boxmeer for the fifth-longest of all time by a defenseman and is the longest since Phil Housley had a point in 22 straight in the 1991-92 season.
Los Angeles would tie the game just over three minutes later and the score would remain knotted at 1-1 until early in the third when Dante Fabbro gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead on his fourth goal of the season, a seeing-eye shot from distance.
The Kings would pull even again, this time with just over a minute left. When all was said and done, Los Angeles' game-tying goal was merely a small step in Marchenko's magnificent game-winner to continue the Blue Jackets hot play at home.
With just over a minute left in the extra frame, Marchenko takes the puck and goes from left to right of Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper. As he goes airborne before after slipping past the Kings defense, he goes backhand and finds the back of the net for the highlight reel goal.
The game-winning goal was Marchenko's 20th tally of the season.
Columbus moves to 17-5-3 at Nationwide Arena this season and have won five straight on home ice.
Merzlikins was named the First Star of the Night, stopping 31 of Los Angeles' 33 shots. He's now won five of his last six starts.
Here's how the Blue Jackets sent the sellout crowd home happy:
1st Period:
(9:24 — CBJ Goal): Werenski wastes little time continuing his home point streak. The Blue Jackets do a good job of getting the puck out of their own zone and head up ice. Helping lead that charge is Werenski, who's been great at jumping it offensively under Evason's system all season long. Del Bel Belluz enters the puck into the zone and as soon as he gets into the high slot, dishes it over to Werenski. He's near the left face-off dot and rips it past Kuemper to put Columbus up 1-0.
Werenski gets his 16th of the season. Luca Del Bel Belluz skates into the zone and finds Z heading up ice with him. He finds him and Z fires it from near the face-off dot to give the #CBJ an early lead. The Kings have since tied it.pic.twitter.com/qXx5BRhTLq
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 26, 2025
(12:55 — LA Goal): The Kings tie it after winning a faceoff and getting the puck quickly towards the net. Merzlikins makes the initial save, but Phillip Danault puts it home to make it a 1-1 game.
2nd Period
A second period scoring and without a lot of action in general. The Blue Jackets failed to convert on a power play after the Kings are called for a trip against Adam Fantilli at 12:11. For the frame, the Kings edge out the Blue Jackets on shot attempts (19-16) and scoring chances (10-7), but it's the CBJ who win the shots on goal battle, 8-7, and the high-danger scoring chances, at 5-4.
3rd Period + Overtime
(2:51 — CBJ Goal): Fabbro gives the Blue Jackets a lead less than three minutes into the final period on a goal that came after he fired the puck from just inside the blue line. "I was just trying to get it past the first guy," said Fabbro. "It kind of had eyes. ... Just was trying to get it to the net, and good things happen when you get pucks to the net."
Dante Fabbro doesn't score often, but when he does, he makes it at justttt the right time. He gets his fourth goal of the season here early in the third period to put the #CBJ back in front, 2-1. pic.twitter.com/VDjgRB067c
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 26, 2025
(14:17 — LA Goal Overturned): An excellent challenge from the Blue Jackets coaching staff. The Kings score, but Evason challenges for offsides and the officials agree. The review keeps the Blue Jackets in front, 2-1.
(18:55 — LA Goal): The Blue Jackets are unable to get the puck out of their zone, and the Kings eventually capitalize. Quinton Byfield scores for Los Angeles with the extra attacker on the ice to tie the game at 2-2 with just over a minute left in regulation.
(OT 3:45 — CBJ Goal): They don't get much better than this. Here's Marchenko's sensational game-winner:
Watch this until your battery dies. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/16bllLxE2X
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 26, 2025
| LA | GAME STATS | CBJ |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | SHOTS | 24 |
| 58% | FACEOFFS | 42% |
| 0/1 | POWER PLAY | 0/1 |
| 1/1 | PENALTY KILL | 1/1 |
| 21 | HITS | 25 |
| 6 | GIVEAWAYS | 9 |
| 10 | TAKEAWAYS | 5 |
| 13 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 23 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 3.91 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.32 |
| 75 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 49 |
| 39 | SCORING CHANCES | 23 |
| 18 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 15 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
-
Werenski is edging closer to the all-time record for consecutive games with a point at home for a defensemen: Bobby Orr scored in 25 straight at home in the 1974-75 season with the Boston Bruins. Werenski is just six shy of him.
- The Blue Jackets only had 39% of the shot attempts and 37% of the scoring chances, but made up for that in the overtime period: they had all five high-danger scoring opportunities in the extra five minutes, including Marchenko's game-winner.
Up Next:
Another four straight on the road, but not without a nice break for the Blue Jackets. They have four days off before a western swing that starts Thursday night in Vegas against the Golden Knights. Puck-drop is set for 10 p.m.
