The Blue Jackets' record is not 34-21-11 with 79 points. They currently sit 4th in the Metro, 9th in the East, and 12th in the NHL. They're also one point out of a wild card spot and two points out of third in the Metro.
Kirill Marchenko (25) scored the only goal for Columbus in the game and also scored the only shootout goal for either team in a 2-1 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Jet Greaves had 18 saves and picked up his 21st win of the season.
This game felt like a playoff game. It was a tight game, and it seemed like whoever made the last mistake was going to lose the game. In this case, neither team made the last mistake, unless you want to count Dan Vladař getting housed by Kirill Marchenko in the shootout as a mistake. But in Vladař's defense, every goalie gets housed by Marchenko in the shootout.
Per Marchenko, after the game, he abandoned his signature five-hole shootout move after a conversation with former Flyer Egor Zamula. "Just switch it up. I talked with Zamula, and he has been on this team a while, and he told me they pre-scout you every kind of game, and they know all of our moves in the shootout, and you need to find something new." It worked, and it gave the Blue Jackets two points.
HC Rick Bowness stated after the game what just about everyone saw: That the Blue Jackets won because of the penalty kill. When Damon Severson had had enough of Denver Barkey's shenanigans, he took two cross-checking penalties that gave the Flyers a lengthy power play that ended in the third period. Luckily, the Jackets were able to kill it off, but Bowness was not happy. "The PKers won the game for us, really. They did. Especially that four minutes. I don't understand why we're always the team in the league that has the least amount of power plays. I don't understand that. There's a lack of respect for our hockey club, and we're going to change that."
Bowness also commented about his team taking four of six possible road points, “The guys are playing their hearts out. They are. You have to give them a ton of credit because there’s no quit in this group. Yeah, it was a tight game out there. There wasn’t a lot of room, and they kept battling, and I just love it.”
Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets didn't get a ton of help in the standings. The Senators, Bruins, Islanders, Red Wings, and Penguins all got points as well. It could've been a standings-shifting night for Columbus, but instead, they will go into Tuesday's game against the Hurricanes on the outside looking into the wild card spots.
Final Stats
CBJ APPPlayer Stats
- Kirill Marchenko scored his team-leading 25th goal of the season. He has points in 12 of his last 14 games. He also led the team with 5 shots on goal.
- Adam Fantilli recorded his 28th assist of the season. He now has points in 3 straight games, and 9 of his last 11. He also went 9/16 on his faceoffs.
- Damon Severson tallied his 22nd assist of the season.
- Jet Greaves 18 of 19 Flyers shots and stopped all 5 Philly power play shots.
Team Stats
- The Jackets went 0/1 on the power play.
- The Columbus PK stopped all four Flyer power plays in the game.
- Columbus won 52.5% of the faceoffs - 32/61
- The Blue Jackets had 25 hits and 18 blocks.
Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are back at home to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.