Carolina Hurricanes @ Columbus Blue Jackets: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 20

Rolling into tonight riding that huge 7-6 overtime win on Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Lightning, the Blue Jackets would look to continue their point-stealing ways. Period one would open with an early goal from Dante Fabro. The man has been a valuable pickup, and I still can't wrap my mind around why the Predators put him on waivers, but, hey, we'll take him! This was his second goal of the season and he scored it just 2:04 into the game. This goal had no assists, too. Former Blue Jacket, Jack Roslovic, would be on the board next, evening the score at 1-1. This is already his twelfth goal of the season and he scored it at 6:41. S. Aho, a bright light on the Hurricanes team, would have the only assist and this marks his thirteenth already this season. Kirill Marchenko would be the next to score for the Blue Jackets, doing so at 10:20. Yes, this was a busy period! This was Marchenko's seventh goal this season, and like Dante Fabro, this goal would have no assists. This would be the final goal of the period, and the Blue Jackets would hold a one-goal lead after the opening period. 

5:40 into period two would see the Hurricanes tie the game again, this time at 2-2. This tying goal would come from J. Chatfield and it would be his second goal of the season. This would be the first goal of the game with two assists. The primary assist would belong to D. Orlov, his ninth this season, and the secondary would belong to M. Necas, his twenty-first this season. The Blue Jackets would then pull ahead again as Dimitri Voronkov would score the first powerplay goal of the game at 7:10! This would be Voronkov's fifth goal this season; he's not missed a beat since returning from an injury earlier this season. Kent Johnson, another play who just returned from injury, this being his second game back, would add his fourth assist on this powerplay goal. The secondary assist would go to Zach Werenski who is already up to fourteen as he continues to build off his record-breaking season in the category last season. Unfortunately, S. Aho would score and tie the game yet again, this time at 3-3. His goal would come at 10:39 and this would be a powerplay for the visiting team. M. Necas would ear a multipoint night, picking up his second assist tonight and his twenty-second assist this season. Just before the period could end, the Hurricanes would take their first lead thanks to a goal from J. Blake at 13:23.This would be his sixth goal of the season. J. Koth=kanisomi would add his tenth assist on this goal. This would be the final goal of the second period and the Hurricanes would take a one-goal lead into the final regulation period. 

The third period would be scoreless...until 18:54 when Kirill Marchenko would tie the game at 4-4! This would be his second goal tonight and eight this season! Sean Monahan would add his thirteenth assist this season, and I tear up typing that Monahan has hit the number of assists that his dear friend, Johnny Gaudreau wore on this team. Kent Johnson would add his second assist tonight, giving him five this season. And, just like that, we're going to overtime again!

About three minutes into overtime a scary collision would happen, and Pyotr Kochetkov, the Hurricanes goaltender would go down and not move for what felt like ages. He would eventually get up and skate to the bench and into the locker room. This would leave Spencer Martin, the former Blue Jackets goaltender to take over in the middle of overtime. He would wave his chance to warm up and face the rest of overtime like a boss. Elvis Merzlikins would also face the rest of overtime like a boss, and we'd go into a shootout for the first time in the 2024-25 NHL Season!

It would only take one goal to win, and it would come on the first shot from Blue Jackets' own Sean Monahan! Elvis Merzlikins would be a brick wall in the net and deny all three shooters from the Hurricanes, including one from superstar S. Aho to put away the shootout win! That's another two points for a team that is only getting better and better, Columbus!

Dante Fabro would be the Third Star of the Game, having a 1-0-1 evening as he kicked off the Jackets' goal-scoring tonight. 

Sean Monahan would be tonight's Second Star of the Game, having a 0-1-1 evening and scoring in that thrilling shootout, too! 

Kirill Marchenko, or Marchenk-GOAL, would be the First Star of the Game tonight, having an incredible 2-0-2 evening!

Elvis Merzlikins would finish with a .889 Save Percentage as he came up with 32 saves on 36 total Hurricanes' shots on net. 

Also, a huge congratulations to Sean Kuraly who celebrated his 500th NHL Career game tonight!

The Blue Jackets will have a much-earned break and will drop the puck on Wednesday when the Canadians come to Columbus from Montreal at 7:30 p.m. 

Enjoy this WIN, 5th Line!

GO CBJ! 





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