Carolina Hurricanes @ Columbus Blue Jackets: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 38

The Jackets come into tonight looking to put their last road loss behind them and wrap up 2024 with a home win for the 5th Line. They start out on the right skate for that to happen, as Kirill Marchenko scores his fifteenth goal at 4:48. Sean Monahan would add his twenty-first assist on this goal with the primary while Denton Mateychuk would add his first NHL point with the secondary. Good for him! Elvis Merzlikins would get a rare tripping penalty a few minutes later. He almost got away without a goal being scored, but in the final seconds, at 9:56, T Smith would score his first goal this season on the Canes' first powerplay of the evening. S. Aho, an undeniable star of the Canes, would come away with his twenty-seventh assist of the season with the primary while teammate M. Necas would add his thirty-first. But, before the period could end, Kirill Marchenko would put himself on hattrick watch with his sixteenth goal this season at 15:43! Dimitri Voronkov would add his eleventh assist this season with the primary on this goal while Sean Monahan would add his twenty-second with the secondary. Also, that marks Sean Monahan's second assist of this opening period for those keeping track. The period would close with no further goals and a 2-1 Jackets lead. 

The goal deficit would be closed just 5:47 into period two, and by a former Jacket and Ohioan no less! J. Roslovic would add his seventeenth goal this season. S. Jarvis would acquire his sixteenth assist with the primary while teammate S. Aho would acquire his twenty-eighth with the secondary. For anyone keeping track, this assist would take S. Aho to two tonight. Not long after this goal at 8:18, J. Kotkanlemi would score his sixth goal this season and the first go-ahead goal for his visiting Canes. Another former jacket, E. Robbinson, would have the only assist on this goal, his eleventh this season. The Jackets would fight the best they could, but Canes goaltender, P. Kochetkov, wouldn't let a puck past him. So, the script would flip with twenty minutes to go in regulation with the Canes up a goal, 3-2. 

After many good chances on the five-on-five attack, the Jackets would finally cash in and on the powerplay! Dimitri Voronkov would add his thirteenth goal at 4:58! Sean Monahan would match his assist number to his jersey number with no indication of slowing down at twenty-three thanks to the primary assist on this goal. In addition, Zach Werenski keeps his home point streak going with a thirteenth game thanks to his secondary assist on this goal; his twenty-ninth this season. And, in true CBJ fashion, no other goals would be scored and we'd head to overtime for the final game of 2024!  

The shots were plentiful and the skating was speedy, but no goals would come from the five-minute overtime period. Even after a tripping call against Zach Aston-Reese with 0:13 to go, the Canes couldn't close this out, and it would be into a shootout! 

The Canes would score first by way of A. Svechnikov, but Kent Johnson would come up with the equalizer. In round four, Adam Fantilli would score and Elvis Merzzlikins would set a brick wall between S. Aho and his net for the win! Jackets win their final game of 2024, 4-3!!!

With the go-ahead goal tonight, Dimitri Voronkov would gain the Third Star of the Game with a 1-1-2 night. 

With an assist on all three goals in regulation, Sean Monahan would be the Second Star of the Game with a 0-3-3 night. 

To no surprise, with a 2-0-2 night, Kirill Marchenko would be the First Star of the Game tonight. 

Our next game will be next year but have no fear, that's less than an hour away now! We will have a preview of our first outdoor game as the Detroit Red Wings travel to Columbus for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop on January 2nd. 

Have a happy and safe New Year, 5th Line, talk soon!

GO CBJ!