Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pittsburgh Penguins: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 41

 Tonight was a game of early goals. At just 3"20 into period one the Jackets' first shot on goal would become an early powerplay goal for Dimitri Voronkov, his sixteenth this season. Kirill Marchenko and Sean Monahan would add their twenty-seventh assists this season with the primary and secondary. The Penguins would push to tie the game while the Jackets would push to go ahead by more than 1-0, but no other goals would come in the opening period. 

Another early goal would be the only goal in period two, but this time the goal would belong to the Penguins. M. Bunting would score his thirteenth goal this season on the powerplay at 00:51. S. Crosby, the Ledgand, would add his thirty-second assist with the primary while E. Karlsson would add his twenty-fifth with the secondary. With the impeccable goaltending by both Elvis Merzlikins and T. Jarry, this game would stay at 1-1 through this second period. 

We'd also lose Sean Monahan, our top-line center, after a hit in period two. He'd try to play period three but no dice. After one shift he went straight for the tunnel. Roughly halfway through period three, it would be announced he'd remain out of the rest of this road game.   

This whole game was expected to be a battle with the Penguins holding at 41 points and the Jackets' at 40 points, but with a tied 1-1 game going into the third, this game would be extra on top of a rivalry and a one-point differential. Great hockey, anyone? R. Rakell would score just 00:24 into this last period of regulation, this would become goal nineteen this season for him. E. Karlsson would add his twenty-sixth assist of the season and second tonight with the primary assist on this goal while teammate M. Grelcyk would add his twenty-first this season with the secondary. After a slash that took Sean Kuraly down for far too long than my nerves could handle, he'd join the team and continue on. The Penguins would continue on too, expanding their lead to 3-1 at 10:09 thanks to R. Rakell's second goal of the game and twentieth this season. S. Crosty would add his second assist tonight and thirty-third this season with the primary; there would be no secondary on this goal. But, as the Jackets have repeatedly shown this season, they do not give up. Dimitri Voronkov would enter hatty watch for his third game in a row with his second goal of the night and seventeenth this season at 12:05! Kirill Marchenko would add his second assist tonight and twenty-eighth this season with the primary while Adam Fantilli would enter double-digits with his tenth assist this season on the secondary. In Sean Monahan's absence, Adam Fantilli would step up to the top centerman and score the tying goal at 17:24! This would become his ninth goal of the season and on the powerplay no less. Kent Johnson would get on tonight's point sheet with his thirteenth assist this season (primary) while Zach Werenski would also add himself to the point sheet, scoring his thirty-fourth assist (secondary.) The Jackets would play keep away with the puck until the clock ticked to 00:00, capturing a point and heading to 3-on-3 overtime, tied at 3-3!

Elvis Merzlikins would find himself blocking shots while I found myself covering my eyes for half of overtime! The caliber of his saves to make this go to a shootout was amazing, and how the D-Line helped him out was equally amazing. But, as I hinted, this would go to a shootout. 

Kent Johnson would score on the first shot of the shootout, and after no one made a shot in the second half of round one or round two, Kirill Marchenko would score to end the shootout! The Jackets WIN IN PITTSBURGH 4-3 for the first time since November 2015! Full disclosure, I cried when that puck went in for Marchenko, and I have no shame in admitting it. This is huge, and for how long I've preached that this team could and finally seeing them do...Oh, it's a great night, 5th LINE! 

Adam Fantilli, the young man who stepped up when Sean Monahan went out, earns the Third Star of the Game with a 1-1-2 night! 

Dimitri Voronkov is your First Star of the Game with a 2-0-2 night! 

We get to come home with 2 points, reaching 42 total and jumping the Penguins who also have 42 points but we have a better record than! The team will look to add more points on Thursday as the Seattle Kraken come to Nationwide Arena for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. 

Soak it in Jackets and 5th Line, tonight has been a long time coming! 

GO CBJ!