After a strong win at home on Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets hit the road for a three-day, two-game trip through California, with their first stop coming Saturday night in Anaheim.
Columbus added reinforcements on Friday, acquiring Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for two draft picks. Marchment made an immediate impact, scoring in his first game with the Blue Jackets, but it wasn’t enough to prevent another loss.
The defeat marked Columbus’ seventh loss in its past eight games (1-7-0). The trend continues to be troubling: when trailing after two periods this season, the Blue Jackets are 0-9-0, unable to mount third-period comebacks. They now own the worst goal differential in the NHL at minus-23.
The night also delivered very bad news. Zach Werenski scored his fifth goal in the past three games, wiring a wrist shot from the left circle into the top corner to tie the game 3-3 at 12:44 of the third period. However, Werenski was later helped off the ice after blocking a shot by Troy Terry with 2:27 remaining, a sequence that resulted in a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty.
Head coach Dean Evason did not have an update after the game, and Werenski was noticeably limping.
Moments later, Pavel Mintyukov scored the tie-breaking goal with 3:29 left, lifting the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 win at Honda Center and sending Columbus to another frustrating road loss.
Game Summary
1st Period — Ducks in Command
The Anaheim Ducks wasted no time taking control, grabbing a 1-0 lead on their first shot on goal at 2:14 of the opening period.
Defenseman Olen Zellweger, who had been a healthy scratch in Anaheim’s previous game against Dallas, carried the puck into the Columbus zone on a 3-on-1 rush and found Mikael Granlund. Granlund scored for the third straight game, snapping a wrist shot from the left hash marks for his sixth goal of the season.
Just 46 seconds later, Anaheim struck again. Ryan Poehling spotted Jacob Trouba jumping off the bench and slid a pass from the outside edge of the right circle to Trouba above the left circle. Trouba buried a one-timer at 3:00 to make it 2-0, also scoring his sixth of the season.
With two goals in the first three minutes, the Ducks put the Columbus Blue Jackets in early chase mode, though there was still plenty of time left on the clock.
Columbus responded on its first power play of the game. Charlie Coyle fed Dmitri Voronkov at the far post, and Voronkov redirected the puck across the goal line at 5:54 to cut the deficit to 2-1. The goal was Voronkov’s 13th of the season and his sixth on the power play.
Following the goal, the Blue Jackets settled into a more structured game, limiting Anaheim’s chances. After 20 minutes, the Ducks held a slight 10–9 edge in shots on goal, but Anaheim carried the 2-1 lead into the intermission.
2nd Period Ducks lead by one goal still
2nd Period — Ducks Lead by One
The Anaheim Ducks carried a one-goal lead into the second period, but the Columbus Blue Jackets quickly found a response.
In his first game with Columbus, Mason Marchment showed exactly why the Blue Jackets targeted him. Marchment tied the game 2-2 at 3:39 of the second period, deflecting a point shot from Damon Severson past the goaltender. It was Marchment’s fifth goal of the season and his first as a Blue Jacket, skating in his new No. 17.
After a shaky start to the game, Elvis Merzlikins settled in and gave his team a chance to push back. Following a collision with Beckett Sennecke on a net drive that resulted in a goaltender interference penalty, Merzlikins came up with a key stop. He denied Jackson LaCombe on a short-handed 2-on-1 rush at 6:01, keeping the game tied.
However, Anaheim regained the lead later in the period. With 10 minutes remaining, Ross Johnston stole a pass from Dante Fabbro below the Columbus goal line just as Mason McTavish stepped onto the ice. Johnston slipped a backhand pass to McTavish, who snapped a wrist shot from the right hash marks to make it 3-2.
The goal was McTavish’s eighth of the season and his first in seven games.
The remainder of the period was evenly played. Both Lukas Dostal and Merzlikins were solid, each making timely saves. Anaheim outshot Columbus 11–10 in the second, and both team
3rd Period — Not Enough for Columbus
The first 10 minutes of the third period were frustrating for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who struggled to generate offense. The Anaheim Ducks clogged the middle of the ice, limiting Columbus to the outside and allowing very few quality chances.
The breakthrough finally came at 12:44 of the third. Zach Werenski tied the game 3-3 with a wrist shot from the left circle that beat the goaltender high to the glove side. It was Werenski’s 14th goal of the season, his fifth goal in the past three games, and his fourth multi-point performance in his last five games, giving him 10 points during that stretch.
However, the night quickly turned sour. With 2:27 remaining, Werenski was helped off the ice after blocking a shot by Troy Terry. The sequence led to a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty, further complicating Columbus’ push for at least a point.
Just moments later, Anaheim capitalized. With 3:29 left, Pavel Mintyukov scored the game-winning goal, snapping a shot from the left hash marks off a cross-ice feed from Mikael Granlund. The goal was Mintyukov’s fourth of the season and proved to be the difference in a 4-3 Ducks victory at Honda Center.
Any remaining hopes for a late comeback were erased when Columbus took another too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty with 2:11 remaining, effectively ending their chance to tie the game.
For the Blue Jackets, it was another third period that slipped away — effort wasn’t the issue, but execution and discipline once again proved costly.
From the Locker Room
Mason Marchment, on scoring his first goal with Columbus:
“They did a great job getting it through and I just got a little piece of it. Happy it went in.”
Dean Evason, on the loss and execution late:
“We played well, but it’s not well enough. It’s not good enough, and there has to be some accountability and some consistency, especially at the end of hockey games.”
Evason on the turnover sequence before the winning goal:
“It’s frustrating. We turned the puck over four times before that goal goes in. Four times. We had it on our tape and didn’t do a good job getting it out. That’s the hard part. Positionally we’re good, we’re in the right spot, we’re structurally fine. We just don’t get the puck out.”
Evason on Zach Werenski:
“There’s no update right now.”
Werenski was noticeably limping after the game.
Joel Quenneville, on the Ducks’ response:
“It was a great response. The start was the response we were hoping for, and it put us in a really good spot. It was an important win in a lot of ways. We were asking for a response, and we got it.”
Notes
- Zach Werenski extended his point streak to five games (nine points; five goals, four assists).
- Miles Wood did not play because of an undisclosed injury.
- Luca Del Bel Belluz, recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Friday, made his season debut and played 7:51, recording one shot on goal.
- The Anaheim Ducks went 0-for-3 on the power play and are now 0-for-49 with the man advantage against the Columbus Blue Jackets dating back to the 2015–16 season.
Game Stats
| Stat | Columbus Blue Jackets | Anaheim Ducks |
| Shots on Goal | 26 | 28 |
| Faceoff % | 57.4% | 42.6% |
| Power Play | 1/2 | 0/3 |
| Penalty Minutes | 6 | 4 |
| Hits | 12 | 19 |
| Blocked Shots | 11 | 26 |
| Giveaways | 15 | 16 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 5 |
Three Stars of the Game
⭐ Mikael Granlund — ANA
G: 1 | A: 1 | P: 2
⭐⭐ Pavel Mintyukov — ANA
G: 1 (GWG) | P: 1
⭐⭐⭐ Mason McTavish — ANA
G: 1 | P: 1
My Takeaway
The Columbus Blue Jackets once again couldn’t find a way to come back and secure at least one point. Falling behind by two goals in the first three minutes put them in immediate chase mode, and while they showed resilience by tying the game twice, it wasn’t enough to earn a result.
It’s a difficult stretch for Columbus, now with just one win in their last eight games. The pattern continues to be troubling: when the Blue Jackets score enough goals, their goaltending struggles; when the goaltending keeps them in games, the offense doesn’t provide enough support. The balance simply isn’t there right now.
Head coach Dean Evason has voiced concern about the team’s competitiveness on a nightly basis, and the results back it up. Since Mathieu Olivier was injured, Columbus is 3-8-2, and his absence has been noticeable. Olivier brings physicality and edge, something this lineup is clearly missing during this stretch.
Now, all eyes turn to Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets are hoping his injury is minor, because without their top defenseman, this situation could become even more difficult. With confidence fragile and results slipping away late in games, Columbus is quickly running out of answers — and time.
Next Game
The Columbus Blue Jackets return to the ice Monday night for their final game before the Christmas break, visiting the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.
Puck drop: 10:00 PM EDT
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