The Columbus Blue Jackets earned a 4–3 (2-1) shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus held a 3–1 lead in the third period before Montreal stormed back to tie the game late with the goalie pulled.
Overtime went scoreless, but the Blue Jackets sealed the victory in the shootout thanks to Kirill Marchenko, who also extended his point streak to 12 games. The win pushes Columbus to 3-0-2 in their last five games.
Game Summary
1st Period
Columbus came out sharp and played a strong, structured first period. The Blue Jackets were quicker on loose pucks, won more board battles, and generated the better looks early.
Their pressure paid off at 6:58 when Zach Werenski opened the scoring, and it came off a Canadiens breakdown in their own zone.
After a puck battle along the boards, Mathieu Olivier and Charlie Coyle worked the puck free. Montreal was caught standing still, allowing Werenski to walk right down into the high slot with time and space.
With no pressure on him, he ripped a clean wrist shot under the glove of Jakub Dobes to make it 1–0.
Columbus pushed the pace for most of the period, finishing with a slight edge in shots 10–8, and controlled the flow with smart puck movement and strong neutral-zone transitions.
The Jackets went to the intermission up 1–0 and fully deserved the lead based on their execution and energy.
2nd Period
The second period started with Montreal pushing back, and the Canadiens tied the game early at 4:47. After a broken play behind Jet Greaves’ net, Mike Matheson made a great read, circling and feeding the puck out front.
Oliver Kapanen was left completely alone in the slot and ripped home his 7th of the season.
The goal gave Montreal momentum, and they generated a few strong shifts with more attacking pressure, but Greaves settled in and made several key saves to keep the game even.
Just five minutes later, Columbus answered back — again by winning a battle down low.
Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko outworked Noah Dobson and the Canadiens behind the net, forcing a turnover. Marchenko centered the puck, and Adam Fantilli, left uncovered by Joshua Roy, buried his 6th of the year to restore the Blue Jackets’ lead at 2–1.
It was Fantilli’s fourth goal in his last five games, and it immediately put Columbus back in control of the period.
That pressure continued to build when Cole Sillinger drew a slashing penalty on Nick Suzuki, giving the Blue Jackets a short 5-on-3. Even though the two-man advantage lasted only 21 seconds, Columbus capitalized moments later during the 5-on-4.
Marchenko threaded a perfect cross-crease pass to Voronkov at the back post, and he tapped it in for his 8th of the season and third power-play goal, making it 3–1.
Columbus only needed six shots in the period to score twice — pure opportunism at its best. Meanwhile, Jet Greaves was rock-solid, stopping all nine shots he faced and managing the game with confidence.
After giving up the early goal, the Blue Jackets completely steadied themselves and skated off the ice firmly in control heading into the third.
3rd Period
Montreal came out harder in the third and pushed the pace right away. The Canadiens tightened their forecheck, created more zone time, and slowly started taking control of the period.
Their pressure finally paid off at 8:28, when Josh Anderson cut the Columbus lead to 3–2. Lane Hutson’s point shot was blocked in front, but Anderson gloved the rebound, dropped it to his stick, and flipped a backhand past Jet Greaves.
It was the spark Montreal needed.
The Canadiens kept coming. They won races, kept pucks alive, and forced Columbus onto its heels for long stretches. After several minutes of sustained pressure, Montreal tied the game at 18:41 with the goalie pulled.
Lane Hutson, set up high in the slot, fired a screened wrist shot through Juraj Slafkovský’s traffic and beat Greaves glove side to make it 3–3.
Columbus struggled to exit the zone and couldn’t generate much offensively, getting outshot 9–7 in the period.
Despite giving up the two-goal lead, Greaves stayed composed and made several critical stops to at least push the game into overtime.
Overtime
Overtime belonged to Montreal from start to finish. The Canadiens dominated puck possession, created the cleaner entries, and outshot Columbus 6–0 in the extra frame.
Suzuki, Caufield, and Hutson all generated scoring chances, forcing the Blue Jackets to defend for nearly the entire five minutes.
The biggest moment came in the final seconds when Ivan Demidov stepped into a one-timer from the left circle after a perfect cross-ice setup.
It looked like the game-winner, but Jet Greaves slid across and robbed him, flashing the pad to keep the puck out. That last-second save was the difference and pushed the game to the shootout.
Columbus survived the overtime storm without a single shot on goal, thanks entirely to Greaves’ calm, composed goaltending under pressure.
Shootout
Columbus rediscovered its confidence in the skills competition.
- Kent Johnson opened the shootout by scoring for Columbus.
- Nick Suzuki was stopped by Greaves.
- Adam Fantilli was stopped by Dobes.
- Cole Caufield answered with a goal to tie it.
With the round tied 1–1, Kirill Marchenko stepped up and delivered the winner — a smooth, confident finish that capped off his two-assist night and extended his point streak to 12 games.
Montreal’s final shooter, Ivan Demidov, was denied by Greaves, sealing the win.
Columbus went 2-for-3 in the shootout, while Montreal went 1-for-3, giving the Blue Jackets a hard-earned extra point after a tense finish.
After the game, Werenski said, “It’s always big when you can get points in this league. We didn’t love giving up the 3–1 lead, but in the end the two points are what matter. We’ll take the win, learn from it, and move forward in a positive way.”
Game Stats
| Category | Montreal | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 3 | 4 |
| Shots on Goal | 32 | 23 |
| Faceoff % | 59.6% | 40.4% |
| Power Play | 0/0 | 1/2 |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 | 0 |
| Hits | 17 | 15 |
| Blocked Shots | 13 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 16 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 4 |
| Shootout | 1/3 | 2/3 |
Blue Jackets Players Highlights
Dmitri Voronkov 1G 1A 2PTS TOI 16:47 3SOG 1PPG 3HITS
Kariil Marchenko 2A 2PTS TOI 22:07
Adam Fantilli 1G 1PTS TOI 21:42 1SOG FO: 44.4%
Cole Sillinger TOI 16:36 5SOG 2 HITS
Zach Werenski 1G 1A 2PTS TOI 29:41 4SOG 1BLK 1HITS
Jet Graves 3 goals on 32 shots SV% .906
Blue Jackets Notes:
Kirill Marchenko’s 12-game point streak ties Cam Atkinson (2018-19) for the second-longest in Blue Jackets history.
Ryan Johansen holds the franchise record with a 13-game streak set in 2014-15.
Zach Werenski extended his point streak to three games and now has 399 career NHL points (118 goals, 281 assists in 586 games).
3 Stars of the Game
1. Kirill Marchenko (CBJ) — 0G, 2A, 2PTS, Shootout GWG
2. Zach Werenski (CBJ) — 1G, 1A, 2PTS
3. Dmitri Voronkov (CBJ) — 1G, 1A, 2PTS
My 3 Blue Jackets Takeaways
1. Marchenko Dominates Again — Driving Columbus’ Offense Every Shift
Kirill Marchenko wasn’t just good — he was impactful. He picked up two primary assists, including a perfect backdoor feed to Voronkov on the power play. He also battled behind the net to create the turnover that led to Fantilli’s goal.
And when the game was on the line, he buried the shootout winner with confidence. His 12-game point streak is now tied for the second-longest in Blue Jackets history.
This is a player who is raising his game every night and pulling the Jackets into the fight. A huge bounce-back effort from him and the entire group after Saturday’s average performance against the Rangers.
2. Werenski Plays Like an Elite No. 1 Defenseman
Zach Werenski played exactly like the No. 1 defenseman Columbus needs. He opened the scoring with a well-timed activation into the slot, using the screen perfectly.
He added an assist on the Voronkov power-play goal and finished with 2 points, a team-high workload, and strong puck movement all game.
Werenski now has four points in his last three games and sits at 399 career points. After a tough defensive night against the Rangers, Werenski responded with leadership and poise — exactly what you want from your top blueliner.
3. Columbus Needs to Protect Leads — A Trend They Must Fix
The Jackets earned two points, but blowing another two-goal lead in the third period is something they can’t ignore. This is the second time in their last four games they’ve let a multi-goal cushion disappear late.
Montreal outshot them 6–0 in overtime, and Columbus survived purely because Greaves made a massive save on Demidov’s one-timer in the final seconds.
The win is important — especially after Saturday’s loss to the Rangers — but if Columbus wants to stay in the playoff race, closing out games has to improve.
Final Thought: Blue Jackets Bounce Back
This was exactly the type of response Columbus needed after Saturday’s disappointing loss to the Rangers.
The Blue Jackets weren’t perfect — especially with another third-period lead slipping away — but they dug in, battled through momentum swings, and found a way to take two points.
Marchenko, Werenski, and Greaves all stepped up at key moments, and the group continues to show growth during this 3-0-2 stretch. If the Jackets can tighten up their late-game details, this is a team that can stay competitive in the Metro race.
Next Game
The Blue Jackets are right back at it tonight in Winnipeg, facing the Jets at 8:00 PM EDT.
Elvis Merzlikins is expected to get the start, and Columbus will look to build on their strong road play and extend their point streak to six games.
