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Columbus Blue Jackets end Pittsburgh woes on push from Fantilli,Voronkov: 5 takeaways
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- Columbus Blue Jackets end Pittsburgh woes on push from Fantilli,Voronkov: 5 takeaways
It took a shootout after a nerve-wracking overtime that followed an improbable comeback from the Blue Jackets to finally exorcise their demons Tuesday in Pittsburgh .
More: Columbus Blue Jackets finally end vexing road losing streak to Pittsburgh Penguins
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It also took Evgeni Malkin not playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins plus another "here we go again," moment when Rickard Rakell put the Blue Jackets in a 3-1 hole with two goals in the third period. Despite losing top center Sean Monahan to injury, the Blue Jackets forced overtime with a two-goal comeback to win 4-3 in a shootout that finally nixed a 15-game winless streak in Pittsburgh that began in 2015.
Jan 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Drew O'Connor (10) skates with the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Blue Jackets , who moved into the Eastern Conference's second wild card spot with 42 points, ended their losing ways in the "Steel City" after nine years, one month and 26 days. Their skid there lasted 3,344 days and spanned four Blue Jackets coaches, not including Mike Babcock, who was forced to resign in 2023 before coaching a game in Columbus.
"It was just an important game in the standings, regardless, but I think there were a couple jokes about it when we flew into Pittsburgh," forward Kent Johnson said on the FanDuel Sports Network postgame broadcast. "Guys were pretty confident, like, 'This is the year we can do it,' kind of thing. Obviously, we've been a better team (this season), so it definitely felt good to do it."
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Here are five takeaways:
Jan 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) celebrates with center Kent Johnson (91) after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets ' youth sets them free against Pittsburgh Penguins
How far back did the Blue Jackets' losing streak in Pittsburgh stretch?
At the time of their previous win on Nov. 13, 2015, Barack Obama was president, gasoline in Columbus sold for $2.02 per gallon, Adele topped music charts with "Hello," and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2" was in theaters. John Tortorella had just started his tenure as the Blue Jackets' most successful coach. Scott Hartnell and Brandon Saad scored the two goals that beat the Penguins that night, while Sergei Bobrovsky earned the goaltending win.
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As for those who actually played Tuesday?
Adam Fantilli and rookie Denton Mateychuk were only 11 years old, Cole Sillinger was 12, Johnson was a 13-year old Vancouver Canucks fan who idolized Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau — his future teammate — and Sidney Crosby had 862 points on 304 goals and 558 assists in 643 games as a 28-year old NHL superstar.
The Blue Jackets downplayed their accomplishment Tuesday, but it wasn't insignificant. Many other Blue Jackets had said the same stuff about the past not mattering in the present, and then watched Crosby and the Penguins lop another 'L' in Pittsburgh onto their plate.
Jan 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (17) chases the puck up ice as Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) defends during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Monahan injury could deal Columbus Blue Jackets a huge challenge
Monahan is the Blue Jackets' third-leading scorer, but his contributions to their resurgence go far beyond 14 goals, 27 assists and 41 points. He's their top center, a catalyst for the top power-play unit in the "bumper" role and a strong veteran leader who has quietly pushed his younger teammates to become better all-around players.
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Losing him for any length of time would be extremely difficult, which is why his early exit in the third period Tuesday felt ominous. Monahan was likely injured when driven face first into the end boards with an unpenalized cross-check by Kris Letang in the second period. He returned for the first shift of the third but left after Rakell scored 24 seconds into the period.
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason didn't provide an update after the game and hoped to learn more Wednesday at a scheduled practice in Columbus.
Jan 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) celebrates his goal with the Columbus bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Fantilli shines as Monahan's replacement on Columbus Blue Jackets' top line
Monahan's departure created an immediate need at center for the top line in the third period, and Fantilli filled in admirably. In fact, he keyed the Blue Jackets' late comeback push while moving up to skate with Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko .
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A backhand feed to Marchenko in the low slot led to an assist on Voronkov's second goal of the night, cutting the Penguins' lead to 3-2 with 7:55 left in the third, and Fantilli then tied it 3-3 with 2:36 left to cap a power play. Playing in Monahan's "bumper" spot between the circles, the second-year center and third pick of the 2023 NHL draft redirected Johnson's shot/pass from the right wing past Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry for his ninth goal of the season and second in as many games.
"He's obviously a special player, so that was great," Johnson said. "Just to hear Fants talking before (that power play), he was like, 'I've been watching Monny a lot, so I know what to do here.' So, he knew exactly where to be, and he's got a world-class shot. That's just really elite by him."
Jan 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) defends the net against Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Matt Nieto (83) during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Merzlikins ' save on Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby highlights overtime for Columbus Blue Jackets
Elvis Merzlikins allowed seven goals in a 7-2 loss to the Penguins during his NHL debut Oct. 5, 2019 at PPG Paints Arena, which left him in tears afterward. Merzlikins continued to struggle against the Penguins during his career, including an 0-4-0 record in five road appearances before Tuesday.
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He finally earned a victory in Pittsburgh by making 20 saves, including an impressive stop 1:27 into overtime against Crosby's backhand off an open look just outside the crease. Merzlikins deftly gloved the puck to keep OT going, made another key stop against Drew O'Connor with 33 seconds left to force the shootout and then made a big save against Bryan Rust in the first round.
Jan 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (right) celebrates his second goal of the game with center Adam Fantilli (19) and right-wing Kirill Marchenko (86) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Voronkov's goals help Columbus Blue Jackets end woes in Pittsburgh
Dmitri Voronkov is officially a net-front menace. Standing 6 feet 5, 240 pounds, the skilled Russian power forward is using size, strength and impressive hand/eye coordination to score a lot of goals for the Blue Jackets.
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He netted two more against the Penguins for his second straight two-goal game and fourth in the past seven games, and Voronkov now has 17 goals, 11 assists and 28 points in 32 games. He's added 9-2-11 in the past seven games and now is tracking to score 39 goals in his "sophomore" campaign.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets end Pittsburgh woes: 5 takeaways
