BUFFALO ― Another third period got a little hairy, but this five-goal lead didn't flop out of the Blue Jackets ' boat on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center.
More: Marchenko hat trick leads Columbus Blue Jackets to rout over Sabres
Leading the Buffalo Sabres 7-2 starting the third, the Jackets allowed two goals in the first 7:51 before responding with two of their own to re-establish a five-goal lead on their way to a 9-4 victory in a game they mostly dominated. Kirill Marchenko led the way with three straight goals for a natural hat trick, the second hat trick of his NHL career , and 13 other Blue Jackets contributed at least one point ― including 10 with multiple points.
"Everyone in the room understands what's happened and how many games (we've lost) in the third period," Marchenko said. "We just needed to be ready and be focused on the third, because ... I'm tired of losing games in the third period. It's just 'keep working' for everybody and everybody knows it ... just try to be better."
The Blue Jackets' nine goals are the second highest in a single game in franchise history, trailing only the 10 they scored in a 10-0 victory over the Montreal Canadians on Nov. 4, 2016. It's the Jackets' highest goal total since they downed the Arizona Coyotes 8-2 in their season-opener Oct. 14, 2021 in former coach Brad Larsen's NHL head coaching debut.
Johnny Gaudreau also finished with a goal, two assists and three points for the Blue Jackets (11-17-5), who fell behind 1-0 just 30 seconds into the game on a goal by Rasmus Dahlin . Nine others finished with two points each for the Jackets, who had seven players score goals and goalie Daniil Tarasov earn a win with 25 saves.
Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson scored back-to-back goals in the third to seal the win.
Here are nine takeaways from the Jackets' nine-goal game:
Marchenko's first goal was scored 11.5 seconds before time ran out in the first period and left even Sabres fans gasping in awe of what they'd seen.
Standing below the left circle during the game's first power play, the Jackets' second-year forward received a pass from Gaudreau and quickly executed a between-the-legs shot that beat Sabres starting goalie Devon Levi under the crossbar to the far side.
The shot included Marchenko putting the puck through Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson 's legs, which he didn't realize until watching it on replay.
"I've worked three weeks on this move in practice, on the open net, just trying to shoot between my legs," Marchenko said. "Now I had a chance to score (with it). It was just the situation was a little lucky for me, I think. It was really fun, to be honest. Good goal, and now I have a new play for this position, because next time I'll pass it for a one-timer."
Marchenko's second and third goals were his 12th and 13th of the season, scored in a span of 18 seconds for a natural hat trick while giving the Jackets a 5-1 lead at 7:55 of the second period.
Those goals, wrist shots that beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after he replaced Levi, were the two fastest tallies by a single player in Blue Jackets history. Marchenko's hat trick was scored in a span of 8:07, which according to the NHL is the franchise's second-fastest 'hatty' behind Jeff Carter 's 3:18 on Dec. 22, 2011.
Marchenko was rewarded by Kent Johnson with the Blue Jackets' Kepi hat in the postgame locker room celebration and he unsuccessfully lobbied to get Wednesday's scheduled practice canceled during his speech.
Otherwise, 'Marchy' did what he usually does for the Jackets .
"He's got skills, he's got size and he's got a great personality," Vincent said. "He's loved in that dressing room and he's starting to talk more. We know he's a funny guy and likes to have fun, but when he gets serious on the bench, he's starting to talk more and taking more of a leadership role. I feel that we're very lucky to have him. He brings people together. That's what he does best … and he's a good hockey player obviously."
Last season, exactly 377 days earlier, the Sabres came into Columbus and blew out the Blue Jackets 9-4 in a nationally televised game at Nationwide Arena.
Tage Thompson scored five goals and probably could've scored a couple more had the Sabres not pulled back offensively in the third. It was an embarrassing sore spot for the Blue Jackets, who were ravaged by injuries last year.
The fact this game finished 9-4 in their favor at KeyBank Center seemed like a fitting way to get even, but Vincent wasn't interested in a dish best served cold. His hunger was for something a little spicier than revenge.
"That's in the past," he said. "Right now, in the present, I just want to eat chicken wings."
Remember how painful it was to watch the Blue Jackets play with a man-advantage in the first six weeks of the season?
Well, for now, those days are gone.
The Jackets are suddenly red hot on the power play since the start of December and Marchenko's highlight-reel goal was their latest success. The Blue Jackets went 1 for 2 against the Sabres to improve their December percentage (nine games) to a robust 35% on seven goals in 20 opportunities.
That's third in the NHL in that span behind only the Edmonton Oilers (35.5%) and New York Rangers (36%).
Gaudreau's three-point game was his fifth multi-point game of the season and a season-high in points for a game. After posting one goal, five assists and six points in the first 17 games , the Jackets' star has five goals, nine assists and 14 points in the past 16 contests.
That second number could be higher too.
Gaudreau has dished out quite a few passes in the past few weeks that generated high-danger scoring chances, but many weren't converted into goals. The Jackets are now putting more into the net and it's showing up in Gaudreau's stat line. Adam Fantilli and Marchenko were recipients of Gaudreau setups in Buffalo and Gaudreau put one in himself to tie it 1-1 in the first, after swiping a pass behind the Sabres' net.
"We had a ton of chances tonight," Gaudreau said. "Could've had a few more (goals). As long as we're getting opportunities, it's great, but you've got to bear down and finish … and tonight everyone did."
The Sabres attempted to pull off what the Toronto Maple Leafs did last Thursday by overcoming a five-goal deficit against the Blue Jackets in the third period.
They scored two goals in the first 7:51 to cut the lead to 7-4, but that's where the comeback ended. The Blue Jackets put a skate in the ice to stop the slide, sealing the victory on goals 2:29 apart by Sillinger and Johnson. Sillinger's goal was his second of the season and first since Nov. 22 against the Chicago Blackhawks , ending a seven-game dry spell that bookended a five-game stretch he missed with an upper-body injury.
Zach Werenski 's pass, which doubled as a shot, sent the puck straight to the third-year center in front of the net for a redirected shot past Luukkonen. Sillinger's goal made it 8-4 just 39 seconds after Dylan Cozens scored for the Sabres.
"There still was a lot of time left, so in that process we're not really thinking, 'We've got 'em,'" Sillinger said. "You're just thinking, 'We've got to keep the foot on the gas ... and keep going in the right direction."
The objectives for sending Johnson to the AHL's Cleveland Monsters on Nov. 4 were to let him play more important minutes and regain his confidence with the puck.
Johnson will tell anybody who'll listen that his confidence was just fine, thank you, but he took the demotion well and tore up the AHL with 5-10-15 in a 10-game stretch. He brought that success back to the NHL and now is rolling. Johnson's 1-1-2 against the Sabres was his second multi-point effort in the past three games and third in nine games since returning .
Johnson now has 4-8-12 in 17 games while developing chemistry with Sillinger and Emil Bemstrom on the third line. Johnson also meshed well with Fantilli for a couple games before they were split up to move the latter into the middle spot on Gaudreau's line.
"I feel good about my game, as good as I've felt in my career," Johnson said. "I keep getting better and there's different stuff I'm working on, so I feel like I'm a much better player than last year or the start of the year. I feel good."
The Jackets' three-horse goalie carousel is officially spinning.
Tarasov started for the second straight game as a way for the Blue Jackets to let him shake off rust from of another long injury recovery to start the season, but that forced Elvis Merzlikins to sit for a second straight game. Merzlikins handled the backup role after watching the Jackets' 6-3 loss Saturday to the New Jersey Devils as a healthy scratch.
Spencer Martin was scratched Tuesday in Buffalo, as the goalie carousel rotated. The Jackets' stated purpose in keeping three goalies is to keep Martin as insurance for the injury-prone Tarasov. It's unknown how long that plan will last or how well the three backstops will adjust to it.
Eric Robinson logged his seventh game for the Sabres after the Blue Jackets traded him to Buffalo following practice Dec. 6 in Columbus. He skated at left wing on the third line, finishing with no points and a –2 plus/minus rating in 13:17 of ice time.
Robinson also had four attempts, one shot on goal, one hit and spent 46 seconds killing penalties. Since joining the Sabres, the speedy forward has 1-1-2 while providing size, speed and experience as a penalty killer.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets finish strong, Marchenko nets hat trick against Sabres
