DENVER — As the final seconds ticked away in a surprising win by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, forward Kirill Marchenko passed up a surefire empty-net goal — it would have been his second of the night — so Sean Monahan could score his first with the Jackets.
Marchenko passed the puck to his left across an empty Colorado Avalanche net, setting up Monahan for a slam dunk goal with 12 seconds remaining to cap a 6-4 win in Ball Arena.
It was a perfect way for the Blue Jackets to earn their first win of the season, a perfect way to cap a monster night for the Blue Jackets’ top line, and a powerful statement about how this makeshift roster has come together under first-year coach Dean Evason, who earned his first win in Columbus.
“They’ve got a chemistry, a relationship, a bond in that room already,” Evason said. “When you have that, you’re not just playing for yourself; you’re playing for each other.
“They helped each other tonight. There were times in the game where we could have lost our composure, and they didn’t. The mood on the bench, the leaders, they were very calm and kept the group very stable throughout the game.”
Would the Blue Jackets have won this game last season? Almost certainly not.
The Blue Jackets’ No. 1 line was expected to be Monahan at center, with Marchenko and Boone Jenner flanking him on the wings. But a late training camp injury to Jenner, who is out for several months after shoulder surgery, prompted Evason to move Yegor Chinakhov into that spot.
Chinakhov, Monahan and Marchenko each had one goal, two assists and plus-3 ratings Saturday. They totaled eight shots, and Monahan went 11-of-21 on draws.
YES! YES!
(🔊 sound on!)@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Z3L1IQCVn6— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 13, 2024
“I’m still getting used to it,” Monahan told Bally Sports Columbus after the game. “With new linemates, you try to make reads, you try to enjoy playing with them. They’re great players with speed. There’s a lot of puck touches and guys who want the puck, so it’s been a lot of fun.”
The Blue Jackets had six goal scorers — including Zach Werenski, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli — and goaltender Daniil Tarasov, making his first start, had 26 saves. Fantilli, who turned 20 on Saturday, and Monahan, who turned 30, celebrated their birthdays by scoring goals.
But it was the top line that really stood out.
It was only fair to wonder how it might work, or if it might work, as Chinakhov and Jenner play starkly different games. Chinakhov is a budding offensive talent with an elite-level shot, but Jenner is more physical and probably a more advanced 200-foot player.
Through two games, that line’s biggest strength has been its ability to possess the puck. That, along with Monahan’s ability to help foster the club’s young forwards, is why the Blue Jackets signed him to a five-year, $27.5 million contract in free agency.
“They’ve got a lot of chemistry,” Evason said. “The two Russians probably have had that before, but Sean … I’m sure he’s an easy guy to play with because he does all the little things right.”
The Jackets took a 2-0 first-period lead when Werenski and Johnson scored only 1:07 apart, beginning at 6:38 on the clock. The Avs tied it at 3 as part of a flurry of goals early in the second period, but the Blue Jackets surged back ahead the rest of the period.
Marchenko made it 4-3 Columbus at 4:33 before Monahan and Chinakhov worked the puck back and forth off a rebound to make it 5-3 on a Chinakhov goal at 9:49. Their final tally was Marchenko’s easy feed to Monahan, a rush out of the zone that was started by Chinakhov.
The only downer on the night was an injury to fourth-line winger Zach Aston-Reese, who was hit high by Colorado’s Chris Wagner only 2:41 into the game and did not return.
Sean Monahan gets the postgame donkey for the #CBJ. There’s a 13 patch on the side because Johnny Gaudreau loved calling people a donkey. Fitting Sean gets it first. pic.twitter.com/AaVFydMqhK
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 13, 2024
Monahan did his postgame TV interview wearing a donkey hat. Yes, a donkey hat. The old Civil War kepi the Blue Jackets have used previously is either retired or on hiatus.
The late Johnny Gaudreau, it seems, used to call his closest friends “donkeys” — hey, it’s a guy thing — so the players had a donkey cap made for just the right occasion.
“If you knew John, he probably called you a donkey a thousand times,” Monahan said. “It’s something we’re doing for him. It puts a smile on our faces. He’s probably looking down laughing at me right now.”
(Photo of Sean Monahan: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
