The Columbus Blue Jackets came home from a long road trip hoping to finally right the ship and break their losing streak. After a back and forth start, the Blue Jackets won going away.
Zach Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov each had a goal and an assist. Sean Monahan had two assists including his 300th NHL assist to help lift the Blue Jackets to a convincing 6-2 win over the floundering Pittsburgh Penguins.
In the process, the Blue Jackets defeated the Penguins in regulation for the first time since 2019. They also broke their six-game losing streak overall.
Game Recap
The Blue Jackets needed to get off to a quick start. Thanks to former Penguin Zach Aston-Reese, they were able to do just that. He scored just 2:20 into the game to get them off and running. Werenski added a power-play goal to extend to 2-0.
The Penguins then were able to gain a possession edge. They climbed back into the game just over three minutes later thanks to Anthony Beauvillier. The Blue Jackets held the lead after one but needed to find an answer.
The Penguins were able to tie the game 12 minutes into the second thanks to Michael Bunting’s third goal of the season. That’s when the Blue Jackets started to take over the game. They scored a massive goal thanks to Mathieu Olivier.
Olivier received a pass from Werenski and finished to make it 3-2. Coach Dean Evason said postgame this goal “certainly jacked our group up. You could feel it on the bench.”
The Blue Jackets added three goals in the third from Voronkov, Damon Severson and a Cole Sillinger empty-netter. Elvis Merzlikins earned just his second career win against the Penguins making 21 saves. Meanwhile Tristan Jarry stopped 33 of 38.
Evason made it a point to acknowledge the crowd for their influence on the game. “You could feel it with our crowd. And by the way, the crowd at the end. Have they always chanted that at the end of games? Because that was fantastic.”
The crowd erupted in a CBJ chant. They also had some “endearing words” for Pittsburgh.
With the win, the Blue Jackets improved to 6-8-2 on the season with a game Saturday night in Montreal. The Penguins dropped to 6-10-3 and have a game Saturday night against the San Jose Sharks.