The Blue Jackets have a long history of rushing prospects to the NHL, but left winger Kirill Marchenko was allowed to thrive with AHL Cleveland for two months before he finally got recalled.
For a player the Jackets have been raving about since drafting him in the second round of 2018, the wait seemed interminable.
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And entirely worth it.
Marchenko played his way onto the top power-play unit a couple of weeks ago, but on Saturday he replaced Patrik Laine on the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 line with winger Johnny Gaudreau and center Boone Jenner, and the results were immediate.
Jenner, Marchenko and Kent Johnson each had a goal and a primary assist as the Blue Jackets came back from an early 2-0 deficit to stun the Toronto Maple Leafs in Scotiabank Arena. Sean Kuraly added a clutch goal in Columbus’ fifth road win of the season.
“(The top line) had an excellent game,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “Even in the first period (when the Jackets fell behind 2-0), they were fine.
“They get the one (goal), and like most top lines, if they get on the offensive side of it they start to feel it. They led the charge tonight.”
You could almost predict a monster game from Jenner after the way Friday’s 3-0 loss to the Leafs in Columbus unfolded. He was called for slashing late in the game and talked his way into an early shower (a 10-minute misconduct) after berating an official on his way to the penalty box.
Jenner, playing on Hockey Night In Canada and in his home province (Ontario), was a man who dominated on Saturday, generating a career-high nine shots on goal, playing 23:09, landing five hits and blocking two shots. Oh, and he won 14 of 24 faceoffs.
The captain was the driving force behind a major pushback by the Blue Jackets after the first period. They held a 36-19 shots-on-goal advantage — not to mention a 4-1 goals advantage — over Toronto in the final two periods, often dictating play for long stretches.
That hasn’t happened much this season, especially against one of the NHL’s top teams, and especially on the road.
“For those two periods to come in here and play the way we did … ” Larsen said. “I wanted this win so bad for (the players) because they deserved it. It would have been a real deflator to not come out of here with that win.”
Goal #14 for Marchy 😎 pic.twitter.com/mhtxVJXHzL
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 12, 2023
Larsen has given Laine plenty of opportunity to play with Gaudreau and Jenner on the No. 1 line, and there have been sporadic times where Laine has been dangerous and the three-man unit flirts with effectiveness.
But it has not generated the magic the Blue Jackets had hoped when Gaudreau signed as a free agent and Laine signed a multi-year extension last summer.
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The Blue Jackets haven’t said why Laine missed the first morning skate on Friday after the club’s 10-day break from games, but it’s pretty clear that Larsen wasn’t pleased with his play later that evening.
Laine had more giveaways (two) than shots on goal (one) and played only 15:52.
Marchenko, meanwhile, has been a comet since his recall in mid-December.
At 4:21 of the second period, and the Jackets trailing 2-0, Marchenko took a shot that was deflected in the slot and ended up at Jenner’s stick. His turn-around wrister beat Toronto’s Joseph Woll to cut the lead in the half.
It was Marchenko’s first career assist after starting his career with 13 consecutive goals, three short of a 105-year NHL record.
A few minutes later, Marchenko got back to what he does best, though. He went hard to the net through the left circle and pounced on a rebound off a Jenner shot to tie the score at 2-2 at 15:01 of the second period.
“I like the coach’s trust for me,” Marchenko told Bally Sports Ohio after the game. “I like everybody on the whole team, but Johnny and Boone … look at my goal! It’s not my work. I just shoot on an open net. It’s Johnny and Boone who did the work.”
In only 30 games this season, Marchenko is tied with Laine and Gaudreau for second on the club with 14 goals. Only Jenner (15) has more. Among NHL rookies, only Seattle’s Matty Beniers (17 goals) has more.
“Kirill stepped right in,” Jenner said. “Obviously you can see what he brings. He’s a dangerous player out there. He’s always in the right spots and he battles hard, so great job by him.”
Only 57 seconds after Marchenko’s tying goal, Kuraly gave the Blue Jackets the lead. He finished a loose puck in front of Woll after Johnson jarred the puck loose from Woll’s pad and set it across the goal mouth.
The Leafs scored a power-play goal early in the third to tie it at 3, but Johnson’s sharp deflection of a Cole Sillinger shot from the right circle sent the puck past Woll for a 4-3 Columbus lead. It withstood a review by officials to judge if the puck was redirected by a high stick, but was allowed to stand.
Boone Jenner: the man who does it all for the #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Eopl2x1xWP
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 12, 2023
In an awful season, the Blue Jackets must take every chance to celebrate, and few things feel sweeter for NHL players than getting a road win in Toronto, often called the center of the hockey universe.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was, predictably, not happy losing to the worst team in the NHL.
“Just got outworked, outplayed,” he said.
“I can’t (explain that). You guys talked to the players. I’m sure you asked them the same questions. I can’t do the work for them.”
(Photo of Kirill Marchenko: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)
