Zach Werenski Posts Multi-Point Third Period, Blue Jackets Beat Penguins 4-3 In Shootout

By Coby Maeir on March 30, 2024 at 10:11 pm
Zach Werenski skates after being named the first star in the Blue Jackets' 4-3 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena
Coby Maeir
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Despite trailing by multiple goals in the third period, the Blue Jackets rallied back to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday at Nationwide Arena.  

  1 2 3 OT SO F
BLUE JACKETS 1 0 2 0 (2-4) 4
PIT PENGUINS 0 2 1 0 (1-5) 3

1st Period

Mathieu Olivier opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season with a short-handed tally at 7:47 after his feed to Cole Sillinger on a two-on-rush deflected below the goal line, where Olivier picked it up and scored with his backhand. 

Elvis Merzlikins stopped every shot he faced in the period, including a backhand shot on a breakaway from Sidney Crosby at 14:32.

The Blue Jackets led the Penguins 1-0 after the first period and outshot the visitors 13-11.

2nd Period

Drew O'Connor tied the game at 13:29 with a right-circle one-timer thanks to a great feed from Bryan Rust. 

Rust put Pittsburgh ahead at 18:55 with a left-circle one-timer off a fantastic cross-ice feed from Sidney Crosby. 

The Penguins led 2-1 after 40 minutes despite being outshot 26-20. 

3rd Period

Rickard Rakell doubled Pittsburgh's lead at 8:59 with a backhand shot from the slot that trickled past Merzlikins.

The Jackets responded immediately as Kirill Marchenko scored his 19th of the year at 9:08 after taking Damon Severson's bank pass, dancing around Kris Letang, and firing a wrist shot from the left circle. 

Zach Werenski tied the game with his seventh goal of the season at 11:47 with a short-side shot from the left circle after making a nice move around Jack St. Ivany. 

The teams were tied at three after 60 minutes with Columbus outshooting Pittsburgh 36-32. 

Overtime

Johnny Gaudreau had the best chance in overtime with a breakaway at 1:42, but Alex Nedeljkovic made the save. 

Shootout

Damon Severson scored the winner in the fourth round.

With the win, the Blue Jackets improve to 24-38-12. 

Stats

  • Shots on Goal: PIT 33-38 CBJ
  • Face-off %: PIT 57-43 CBJ
  • Power play: PIT 0/2-0/4 CBJ
  • Giveaways: PIT 3-4 CBJ
  • Takeaways: PIT 5-8 CBJ
  • Blocked shots: PIT 24-15 CBJ
  • Hits: PIT 7-17 CBJ
  • 5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
    • Expected Goals (xG): PIT 1.94-1.84 CBJ
    • Shot Attempts (CF): PIT 52-58 CBJ
    • Shots on Goal (SF): PIT 25-27 CBJ
    • Scoring Chances (SCF): PIT 24-22 CBJ
    • High-Danger Chances (HDCF): PIT 10-6 CBJ

Injury Update

  • Boone Jenner is out with an illness.
  • Adam Boqvist is out with an upper-body injury sustained on Mar. 14 against the Ottawa Senators. There is no timetable for his return. 
  • Sean Kuraly is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained on Mar. 12 against the Montreal Canadiens.
  • Yegor Chinakhov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he suffered on Mar. 12 against the Canadiens. 
  • Justin Danforth suffered a concussion on Mar. 7. He is day-to-day.
  • Kent Johnson has been placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. He underwent successful surgery on Mar. 7 and is expected to make a full recovery in six months.
  • Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and will be away from the team indefinitely.
  • Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks.

Next Up

The Blue Jackets are back at it on Monday when they host the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

The club remains at home to host the New York Islanders on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

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