Kirill Marchenko is the best player going for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The four-year pro scored twice and had an assist during Saturday night's 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks to give him 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) on the year.
Marchenko is plus-10 and is on a seven-game point streak (three goals, six assists), matching his career high set last year from Dec. 14-27 when he had 13 points (four goals, nine assists). He has registered a point in all but two games this season.
Marchenko's first goal of the night tied the game 1-1 at 6:46 of the second period, answering the Canucks' goal at 5:28.
MARCHY GETS EVEN!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 9, 2025
CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/bAxxEWMtmi
Dmitri Voronkov gave Columbus its first lead at 13:02, making it 2-1, in which Marchenko and Adam Fantilli picked up the assists. Voronkov is second on the club in points (13), goals (six), and assists (seven). Marchenko then added his third point of the night with his second goal at 9:47 of the third period to tie the game once again at 3-3.
MARCHY DOES IT AGAIN!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 9, 2025
CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/dowyXriU6r
Voronkov and Fantilli assisted on the second goal, and the Voronkov-Fantilli-Marchenko line registered eight points (three goals, five assists) for the game.
A lone bright spot on the night as Columbus suffered its third straight loss on its five-game road trip.
| Corsi For/Against | Shots For/Against | Scoring Chances For/Against | High Danger Chances For/Against | Goals For/Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/11 | 8/7 | 8/5 | 6/4 | 3-2 |
With the Blue Jackets headed to Edmonton on Monday, where the Oilers ought to be well-focused after being embarrassed 9-1 on home ice Saturday night by the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus needs players like Marchenko — and many others — to help lead the charge.
Slow Starting
Fantilli is in his third season, and following an injury-shortened rookie season in 2023-24, came on strong last year, scoring 54 points (31 goals, 23 assists) and playing all 82 games. He impressively ended the season with 10 points (nine goals, one assist) in April.
From a scoring perspective, it's been a slow start to this season for Fantilli, who has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 14 games. Before Saturday's game, Fantilli had one assist in the last seven games, but with three assists in his last three games, he might be finally heating up.
The 54-point campaign by Fantilli could be seen as a baseline for the type of numbers you expect from him moving forward.
The Competition
Especially when compared to the league's other top dynamic scorers from his draft class, like 2023 top overall pick Connor Bedard, who is currently on a seven-game point streak (six goals, nine assists) and is coming off a four-point night in the Chicago Blackhawks' 4-0 win on Friday over the Calgary Flames. Bedard has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) this season.
Leo Carlsson is on a career-high nine-game point streak (six goals, 11 assists) and had a three-point night on Saturday in which he scored twice and assisted on the overtime goal in the Anaheim Ducks' 4-3 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Carlsson is fourth in the league with 1.64 points per game and, like Marchenko, has also recorded a point in all but two games. With 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists), Carlsson looks set to smash his sophomore totals from a season ago when he recorded 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists).
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, the top overall pick in the 2024 draft, is tied for the league lead among skaters with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) and is seventh in points per game (1.50). Bedard is next with 1.47 points per game. Marchenko is the Blue Jackets' team leader with 1.14 points per game.
| Carlsson | 1.64 |
|---|---|
| Celebrini | 1.50 |
| Bedard | 1.47 |
| Marchenko | 1.14 |
Kent Johnson is another Jacket who is off to a slow scoring start, with four points (two goals, two assists) in 14 games, and just one assist in his last eight games.
Johnson is already playing his fourth full season in the NHL and is looking to string together consistency in consecutive campaigns. Following a tough and injury-shortened 2023-24 season when he had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists), he rebounded last year with his best season to date, setting career highs among points (57), goals (24), and assists (33).
Fantilli and Johnson are both too good to wallow in scoring slumps for long, and both are going to continue getting their chances.
Columbus has been tweaking its lines, trying to find something that works. Fantilli being reunited with Voronkov and Marchenko for Saturday's game worked.
The team is middle of the pack with 3.07 goals for per game (16th), and they're better on the road (3.38, 9th), but in November, they're just putting up 2.25 goals (26th), away from Nationwide Arena.
