CBJ 5, NYR 4 (OT): Marchenko Scores Twice, Blue Jackets Prevail In Overtime Despite Third-Period Collapse

By Ed Francis on March 2, 2026 at 9:55 pm
The Columbus Blue Jackets squandered a four-goal lead in the third period but were bailed out in overtime by Kirill Marchenko, picking up a huge two points in a 5-4 victory Monday night.
© Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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  1 2 3 OT F
CBJ 2 2 0 1 5
NYR 0 0 4 0 4

CBJ GOALS: 
Fantilli (1st, 5:50)
Marchenko (PP) (1st, 15:32)
Monahan (SH) (2nd, 3:27)
Olivier (2nd, 11:54)
Marchenko (2) (OT, 1:04)

Defeat from the jaws of victory — and then victory from the jaws of defeat.

After blowing a 4-0, third-period lead, the Columbus Blue Jackets were bailed out in overtime by Kirill Marchenko's second goal of the night Monday, giving them a much-needed victory in a 5-4 overtime defeat of the New York Rangers.

Adam Fantilli gave the Blue Jackets an early lead just over five minutes in and Marchenko's first of the night made it a 2-0 game later in the period. That goal was of the power play variety, Columbus' only man-advantage of the night.

The Rangers thought they cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second on a power play goal of their own, but the Blue Jackets successful challenge for goaltender interference kept the score at 2-0. Just seconds later, Sean Monahan led a 2-on-1 the other way and found the back of the net to put Columbus ahead 3-0 with Monahan's first short-handed goal of the season.

The Blue Jackets would expand their lead to 4-0 before the second period would end, this time on a Mathieu Olivier goal.

That's where things turned chaotic.

The Rangers would score twice in the opening minute of the third period, including a goal from former Blue Jacket defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. He scored 30 seconds into the period and just 24 seconds later, it was a 4-2 game with a goal from Gabe Perreault, the first of two he would have in the final frame.

The Columbus lead was cut to one at the 12:50 mark of the third period with a goal from Will Borgen on a delayed penalty, and just over two minutes later the Rangers would tie it at 4-4 with Perrault's second of the period.

With the Blue Jackets desperate to salvage the two points, Marchenko's second of the night came at the 1:04 mark of overtime to give Columbus their 30th win of the season and put them back to within three points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“I can’t explain this game,” Marchenko said. “Happy to have two points and I think everyone tries to forget this game.”

Head coach Rick Bowness was equally perplexed and relieved.

“A couple of harsh reminders out there of how to play the game the right way and with the right level of desperation that was missing at certain times,” Bowness said.

”But give the guys credit, they found a way to get the two points and that’s the most important thing. Did we make it far more interesting than we should have? Yeah, we did.”

Here's how the Blue Jackets escaped Manhattan with a crucial pair of points:

1st Period:

(5:50 — CBJ Goal): With his dad in attendance, Fantilli gives the Blue Jackets an early lead with his fifth goal in just four games at Madison Square Garden. Denton Mateychuk sets up the goal with a nice backhand pass to Marchenko, who then throws it at the net. It pings off the stick of Fantilli just outside the crease and then past Shesterkin to put Columbus up 1-0.

(15:50 — CBJ Goal): After going without a power play in 114 minutes, 43 seconds of action over a three-game period, the Blue Jackets waste no time converting on the man-advantage here. Ivan Provorov slides the puck over to Marchenko, who fires a slapshot from the circle and puts Columbus up 2-0 with just over four minutes left in the first.

(3:27 — CBJ Goal): A big-time swing on this goal, with Monahan's short-handed strike making it 3-0 just seconds after the Blue Jackets had successfully challenged a would-be New York goal that would've made it a 2-1 game. Monahan and Charlie Coyle get a 2-on-1 against Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and Monahan takes advantage of an indecisive Fox, firing from near the right dot to beat Shesterkin and expand the Columbus lead.

(11:54 — CBJ Goal): Another goal from the right dot, this time from Olivier, expanding the lead to 4-0. He takes the feed from Coyle near center ice and skates hard into the zone before firing past Shesterkin for his ninth goal of the season.

(0:30 — NYR Goal): The first of two goals in the opening minute of the third to bring the Rangers back into the game. This one is from Gavrikov, with the former Jacket firing from the low slot after a pass from behind the net by Alexis Lafrenière. He beats Merzlikins glove-side to get New York on the board.

(0:54 — NYR Goal): The second goal, to make it a 4-2 game, comes off the stick of Perreault just 24 seconds after Gavrikov's. Mateychuk has trouble handling the puck in his own zone, turning it over to Perreault, who quickly fires a wrister from the slot to make it a two-goal game.

(12:50 — NYR Goal): After entering the period down 4-0, the Rangers cut it to a one-goal game with 7:10 left on Will Borgen's fourth goal of the season. It comes on a delayed penalty and after a scrum in front of the net, with the goal appearing to go in inadvertently off the skate of Borgen.

(15:14 — NYR Goal): Comeback complete. Perreault gets just his fifth goal of the season but his second of the period to tie the game at 4-4. Borgen collects the puck from along the boards and skates in before dumping it into the low slot, where Perreault is waiting and slips it through the pads of Merzlikins to knot the game with less than five minutes left in regulation.

Overtime:

(1:04 — CBJ Goal): After Perreault's shot goes wide, Severson scoops it up in the corner and springs the Blue Jackets on a 2-on-1 break. Marchenko and Fantilli move up ice and Marchenko holds it the entire way, shooting from the left dot and beating Shesterkin to put the Blue Jackets in the win column.

CBJ GAME STATS NYR
28 SHOTS 31
50 SHOT ATTEMPTS 65
24 SCORING CHANCES 28
8 HIGH-DANGER CHANCES 12
50% FACEOFF PERCENTAGE 50%
1/1 POWER PLAY 0/2
2/2 PENALTY KILL 0/1
15 HITS 27
13 GIVEAWAYS 11
3 TAKEAWAYS 6
19 BLOCKED SHOTS 15

Stat Chat:

  • The three games after the Olympic break have been the Fantilli & Marchenko show. Fantilli has three goals in three games — one in each game — while Marchenko also has three in that same span, including the multi-goal effort in this one. Combined, they have six of the Blue Jackets' 10 goals since the break ended.
     
  • After holding the Rangers without a high-danger scoring chance in the first period (4-0 Columbus), it was the Blue Jackets who didn't receive a high-danger chance in the final twenty minutes of regulation, while the Rangers had seven. 
     
  • On his 34th birthday, Coyle picked up a pair of assists. It was his first time with points on his birthday since the 2022-23 season, when he also had a multi-point night.

Up Next:

No rest for the wicked as the Blue Jackets are back at home Tuesday night to complete a back-to-back. Jet Greaves is expected to get the start against the Nashville Predators. Puck-drop is set for 7:00 p.m.

 

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