CHICAGO — In a thrilling matchup on Sunday, Sean Monahan contributed significantly with a goal and an assist, aiding the Columbus Blue Jackets in their impressive 6-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. This win marks the Blue Jackets’ sixth consecutive game where they have secured points, showcasing their current form and competitive spirit.
Kent Johnson, who has been in excellent form, found the net for the second consecutive game, extending his personal points streak to nine games. Other notable scorers for Columbus included Ivan Provorov, Dante Fabbro, Kirill Marchenko, and Dmitri Voronkov. Additionally, Zach Werenski’s two assists pushed his points streak to eight games, underlining his pivotal role in the team’s offense.
For the Blackhawks, Connor Bedard shone with a power-play goal and an assist; however, the team experienced their second consecutive loss. Craig Smith and Nick Foligno also chipped in with power-play goals, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. In goal, Elvis Merzlikins registered 28 saves, continuing his run as the starter for the sixth straight game, while Petr Mrazek turned away 30 shots on goal.
Bedard, who was last season’s leading rookie scorer, has shown signs of bouncing back from a prior slump, accumulating two goals and two assists over the last three outings following a challenging 12-game stretch without a goal.
Takeaways from the game reveal that Kent Johnson has been a standout player, tallying four goals and three assists in his last five games since returning from a shoulder injury that had sidelined him for 14 games. Johnson, the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft, underwent surgery on his left shoulder last February and has made a fruitful comeback this season.
On the other hand, the Blackhawks managed to score first for the 14th time in 24 contests, achieving three power-play goals for only the second time this season. Nevertheless, the team’s record stands at 8-14-2 with just 18 points, placing them at the bottom of the NHL standings.
A crucial moment in the game occurred when Columbus demonstrated its resilience. After Bedard opened the scoring just 2:59 into the match, Provorov quickly leveled the score just over a minute later. Smith made it 2-2 three minutes into the second period before Monahan regained the lead for the Blue Jackets. Marchenko subsequently added his 10th goal in the third period, coming less than three minutes after Foligno narrowed the lead to 4-3.
In a noteworthy statistic, Johnson has tallied points in all nine games he has played this season, adding up to six goals and six assists to his name.
Looking ahead, the Blue Jackets are set to face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, while the Blackhawks will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
