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1h ago

Marchenko’s Hat Trick Powers Blue Jackets Past Wild 7–4 in Minnesota Opener

Marchenko’s finishing, boosted by Merzļikins’s even-strength stops, offset a rash of penalties that fueled four Wild power-play goals.

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Kirill Marchenko, Columbus Blue Jackets (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
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Overview

  • Elvis Merzļikins made his season debut and stopped all 32 shots he faced at five-on-five, finishing with 48 saves on 52 shots overall.
  • Columbus took eight penalties for 16 minutes and yielded four goals on eight Minnesota power plays, including a failed goalie-interference challenge that added a delay-of-game minor.
  • Kirill Marchenko scored seven seconds into the second period, added a late-period go-ahead goal, and completed the hat trick on a third-period power play; Miles Wood, Zach Werenski and Adam Fantilli also scored.
  • Boone Jenner capped the win with an empty-netter for his 200th NHL goal, while Wild defenseman Zeev Buium recorded his first NHL goal on the power play.
  • The Blue Jackets lost defenseman Erik Gudbranson to an upper-body injury early in the third; next up, Columbus hosts New Jersey on Monday and Minnesota hosts Los Angeles.