Blue Jackets Gut Out Gritty Shootout Win in Pittsburgh: 3 Takeaways from a Statement Victory
Final: Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (Shootout)
In a game that had playoff energy in mid-January, the Columbus Blue Jackets walked into Pittsburgh and left with two massive points. It wasn’t perfect - far from it - but the resilience, timely scoring, and clutch goaltending told a story of a team that’s starting to believe in itself. Let’s break down three things that stood out in a memorable win over the Penguins.
1. Blue Jackets Answered the Bell - Twice
This one had all the makings of a measuring-stick game. Tight Metropolitan Division race, a coaching change still fresh in the rearview, and a building in Pittsburgh that’s historically been a house of horrors for Columbus. Add it all up, and this wasn’t just another game on the calendar - it felt like a gut-check moment.
And early on, it looked like the Blue Jackets might be overwhelmed. Outshot 10-4 in the first period, they went more than 12 minutes without registering a shot on goal. Zach Aston-Reese opened the scoring against his former team, but the Penguins punched back with two quick ones to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Head coach Rick Bowness didn’t sugarcoat it: “We weren’t very good,” he said postgame. “Give them credit, they came hard… but I really like how we adjusted.”
That adjustment showed up in a big way in the second period. Columbus dominated the middle frame, flipping the ice and generating an 11-1 edge in scoring chances (per Natural Stat Trick). Kirill Marchenko and Danton Heinen - both former Penguins now skating on the Jackets’ fourth line - buried goals to give Columbus a 3-2 lead heading into the third.
They nearly rode that lead to the finish line, too. Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson each had Grade-A looks to extend the cushion, and the Jackets were managing the game well until the final minute. That’s when Sidney Crosby, in classic Crosby fashion, found a soft spot at the side of the net and redirected the tying goal with just over a minute to play.
At that moment, it would’ve been easy for the Blue Jackets to sag. But they didn’t. They kept pushing.
“It’s a tie game, minute left,” said Charlie Coyle. “Next line, go out and get it down there, get a scoring chance… It’s a 0-0 hockey game, next goal wins. Let’s go win it.”
That mindset paid off. The Jackets not only survived overtime but thrived in the shootout - again - to secure their fourth straight win and their second in Pittsburgh this season, a first in franchise history.
2. Elvis Merzlikins Stood Tall When It Mattered Most
You won’t find a shutout on the stat sheet, but make no mistake - this might’ve been Elvis Merzlikins’ best performance of the season.
The veteran netminder got the nod again after a solid outing against Vancouver, and he backed up the trust with a 29-save effort that kept the Jackets in it when things could’ve unraveled. While the raw numbers (three goals allowed on 32 shots) may not leap off the page, the timing of his saves was everything.
None were bigger than the six he made in overtime, including a breakaway stop on Ben Kindel after a turnover and a pair of point-blank chances by Evgeni Malkin as the Jackets’ defense, down to five skaters after Dante Fabbro left with an injury, tried to hold the fort.
“Elvis was outstanding tonight,” Bowness said. “You go down to five D, they’re going to be tired… Elvis was outstanding.”
And when the game moved to the shootout, Merzlikins kept the door mostly shut. He turned aside three of four Penguins shooters - Rickard Rakell, Crosby, and Bryan Rust - with only former Blue Jacket Egor Chinakhov solving him.
“Elvis was really, really, really good,” added Coyle. “Especially shootout - really, really good.”
In a game where Columbus needed a backbone, Merzlikins delivered. Simple as that.
3. Charlie Coyle: Quietly Clutch, Especially in the Shootout
Let’s talk about Charlie Coyle.
He’s not always the flashiest name on the scoresheet, but he’s proving to be a low-key weapon for the Blue Jackets - especially when the game goes to the skills competition. Columbus is now 5-1 in shootouts this season, and while guys like Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko usually take center stage with their slick hands and quick releases, Coyle has quietly emerged as a closer.
Saturday night marked the second time this season Coyle has sealed a shootout win for Columbus, with the other coming in Seattle. This time, he delivered in the fourth round after Johnson opened the shootout with a goal and Silovs stopped Fantilli and Marchenko.
Coyle came in from the right side, sold the backhand, then pulled it back to the forehand and tucked it into the open net. Clinical.
Confident. Cold-blooded.
So how did he decide on that move?
“I’m overthinking now,” Coyle laughed postgame. “Sometimes you see a guy try to do a certain thing and it didn’t work out, and it might deter you from it… Maybe the goalie thinks you’re not gonna go back to it, so maybe you do.
Reverse psychology. You never know.”
Whatever the thought process, it worked - and sent the bench into a frenzy. There’s something special about being the guy who ends it, and Coyle knows it.
“That’s a good feeling,” he said. “That’s one of those you’ll probably miss one day when you’re done playing.”
Bottom Line: The Blue Jackets didn’t just win a hockey game - they showed something. They responded to adversity, leaned on their goaltender, and found a way to finish. In a season that’s still finding its identity, this one felt like a step in the right direction.