Marchment’s Hat Trick Powers Blue Jackets Past Lightning in 8-5 Shootout Win
COLUMBUS, Ohio - When Mason Marchment joined the Blue Jackets in late December, it wasn’t clear just how quickly he’d mesh with a team in transition. But less than a month later, it’s obvious: Marchment isn’t just fitting in - he’s thriving.
In front of a raucous crowd of 16,852 at Nationwide Arena, Marchment delivered his third career hat trick and added an assist in a wild 8-5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The victory marked a season-high in goals for Columbus and snapped Tampa Bay’s 15-game point streak - their first regulation loss since before Christmas.
It wasn’t exactly a defensive clinic, and head coach Rick Bowness made no effort to pretend otherwise.
“I hate giving up five goals,” Bowness said postgame. “That drives me nuts.
But give Tampa credit - they’ve got championship DNA. We made it too easy on them at times.
But hey, we found a way. If you’ve got to score 10 to win, then score 10.
We’ll take the two points.”
The Blue Jackets have now won six of their last seven, and Marchment has been right in the middle of the surge. Since being acquired from Seattle on Dec. 20, the gritty winger has tallied eight goals and 11 points in just nine games, with a plus-6 rating to boot.
His most pivotal moment Saturday came midway through the second period. After Columbus had seen a 4-2 lead evaporate, Marchment exited the penalty box - fresh off offsetting roughing minors with Tampa’s Yanni Gourde - and immediately got behind the defense.
Zach Werenski hit him in stride with a perfect pass, and Marchment buried it from the left circle to make it 5-4. Columbus never relinquished the lead again.
“Yeah, he jumped out hard,” Bowness said. “He’s already got a 4- or 5-foot head start from the box.
Credit to ‘Z’ for seeing it and hitting him right over the blue line. Quick release, on and off the stick - that’s a scorer’s touch.
I’ll tell you, his dad (Bryan Marchment) never had hands like that.”
Marchment wasn’t the only one filling the stat sheet. Adam Fantilli and Charlie Coyle each notched a goal and two assists. Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, and Sean Monahan also found the back of the net, while Werenski and Kirill Marchenko chipped in with two assists apiece.
Coyle’s tally came on the power play late in the second and marked the 200th goal of his NHL career. Fantilli’s goal, meanwhile, snapped a 17-game drought - a dry spell the rookie was more than happy to end.
Asked about it after the game, Fantilli laughed: “It had been longer than a minute, man. It felt great to get that monkey off the back, but more than that, we got a win.”
Goaltender Jet Greaves made 25 saves to earn his fourth straight win, though it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Early in the first period, Greaves attempted a long breakout pass, only to have it deflect off teammate Isac Lundeström’s skate and into his own net - an unfortunate bounce that could’ve rattled a less composed netminder.
But Greaves settled in, making 12 saves in the third and holding firm as Columbus closed things out.
The Blue Jackets’ offensive outburst helped cover up some defensive lapses, but it’s clear Bowness is still molding this group into the kind of team he wants - one that’s fast, physical, and relentless.
That’s where Marchment’s game fits like a glove. He’s not just scoring - he’s agitating, forechecking, and leading by example. And he’s doing it with a line that’s starting to click on all cylinders.
“I’m a big talker,” Marchment said. “I’ve been getting these guys (Fantilli and Marchenko) going, talking a lot on the bench.
That’s where it starts - communication. If you know where the guy’s going to be, where he likes the puck, it’s easy.
We’re having fun. Marchenko’s energy is awesome.
First time we played together, he said, ‘Let’s have some fun.’ That’s what we’re doing.”
Bowness, who took over behind the bench on Jan. 12, has emphasized a more physically engaged style than what the Blue Jackets played under Dean Evason. That kind of shift doesn’t happen overnight, but players like Marchment are already leading the charge.
Another tone-setter is Mathieu Olivier, who delivered a punishing hit on Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak late in the first. Cernak didn’t return, and Tampa later lost Charle-Édouard D’Astous as well, finishing the game with just four defensemen.
With the Lightning coming off a back-to-back - they played Friday in Chicago - Columbus took full advantage in the third. They kept their foot on the gas, forcing Tampa to skate the full length of the ice on every possession.
“We knew they lost some D,” Fantilli said. “So you want to make sure they’re as out of breath as possible.
Keep making it hard on them. We did, and it paid off.”
It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t pretty.
But it was a statement win for a team that’s starting to believe in itself. And with Marchment leading the way - scoring, talking, and stirring the pot - the Blue Jackets are suddenly a team to watch.