Severson returns to Lineup, leads Blue Jackets past Penguins in shootout

Friday, October 9, 2026
By Ed Francis
efrancis@cbussports.com

Cam Talbot in goal

Goalie Cam Talbot earned his first win as a Blue Jacket in the team’s shootout win over Pittsburgh at Nationwide Arena Friday. File photo

CBJ goal tally

Damon Severson scored in his first game back after shoulder surgery, Cam Talbot made 20 saves in his debut with the club, and Kent Johnson scored the only goal of the shootout in a thrilling 3-2 win for the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.

It was a game that arguably shouldn’t have gone beyond regulation. The Blue Jackets were dominant on the stat sheet throughout the night, outshooting the Penguins 42-18 in regulation and generating 59.7% of the scoring chances in the game.

But rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov kept the Penguins in it, including making 23 saves on 24 shots in the second period alone.

Severson’s goal gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead and Mathieu Olivier made it a 2-0 game in the middle part of the second period before Pittsburgh would break through just under three minutes later on a workhorse goal by Bryan Rust.

With the game still at 2-1 in the third period, Evgeni Malkin deflected a shot through traffic and into the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

The Blue Jackets would get a power play opportunity in the closing minutes but were unable to connect, sending the game into overtime and the eventual shootout.

There, it was Johnson’s slick goal that gave Columbus all they needed in the shootout, securing their second win of the season.

Talbot finished with 20 saves on 22 shots and stopped all three of Pittsburgh’s shots in the shootout. With the win, he became the first goaltender in history to earn a win with nine different NHL franchises.

Here’s a goal-by-goal breakdown of Columbus’ second victory of the season:

CBJ: 1, PIT: 0 (1ST PERIOD, 9:08 REMAINING)

Severson wastes no time kicking off his 2026-27 season, and it comes courtesy of a beautiful feed from Werenski. A little bit of back-and-forth between Severson and Sillinger kicks off the sequence before Sillinger leaves it for Werenski. No one has an eye on Severson while this is happening and he skates into the right circle, collects Werenski’s precision pass, and buries it past Murashov for a 1-0 Blue Jackets lead.

CBJ: 2, PIT: 0 (2ND PERIOD, 8:20 REMAINING)

Columbus goes up 2-0 and it all starts with the Penguins having some trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. Eventually the puck gets to Severson along the wall, and he skates it back to the blue line before throwing it into the slot. That’s where Olivier is coasting through and he shoots it into the exact right spot between Murashov and the post, extending the Blue Jackets’ lead.

CBJ: 2, PIT: 1 (2ND PERIOD, 5:30 REMAINING)

The Penguins get one back less than three minutes later and it’s on a great individual effort from Rust. He collects the puck in the neutral zone and skates hard along the boards before cutting his way into the slot past Severson and beating Talbot at point-blank range to get Pittsburgh on the board for the first time.

CBJ: 2, PIT: 2 (3RD PERIOD, 16:41 REMAINING)

A shot from distance with plenty of traffic in front of Talbot ends up deflecting off Malkin and into the net, tying the game at 2-2. The Blue Jackets called a timeout after the goal and thought long and hard about challenging for goaltender interference but opted against it. “It’s such a fine line,” said head coach Rick Bowness. “We were playing well, we were confident in our game. So, just keep playing.”

SHOOTOUT GAME WINNER:

Johnson was the first shooter in the three-round affair and the only one to find the back of the net, making a nifty move to go through the five-hole of Murashov. “I felt confident (in the shot),” said Johnson. “I talked it over with Jet (Greaves) like a minute before on the bench, and he was like ‘Yeah, I like that too.’”

QUICK THOUGHTS: Up 2-0 at home in the second period when they were outplaying the Penguins in almost every facet of the game, this was a game that would’ve been devastating to not walk away with two points on. Columbus had to have this one, and they (barely) got it. They may not have won it without Severson, whose return shows just how important he is to this team defensively. Also, it was another banger night for Fantilli at the faceoff dot. He won 14 of 16 draws and has won 45 of 56 (80.3%) through the first three games of the season. Phenomenal effort.

NEXT UP: After five days off, the Blue Jackets now jump right into their first of 13 back-to-backs this season when they travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues. Puck drop for Columbus’ first road game of the season is slated for 8:00 p.m. Look for Jet Greaves to get the start in that one.