Kirill Marchenko drills Denver Barkey with heavy hit
Kirill Marchenko scored early and later rocked Denver Barkey with a crushing hit during the Columbus Blue Jackets matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Columbus winger opened the scoring at 04:21 of the first period with a clean wrist shot that beat the Flyers goalie.
That goal was his 25th of the season and it continued a strong offensive stretch for the 25-year-old forward.
Columbus came out flying in the opening frame and controlled most of the puck battles early.
The Blue Jackets generated pressure in the offensive zone and finished the first period with a 12 to 7 edge in shots.
Then came the moment that grabbed everyone's attention inside the building.
Marchenko stepped up along the boards and delivered a heavy hit on Flyers rookie Denver Barkey.
Big collision changes the tone
Barkey went down after the contact and stayed on the ice briefly while play stopped.
Officials quickly stepped in and assessed Marchenko a 2 minute boarding penalty at 14:13 of the first period.
The call sent Columbus to the penalty kill and gave Philadelphia a chance to grab some momentum.
For Barkey, the sequence was part of the reality young players face when adjusting to the NHL pace.
The 20-year-old winger is still fighting to establish himself in the Flyers lineup while learning how fast the game moves along the boards.
Marchenko brings a different element. His mix of size and scoring touch makes him one of the most dangerous forwards in the Blue Jackets attack.
Within a few minutes he showed both sides of his game. A goal in the offensive zone and one of the hardest hits of the night.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 14|34 ANSWERS Kirill Marchenko drills Denver Barkey with heavy hit Was Kirill Marchenko's hit on Denver Barkey too much ? | ||
| Yes | 18 | 52.9 % |
| No | 16 | 47.1 % |
| List of polls | ||