The Columbus Blue Jackets continued their four-game homestand with a Tuesday night affair against the Anaheim Ducks. Overtime was needed to settle this one.
Adam Fantilli scored the game winner 3:32 into overtime to lift the Blue Jackets to a 4-3 win over the Ducks. With the win, the Blue Jackets’ five-game losing streak is over.
The story of this game was the Blue Jackets being able to find a way to win despite not being able to hold on to another third-period lead.
Game Recap
After both teams got off to a bit of a slow start, the Blue Jackets were able to get on the board first. That seemed to help them find their legs.
Captain Boone Jenner found Zach Werenski and he beat goalie Ville Husso. For Werenski, that was his 10th goal of the season making it the eighth different season he’s reached double-digit goals in his career. He wasn’t done scoring in what was his 600th NHL game.
In the second, goals starting coming in bunches. In all, the teams combined to score four goals in the span of 1:54. Ryan Strome made it 1-1 at 3:35.
Then 24 seconds later, Werenski added his second goal of the night and 11th of the season electing to shoot on a 2-on-1 rush. Jenner extended it to 3-1 just 19 seconds later.
The Ducks’ Mikael Granlund then needed just 1:11 to cut it back to 3-2. After that flurry of activity, the game settled in with both teams getting chances but unable to score.
The Blue Jackets took the game’s first four penalties. They were able to kill all of them off. That also helped uplift the bench according to the players in the room postgame. That helped keep the game in their favor until late in the third period.
Jackson LaCombe found himself below the goal line. He fired the puck off Jet Greaves’ helmet and in to make it 3-3 with just 3:16 left in regulation. Overtime was required.
Fantilli saw he had Leo Carlsson on the ice for an extended shift. Instead of waiting for teammates, Fantilli took the initiative to make a play. His shot beat Husso for the 4-3 win. It was a win the Blue Jackets really needed.
Both Husso and Greaves made 24 saves on the night.
The Blue Jackets will return to action on Thursday when they wrap their homestand up against the Minnesota Wild. The Ducks will fly home and then play a back-to-back Friday and Saturday when they host the Stars and then the Blue Jackets again.
