COLUMBUS, Ohio — Aaron Dell stopped 21 shots to lift the San Jose Sharks over the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Saturday.
Barclay Goodrow, Evander Kane and Kevin Labanc scored for the Sharks, who won their second straight and are 3-1-1 in their past five.
The loss ended a 12-game point streak for the Blue Jackets (8-0-4). Columbus has played well and gotten timely goals during the stretch despite the number of injured players reaching double figures.
Zach Werenski, who got his first hat trick on New Year’s Eve, had both goals for Columbus, and Elvis Merlikins had 25 saves. Merlikins had his first loss in three starts since starter Joonas Korpisalo was injured.
After a scoreless first period, Goodrow got the Sharks on the board with his seventh goal of the season on a breakaway and shot that got between Merzlikin’s pads at 7:05 of the second. Werenski tied it less than two minutes later, lifting a shot from the right circle over the stick of defender Brenden Dillon and past Dell’s blocker.
Kane put the Sharks up 2-1 later in the second when he launched a high shot over Merzlikins’ shoulder to cap an odd-man rush that resulted because of a slow line change by the Blue Jackets.
Late in the third, Labanc beat a sprawling Merzlikins to make it 3-1. But 25 seconds later, after Columbus pulled the goalie to create a 6-on-5 advantage, Werenski got his second goal of the game and 13th of the season when he scored on a rebound.
NOTES
A first-period goal by San Jose’s Joel Kellman was waved off after a Blue Jackets challenge because the Sharks were offside on the odd-man rush across the line. … D Dean Kukan was the latest Columbus player to be sidelined with an injury. He is out indefinitely with a cartilage tear in his left knee. Gabriel Carlsson replaced him in the lineup. … The sellout was the third straight for Columbus. … The Sharks are 14-0-1 when leading after two periods.
UP NEXT
Sharks: At Washington on Sunday.
Blue Jackets: At Los Angeles on Monday.
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Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press
