Columbus 4, Buffalo 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, October 7, 2019
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Gord Dwyer, Steve Kozari
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, James Tobias
Attendance:
14618
By Field Level Media
Alexandre Texier scored 2:08 into overtime and the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame two blown leads on Monday night to beat the visiting Buffalo Sabres 4-3 for their first win of the season.
With 13:14 left in the third, Nick Foligno put Columbus up 3-2 with its second power-play goal of the night, thanks to some relentless pressure on Buffalo netminder Linus Ullmark (40 saves).
However, Columbus' Boone Jenner took a penalty for pushing the puck with his hand off a faceoff with less than two minutes in regulation.
Victor Olofsson then converted Buffalo's second power-play goal of the game, and the team's sixth of the season, with a blast from right circle to make it 3-3 with 1:14 left in regulation.
Marcus Johansson and Jeff Skinner scored second-period goals as the Sabres, trying to start 3-0-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season, tied the game at 2-2.
However, the hard-working Texier kept the pressure on Ullmark and rewarded the Jackets with the winner in overtime after being outscored 11-3 while losing their first two games.
Playing in his 200th NHL game, Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had a career-high 23 goals last season, gave his team a 1-0 lead when he sent home a backhanded rebound of Seth Jones' shot that deflected off both a Sabers player and the back boards.
Less than a minute later, Columbus made it 2-0 with the man-advantage.
Off a faceoff, Alexander Wennberg got the puck behind the net and found Cam Atkinson, who drilled one top-shelf by Ullmark with 55 seconds left in the first. It was the second of the season for Atkinson, who recorded a career-high 41 goals in 2018-19.
Buffalo, though, cut the deficit in half just 1:32 into the second period. Johansson nailed a quick one-timer from the right circle.
The visitors made it 2-2 with 8:02 left in the second when Skinner picked the pocket of Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray. After stealing the puck, Skinner turned and blasted a shot past Jackets netminder Joonas Korpisalo (15 saves) for his second goal of the season.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Buffalo |
|
Columbus |
Marcus Johansson 1 |
Points |
Nick Foligno 2 |
Marcus Johansson 1 |
Goals |
Nick Foligno 1 |
Rasmus Dahlin 1 |
Assists |
Nick Foligno 1 |
Marcus Johansson 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Nick Foligno 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Linus Ullmark .909 |
Save Percentage |
Joonas Korpisalo .833 |
Linus Ullmark 40 |
Saves |
Joonas Korpisalo 15 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Buffalo
|
18 |
3 |
2-4 |
1-3 |
6 |
26 |
Columbus
|
44 |
4 |
2-3 |
2-4 |
8 |
34 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against Anaheim. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Buffalo will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Sabres have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .000 after a loss.