Blue Jackets defeat Ducks in overtime

COLUMBUS-- Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski played without partner Seth Jones, who is out with a fractured foot, but the rookie continued a tradition by scoring the winning goal in overtime for a 3-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday.
Jones scored the overtime winner Nov. 1 against the Dallas Stars in a game that followed the same pattern of the Blue Jackets being outplayed for long stretches but finding a way to win 3-2 at home.
Werenski took a pass from Alexander Wennberg and scored his third goal and first NHL game-winner after struggling through the game like many of the Blue Jackets.

WATCH: All Ducks vs. Blue Jackets highlights
"Some nights things aren't going to go our way, but it's sticking to the game plan," Werenski said. "It's playing every shift and trying to make the next right play. It's been working for me."
Columbus (6-3-2) is 4-0-1 in its past five games.
The Blue Jackets led 2-0 in the first period, a start similar to Oct. 28 when they scored four first-period goals in a 4-0 win against the Ducks.
Rickard Rakell scored in the second period and Nick Ritchie scored in the third for Anaheim (6-5-3). John Gibson made 15 saves.

Boone Jenner and Brandon Saad scored for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves.
Bobrovsky's blunder led to the tying goal at 1:25 of the third period. He was trying to move the puck behind the net when he gifted it to Joseph Cramarossa, who passed in front to Ritchie for his third goal and a 2-2 tie.
Jenner, a 31-goal scorer last season, scored his first at 1:23 of the first period for a 1-0 lead with a backhand after Gibson made a right-pad stop on Scott Hartnell at the crease.
Saad scored his fourth goal on a cross-ice pass from Ryan Murray at 5:29 for a 2-0 lead. Saad had three goals in the two games against Anaheim.
"Especially at home we want to start fast and use our speed," Saad said. "I think we've done a good job so far."
The goal was the 14th straight at home for Columbus over three games, including a 10-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 4.
Rakell ended that streak at 17:21 of the second period to make it 2-1 with his fourth goal in five games played this season.

Goal of the game

Werenski wasted no time in taking the pass from Wennberg, who dangled his way down the left wing then spotted Werenski for the quick shot that beat Gibson stick side.

Save of the game

Gibson wasn't tested much but had to kick aside a slap shot by Jack Johnson at 6:10 of the third period to preserve the tie.

Unsung moment of the game

Saad got the secondary assist on the winning goal but his dive to pokecheck the puck from Ryan Getzlaf before the Ducks forward could shoot turned the play the other way.

Highlight of the game

Saad was the recipient of a crisp setup for the two-goal lead. Jack Johnson had the puck at the top of the right circle and faked a shot. He passed to Ryan Murray on the left and he swept the puck in one motion to Saad between the circles for a one-timer before Gibson could lunge across for the save.

They said it

"We got better as the game went on. Anytime you're down 2-0 on the road and you come back and get a point, you've done something that doesn't darken the whole day because we lost in overtime." -- Ducks coach Randy Carlyle

"That's a team that wants to grind. They're going to make it miserable on us, so we had to find a way. Even though it was 2-0, we allowed them back in the game. I didn't like that. I thought we could have instilled our game a little bit more, but we didn't get psyched out by it and kept our composure. Even though they were pushing, we pushed back." -- Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno

"It felt all right out there. I managed my game decently, I think, and had one long shift there. I stayed out a little too long and got tired, but other than that it was a decent start." -- Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who played 18:33 in his season debut after signing a contract Oct. 27

Need to know

The Ducks called up forward Michael Sgarbossa from San Diego of the American Hockey League. … Columbus forward Brandon Dubinsky is out with an upper-body injury. … Forward Matt Calvert had all three of the Blue Jackets' minor penalties.

What's next

Ducks: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, PRIME, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets: At the Boston Bruins on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NESN, FS-O, NHL.TV)