Sprong, Ducks defeat Blue Jackets in overtime

COLUMBUS -- Daniel Sprong scored his second goal of the game at 1:19 of overtime to give the Anaheim Ducks a 2-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

John Gibson made 36 saves for the Ducks (18-11-5), who have won three straight and eight of nine.
"We've kind of had that swagger in years past," Gibson said. "It probably took a little longer to find it this year. It's a fun time to play right now and we want to keep it going."
WATCH: [All Ducks vs. Blue Jackets highlights]
Markus Nutivaara scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves for the Blue Jackets (17-12-3), who have lost five of seven.
"It was a tight game," Bobrovsky said. "It was definitely two good teams out there. Unfortunately, we didn't win but we still got one point, so it was good for us."

Anaheim has won five straight on the road for its longest road winning streak since going 6-0-0 from Feb. 13 to March 5, 2016.
The winning goal came after an icing on the Blue Jackets.
Adam Henrique won the draw at the left dot against Pierre-Luc Dubois. Sprong took the puck and skated to his right and waited until Henrique went to the net before shooting.
"I picked it up and went to find some space," Sprong said. "I saw [Columbus defenseman Seth] Jones give me a little bit of room. [Henrique] did a great job screening in front. I saw the left side open and I knew I had an open net. I liked my chances."
Bobrovsky said the congestion around the crease caused him problems.
"I think there was some traffic. I got stuck there. I don't know," he said. "I just felt my blocker got stuck and it went in."

Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle was glad it did.
"That's the type of plays that are difference-makers in tense situations," Carlyle said.
Nutivaara scored his fourth at 12:06 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. Boone Jenner won the draw to set up Nutivaara's one-timer from above the left circle.
Sprong tied it 1-1 at 15:56 with bad-angle shot from the right corner that went between the post and Bobrovsky's pad.

"I think Bobrovsky was a bit off his post," Sprong said. "I tried to put it in the area where I saw the post."
Sprong has three goals in five games since being acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 3.
The game was as physical as the first time they played, Nov. 4 in Anaheim when the Ducks won 3-2 in overtime.
"You know what you get with Anaheim," Jenner said. "They're a big, strong team that checks well. There's a lot of battles and a physical game."

They said it

"We went through so many games where guys were holding their sticks too tight or [were] frustrated, they weren't scoring and we weren't winning. We stuck with it through the tough times. Now it's starting to pay off." -- Ducks goalie John Gibson

"We haven't been getting rewarded but we've played three good hockey games here. We just got to keep our wits about ourselves and keep on playing. We've found a good little piece here of playing the right way." -- Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella on the 1-1-1 record the past three games
"We showed signs of a tired hockey club, which I hadn't seen in quite a while. We didn't move our feet. We stopped skating. When we had pucks in our zone we just flipped them out instead of making a play. So to find a way to grind out the extra point, we'll take it."-- Ducks coach Randy Carlyle

Need to know

The Ducks have outscored the opposition 17-4 in the third period and overtime in their past nine games. … Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano played his 900th NHL game. … The Ducks had one opportunity on the power play. They were 0-for-8 in their past four games. … Ducks rookie forward Kiefer Sherwood, who grew up in Columbus and played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets from 2010-13, played for the first time in Nationwide Arena for Anaheim. … The Blue Jackets have 21 straight penalty kills against the Ducks in their past seven games.

What's next

Ducks:At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, ATTSN-PT, PRIME, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets:Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)