Toews goal lifts Blackhawks past Blue Jackets in overtime

CHICAGO -- Jonathan Toews scored 46 seconds into overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at United Center on Friday.

Patrick Kane's shot from high in the right face-off circle was stopped by Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, but the rebound bounced off Toews and into the net.
"I've had some chances but not that many," Toews said after scoring his first goal of the season. "So I've got to be better with the puck and keep pucks down low, just play a little heavier on it, get the puck up to our D-men, get some shots back.
"It feels like we're just one and done right now, so we've got to find ways to get more puck possession and chances are going to come. Once the chances are there, that's all you can really worry about -- eventually they'll go in."
WATCH: [All Blue Jackets vs. Blackhawks highlights]
Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist, Kane had two assists, and Drake Caggiula scored for the Blackhawks (2-2-1), who won their second straight game after losing their first three. Robin Lehner made 37 saves for his first win with Chicago.
"I thought [Lehner] played great tonight," Toews said. "Especially in that first period, could've been 3 or 4-0 early on, so he made some big stops -- couple 2-on-1s, couple breakaways, and he was standing tall there."

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Markus Nutivaara scored, and Merzlikins made 30 saves for the Blue Jackets (3-3-1) in his second NHL game. Columbus had won two in a row.
Merzlikins allowed seven goals on 40 shots in a 7-2 loss at Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 5.
"Of course it's not the result that I wanted," Merzlikins said. "I came here to the rink with the mindset that this is my first game. I was really [angry]. I wanted to take this game, I really wanted it. The team helped me a lot, they did huge [shot-blocking] in front of me where I didn't see the puck, thank them for that. It was better, it wasn't seven goals, it was just three now, so the positive is here."
Caggiula gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 15:35 of the first period, scoring on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle.

Dubois tied it 1-1 at 5:33 of the second period when he skated around Lehner, who was out of the crease, and shot into the open net.
Nutivaara gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead at 2:55 of the third period, scoring on his own rebound.
"He's a big goalie (6-foot-4, 240 pounds), so didn't see the goal either," Nutivaara said of Lehner. "I just shot somewhere there and got the rebound."

Nick Foligno had a goal disallowed at 7:29 that would have made it 3-1. The call was upheld after video review determined the puck crossed the goal line after the whistle was blown.
DeBrincat tied it 2-2 at 8:08 with a power-play goal from the left circle off a pass from Kane.

They said it

"Felt like the first period we were a little bit sloppy and got better in the second. But when it came to the third, once we tied it up, I think we knew we needed to keep battling and not give up one before at least overtime. We knew we need a lot of intensity there, and I think we did a pretty good job of it." -- Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat
"A lot of missed opportunities tonight. [If] scoring chances aren't good enough you have to find a way, especially on the road. You get a chance, some Grade A's like that, we've got to find a way to bury them. In saying that, this game could have went either way too. It's overtime, lucky bounce, it'll [hurt] being on the other end of them, but I liked a lot of what we did, and we've got to get ready to regroup, and [we have] a big divisional game tomorrow." -- Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno

Need to know

Following the game, the Blackhawks recalled forward Kirby Dach, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, from his conditioning assignment with Rockford of the American Hockey League. ... Kane has seven points (two goals, five assists) in five games. … Toews has 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 45 games against the Blue Jackets. … Dubois scored his 50th goal in 171 games, becoming the second-fastest player to reach the mark in Columbus history (Rick Nash, 133).

What's next

Blue Jackets: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, NBCSCH, NBCSWA, NHL.TV)