Blue Jackets score three in third to defeat Avalanche, end losing streak

DENVER -- Josh Anderson and Alex Wennberg scored 1:42 apart in the third period for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who ended a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Tuesday.

Anderson went to the front of the net to give the Blue Jackets a 4-3 lead at 10:29. The Avalanche were assessed a delay of game penalty after coach Jared Bednar unsuccessfully challenged for offside on the goal, and Wennberg scored from the left face-off circle on the ensuing power play to make it 5-3 at 12:11.
"I don't know if it was offside or not," Anderson said. "I guess we got lucky there at the end. Finally got the bounce we wanted and got the power play too and capitalized on that, which was big."
WATCH: [All Blue Jackets vs. Avalanche highlights]
After NHL Hockey Operations staff reviewed all available replays and consulted with the linesman, the Situation Room confirmed that Anderson tagged up before Nick Foligno entered the zone.
"We're fortunate we score a goal and we ended up taking advantage of the situation," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "For us to get a break our way, it's a really good sign."
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his second goal of the game into an empty net with 1:28 left for the 6-3 final.

Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves for the Blue Jackets (29-20-3).
"This one was real big for us," Wennberg said. "I don't know if it's must-win, but you had to find a way to get off this losing streak. Yeah, it was important."
Erik Johnson, Nikita Zadorov and Samuel Girard scored, and Philipp Grubauer made 30 saves for the Avalanche (22-22-8), who have lost four straight games and 14 of the past 17.
"The offside goal, that's on me," Bednar said. "I looked at it and looked at it, you only have so much time to make a decision. They're wanting their decision, and I look at it, I can't tell if [Anderson] tagged, I know he's in before the puck. In my opinion there, it's a go-ahead goal for them and we're taking what I consider a 60-40, 70-30 shot at offside, and if we don't get it, we have to kill a penalty, and we didn't do either."
The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead when Bjorkstrand scored 53 seconds into the game. He skated down the right side, faked a shot, and scored on a wraparound.

The Avalanche tied it 1-1 when Johnson scored at 11:59 of the first period after he retrieved a deflected puck above the right circle.
Columbus made it 2-1 at 13:02 when Scott Harrington's shot from the right point went in off Dubois as he fell into the crease.
Colorado tied it 2-2 at 18:37 when Zadorov scored with a one-timer from the left point off a pass from Nathan MacKinnon.

The Avalanche went ahead 3-2 at 14:06 of the second period. Gabriel Bourque fed Girard moving down the left circle for a shot inside the near post.
The Blue Jackets tied it 3-3 with 19 seconds left in the second when Atkinson scored on a breakaway after a pass from Artemi Panarin.
"I thought our second period was our worst period, it could have been the worst period that we've played all year," Atkinson said. "To get the goal to tie it up in the last minute, I think it gave us a little bit of momentum and confidence."
Said Bednar: "We were up a goal, we go down, probably our best chance of the night, Tyson Barrie walking in all alone, and Bobrovsky makes a huge save and then they get the breakaway. We kind of fall asleep there, we get puck-watching, and they go in all alone."

They said it

"I thought our third period was our best period. I thought we finally found it in the third. The game could have gotten out of hand in the second, but [Sergei Bobrovsky] made some amazing saves to keep us in the game and gave us a chance to win." -- Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois
"As a group, we still made some bonehead mistakes at times that are just uncalled for, the forwards and the defensemen. I think we're all under the same microscope there." -- Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog

Need to know

Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner played 15:50 and had two assists after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury. … Columbus center Brandon Dubinsky and defenseman Ryan Murray each was scratched because of a lower-body injury. … Dubois has 21 goals and is the first player in Columbus history to start his career with back-to-back 20-goal seasons. … The Blue Jackets killed four penalties and have killed 34 of 35 in the past 14 games. … The Avalanche have been outscored 20-7 during their four-game losing streak. They've allowed at least four goals in five of the past six games.

What's next

Blue Jackets: At the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Avalanche: At the Washington Capitals on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NBCSWA, ALT, NHL.TV)