Blue Jackets rally to top Wild in shootout, end skid at four

COLUMBUS -- Zach Werenski tied the game with 32 seconds left in the third period, and the Columbus Blue Jackets then defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in the shootout at Nationwide Arena on Friday.

Werenski made it 2-2 on a point shot through traffic with goalie Elvis Merzlikins pulled for an extra attacker.
"Great screen in front," Werenski said. "A lot of times you shoot those and the goalie moves over to make the save. He really couldn't see.
"We had to dig deep to find a win tonight. For our young guys, even for older guys, a win like this is really important. For us to stick with it and come out with two points is huge."
Merzlikins made 36 saves and stopped all three attempts in the shootout for Columbus (29-27-3), which had lost four straight games, including 6-0 at the New York Islanders on Thursday. Yegor Chinakhov scored in the first period and the only goal of the shootout.
"We hung around in the game against another really good team and found a way," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "Elvis was outstanding. We knew he was going to have to be huge for us and he was."

Kirill Kaprizov scored his 30th goal of the season, Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist, and Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves for Minnesota (34-19-4), which had won two straight, including a 6-5 shootout victory at the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
"They kept pushing and got a break at the end," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "We make a mistake and it ends up in our net."

Chinakhov gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 13:31 with his first NHL power-play goal, scoring from the top of the left face-off circle.
"When he really figures this league out, it's going to be scary for other teams," Werenski said of Chinakhov, who has played 48 games in his first NHL season.
Kaprizov tied it 1-1 at 19:34 on a 4-on-3 power play with a wrist shot from the left circle. He has scored 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in an eight-game point streak.
Zuccarello gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 13:33 of the second period from between the circles when he redirected a Jared Spurgeon shot. Merzlikins got a piece of the puck but it trickled behind him.
"It's tougher to accept the loss when you feel like you should've won and you played good," Zuccarello said.
Merzlikins made 11 saves in the third period and five in overtime. He lost his previous three starts.
"I got tired of working my [butt] off and not getting the results I want," Merzlikins said. "I just thought, I'm not going to think anymore. I'm just going to go out, play hockey and have fun."

He kept the Blue Jackets in the game before Werenski's shot sneaked through.
"There was a lot of traffic in front of the net," Kahkonen said. "Obviously, 6-on-5 there's a lot of bodies and it's unfortunate luck.
"Three out of four points (in the back-to-back games), I guess that's OK. We want the fourth one, obviously. We look forward, and if we keep playing the way we played the last two periods tonight, I think we'll be good."
Blue Jackets forwards Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine each left the game with an undisclosed injury. Larsen did not have an update on either player.
Voracek left after being kneed by Wild forward Marcus Foligno with 51 seconds left in third. He returned to the bench but did not play the rest of the period or in overtime.
Laine left after a knee-on-knee collision with Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin at 1:10 of overtime. Laine went to the locker room favoring his left leg.
NOTES: The Blue Jackets have 19 comeback victories this season and lead the NHL with eight wins when trailing after two periods. … Emil Bemstrom replaced Justin Danforth (lower body) at forward for Columbus after Danforth was injured Thursday. Bemstrom played 6:19 and was called for tripping in the second period. … Wild forward Kevin Fiala has scored nine points (three goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak. … Zuccarello has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. … Kaprizov has scored 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in the past 15 games. He scored 30 goals in 56 games. The only player in Wild history to score that many in fewer than 60 games is Marian Gaborik (47 games in 2006-07, 48 in 2005-06, and 53 in 2007-08).