In Columbus, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe scored in the third period to to help the Los Angeles Kings overcome a two-goal deficit on Sunday and force extra time with the Blue Jackets, at 5-5.
Johnny Gaudreau rescued the Jackets with a strike in the extra session for a 6-5 win.
“It was a little bit of a close call there,” Gaudreau, who also had two assists, told Bally Sports Ohio. “I tried to hit it with my stick. I think it hit my pants. They might have put it in their own net after. It went in. The team got the win. That was the most important thing.”
Kopitar hit for a double in the loss.
“Everybody knew we needed a lot better of ourselves, and it showed in the third period,” Kempe said. “But it’s tough playing a good 40 minutes and a not-so-good 20 minutes and expect to win. Good first and third periods. Second [period], obviously didn’t come up to our standards.”
Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves in the Columbus win.
Columbus improved to 10-15-2.
“It was just one of those nights where we had to find a way and grind it out and just battle our way into a win,” Columbus’ Patrik Laine said. “Happy the way it ended.”
Laine had a marker in the second period to give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lad after they coughed up a 2-0 advantage from the first period.
LA dropped to 15-11-5.
“It’s disappointing,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “Another hard game to evaluate. I’ve been saying that pretty much the whole year. Great that we come back. Great that we score goals. Great that we stick with it. But the carelessness is killing us.”
After the Kings tied the 3-3, in the middle frame on a strike from Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Jack Roslovic hit for two goals to send the game to third period with the Blue Jackets up, 5-3.
“Not impressed with myself at the beginning of the season, but it’s also been two, three, four games of a good stretch for me. I can’t stop there,” Roslovic said.
Columbus took a 1-0 lead on Kirill Marchenko‘s first NHL goal.
“I’m very excited and it’s a great goal, but it’s not my work, it’s work of ‘KJ,'” Marchenko said. “Very good pass for me and just shoot at the net.”
Boone Jenner added a goal near the midway point of the first for the 2-0 lead.
“That’s a good hockey team over there,” Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. “It was a little bit of a messy game, as you saw, but that’s a good team. They don’t give up much. We were able to generate a little bit there. But they’re in another zone really quick with the way they play.”
As happens this season, the Kings rallied on a goal from Kopitar and one from Blake Lizotte to tie it, 2-2.
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Jonathan Quick made 20 saves in the Kings loss.
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