Daniel Sprong struck twice for the Anaheim Ducks Saturday night in Columbus.
The second was the game-winner in overtime at 1:19 to defeat the Blue Jackets, 2-1.
John Gibson made 36 saves to get the win.
“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,” Gibson said.
Anaheim is on a roll, having won eight of nine and improving to 18-11-5.
“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.”
The loss pushed the Blue Jackets to 17-12-3.
Markus Nutivaara staked the Blue Jackets to an early 1-0 lead before Sprong responded for Anaheim to tie in the first.
“You know what you get with Anaheim,” Boone Jenner said. “They’re a big, strong team that checks well. There’s a lot of battles and a physical game.”
[WATCH: All Ducks vs. Blue Jackets highlights]
Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves to take the loss.
“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.”
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