Blue Jackets pull out 5-4 win in OT over Wild
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Alexander Wennberg scored early in overtime as the Columbus Blue Jackets won for the second time in as many nights, rallying for a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.
Columbus (4-1-0) got regulation goals from Zach Werenski, David Savard, Cam Atkinson and Josh Anderson, and Sergei Bobrovsky had 17 saves.
Tyler Ennis scored twice, and Eric Staal and Landon Ferraro had goals for the injury-riddled Wild (1-1-2), who got 30 saves from Devan Dubnyk. The Wild are now 14-0-3 all time in their home opener.
Bobrovsky stopped a Staal breakaway early, but Staal solved the Columbus goalie later in the first period, popping a wrist shot over Bobrovsky's left shoulder. Werenski answered just 35 seconds later for the Blue Jackets, firing a shot with Dubnyk out of position after a cross-ice pass from Wennberg for a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes.
The Wild scored on their first power play of the game early in the second period when Ennis' long shot through traffic fooled Bobrovsky low on the stick side. It was his first goal in a Minnesota uniform after coming to the team from Buffalo in a summer trade.
Ferraro, playing his first game in a Wild sweater, gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead when his shot from the top of the circle trickled through Bobrovsky's knees. The puck came to rest on its side in the crease, until Ferraro crashed the net and poked it in.
Columbus got one back before the end of the period on Savard's first of the season, a close-range slap shot that eluded Dubnyk, cutting Minnesota's lead to 3-2.
The second Ennis goal came on a third-period power play to put Minnesota up 4-2, but Atkinson responded within a minute to make it a one-goal game again.
Anderson tipped a Savard shot with under four minutes to play, forging a 4-4 tie.
The winner came after Dubnyk stopped an Artemi Panarin shot. The rebound hit Wennberg in the chest, then glanced off the shaft of his stick and into the net. After a video review, it was deemed a good goal.
NOTES: The biggest pregame ovation came when Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and forward Rebekkah Brunson were introduced with the WNBA championship trophy. The Lynx recently beat the Los Angeles Sparks for Minnesota's fourth league title in the past seven seasons. ... While Nick Foligno played LW for the Blue Jackets, his brother Marcus was scratched from Minnesota's lineup due to a facial injury suffered in a fight during the Wild's win on Thursday in Chicago. The brothers will get another chance to face each other on Jan. 30 when Columbus hosts the Wild. ... Minnesota has five days off before facing the Jets in Winnipeg on Friday. Columbus also plays its next game in Winnipeg on Tuesday.