Avalanche 3, Blue Jackets 2 (SO)
Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene scored shootout goals as the Colorado Avalanche kept Columbus winless on the season, rallying to beat the host Blue Jackets 3-2 Wednesday.
After Hejduk and Rick Nash traded goals in the opening round of the sudden-death format, Duchene put Colorado ahead in round two with a shot that beat Columbus netminder Steve Mason between the legs.
The Blue Jackets had a chance to stay alive, but Jeff Carter was denied by Avalanche netminder Semyon Varlamov as Columbus dropped to 0-3-1 on the campaign.
Former Columbus defenseman Jan Hejda forced extra time with just 41 seconds in regulation, blasting a shot from the blue line that went through a crowd and eluded a befuddled Mason.
T.J. Galiardi had the other Colorado goal, opening the scoring at 13:06 of the first period.
Nash had his first of the season early in the second period while Radek Martinek added a third-period marker in defeat. The four-game winless skid is the longest to open the season in Blue Jackets history.