Columbus Blue Jackets breakdown: Lukas Dostal helps Anaheim Ducks escape with OT win
It began two hours later than scheduled because of a power outage, lapsed past regulation on a late tying goal and ended with the Blue Jackets ruing a point that slipped away Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.
Despite outplaying the Anaheim Ducks, the Jackets lost 3-2 on Frank Vatrano’s goal 2:20 into 3-on-3 overtime, after the veteran forward beat Elvis Merzlikins (24 saves) on a breakaway.
“I’m disappointed for the players,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “We had more than double the (scoring) chances for, gave up 12 chances against, but that’s a good transition team and they’re working hard. They transitioned really well, but we had our chances.”
Columbus finished with a commanding edge in shots, 37-27, won the possession battle and drew seven power plays. The Blue Jackets (3-2-1) just couldn't beat Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal (35 saves) enough to notch a third straight win.
After going 1 for 7 on power plays, the Blue Jackets (3-2-1) settled for a three-game point streak while taking five out their last six available points. Rookie Adam Fantilli led the way with a goal and assist for the Jackets, who took a 1-0 lead in the first on a goal by Emil Bemstrom. Ryan Strome and Brett Leason scored for the Ducks (2-4-0) in regulation.
Next up for the Blue Jackets is a game Thursday in Vincent’s hometown of Montreal.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Anaheim Ducks: turning point
The Blue Jackets had a 2-1 lead late in the third after Fantilli’s goal, but they couldn’t make it stand up as the winner. The Ducks didn’t get much sustained time in the Columbus zone during that period, but they did get some late and the fourth line produced Leason’s tying goal with 3:47 left in regulation.
“Their tying goal goes off my stick,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Kind of an ulucky bounce there, but we had our chances in the third period. Power play had our chances. Had a couple chances in overtime. We definitely played well enough to get two points. We have some stuff we have to clean up, but we worked hard and now we look forward to (playing) Montreal.”
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Anaheim Ducks: play of the game
Fantilli put the Blue Jackets on his shoulders in the third for a 2-1 lead on his second career goal. Scooping a loose puck in the Jackets’ zone, the rookie center created a 2-on-1 rush with a speed burst. Gathering for a shot from the left circle, Fantilli fired the puck past a defender and over Dostal’s shoulder under the crossbar.
“It was a little bit of a mismatch there,” Fantilli said. “I was pretty far out, and he had a pretty good (defensive) gap. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to beat him 1-on-1, so I tried to use him as a screen and shoot through him. Got it through, tried to go far side and it ended up going in. Nothing much to it.”
Columbus Dispatch three stars: Blue Jackets vs Anaheim Ducks
First star
Lukas Dostal, Ducks, goalie
Dostal wasn't forced to make acrobatic stops and strong in net for the Ducks. He displayed good positioning and rebound control while improving to 2-1-0 in three appearances.
Second star
Frank Vatrano, Ducks, left wing
Vatrano snuck behind the Blue Jackets during 3-on-3 OT and turned a stretch pass from Bo Groulx into a breakaway against Merzlikins. He buried his shot on the blocker side for the win.
Third star
Adam Fantilli, Blue Jackets, center
Fantilli finished with a goal, assist and his first two-point NHL game to continue building his confidence after just six games.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Anaheim Ducks: notes
― The game was scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., as part of the NHL’s “Frozen Frenzy,” with all 32 teams in action. A power outage affected Nationwide Arena and surrounding parts of the Arena District for nearly five hours, which changed the NHL’s plans. The Jackets’ game was delayed two hours, but the ice stayed playable thanks to a backup power system that kept the rink’s coolers operating.
— The Ducks didn’t dress rookie center Leo Carlsson for the second straight game. He was a healthy scratch as part of general manager Pat Verbeek’s development plan to ease Carlsson into the hectic pace of the NHL’s 82-game schedule. He also sat out Sunday in Boston. Carlsson was selected second overall in this year’s NHL draft, one spot ahead of Fantilli.
— The Blue Jackets recalled rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov from the Cleveland Monsters on Monday and placed Patrik Laine on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Voronkov had one assist in four AHL games for the Monsters. He was a healthy scratch Tuesday and skated hard in a morning workout with other players from the Jackets’ non-game group.
Columbus Blue Jackets lineup vs Anaheim Ducks
Forwards
Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Kirill Marchenko
Alexandre Texier – Adam Fantilli – Jack Roslovic
Kent Johnson – Cole Sillinger – Emil Bemstrom
Justin Danforth – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
Defensemen
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Goalies
Elvis Merzlikins
Spencer Martin
Scratched: F Dmiti Voronkov, D Andrew Peeke, D Adam Boqvist
Injured: C Patrik Laine (upper body), G Daniil Tarasov (non-roster IR, knee), F Yegor Chinakhov (non-roster IR, back)
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Breakdown: Ducks escape with OT win over Blue Jackets
