Elvis Merzlikins recorded 32 saves and then made three more in the shootout as the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied past the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday.
After Columbus won in overtime against Tampa Bay on Thursday, the Blue Jackets provided their home crowd another entertaining contest, but they needed to go into a shootout for the first time this season to win their third straight game. Neither team led by more than one goal at any point on Saturday.
Kirill Marchenko scored twice for the Blue Jackets, including the game-tying goal with just 66 seconds remaining in regulation after Columbus pulled Merzlikins for an extra attacker.
Pyotr Kochetkov made 27 saves for Carolina, but he had to leave the game with 2:08 remaining in overtime after teammate Sean Walker, who was blocking Zach Werenski from driving to the net, collided with his netminder and hit him in the head.
Spencer Martin replaced Kochetkov. He made one save in the three-on-three extra session, but Sean Monahan beat him to start the shootout in what proved to be the only goal during one-on-ones.
Carolina, which lost its second straight, rallied from a 3-2 deficit to take a 4-3 lead in the second period when Jackson Blake scored his sixth goal of the season with 6:37 left in the frame. Blake’s tally came after Sebastian Aho pulled the Hurricanes even at 3-3 on the power play at 10:39.
Columbus scored its first two goals in a similar fashion, converting turnovers in the Hurricanes’ attacking end to breakaway tallies. Dante Fabbro skated almost the length of the ice to score on Kochetkov’s stick side and make it 1-0 just 2:04 into the game. Marchenko would cash in after forcing a turnover at the blue line with 9:40 left in the first.
Jack Roslovic scored Carolina’s first goal at 6:41 in the first for a 1-1 tie. Aho added an assist, while Martin Necas contributed two assists for the Hurricanes.
Dmitri Voronkov’s power-play goal with 12:50 left in the second period gave the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead. That advantage would stand until Aho’s goal on the man advantage less than four minutes later.
