Oilers 6, Blue Jackets 4: Ales Hemsky snapped a tie with 3:08 remaining in the third period as Edmonton extended its home winning streak against Columbus to five games.
With the contest even at 4-4, Hemsky carried the puck into the offensive zone on the left side and cut across the top of the slot before going around a defender. The 29-year-old Czech took the puck to the net and stuffed a backhander past Sergei Bobrovsky to put the Oilers in front. Sam Gagner clinched the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Magnus Paajarvi recorded a goal and an assist, Jordan Eberle, captain Shawn Horcoff and defenseman Corey Potter also scored and Gagner set up two goals for Edmonton, which has earned at least one point in seven of its last nine games (5-2-2).
Cam Atkinson scored two goals and set up another, Artem Anisimov added a goal and two assists and Matt Calvert notched one of each for the Blue Jackets, who lost in regulation for just the second time in 15 contests (8-2-5). Bobrovsky finished with 19 saves.
Columbus took an early lead as Atkinson scored 10 seconds into the game and carried a 2-1 advantage into the second before Eberle beat Bobrovsky from the doorstep with just 39 seconds elapsed in the period. Anisimov and Horcoff traded goals later in the session and Atkinson completed his first two-goal effort of the season 27 seconds into the third to chase Nikolai Khabibulin, but Potter forged a 4-4 tie at 3:06 with his first tally in 36 games.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Khabibulin allowed four goals on 21 shots before being replaced by Devan Dubnyk, who stopped all nine shots he faced to pick up the victory. ... Blue Jackets D James Wisniewski returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a broken foot and was minus-1 in just under 20 minutes of ice time. ... Columbus fell to 0-2-1 on its four-game road trip, which concludes Friday at Calgary.
Columbus | Edmonton | |
Cam Atkinson 3 | Points | Sam Gagner 3 |
Cam Atkinson 2 | Goals | Sam Gagner 1 |
Artem Anisimov 2 | Assists | Sam Gagner 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Sergei Bobrovsky .792 | Save Percentage | Devan Dubnyk 1.000 |
Sergei Bobrovsky 19 | Saves | Nikolai Khabibulin 17 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Columbus | 30 | 4 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 9 | 36 |
Edmonton | 25 | 6 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 9 | 28 |