Columbus Defeats Calgary In Shootout

By Dave Seaman, Columbus Wired

For the second straight Friday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets found a way to win despite not playing its best hockey.

Manny Malhotra won the game for the Jackets in the 11th round of the shootout when he put the puck between the legs of Calgary goaltender Jamie McLennan. Columbus won 5-4 and gained an important two points in front of an announced crowd of 16,103 at Nationwide Arena.

The shootout was the second longest in the NHL this season. The New York Rangers and Philadelphia went 13 rounds last month.

“I didn’t go in with the move I wanted to,” Malhotra said. “I just went in there and saw what he was giving me. He gave me five-hole and I took it. We needed this win and are taking a lot of positives out it. We had some mental lapses in the second half, but the important thing is that we came back and got two points.”

David Vyborny scored two goals to lead the Jackets, while Sergei Fedorov add ed a goal and an assist. Duvie Westcott added a goal and Ron Hainsey had two assists.

It was a game where the Jackets jumped on McLennan, who was making his first start of the season. Columbus took a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes off three power play goals.

The three goals tied a franchise mark for most in a period. Columbus also converted on three power play goals against Vancouver on Mar. 6, 2003 in a 5-4 overtime win. For the game, Columbus went 4-of-9 with the man advantage.

“We were practicing (our) power play last week really hard and finally, it showed up in the game.” Vyborny said.

The Jackets came out and allowed Calgary to get back into the game in the second and third periods. The Flames scored three straight to take a 4-3 lead late in the game. Vyborny scored his second goal of the game with 8:09 remaining in the game.

“(Playing a full 60 minutes) has been our problem the entire season,” Fredrik Modin, who assisted on Vyborny’s game-tying goal said. “This was a step in the right direction because we found a way to win. At times, we are playing really good and at times we really fall apart. That’s part of learning and maturing as a team.”

Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow, Alex Tanguay and Dion Phaneuf scored for the Flames, who have lost five of its last six games.

Columbus took an early lead on the power play. Nikolai Zherdev split the Flames’ defense and put a shot on McLennan, who made the save. The long rebound went right to the stick of Fedorov who snapped the puck into the empty net at 3:05.

“We were really excited with the way they came out in the first period,”
Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said. “We just have to get our game together for a fill 60 minutes.”

Iginla showed why he’s one of the best in the NHL by putting an Adam Foote turnover on the blueline into the back of the net for a shorthanded goal at 15:21.

Columbus got the goal back 22 seconds later on the same power play when Westcott hit an one-timer from the same blueline that Foote had his blunder seconds prior.

Vyborny then gave the Jackets a two-goal lead late in the period with a wrist shot off a feed from Fedorov. Columbus was on a two-man advantage after Brandon Prust got called for hooking and then lost a heavyweight fight to Jody Shelley.

The Flames opened the second period with goal from Langkow, who hit in a rebound off a Iginla shot at 19 seconds.

The Jackets gave the Flames the game-tying goal at 2:44 of the third due to its inability to clear the puck. With the Flames working the puck for several minutes in the Jackets zone, Tony Amonte hit a wrap-a-round shot on Leclaire. Tanguay scooped up the rebound and tipped it in.

The Jackets lead became a deficit when Phaneuf hit a slap shot from the left point on the power play at 7:18.

Vyborny then tied the game at four on the power play. He took a feed from Modin at the goalline and slid it past McLennan at 12:51.

In the shootout, Vyborny, Fedorov and Anson Carter scored for Columbus, while Tanguay, Kristian Huselius and Byron Ritchie scored for Calgary.

The Jackets outshot the Flames 37-32. Leclaire had 28 goals, while McLennan had 33.

Columbus plays in Detroit Saturday at 7 p.m.