Jackets rebound to beat Ducks 3-2 in shootout (11/13/09)
by Dave Seaman, Columbus Wired - Photos by Joel Torres

Coming off its worst home loss in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets rebounded to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in a shootout Friday night in front of 15,577 in Nationwide Arena.

The Jackets were coming off a 9-1 drubbing from the Detroit Red Wings in a game where the team didn’t compete at all. It took a little while, but the Jackets woke up after allowing the Ducks to score first and played well.  

“We competed really hard,” Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said. “It was a big time game, we worked harder, and the level of determination was 10 times better than it was against Detroit. We checked harder and we were more competitive on the boards.”

Kristian Huselius, who missed the previous four games with a shoulder sprain, scored in regulation and in the shootout and had an assist to lead Columbus. Rick Nash scored his 13th in regulation and also scored in the shootout as he was falling to the ice, while Antoine Vermette had two assists.
 
Mathieu Garon stopped 32 of 34 shots and stoned Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the shootout to improve to 3-1. The Jackets defense also killed five Anaheim penalties.
 
“We did a good job killing penalties during the game and in the overtime too,” Garon, who improves to 17-4 in the shootout, said. “I think it’s where we were successful at the beginning of the season and tonight we really made a difference in that.”
 
Huselius, Nash and Vermette had to match up against the Ducks top line of Bobby Ryan, Perry and Getzlaf and did an admiral job. Checking line center Sammy Phalsson missed the game after having a bursa sac drained on Thursday.
 
“We had a few chances tonight,” Vermette said. “I thought Kristian played a strong game and that was a big factor.”
 
Hitchcock said Vermette deserved credit for the top line’s play as well.
 
“This was Vermette’s best game of the season for me,” he said. “He was outstanding tonight.”
 
Ryan and Todd Marchant scored for Anaheim., who have lost four road games in a row. Getzlaf had a pair of assists. Jean-Sebastian Giguere had 27 saves.
 
The game went back and forth through the first two periods with the Jackets rebounding twice from a goal down.
 
Anaheim stuck first when Ryan scored off a cross-ice feed from Getzlaf at 7:55. Nash responded with a slap shot from the left point on a break-a-away with 1:34 remaining in the first.
 
“We did a good job of staying in this hockey game,” Getzlaf said. “We were right there and had our chances. Unfortunately, it didn’t come out the way we wanted it to.”
 
Just 1:35 into the second, Marchant, the former Jacket, scored off a Derek Brassard turnover to put the Ducks up 2-1. Huselius knotted the game at two off a slick backhanded pass from Antoine Vermette on the power play at 5:15. 
 
“It was nice puck movement there on the power play, and I just got a nice pass from Vermette and was able to put it in,” Huselius said. “(Garon) played unbelievable. He made some key saves and he kept us in the game there for a while and you know it was huge.”
 
Garon stopped Getzlaf late in the second with a glove save which kept the scored tied at two.
 
The two teams played even for the final period and in overtime. Anaheim had a power play opportunity in the overtime when the Jackets got called for too many men on the ice, but couldn’t convert. They had the only shot on goal in the extra session.
 
The Ducks outshot the Jackets 34-29 for the game.
 
The Jackets host the Edmonton Oilers Monday at 7 p.m. Hitchcock would not comment on who will start in goal—the former Oiler Garon or Steve Mason.