Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-squander-lead-over-blue-jackets-fall- in-ot-second-night-in-a-row-453742843.html

Mason makes case despite loss Jets goalie shows top form after dismal start to season

By: Mike Sawatzky

COLUMBUS — The game ended in bitter disappointment for — a shot by Josh Anderson 2:38 into overtime lifted the to a 2-1 win over the Jets in NHL action Friday night — but the veteran Winnipeg may have resurrected his season with a nifty 34-save performance at Nationwide Arena.

Mason was Winnipeg’s best player as he helped his team kill off all four Columbus power plays while the Jets nursed a 1-0 lead until midway through the third period.

The 29-year-old from Oakville, Ont., entered the game with a dreadful 5.96 goals-against average and .846 save percentage in his first three starts since signing a two-year, US$8.2- million contract in the off-season, but he found a steady rhythm and a chance to break out in his slump with a tidy performance in the city where he began his NHL career.

"Real solid, real good," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, whose club is 4-3-2. "He fought through a lot traffic to find some pucks and give us a chance to get a point.

"Very pleased with his game. He was a big part of the penalty kill doing its job, so I’m real pleased to get him back on track. We played a much better game in front of him than we had in his first three outings. It’s important for a veteran guy because he’s been through it. He can handle it."

A victory would’ve been better but...

"I felt good considering I’ve been off for about 10 days," said Mason, who watched teammate Connor Hellebuyck pick up four wins and an overtime point in his starts. "It’s not easy, but in the situation I’m in right now, you just practise hard and try and stay sharp that way. Overall, I was pretty happy with the way I felt."

Mason was on the receiving end of high praise from captain Blake Wheeler.

"He played great," said Wheeler. "I think we finally gave him a fighting chance. The saves he needed to make — he made some huge ones for us. There were a couple of times in the first period we were stuck in there and he battled hard for us. So I’m happy he was able to have a good performance tonight. He should have a lot of confidence after that game."

Added blue-liner : "We certainly would have liked to have held the lead in the third. At the end of the day, Mase stood on his head. We did a pretty good job of keeping things simple, with it being a back-to-back (games) and it’s finding that way to win on nights like this, doing that consistently… we’re going to have to keep working on that as a group."

The Jets, 2-1 overtime losers in Pittsburgh Thursday night, took their first lead of their two-game road trip early in the first period when third-line left-winger Brandon Tanev scored his second of the season after gobbling up a bad clearing attempt by Blue Jackets defenceman Jack Johnson.

Tanev, whose original shot squirted through Bobrovsky’s pads and laid there tantalizingly in the blue paint behind the goalie, scooted to the goalmouth and jammed the puck into the back of the net at 4:52. The goal, Winnipeg’s first 5-on-5 goal scored by a bottom-six forward this season, almost held up.

"I mean, it’s back-to-back games and as a bottom-six player it’s your job to bring energy, get momentum for your team, so I thought our line went out there and grinded, worked hard and had a lot of chemistry," said Tanev.

Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson evened the score at 1-1 when he backhanded a bouncing puck past Mason at 10:23 of the third period.

The Blue Jackets, who improved to 7-3-0 with the win, are one of the NHL’s elite transition teams. What’s more, they haven’t allowed a power-play goal at home through their first 10 games. The Jets came up empty on six opportunities Friday.

"They did a good job," said Wheeler. "Our breakouts, we weren’t able to get clean entries. Every time we got the puck we were standing still. Everyone was standing still. When you have nobody moving their feet on the entry it makes it really tough. We were trying to squeeze things in that weren’t there. We just gotta get our feet moving better."

The Jets won’t have much time to rest after two gruelling games against top clubs. The Penguins will provide the opposition Sunday night at Bell MTS Place. Game time is 6 p.m.

NOTEWORTHY: forward Marko Dano was a late addition to the Winnipeg lineup due to an undisclosed injury to . Maurice didn’t expect the injury to be a long-term issue... Jets centre Mark Scheifele returned to the game after being helped off in the third period. He took the brunt of a knee-on-knee collision with Boone Jenner. "He came back and finished but sometimes you are playing on adrenalin at that point," said Maurice. "We won’t know until (Saturday) how he’s feeling."... Winnipeg got a terrific effort from Bryan Little in the faceoff circle, winning 15 of 22 draws... Defenceman Dustin Byfuglien led the Jets with 25:24 of ice time. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose/the-hamburglar-foils- manitoba-squad-453765733.html

The Hamburglar foils Manitoba squad

By: Mike McIntyre

It was only two years ago when he was the biggest story going on the game’s grandest stage — a goalie who seemingly came out of nowhere to go on an incredible 20-1-2 run while leading the into an unlikely playoff spot.

But things can change quickly in the world of pro sports. These days, Andrew (The Hamburglar) Hammond is toiling in the minors at the age of 29 and no doubt wondering if or when his next shot in the NHL might come.

It may be just around the corner if he turns in more performances like the one on Friday night at Bell MTS Place. Hammond was spectacular in stopping 35 of 38 shots in regulation time and overtime — including a penalty shot — as his Belleville Senators downed the 4-3 in a shootout.

"In the stats we have, we had 10 more scoring chances than they had. Usually when you create that many more chances for, you win hockey games," Moose head coach Pascal Vincent said of being repeatedly stymied by Hammond.

"He’s a good goalie. We found a way to create good scoring chances."

Hammond made a name for himself with the 2014-15 run but has struggled to regain his form since. He went 7-11-4 the following season in Ottawa with a 2.65 GAA. He then struggled last year, battling injuries and the numbers game in making just six starts with Ottawa and going 0-2 with a 4.08 GAA. He also played five games, going 2-3 with a 3.24 ERA.

Hammond is off to a strong start this year, going 1-1-1 in four games with a 2.66 GAA and .929 SV%.

Manitoba carried the play early as big Buddy Robinson opened the scoring midway through the first period, deflecting a shot past Hammond. It’s the third straight game the 6-6 Robinson has lit the lamp.

Belleville responded a few minutes later on the power play, as defenceman Eric Burgdoerfer snuck a shot through a screen past Manitoba goalie Eric Comrie.

Robinson quickly restored the lead as the Moose enjoyed their own man-advantage, notching his team-leading fifth of the year.

"It’s a fun atmosphere to be in," Robinson said following the game.

"To be a guy producing right now is nice. I’m just trying to do everything right, the little things, getting pucks in, getting pucks out, finding my way to the front of the net."

Belleville came on strong in the middle frame and tied it up midway through the period, as forward Ben Sexton beat Comrie with a wrist shot.

Nic Petan made his season debut with the Moose Friday after being sent down by the Jets earlier in the week. He skated on a line with Jack Roslovic and Chase DeLeo that had plenty of skill and speed and were a threat all night.

"Lots of speed on that line and lots of skills obviously. I think they have another gear. I think they can create more. I guess they’re not selfish enough. Around the net they have to shoot the puck," said Vincent.

DeLeo rang one off the crossbar early in the second that could have put the Moose up 3-1. Roslovic was hauled down on a breakaway later in the period and awarded a penalty shot.

He was denied by Hammond, keeping the game tied.

The Senators took their first lead late in the period as Gabriel Gagne finished off a beautiful two- on-one rush with a tap-in goal.

DeLeo tied it up with just over two minutes left in the third, converting a great pass from Appleton that just slid through the pads of Hammond.

Appleton assisted on all three Moose goals, giving him seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in his past four games after being blanked in his first four pro games.

"I think as a team we’re doing a lot of good things," said Appleton.

"I’m playing obviously with two really talented linemates. I think we’re kind of feeding off each other. I just got to keep doing the things that make me successful and make me a good player at this level."

The three-on-three overtime saw both teams trade quality chances. Comrie stopped a Belleville breakaway, while Robinson, forward J.C. Lipon and defenceman Sami Niku had great chances to end it.

Belleville then won in the fifth round of the shootout, scoring on four of their five chances while the Moose put three of their five past Hammond.

Manitoba saw their two-game win streak snapped in falling to 4-3-1. Belleville improves to 3-4-1. The teams will meet against tonight at 7 p.m. at Bell MTS Place.

MOOSE FEEL INJURY WOES

The parent club may be getting healthier, but the injury bug has bit the Manitoba Moose.

Manitoba was without the services of four would-be regulars on Friday night. Defencemen Nelson Nogier, Jan Kostalek and Jake Kulevich are all sidelined, while forward Brody Sutter also sat for a second straight game.

The list may be getting a bit longer, as forward Michael Spacek left the game late in the first period after taking a huge hit from Belleville Sentors defenceman Ben Harpur. There appeared to be some head contact, and Spacek had to be helped off the ice by trainers and went straight to the dressing room. No penalty was called on the play.

The only healthy scratches for Manitoba were defenceman Tim Daly, called up earlier in the week from the ECHL, and forward Cam Maclise.

● ● ●

Belleville has faced quite the daunting start to their American Hockey League schedule.

The new farm club of the Ottawa Senators kicked off the season with a nine-game road trip that will come to an end tonight in Winnipeg. This was to facilitate a race to finish $20.5 million in renovations at Yardmen Arena, which is expected to be ready just in time for the team’s home opener Nov. 1.

● ● ●

The Moose will be California dreamin’ for a couple weeks once they finish up this quick two- game homestand.

Manitoba heads out for a six-game trip that includes two games each in Stockton, Bakersfield and San Jose.

By the time the Moose return home on Nov. 15 to host the Chicago Wolves, they’ll have played 11 of their first 15 games away from Bell MTS Place.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/mason-shines-but-jets-offence-disappears-in-ot-loss-to- blue-jackets

Mason shines but Jets offence disappears in OT loss to Blue Jackets

By Ted Wyman

COLUMBUS — They finally got a top-notch performance from their new veteran goaltender and played a decent defensive game in front of him for the first time.

It still wasn’t enough for the to get Steve Mason his first win — as his team’s offence dried up completely — but it was a far cry better than his first three starts.

Mason made 35 saves and shut the Columbus Blue Jackets out for 50 minutes before giving up the tying goal midway through the third period and the game winner in overtime as the Jets fell 2-1 for the second straight night.

The 29-year-old netminder, signed as a free agent on July 1 and expected to be the starter this season, didn’t get any run support but at least it wasn’t a train wreck in front of him.

In his first three starts, the Jets lost by scores of 7-2, 6-3 and 5-2. Meanwhile, the Jets went 4-0- 1 with goaltender Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes.

“I felt good considering I’ve been off for about 10 days,” Mason said. “It’s not easy but in the situation I’m in right now, you just practise hard and try and stay sharp that way. Overall, I was pretty happy with the way I felt.”

Mason did enough to deserve a win, but the Jets could only muster one goal for the second night in a row.

This one came from third-liner Brandon Tanev off a first-period giveaway. In Thursday’s overtime loss at Pittsburgh, defenceman Josh Morrissey had the only goal.

Players who did not record a point in the two games included captain Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Dustin Byfuglien.

All of those players see time on the Jets power play, which went 0-for-6 on Friday night and barely generated any shots. They struggled to even gain control of the puck in the offensive zone.

Before the end of the first period, that prompted this from NHL analyst and former player Jeremy Roenick on Twitter: “The @NHLJets have had 3 of the worst power plays I’ve seen tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. How hard is it to set up? Show more urgency! Brutal!”

Wheeler gave the Blue Jackets credit for making life miserable for the Jets power play.

“They did a good job,” he said. “Our breakouts, we weren’t able to get clean entries. “Every time we got the puck, we were standing still. Everyone was standing still. When you have nobody moving their feet on the entry it makes it really tough. We were trying to squeeze things in that weren’t there. We just gotta get our feet moving better.”

The Jets nursed a 1-0 lead for the better part of two-and-a-half periods. They looked like they might steal a win until Cam Atkinson batted a bouncing puck past Mason with 9:37 left in the third period.

Josh Anderson gave the Blue Jackets the win at 2:38 of overtime, beating Mason with a shot from the high slot. His goal came shortly after Wheeler was left all alone in front of Columbus goalie but couldn’t get the puck past his glove.

Bobrovsky, the reigning winner, finished with 29 saves.

So the Jets will return home to play the Penguins again on Sunday, having earned two of a possible four points on a very tough two-game road trip against two of the fastest and most talented teams in the league.

There have to be positives in that.

“We had the right mindset,” Wheeler said. “Tonight was a tough one. Last night was a tough one. We had ’em where we wanted ’em. Tough back to back … I think that’s a pretty good situation. It’s just too bad we weren’t able to close ’em out.”

One positive was the Jets penalty killing. They went 4-for-4, just as they did Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Another was Tanev’s goal, the first five-on-five marker by any member of the team’s bottom six forwards this season.

“It’s back-to-back games and as a bottom-six player it’s your job to bring energy, get momentum for your team,” Tanev said. “So I thought our line went out there and grinded, worked hard and had a lot of chemistry.”

The other big positive is what this could mean for Mason, who needed a strong performance to get his season back on track.

“He played great,” Wheeler said. “I think we finally gave him a fighting chance. The saves he needed to make — he made some huge ones for us. There were a couple of times in the first period we were stuck in there and he battled hard for us. So I’m happy he was able to have a good performance tonight. He should have a lot of confidence after that game.”

On the negative side, the Jets lost the possession battle again (shot attempts were 71 to 53 for the Jackets) and their power play looked hopeless.

“It was too slow,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “The two or three times that we got to the right pace of speed, we got a shot or at least a look or an opportunity to shoot the puck. It was just a speed issue.”

Just one question: Isn’t that the very issue they tried to address during their recent five-day break between games? http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-maurice-pulls-back-criticism-of- laines-pass-attempt-in-ot-against-penguins

Jets Maurice pulls back criticism of Laine’s pass attempt in OT against Penguins

By Ted Wyman

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After looking at the video, Paul Maurice changed his mind about the decision Patrik Laine made that led to the winning goal for the on Thursday night.

The Winnipeg Jets coach originally said Laine needed to make a better decision than to try a lateral pass in the offensive zone during the 3-on-3 overtime. The pass was knocked down by the Penguins’ Phil Kessel, who turned it into a clear-cut breakaway and beat Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck between the pads.

Upon review, Maurice took back his criticism of Laine.

“I’ve got no problem with the decision,” he said. “Patty Laine’s going to try to make that pass all day long and so is every other player in the . He makes that pass and Tyler Myers is coming right down the pipe with (Blake) Wheeler back door.

“It was kind of the theme of our offensive game. We didn’t get passes on the tape or put them at the net.”

Many people thought Laine was in a good shooting position, and being the sniper that he is, had a chance to win the game for the Jets.

Penguins goaltender Matt Murray even said he would shoot every time if he were Laine.

However, earlier in the contest Laine showed once again what a tremendous passer he is, hitting Nikolaj Ehlers on the tape at the side of the net with an angled pass, a play that had goal written all over it before Murray made an outstanding save.

SHOWING SOME FIRE While Steve Mason got the start for the Jets in the second half of a back-to-back in Columbus Friday night, Maurice was impressed by the performance of Hellebuyck in Pittsburgh.

Hellebuyck made 34 saves before getting beaten in overtime. He was steaming mad about giving up the winning goal, saying he “blew it” and “can’t live with that.”

Maurice saw that as sign that Hellebuyck expects to win.

“He’s got a legitimate confidence in his game now,” Maurice said. “He’s got a real good understanding of what’s happening around him and he’d like to have that one back.”

What pleases Maurice the most is the fact that Hellebuyck has looked the same in each of his starts — big, agile and able to control rebounds.

“He’s made big saves. He made a real good save that doesn’t seem like much, off (Sidney) Crosby on a two-on-one. That’s all being in the right spot. That guy is such a great shooter and he’s picking a corner.

“That’s the technical difference in his game from a year ago. His angles have been great, his precision in the net has been really good and he looks so calm, rebound control, those kinds of things from just being square, solid.”

As for Hellebuyck’s post-game anger, Maurice said the whole team felt it.

“Nobody is in a good mood after the game,” he said. “Nobody is jumping around here today because we got a road point.”

CONNOR CLICKING Second-year winger Kyle Connor played perhaps his finest game in the NHL on Thursday night. He was hard on pucks, relentless in his forechecking and generated several scoring chances.

Maurice liked his first two games of the season, last week against Columbus and Minnesota, but said the 20-year-old took it to a new level Thursday.

“He was much better,” Maurice said. “That’s the best game I’ve seen him play. A game like that, if he can do that every night, I won’t care whether he gets two points in 10 games or seven. That’s a quality NHL hockey game. If you can play that hard, be on the puck … he’s looked better in his first full game with that line but last night I thought he was outstanding. “

THE UTILITY MAN If Matt Calvert were a baseball player, he’d be a utility man.

The Brandon product has played left wing on three different lines for the Columbus Blue Jackets already this season and he doesn’t expect the juggling to end any time soon.

“I’ve bounced around, definitely a little more with (Jackets head coach John Tortorella), but no, it’s fun. You try to worry about your game. You’ve gotta bring what you can every night because you never know, you could be playing on the first or fourth line.”

He started on the fourth line in the Blue Jackets game against Buffalo on Wednesday night but was already back up in the top-6 before the end of the game.

He finished the game playing with the offensive-minded Alex Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the second line.

“I started him last game on the fourth line,” Tortorella said. “I couldn’t keep him there, in good conscience. I couldn’t keep him there because I wasn’t giving him the ice time he deserved.”

Calvert is in his eighth NHL season, all with the Blue Jackets. He has two goals and two assists in nine games this season.

“He could be one of our most consistent forwards,” Tortorella said. “He does great things but he has to score. He wants to be in the top-6, wants more ice time, he wants a lot of things, which I love about him. He has to produce too.

“He is a very important player for us. Right now I don’t know what I have as far as top lines. I think I have three lines I’m very comfortable with. Matty’s in that role. He’s been a really good player for us. He needs to continue to produce if he wants to stay in that role.”

Associated Press http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets-columbus-blue-jackets-1.4376507

Steve Mason's strong outing not enough as Jets fall in OT Winnipeg goaltender makes 35 saves, but remains winless on season

The

Josh Anderson saw Winnipeg goaltender Steve Mason lose his stick, and he fired away for the overtime winner.

Anderson took three consecutive shots, with Mason dropping his stick while making the first save. Mason managed to block the second with his pads, but Anderson came around again and beat him from the slot, finishing off the Columbus Blue Jackets' rally for a 2-1 victory over the Jets on Friday night.

Columbus is 7-3-0, its best 10-game start in franchise history.

"It's not how you played the 40 or 50 minutes, it's finding a way to win a game when it's there, when you're still involved in it," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "I am thrilled we win this type of hockey game."

The goal by Anderson 2:38 into overtime, his third of the season, capped the comeback victory. Cam Atkinson scored for the Blue Jackets midway through the third period to tie it.

"That was a tough one," Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler said. "We had them where we wanted them. It's just too bad we weren't able to close it out."

The winning goal came shortly after Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky blocked and fell on a point-blank shot from Wheeler in the OT period. Bobrovsky finished with 29 saves.

"I don't think we gave them much," Tortorella said. "But when we did give them something, Bob made some key saves at key times."

Mason, who played in Columbus for the first five seasons of his career, stopped 35 shots as Winnipeg lost for the second straight night. The Jets fell to Pittsburgh 2-1 in OT on Thursday.

Penalty-filled game Columbus prevailed despite a slow start in a penalty-filled game.

Winnipeg's Brandon Tanev scored 4:52 into the first period. Bobrovsky stopped Tanev's initial wrist shot but lost track of the puck, which trickled between the goalie's legs and behind him into the blue paint. Tanev spied it, charged in and netted a backhander for his second goal of the season and just the fourth of his career.

Atkinson tied it 10:23 into the third when he backhanded a tumbling puck past Mason from the slot for his fourth goal of the season.

Winnipeg failed to score on six power plays. Columbus looked better on their four, but also couldn't score.

"We ground it out as hard as we could, and unfortunately came up short," Mason said.

The veteran goalie lost his fourth game of the season and has yet to win one, but Jets coach Paul Maurice was pleased with how he hung tough when the Blue Jackets finally found their footing.

"He fought through a lot of traffic to find some pucks and give us a chance to get a point," Maurice said. "We're real pleased to get him back on track."

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-columbus-blue-jackets-game-recap/c-292361014

Anderson lifts Blue Jackets past Jets in overtime Forward scores with 2:22 remaining to give Columbus its best start by Craig Merz / NHL.com Correspondent

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets are getting that winning feeling again, just like last season.

Josh Anderson scored with 2:22 left in overtime for a 2-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Nationwide Arena on Friday.

The Blue Jackets (7-3-0) are off to their best start. They went 6-3-1 in 2007-08, and 5-3-2 last season when they set their record with 108 points.

"These are the types of games we won last year," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "It's finding a way to win a game when it's there, when you're still involved in it. I'm thrilled with the win."

Winnipeg (4-3-2) lost both games of a back-to-back. They were defeated at the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in overtime on Thursday.

"With both going to overtime and coming up short both times it is disappointing, but if we continue to work like that we should be successful more often than not," said Jets goaltender Steve Mason, who made his first start since a 5-2 home loss to the Blue Jackets on Oct. 17.

Anderson's goal came after Mason stopped him at the crease. While Anderson went to the right corner to get the puck, Mason was trying to retrieve his dropped stick. Anderson moved around the goal and looped the left circle before shooting from the high slot.

Mason was unable to recover his stick and could not make the save.

"Once I got around the net I tried to put it on net," Anderson said. "I saw some guys in front and luckily it went in."

The goal would not have been possible if not for Sergei Bobrovsky's outstanding save 37 seconds earlier when he robbed Blake Wheeler at the edge of the blue.

Wheeler was alone and had Bobrovsky down, but the 2017 Vezina Trophy winner stuck out his glove and scooped up the puck.

"We didn't give them much but when we did, [Bobrovsky] made key saves at key times," Tortorella said.

Columbus defeated the Jets at Nationwide Arena for the first time in five games, dating to Nov. 12, 2011, but it took a comeback effort.

Brandon Tanev gave the Jets a 1-0 lead 4:52 into the first period.

Tanev intercepted a clearance by Jack Johnson and immediately shot on Bobrovsky, who got a piece of the puck but let it trickle behind him. Tanev followed his shot into the blue and poked it in for his second goal.

Columbus made it hard on themselves by having to kill three penalties in the first period.

"Once we started killing penalties, it woke us up," Tortorella said.

Cam Atkinson tied the score at 1-1 with 9:37 left in the third period with his fourth goal.

He was skating through the slot when a shot from the right point by Seth Jones hit Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers and squirted through a tangle of players. Atkinson swatted a backhander through the pads of Mason.

"If it's luck I'll take it," Atkinson said.

Mason made 35 saves, and Bobrovsky made 29.

The Blue Jackets went for 6-for-6 on the penalty kill and have killed all 16 at home this season.

"They're hard on it," Jets defenseman Tyler Myers said. "It seemed like anytime we got the puck they were right on us. It was tough to make a play."

Goal of the game Anderson's goal at 2:38 of overtime.

Save of the game Bobrovsky's save on Wheeler 2:01 into overtime.

Highlight of the game Atkinson's goal at 10:23 of the third period.

They said it "You want to put these points in the bank. You're not going to play [your] best game. There's going to be nights where you play an unbelievable game and you don't win. You find nights where you play like crap and find a way to win." -- Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson

"Both games were played against very quick teams. We're quite a bit further ahead than where we were a week ago in terms of playing with that speed." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice on playing the Penguins and Blue Jackets on consecutive nights

Need to know Former Blue Jackets forward Marko Dano replaced Joel Armia in the Jets lineup. … Winnipeg killed all four Columbus power plays after doing the same vs. the Penguins. ... Mason, who played 232 games for the Blue Jackets from 2008-13, has lost five times in Nationwide Arena, all either in a shootout or overtime. … Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky, who had 91 penalty minutes last season, was called for roughing in the first period for his first infraction of the season. He was penalized for interference in the second.

What's next Jets: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; NHL Network, SN, TVA Sports, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV) Blue Jackets: At the St. Louis Blues on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, FS-O, NHL.TV)

The Athletic Columbus https://theathletic.com/140074/2017/10/28/given-a-chance-to-shine-josh-anderson-gives-blue- jackets-an-ot-win/

Given a chance to shine, Josh Anderson gives Blue Jackets an OT win

By Aaron Portzline

Josh Anderson was taking a leisurely skate in front of the Blue Jackets' bench as the Nationwide Arena ice was being prepped for overtime

“I was just circling around out there, getting the legs moving because I didn't know if I was going to play,” Anderson said. “I was a little bit surprised when (Brandon Dubinsky) told me, ‘Hey, we're going together.' ”

Only once before in his young NHL career has Anderson taken the ice during 3-on-3 overtime — “It was last year in Ottawa, and it was only one shift,” he said — but he made the most of it Friday night.

Anderson's wrister through a Dubinsky screen at 2:38 of overtime gave the Blue Jackets a come-from-behind 2-1 win, their second win over the Winnipeg Jets in 10 days.

The win pushes the Blue Jackets to 7-3-0, the best 10-game start in franchise history.

The winning goal was scored from the high slot, with Anderson skating left to right after circling the net. His momentum carried him toward the Blue Jackets' bench as he pumped his fists in celebration. He was mobbed by teammates.

“A guy gets an opportunity … ” Cam Atkinson said. “The boys were pretty fired up.”

John Tortorella has said he decides who plays in overtime by who's playing the hardest and best in regulation. He has his go-to guys, sure, but they are not chiseled in granite.

Nick Foligno, Atkinson and Seth Jones went out for the first shift, and Artemi Panarin, Alexander Wennberg and followed 90 seconds later. All of them are overtime regulars.

Anderson, Dubinsky and Ryan Murray came out for the third shift of overtime, just moments after Sergei Bobrovsky (29 saves) made a terrific save on Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler from point- blank range to keep the game alive.

“Your adrenaline carries you,” Anderson said. “You have a bunch of thoughts, and you have to be careful, because one bad turn, or one missed shot … it changes in a hurry.

“I'm so glad I got the opportunity, and it's awesome I was able to cash in. We had a ton of chances.”

The winning goal was actually Anderson's third shot attempt in the OT shift.

At 2:37, he deflected a Murray shot from the blue line, but Jets goaltender Steve Mason made a sprawling left pad save. Four seconds later, Anderson took a pass down low from Dubinsky and sailed a little flipper just wide of Mason's stick-side post.

After Dubinsky jarred the puck loose of Winnipeg's Patrik Laine in the corner, Anderson gathered it, skated behind the net, through the left circle and into a clearing before letting loose a wrister that Mason never saw.

“It’s just about getting an opportunity,” Anderson said. “I got that opportunity and I wanted to make the most of it, try to find an opening, and get the skill guys the puck as much as I can.”

Overtime was not Tortorella's only show of new-found faith in Anderson on the night.

Early in the third period, after watching the power play lull itself to sleep in the second period, Tortorella replaced Atkinson and Wennberg with Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the No. 1 unit. Wennberg and Atkinson were dropped to the second unit.

Using Anderson on the power play is not a total shock. He has quick hands and a big frame that could be useful as a net-front presence. But he's never been utilized in that role in the NHL, outside a few seconds as a power play winds down.

All 17 of Anderson's goals in 2016-17 were scored at even strength, which was third on the club and 59th overall in the NHL.

“Just wait your turn,” Tortorella said. “Go about your business, try to improve your game and you're going to get your opportunities. We try to be fair. I think we've been fair to Josh.

“Little by little, we're using him more. We used him to kill penalties tonight because we killed so many. His game is coming.”

NOTEBOOK • Anderson's goal ended it, but Atkinson's goal at 10:23 of the third period brought the Blue Jackets to life. It was a mucky game to that point, and Mason was doing a terrific job of swallowing pucks and not allowing rebounds. Atkinson wedged Winnipeg's Toby Enstrom off the puck behind the net, then circled back to the net as Jones' deflected shot was ground-balling its way toward Mason. Atkinson swatted at the puck with his backhand as it passed, scoring over Mason's stick. • Here's Atkinson: “I feel like I’ve been all over the map the last couple of games, been getting some opportunities. It’s nice to finally cash one in, especially since it helped us get momentum. Good teams find a way to win, whether it’s in the last 10 minutes or overtime.” • Of the Blue Jackets' seven wins, only one has been deemed worthy of full-on praise by Tortorella and the players. It's an unsettled bunch right now, with alternate captains being stripped of letters, lines being jumbled on a daily basis … but it says something — and something good — that they're winning games at a level below their best. They were just OK in Carolina, they would say, not very good against the , and sloppy in Minnesota. But all of those were wins. • Here's Tortorella on the topic: “There was no yelling or no panic tonight. We’ve got to get through these situations. We have to learn. We’ve had a … you know last year we said we didn’t have much experience with it. But we did as the year went on. Now we’re beginning to understand that. Do you want to write these games up this way? No. But it’s the National Hockey League. You don’t know what’s going to happen each and every night. They stayed with it. They didn’t panic. We had a power play in the third, and we get nothing out of it. There could be some frustration involved during that time, but there was no frustration. We found a way to tie the game and then we get a big play at the end to win it. I’m encouraged with the mental part of the game with the core of our team.” • In the previous 16 seasons of the franchise, the Blue Jackets are a combined 58-89-5-8 in the first 10 games of the season. • I miss ties. • The Jets took 11 of the first 13 shots in the game. It was 35-19 Columbus the rest of the way. • The Blue Jackets had lost four in a row to Winnipeg in Columbus dating to Nov. 11, 2011. • A bright little nugget from Jeff Svoboda of 1st Ohio Battery. Mason is 0-0-5 in Nationwide Arena since he was traded by the Blue Jackets, losing two games in shootouts and three in overtime. That's rough. • Former Blue Jackets first-round pick Marko Dano drew into the Jets lineup. He played only 8:40. • The Blue Jackets' fourth line went missing: Milano (6:30), Dubois (4:17) and Dalpe (3:32). Dalpe took one shift in the third, Dubois and Milano two each. • The penalty kill should have been the No. 1 star for the Blue Jackets. It went 6 for 6 and is now 16 of 16 in Nationwide Arena. Columbus, Buffalo and Minnesota are the only teams that haven't allowed a power-play goal at home this season. • Former Blue Jackets forward Freddy Modin has added a new title within the Blue Jackets' organization. He's been an advisor to hockey operations for more than a year but has recently started going on the ice with assistant coach Kenny McCudden to serve as a “skills” coach. Seriously, who has been better in the NHL at protecting a puck along the woodwork? • The Blue Jackets flew to St. Louis after the game, where on Saturday they'll play the Blues in the biggest game of the day. (For some.) The Blues beat the Hurricanes 2-1 tonight in Carolina, so they'll likely get to St. Louis after the Blue Jackets do. • Best news of the day: Fox Sports Ohio analyst Bill Davidge, a Blue Jackets pillar since the earliest days of the franchise, was told by his doctors today that he's in “total, complete remission” from the cancer he's been battling for a few years now. Amazing that it happened on Hockey Fights Cancer night in Nationwide Arena, but then he's always had impeccable timing. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-drop-second-straight-ot-decision/c-292363304

Jets drop second straight OT decision Tanev scores lone goal; Mason makes 35 saves by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com

For the second straight night, the Winnipeg Jets had a victory within reach and were oh-so close to pulling it off, but in the end, the result was identical and equally bitter as the club came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision in overtime.

Josh Anderson scored the winning goal for the Blue Jackets, who improve to 7-3 on the year. The Jets, meanwhile, fall to 4-3-2 after picking up two of a possible four points on this quick, two-game road trip.

"Both games were played against very quick teams and we're quite a bit further ahead than we were a week ago in terms of playing with that speed," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "It's going to sting, it's going to hurt, but we're going to get ready for another real fast game (on Sunday) vs. Pit."

The Jets pocketed a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the opening period and held that one-goal advantage for more than 45 minutes until Jackets forward Cam Atkinson buried a bouncing puck and tied things up with 9:37 to play in the third period.

Then, at 2:38 of the extra frame, Anderson fired a shot from the top of the circles after bringing it there from the near corner to give the home side the OT win.

Blake Wheeler had a glorious chance to end it off a marvelous feed from Mark Scheifele moments earlier, but Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky hurled himself into position and made a great glove grab to rob the Winnipeg captain in tight.

"We had the right mindset," Wheeler said. "Tonight was a tough one. We had them where we wanted them: (Ten) minutes left in the game up by one - a tough back to back - I think that's a pretty good situation. It's too bad we weren't able to close it out."

The Jets had multiple chances to put the Jackets away throughout the night, but the power play struggled to get anything going, failing to score six separate man-power advantages.

In their six home games - five of them victories - the Jackets have yet to surrender a power-play goal.

"They did a good job. We weren't able to get clean entries," Wheeler said. "When we had the puck, everyone was standing still and when you have nobody moving their feet on the entry, it's going to be tough. We were trying to squeeze things that weren't there. We need to get our feet moving a bit better and get some of those clean entries so we can get it set up."

Steve Mason, who entered the night with an 0-3 record, a 5.96 goals-against average and an .846 save percentage, had a strong night against his former team, stopping 35 of 37 to help the Jets earn a valuable single point,

Brandon Tanev scored the only goal for the Jets, who finished the night with 30 shots on net.

"He played great," Wheeler said of his goaltender. "We finally gave him a fighting chance. He made the saves he needed to make and he made some huge ones for us as well. There were a couple times in the first period where we were stuck in our own end, and he battled for us. I'm happy he was able to have a good performance tonight. He should have a lot of confidence after that game."

Mason said he "felt good" and was happy to produce that kind of performance after a disappointing first three.

"Considering I've been off for 10 days, it's not easy, but the situation that I'm in right now, you just practice hard and stay sharp that way," he said.

"Overall, I was pretty happy with the way I felt."

The Jets, who entered the night with 10 of their 23 goals having come in the first period this season, drew first blood on the strength of a great shift by the third line.

Columbus defenceman Jack Johnson turned the puck over to Tanev, who took one step to the middle and rifled a shot from the high slot, handcuffing the assailable CBJ netminder. Bobrovsky did get a piece of it with the glove, but not nearly enough as it leaked through the five-hole and reemerged in the blue paint behind him. Tanev hurried to the net and swiped it home on the backhand to give the Jets their first 5-on-5 goal of the season from a bottom six forward.

The Jets were all over the Jackets early on, recording 11 of the first 13 shots - all in the opening 10 minutes of the game.

Columbus took over in the latter half of the period and it was dead even after that.

"I thought we did a pretty good job of keeping things simple," Tyler Myers said.

But…

"It's about finding that way to win on nights like this, [and] doing it every single night consistently. We're just going to have to keep working at that as a group." https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/post-game--jetstv-road-report/t-277437442/c-53958703

POST GAME | JetsTV Road Report

JetsTV's Jamie Thomas breaks down tonight's 2-1 OT loss in Columbus https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/post-game--tyler-myers/t-277437442/c-53956903

POST GAME | Tyler Myers

Tyler Myers talks about his team's performance in Columbus this evening https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/post-game--blake-wheeler/t-277437442/c-53956303

POST GAME | Blake Wheeler

Jets captain Blake Wheeler spoke to the media following a 2-1 OT loss in Columbus https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/post-game--steve-mason/t-277437442/c-53956403

POST GAME | Steve Mason

Steve Mason spoke to the media following the team's 2-1 OT loss to the Blue Jackets