TORONTO _ John Tortorella didn't have many complaints when he met with reporters Monday at the Blue Jackets' morning skate.
His team came into a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena with a 3-3-2 record. But Tortorella knew it could've been a much shinier mark had overtimes in their previous two games gone better for the Jackets.
"Wish our record was a little better right now, but I am encouraged at how we have played," he said. "I'm a little (ticked) off about getting scored on the first shift the last two overtimes. I think we need to be better in those situations, but hopefully that's something we can solve."
Well, they got another chance in a game against the Maple Leafs and, indeed, solved it for a 4-3 overtime victory decided by Gustav Nyquist's goal on a penalty shot 1:57 into the extra period.
It was awarded to the Blue Jackets after Toronto's Mitch Marner hooked Nyquist on a breakaway set up by a pass from Alexander Wennberg. Nyquist's shot in OT rewarded goalie Joonas Korpisalo for an impressive night in net (28 saves) and gave Columbus a huge second point.
Despite losing two of three games played in a four-day span, the Blue Jackets (4-3-2) came out of it with four of six possible points _ getting the victory on a night they were largely outplayed.
Riley Nash and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in the first period, providing an early 2-0 lead, and Alexander Wennberg's second goal of the season _ which broke an 0-for-18 skid on the power play _ tied it 3-3 with 9:51 left in the third.
That one forced overtime and guaranteed the Jackets would get at least a point in their third straight game to go beyond regulation.
"We've protected the puck very well," Tortorella said earlier in the day. "We've developed offense. It's just that last play. We just haven't finished. If we can just get our guys more consistently scoring goals when they have the opportunity, without sacrificing the way we have to play away from the puck, we'll be OK."
Outside of the goals by Nash and Dubois in the first, this game was a struggle for the Jackets, who coughed up the 2-0 lead by allowing three unanswered goals by Toronto's Kasperi Kapanen, Auston Matthews and Alexander Nylander. That gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead with just 14.5 seconds left in the second.
Columbus squandered its first four of five power plays, allowing Kapanen's short-handed goal in the first, and just couldn't break through again on Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen until late in the game.
This was not like the Jackets' recent games, when they outplayed their opponent in tight games. This was survival after the Maple Leafs turned up the heat to a high setting.
In fact, if it hadn't been for Korpisalo's excellence, it might've been a Toronto rout. Instead, it was a huge road victory that should provide a boost of confidence for a young, scrappy team that needed one.
