BUFFALO, N.Y. _ All things considered, it could've gone a lot worse.
The Blue Jackets hadn't played since Jan. 22, faced an afternoon start in their return and still did something Saturday at the KeyBank Center they've done in 21 of the past 23 games. They earned a point in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres, making sure Oliver Bjorkstrand's latest tying goal in the third period meant something.
"I don't want to lose the game, but we (only) gave up eight scoring chances," coach John Tortorella said. "We'll take the point and go. That's a big point for us, coming back in the third period."
Bjorkstrand knotted it 1-1 at 5:45 of the third with his 17th goal and fifth in three games since returning from rib and oblique injuries. The Blue Jackets (27-16-9) also got another solid outing from rookie goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who made 22 saves and kept the game close with several big stops before Bjorkstrand finally tied it.
Making his second career NHL start, Kivlenieks allowed a goal to Evan Rodrigues late in the first period and another to Jack Eichel 36 seconds into overtime to end it, a laser of a wrist shot for his 31st goal.
Otherwise, despite a lull midway through the game, it was a solid return to action for the Blue Jackets. They were only outshot 24-23, made sure they got another point in a close game and could have won had a goal by Alexander Wennberg not been overturned with 3:00 left in the second.
Wennberg was initially ruled to have scored what would have been a tying goal off a rebound of Cam Atkinson's shot, but officials took a look at the replay and reversed the call, ruling that Wennberg kicked it into the net.
"If you look at it, it hits Eichel's back of his skate right before, so it changed directions," Wennberg said. "I was going to use my stick, but when he stopped on it ... I mean, it was 50-50. It could either be a goal or not, and unfortunately it didn't work out the way we wanted."
The outcome didn't either, earning one point instead of two for a victory, but the point they did get still helps. Stringing games like this together is what helped the Blue Jackets climb out of a hole that had put them 11 points back of a playoff spot going into a game Dec. 9 at Washington, which turned out to be the start of a remarkable run.
The Jackets are 16-2-5 in their past 23 games, earning 37 of 46 possible points, and have a 7-1-3 record in 11 one-goal games during that stretch.
"We live in this world," Tortorella said. "We play so many one-goal games ... we live here. I don't think we feel it at all. We just play."
They'll do it again Sunday at the Montreal Canadiens, looking for more.
