Blue Jackets recover, defeat Canadiens in shootout

COLUMBUS -- Kirill Marchenko had two assists and scored the deciding goal in the shootout for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who recovered for a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Nationwide Arena on Monday.

Marchenko extended his point streak to 12 games (three goals, 12 assists).

Zach Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets (10-7-2), who are 3-0-2 in their past five games. Jet Greaves made 29 saves in his fifth straight start.

“It's always big when you can get points in this league,” Werenski said. “We've done that for a number of games now, and we probably wouldn't like to give up a 3-1 lead there in the third, but at the end of the day, all that matters is two points. We got that and now we can learn from it in a more positive way after a win.”

Lane Hutson had a goal and an assist, and Jakub Dobes made 20 saves for the Canadiens (10-6-3), who have lost four in a row and are 1-3-3 in their past seven games.

“The second half of the game I thought we really controlled it, especially in the third,” Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said. “We got two goals and had our chances in overtime. It feels tough to lose that one. I thought we gave ourselves a really good chance to win.”

Josh Anderson began Montreal's comeback by cutting the score to 3-2 at 8:28 of the third period. Hutson's point shot was blocked in front, but Anderson gloved down the rebound and slid a backhand into the open net.

“We had some momentum, a lot of guys were going. We had a lot of offensive zone time tonight and we had our chances to capitalize,” Anderson said. “Their goalie played really well, but I liked how we competed to the end and found a way to get a big point.

“It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the two points, but we’re headed in the right direction. I feel it could have gone either way in that game.”

Hutson tied it 3-3 at 18:41 with Dobes pulled for the extra attacker. He scored with a shot from the high slot that went through a screen by Juraj Slafkovsky and under the glove of Greaves.

“I feel like sometimes when we get the lead in the third we're kind of just chucking pucks away, not really making plays, on our heels a little bit,” Werenski said. “I still feel like we have to attack the other team. That's when we're at our best.”

Werenski gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 6:58 of the first period. He got the puck at the left point, skated to the high slot, and used a screen by Charlie Coyle to beat Dobes under his glove.

Oliver Kapanen tied it 1-1 at 4:47 of the second period. Mike Matheson skated down the left wing, and just as he was about to go around the net he passed back out front to Kapanen, who buried a one-timer from the hash marks.

Adam Fantilli put the Blue Jackets back in front 2-1 at 9:47. After Voronkov forced a turnover by Noah Dobson behind the net, Marchenko got the loose puck and sent a centering feed toward the low slot. The pass hit off the stick of Canadiens forward Joshua Roy, but he couldn't control it, allowing Fantilli to beat Dobes glove side.

Voronkov pushed it to 3-1 at 13:32 with a power-play goal. He stationed himself at the left post and tapped in Marchenko’s backdoor pass from the right circle.

“We're not happy about [giving up a point], sometimes it comes down to the wild card,” Fantilli said. “We don't even want to be talking about wild card right now. It's not what we're here for. We're trying to get in the playoffs, we're not trying to hope for it. So, obviously you don't want to give them a point. That [stinks], but we got two tonight, and that's all we can really focus on.”

NOTES: Marchenko tied Cam Atkinson (2018-19) for the second-longest point streak in Blue Jackets history. Ryan Johansen holds the record at 13 games (2014-15). ... Werenski has four points (one goal, three assists) during a three-game point streak. He has 399 NHL points (118 goals, 281 assists in 586 games). ... Elvis Merzlikins is expected to start for the Blue Jackets at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. ... The Canadiens have scored four game-tying goals in the final five minutes of regulation this season, the most in the NHL.