Chernyshov gets 1st multigoal game, Sharks stun Blue jackets

COLUMBUS -- Igor Chernyshov scored twice for his first multigoal NHL game, including the go-ahead goal with 1:25 remaining, and the San Jose Sharks ended a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

Chernyshov gave San Jose a 3-2 lead when he buried a cross-ice pass from Will Smith with a one-timer from the left face-off circle to the blocker side on Elvis Merzlikins. Macklin Celebrini, who started the play by skating into the offensive zone, had the secondary assist for his 100th in the NHL.

“It was a great zone entry there by 'Mac' and he delayed it, hit me, and then I saw 'Cherny' over on the weak side, and he put it in the back of the net,” Smith said. “We were pretty far away but I just saw him kind of lift his stick up, and then you’ve got to make the decision pretty quick, and he did the rest.”

Celebrini also scored, and Smith had two assists for the Sharks (33-31-7), who were 0-5-1 during the streak. Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves.

San Jose is four points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

“I think we just, we let go of a little bit of that weight that we're dealing with,” Celebrini said. “I mean, it kind of was weighing on all of us, just not winning games and feeling we weren't getting bounces.”

Denton Mateychuk and Cole Sillinger scored, and Merzlikins made 33 saves for the Blue Jackets (38-24-11), who have lost two straight and three of four.

Columbus holds the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Boston Bruins, who they host on Sunday.

“We didn't have our legs. As simple as that,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “We just didn't have our legs. What these guys have to learn is when you don't have your legs, you try to simplify the game a little bit. And even though we didn't have our legs, we're still trying to make plays that just weren't there.”

“They're (San Jose) fighting for their lives too, just as we are, so they were the better team tonight,” Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “They carried the play for the better part of that. They were on top of us. We didn't really get many opportunities to be on the offensive side of those physical altercations.”

Mateychuk gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead just 31 seconds into the first period with a wrist shot from the left circle past a screened Nedeljkovic to the blocker side.

Chernyshov tied it 1-1 at 17:17, taking a pass from Smith and putting a snap shot from the right circle off Merzlikins' blocker and into the net.

Sillinger put Columbus up 2-1 at 12:09. Ivan Provorov intercepted a clearing attempt from Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov and fed a cross-slot pass to Sillinger in the right circle, where he dropped to one knee and beat Nedeljkovic with a one-timer.

“I think besides the 30 seconds, we played a really good hockey game,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Had chances, didn't get discouraged, pucks sitting on the goal line, hitting some posts, and we just kept playing, so that was a big positive.”

Celebrini tied the game 2-2 just 57 seconds into the third period with a power-play goal. Following a face-off win by Alexander Wennberg in the left circle, Orlov gained control of the puck and passed to Celebrini, who beat Merzlikins to the glove side with a one-timer off the right post.

“That was a big point, having our power play step up for our group,” Celebrini said. “We talked about that, when we get those opportunities, we need to stick up for our group and get one, and that was an important one.”

“I would want that one back, I would say, even if it was a great shot, but still, it was pretty far away," said Merzlikins, who was unhappy with his play on the goal.

NOTES: Celebrini became the fifth player in NHL history with 100 career assists as a teenager, following Sidney Crosby (147), Wayne Gretzky (144), Dale Hawerchuk (109) and Steve Yzerman (107). … Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov left the game at 2:18 of the second period with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot by Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. Bowness said he will not play on Sunday.