Canucks blow 4th straight multi-goal lead in OT loss to Blue Jackets, remain winless

Vladislav Gavrikov scored in overtime and the Columbus Blue Jackets came from behind to beat the visiting Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Tuesday night for their first victory of the season.

Gavrikov scores in overtime to propel host Columbus to 4-3 victory

Nicole Kraft · The Associated Press · Posted: Oct 18, 2022 10:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 19, 2022

Blue Jackets players celebrate a goal during a 4-3 overtime victory over the visiting Canucks, who are still looking for their first win this season, on Tuesday. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Vladislav Gavrikov scored in overtime and the Columbus Blue Jackets came from behind to beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Tuesday night for their first victory of the season.

The Canucks remained winless after four games and are the first team in NHL history to give up four straight multi-goal leads to start the season.

BOXSCORE: Blue Jackets 3, Canucks 4 (OT)

Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist, Justin Danforth and Zach Werenski each scored, and Gavrikov added an assist before his goal at 3:21 of overtime on a pass from Yegor Chinakhov. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 32 shots for Columbus, which had lost its first three games.

"You got to find a way to spark your team," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "We needed to find a way to win one game and then go from there. Hopefully, that lets you take a breath, and it loosens up some guys."

WATCH l Gavrikov posts OT winner to lift Blue Jackets past Canucks:

Blue Jackets' Vladislav Gavrikov overtime winner hands Canucks 4th straight loss

2 years ago

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Columbus defeated Vancouver 4-3 after Vladislav Gavrikov pots the overtime winner for the Blue Jackets.

Elias Pettersson scored his 100th career goal and added an assist, and Bo Horvat scored twice for the Canucks. Spencer Martin stopped 28 shots.

Vancouver got on the board at 7:51 of the first with Horvat's short-handed one-timer off a pass from Pettersson with 13 seconds left in Curtis Lazar's roughing penalty. Pettersson followed at 11:11, burying a rebound from inside the right circle for his third goal in four games.

But as it has in every game this season, the Vancouver lead eventually evaporated.

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Danforth put the Blue Jackets on the board at 15:42 of the second, beating Martin over the left shoulder, and Werenski pulled them even at 6:18 of the third, finishing a cross-crease pass from Boone Jenner.

"In the first period we didn't really have much," Werenski said. "Both were desperate teams needing to win. I thought they came out a little bit better than us. The start of the second we started playing better and the third we dominated."

Vancouver pulled ahead again 41 seconds later with Horvat's dribbler before Gaudreau skated in to beat Martin with a wraparound at 9:27 of the third.

"We competed," Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We came back. I thought in the last 10 minutes of the game we had 75 per cent of the chances. We just didn't score."

WATCH l Jackets' Gaudreau scores a stunner against Canucks: