Blue Jackets blow lead, recover to dump Ducks

Zach Werenski and Sean Kuraly each scored two goals and the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets held off an Anaheim Ducks rally to earn a 7-4 victory Wednesday while completing a successful three-game run through California.

Johnny Gaudreau, Yegor Chinakhov and Boone Jenner also scored goals for the Blue Jackets, who blew a four-goal lead before scoring three times in the third period. Gaudreau, Jenner, Alexandre Texier and Jack Roslovic each had two assists.

Daniil Tarasov left briefly after taking a stick to the face through his mask but made 27 saves as the Blue Jackets went 2-1-0 on visits to San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Mason McTavish scored two goals, Troy Terry had a goal in a three-point game and Pavel Mintyukov had three assists for the Ducks, who scored four goals in 12 minutes during the second period, including three in a 3:31 span. Alex Killorn also had a goal, while John Gibson stopped 20 shots for Anaheim.

The Blue Jackets made their mark early as Werenski saw a Gaudreau shot deflect off Gibson then rebound off his left skate then knee for a 1-0 lead a mere 3:32 into the game.

Gaudreau scored at 9:32 of the first period. He rushed the Ducks' goal, forced Gibson to commit and delivered inside the left post for his eighth of the season.

Werenski scored again at 18:30 of the first, rebounding a shot off Gibson's skate and across the line. The two goals doubled his season total.

After a Gibson turnover in the Ducks' zone, Texier fed Kuraly for a 4-0 Blue Jackets lead at 2:49 of the second period.

Terry got the Ducks on the scoreboard at 9:07 of the second period on a blast from the top of the right circle, his 17th. McTavish scored at 16:05 of the second, with Tarasov leaving after he took a stick through the mask from teammate Adam Boqvist. Tarasov was replaced by Elvis Merzlikins, who didn't save either of the two shots he faced.

Anaheim added two more goals in a 47-second span late in the second period against Merzlikins. McTavish scored his 17th with the teams four-on-four at 18:49, before Killorn scored his seventh at 19:36 just as the Ducks finishing killing a penalty.

Chinakhov gave Columbus the lead for good when he scored at 6:05 of the third period, his 15th. Kuraly delivered 49 seconds later for a two-goal lead at the 7:39 mark, his ninth. Jenner scored his team-leading 18th into an empty net with 32.5 seconds remaining.

—Field Level Media