National Hockey League
Columbus 4, Buffalo 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, October 7, 2019
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Steve Kozari
Linesmen: Steve Barton, James Tobias
Attendance: 14618

Alexandre Texier scored 2:08 into overtime and the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame two blown leads on Monday night to beat the visiting Buffalo Sabres 4-3 for their first win of the season.

With 13:14 left in the third, Nick Foligno put Columbus up 3-2 with its second power-play goal of the night, thanks to some relentless pressure on Buffalo netminder Linus Ullmark (40 saves).

However, Columbus' Boone Jenner took a penalty for pushing the puck with his hand off a faceoff with less than two minutes in regulation.

Victor Olofsson then converted Buffalo's second power-play goal of the game, and the team's sixth of the season, with a blast from right circle to make it 3-3 with 1:14 left in regulation.

Marcus Johansson and Jeff Skinner scored second-period goals as the Sabres, trying to start 3-0-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season, tied the game at 2-2.

However, the hard-working Texier kept the pressure on Ullmark and rewarded the Jackets with the winner in overtime after being outscored 11-3 while losing their first two games.

Playing in his 200th NHL game, Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had a career-high 23 goals last season, gave his team a 1-0 lead when he sent home a backhanded rebound of Seth Jones' shot that deflected off both a Sabers player and the back boards.

Less than a minute later, Columbus made it 2-0 with the man-advantage.

Off a faceoff, Alexander Wennberg got the puck behind the net and found Cam Atkinson, who drilled one top-shelf by Ullmark with 55 seconds left in the first. It was the second of the season for Atkinson, who recorded a career-high 41 goals in 2018-19.

Buffalo, though, cut the deficit in half just 1:32 into the second period. Johansson nailed a quick one-timer from the right circle.

The visitors made it 2-2 with 8:02 left in the second when Skinner picked the pocket of Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray. After stealing the puck, Skinner turned and blasted a shot past Jackets netminder Joonas Korpisalo (15 saves) for his second goal of the season.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Columbus
Marcus Johansson 1 Points Nick Foligno 2
Marcus Johansson 1 Goals Nick Foligno 1
Rasmus Dahlin 1 Assists Nick Foligno 1
Marcus Johansson 1 Power Play Goals Nick Foligno 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Linus Ullmark .909 Save Percentage Joonas Korpisalo .833
Linus Ullmark 40 Saves Joonas Korpisalo 15
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 18 3 2-4 1-3 6 26
Columbus 44 4 2-3 2-4 8 34
Upcoming Games
  • Columbus will play their next game at home against Anaheim. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Sabres have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .000 after a loss.