Plagued all season by late leads that slipped away, the Blue Jackets flipped the script against the Utah Mammoth on March 7 at Nationwide Arena to salvage a standings point.
Trailing by two goals after the Mammoth scored twice in a 1:54 span early in the third period, the Jackets’ top line led the comeback charge with goals 30 seconds apart scored by Adam Fantilli and Mason Marchment to tie it 4-4, setting the stage for a wild finish that included a line brawl and a sellout crowd of 18,668 roaring to life.
In overtime, however, the Mammoth controlled possession after getting the puck off a rebound and won it 5-4 on Logan Cooley’s second of two goals, scored 2:08 into OT after a defensive breakdown created a deflating 2-on-1 at the net. Cooley turned, taunted fans in the first row of seats on his side of the ice and the Mammoth (34-25-4) escaped with the extra point.
The Blue Jackets needed a win to keep pace with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference’s playoff chase. They’ll settle for a point earned with an overtime loss, which they stole with a thrilling finish to regulation.
Alexander Kerfoot and Cooley scored the Mammoth’s goals in the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie within the first five minutes, and that set up the Blue Jackets’ comeback.
Damon Severson and Mathieu Olivier each finished with a goal and assist to lead the Blue Jackets (32-21-9), who started Elvis Merzlikins in net. Michael Carcone and Dylan Guenther scored the first two goals for the Mammoth (34-25-4), who helped Karel Vejmelka earn the goaltending win.
The game was tied 1-1 after the first period and 2-2 after the second on goals by Carcone and Severson in the first followed by Guenther and Olivier in the second.
Carcone opened the scoring at 7:25 into the game on a shot from the left wing that beat Merzlikins over the glove and under the crossbar on the far side of the net. An accidental collision in the neutral zone between Denton Mateychuk and Mason Marchment allowed Carcone to enter the zone uncovered for a pass from Kevin Stenlund, a former Blue Jackets center.
That was the Mammoth fourth line’s first of two goals in the game.
Severson responded for the Blue Jackets, tying it 1-1 with 34.6 seconds left in the first by one-timing a shot off a pass from Coyle for his fifth goal of the season.
In the second, Guenther took a stretch pass from Nick DeSimone and then finished a 2-on-0 rush with his 29th goal to put the Mammoth back up 2-1, but Olivier tied it by scoring off a rebound of his own shot with 3:57 left for his 12th goal of the season and third goal in two games.
The Blue Jackets appeared to take a 2-1 lead on Kent Johnson’s power-play goal earlier in the second, but Utah coach Andre Tourigny issued a challenge for a missed offside and got it overturned.
Columbus Blue Jackets playoff picture
Losing in OT pushed the Blue Jackets’ to 73 points, which moved them to within two points of the Boston Bruins for the second of two playoff wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. Boston defeated the Washington Capitals in regulation before the Jackets hosted the Mammoth, which increased the Bruins’ lead to three points before the puck dropped in Columbus.
Gaining a point in overtime also kept the Blue Jackets within three points of tying the Pittsburgh Penguins, who also lost in OT to the Philadelphia Flyers, for second place in the Metropolitan Division. The New York Islanders also held a three-point lead over the Blue Jackets for third in the Metro and played a late game at the San Jose Sharks.
Blue Jackets remaining schedule
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Utah Mammoth top Columbus Blue Jackets in OT to cap wild finish
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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