Panarin sinks Leafs in overtime, 3-2
Artemi Panarin scored in overtime as the Columbus Blue Jackets came from behind to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, on Monday in the only NHL game of the night.
Panarin took a pass off his skate and kicked it to his stick for the winner at 3:11 of the extra period.
Jordan Schroeder and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in regulation for the Blue Jackets (2516-3), who trailed 2-0 with less than five minutes to play in regulation before storming back. Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves for the win.
James van Riemsdyk and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs (25-16-3). Frederik Andersen stopped 30 shots in defeat.
Toronto took the first three minor penalties of the contest, leading to defenceman Ron Hainsey logging over 14 minutes of ice time at just the halfway point of the second period. Columbus started pulling away in the shot department and led 20-11 at that point, but couldn’t solve Andersen, who held the Leafs in it long enough for van Riemsdyk to open the scoring at 11:09 of the second period, deflecting a Polak point shot past Bobrovsky for his 18th goal of the season.
The Leafs maintained momentum and Nylander doubled his team’s lead on the power play with 3:58 to go in the second, rifling a wrist shot over the glove hand of a screened Bobrovsky for his ninth of the campaign.
Toronto went into the dressing room for second intermission with a 2-0 lead and the 18,933 in attendance at Air Canada Centre chanting “Freddie, Freddie,” for Andersen, who stopped all 25 shots his way through 40 minutes.
The Leafs came out and started the third the way they finished the second and could have put the game away if it wasn’t for Bobrovsky, who turned away Brown and Nazem Kadri on point-blank chances.
Schroeder finally put Columbus on the board with 4:28 to play in regulation on a play that Andersen lost the bouncing puck on before it found its way behind him.
Dubois tied the game with 2:47 left on the clock, snapping a wrist shot blocker side on Andersen from the slot.
Shots were 36-27 Toronto heading into overtime.