Three Things: Voracek Wins It In Overtime After Furious Third-Period Comeback

By Jacob Nitzberg on February 10, 2022 at 10:19 pm
Feb 10, 2022; Buffalo, New York, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Jack Roslovic (96) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
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Nothing was going the Blue Jackets' way tonight.

Then, they dug deep, rallied, and came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Buffalo Sabres via a goal in overtime from Jakub Voracek.

Let's get into tonight's Three Things from tonight's big comeback win.

Battling Back Late

When Alex Tuch made it 3-1 Sabres 12 seconds into the third period, the Blue Jackets were staring at the possibility of a deflating loss after an exhilarating win in Washington on Tuesday night. They needed to fight back, and they did. 

Brendan Gaunce scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket at the 4:48 mark of the final frame, then Oliver Bjorkstrand knotted things up on the power play with 5:35 remaining. Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine provided helpers on Bjorkstrand's goal. 

In overtime, it was Voracek's turn to play hero as he fired the puck past Dustin Tokarski, off the post, and in to give the Blue Jackets two points.

Gaunce Gets His First With The Jackets

Gaunce isn't known for his scoring prowess, but he brought the Blue Jackets within striking distance with a big goal in the third period. Before tonight, the Ontario native had six goals in 119 NHL games. He's got one in two games with the Blue Jackets.

Although it wasn't pretty, it ended up being a crucial goal for the Blue Jackets.

"Some games, you're not playing your greatest as a team," said Gaunce postgame. "You gotta find ways to win and I think the third period kind of showed it."

Laine Keeps The Streak Going

With his assist on Bjorkstrand's power-play goal tonight, Laine now has a five-game point streak. The young forward now has 6-4-10 in his last five games. It's no coincidence that the Blue Jackets are 4-1-0 in their last five as Laine has found his scoring touch. 

With 25 points in 26 games, Laine has been a difference-maker for the Blue Jackets in his time on the ice. It's true that his defensive game needs some work, but in the offensive zone, he's a weapon waiting to be unleashed. 

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