The Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 overtime victory against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday at Delta Center. Dmitri Voronkov scored the game-winning goal on the power play at 1:01 of overtime, tipping a feed from Zach Werenski past Vitek Vanecek.
Voronkov's goal came after Daniil But was called for tripping Adam Fantilli with just 24 seconds remaining in the third period. Columbus cashed in on the late power-play opportunity, their second successful man-advantage goal of the night after going 0-for-17 over their previous eight games.
Charlie Coyle and Mikael Pyyhtia also found the net in regulation for the Blue Jackets. Pyyhtia opened the scoring just 2:47 into the first period, splitting two defenders and beating Vanecek on the blocker side for his first goal of the season. Coyle tied the game at 2-2 with 1:29 remaining in the second period, sweeping a loose puck behind Vanecek for a power-play goal.
“That was two points on the line that, yeah, we definitely needed here,” Coyle said postgame. “That's a huge two points that get us feeling a little better heading home for a little homestand where, again, we've got to take care of business and string together some wins here in our own building.”
Jet Greaves made 25 saves in goal, helping Columbus hold off Utah’s offense despite playing most of the game with just five defensemen due to an injury to Denton Mateychuk from a hit by Brandon Tanev. The Blue Jackets outshot the Mammoth 37-27, finishing a four-game road trip with a crucial win before returning home to face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
For Utah, Jack McBain and Mikhail Sergachev scored, while Clayton Keller collected two assists, including his eighth multi-assist game of the season. McBain tied the game 1-1 late in the first period off a fortunate bounce, and Sergachev gave the Mammoth a brief 2-1 lead at 1:02 of the second period with a wrist shot from the point. Vanecek completed 34 saves but saw his 7-0 career record against Columbus come to an end.
The win offers a meaningful bounce-back for the Blue Jackets, who had lost three consecutive games to start the trip, including a 4-0 defeat against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Columbus will play seven of their next eight games at Nationwide Arena, offering a chance to build momentum after a challenging road stretch.
