SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Artemi Panarin scored two goals and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended their California swing on a winning note by beating the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Sunday night.
Nick Foligno and Sonny Milano got Columbus started with first-period goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves to help the Blue Jackets salvage the final game of their three-game trip to remain a point ahead of Florida for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Evander Kane scored his first goal since joining the Sharks and Joonas Donskoi also scored but San Jose was unable to erase a three-goal deficit.
Martin Jones allowed three goals on 11 shots before being pulled early in the second period and the Sharks went a 12th straight game without a power-play goal, extending their drought to 28 chances.
The Sharks fell behind 3-0 early in the second when Panarin deflected Ian Cole’s point shot into the net to end Jones’ night. The Blue Jackets limited San Jose’s chances after that as they kept control of the game until a broken play late in the second gave the Sharks life.
Kane’s pass was deflected right to Dylan DeMelo at the point. DeMelo fired the puck toward the net and Donskoi deflected it past Bobrovsky to make it 3-1.
Kane then scored midway through the third, giving him five points in three games with San Jose. But the Sharks were unable to get the equalizer against Bobrovsky, who made a sliding save on a deflection by Pavelski.
Panarin then sealed it with an empty-netter, his 20th goal of the season.
The Blue Jackets bounced back from losses at Los Angeles and Anaheim by getting off to a fast start in San Jose despite being short-handed for six minutes in the opening period.
The Sharks failed to convert any of those chances into goals with Bobrovsky’s glove save on a deflection by Pavelski the best chance as their power-play drought extended to 27.
Columbus then scored seconds after the first penalty ended with Foligno beating Jones with a wrist shot to make it 1-0.
The Blue Jackets added another goal less than a minute after killing a third penalty when Marc-Edouard Vlasic misplayed the puck at the blue line and Boone Jenner fed Milano on the 2-on-1 for the goal.
NOTES: Aaron Dell stopped all 16 shots he faced in place of Jones. … Sharks C Eric Fehr returned to the lineup after missing one game and Marcus Sorensen was scratched. … Blue Jackets C Alexander Wennberg also returned after missing one game in place of Lukas Sedlak.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Host Vegas on Tuesday night.
Sharks: Host St. Louis on Thursday night.
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