Patrick Laine scored at 2:16 overtime to secure a 2-1 victory for the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
Eric Robinson also found the net for Columbus, while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves, earning his second win as the Blue Jackets improved to a 2-0-0 start.
“We were much more engaged in this game,” said Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen. “It was a tough battle, but we were better in a few areas we had focused on. You had to earn your space out there.”
Brandon Tanev scored the lone goal for the Kraken, his third of the season, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead at 14:37 of the second period. Philipp Grubauer, who made 23 saves, was solid in net but couldn’t prevent the Blue Jackets’ comeback.
Robinson tied the game for Columbus at 10:07 of the third period with a high shot over Grubauer, assisted by Gregory Hofmann, who recorded his first NHL point.
In overtime, Laine sealed the win with a powerful shot from the right circle, marking Columbus’ first overtime victory of the season.
“It felt great,” Laine said. “Scoring an OT winner is always special, but doing it in front of our fans for the first time this season made it even better.”
Despite the loss, Tanev emphasized the importance of learning from the game. “Obviously, this isn’t the result we were aiming for,” he said. “There were positives to take away, but also things we need to improve on. We’ll learn from this and keep moving forward.”
UP NEXT
- Seattle continues their road trip with a game in Philadelphia on Monday.
- Columbus will travel to Detroit to face the Red Wings on Tuesday.
