Blue Jackets rally past Canucks 5-3 to aid wild card push

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Zach Werenski and Emil Bemstrom scored on power plays during Columbus’ four-goal, third-period rally and the slumping Blue Jackets stunned the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 Sunday night.

Riley Nash and Gustav Nyquist also scored in the third period for Columbus, which ended a two-game skid and moved three points ahead of Carolina for the second Eastern Conference wild card. It was the Blue Jackets’ first regulation win since Feb. 7 and their second victory in 11 games.

Werenski, Nash and Kevin Stenlund each had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Murray had two assists in his return after missing 34 games to injury. Jonas Korpisalo made 36 saves.

Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller scored for Vancouver, and Louis Domingue stopped 30 shots in his first appearance since being acquired from New Jersey at the trade deadline. The Canucks have dropped three in a row and six of their last seven games on the road.

Horvat put Vancouver ahead 1-0 a minute in and just 14 seconds into Nash’s penalty for slashing. Pettersson made it 2-0 at 7:08 of the first.

Stenlund got the Blue Jackets within one, burying the rebound of Nash’s shot at 10:01 of the first, but Miller extended the Vancouver lead again early in the second period by one-timing Pettersson’s pass from between the circles.

The third period belonged to Columbus.

Nash pulled the Blue Jackets within a goal at 12:39 of the third, burying a tic-tac-toe pass from Murray and Werenski.

Werenski got the Blue Jackets even with a power-play wrister from just inside the blue line at 15:06, assisted by Stenlund and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Columbus went ahead at 18:23 when Bemstrom scored on the second power play of the period.

Nyquist finished an empty-netter with 10 seconds remaining.

NOTES: Dubois left the game late in the second period after taking a puck to the mouth off the stick of Tyler Toffoli but returned for the third period.

NEXT UP

Columbus: Plays at Calgary on Wednesday night.

Vancouver: Hosts Arizona on Wednesday night.

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Nicole Kraft, The Associated Press