Voracek scores shootout winner to lift Blue Jackets to 3-2 win over Oilers

Voracek lifts Blue Jackets past Oilers in SO

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jakub Voracek scored the winner in the fourth round of the shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.

After Voracek’s goal, Mathieu Garon stopped Gilbert Brule to secure Columbus’ fourth win in five games.

Anton Stralman had a goal and assist and Antoine Vermette also scored for the Blue Jackets.

Lubomir Visnovsky had a goal and assist and Ales Hemsky also tallied for Edmonton. The Oilers, losers of four in a row, have only two wins in their last 12 games.

All the goals in regulation were on the power play with Edmonton taking a 2-1 lead on Visnovsky’s score 5:48 into the third period before Vermette tied it with 7:34 left on a redirection.

Mathieu Garon, 18-4 in shootouts, made 23 saves in his second straight start for Columbus, spelling Steve Mason, who allowed eight goals in a 9-1 loss to Detroit last Wednesday.

Nikolai Khabibulin made his 18th start in 21 games for the Oilers and finished with 30 saves.

With the score tied 1-1 in the third, Garon kicked aside Souray’s blast from the right point nearly outside the circles, but Visnovsky stepped into the puck to score his fifth on a one-timer.

About six minutes later it was Columbus’ turn on the man-advantage. Tyutin snapped a shot from the point that Vermette got his stick on from the slot with his back to the net for his fourth goal of the season, snapping a seven-game goal-scoring drought.

The game was physical from the beginning. Columbus’ Mike Blunden and Edmonton’s Zack Stortini squared off just 2:41 in. Just 2 seconds after play resumed, the Oilers’ Jason Strudwick tangled with Blue Jackets callup Tom Sestito.

Then, two players from each team — Souray and Liam Reddox for Edmonton, and Voracek and R.J. Umberger for Columbus — were sent off for roughing in a scrum near the Oilers goal with 6:59 left in the period.

Columbus’ best chances came from Rick Nash, who fired wide on a breakaway out of the penalty box. He was then stopped by Khabibulin on a semi-breakaway late in the period.

The Blue Jackets outshot the Oilers 14-4 and the clubs traded power play goals in the second period.

An ill-advised tripping penalty on captain Ethan Moreau behind the Columbus goal gave the Blue Jackets a two-man advantage for 1:18.

At the left circle, Stralman converted on the first power play, taking a pass from Kristian Huselius and converting on a low slap shot to make it 1-1 at 7:08.

Reddox put the Oilers up a man by drawing a hooking penalty on Kris Russel as he side-stepped the defenseman across the blueline into the zone, nearly scoring but Garon flashed his glove to make the save.

Hemsky, 31 points in 23 career games against Columbus, tied it at 13:13 with his fifth, beating a screened Garon with a slow shot from the left circle that went through the legs of Blue Jackets defenseman Rostislav Klesla and teammate Dustin Penner.

NOTES: Edmonton wrapped up a five-game road trip (1-2-2) that began with a win against Colorado. …The Blue Jackets embark on their own five-game swing that starts Thursday at Dallas. …The Oilers are 2-7-2 on the road. … Columbus went 2 for 4 on the power play, Edmonton was 2 for 5.