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Sports

O'Reilly returns, but Blue Jackets beat Avs in OT

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Columbus, OH – Artem Anisimov scored 2:26 into overtime to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 2-1 victory that spoiled Ryan O'Reilly's season debut with the Colorado Avalanche.

The return of O'Reilly did nothing to remedy a road penalty kill that remains dreadful.

PA Parenteau scored the lone Colorado goal, but took a hooking penalty in the extra session that led to Anisimov's game-winner.

Having one player break his stick only made things worse for an Avalanche club that entered play with the league's worst road penalty-kill percentage (65.1).

Anisimov beat Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who remains winless in games not played at Pepsi Center, with a wrist shot from the right circle to give Columbus just its second win in nine games.

"He was a monster tonight," Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen said of Anisimov. "He came up big for our team."

The Blue Jackets tied at the 4:04 mark of the third period, with O'Reilly, decked out in his new No. 90 jersey, playing a supporting role as he inadvertently put Vinny Prospal's pass through the crease into his own net during Columbus' second 5-on-3 power play of the game.

O'Reilly, who paced the Avalanche with a career-high 55 points last season, missed training camp and the first 19 games while holding out for a new contract. The restricted free agent on Thursday signed an offer sheet with Calgary that Colorado quickly matched.

"I wasn't very good. It's going to be a climb back," admitted O'Reilly. "No one said it was going to be easy for me. I just have to work hard and take it one game at a time."

The Avalanche got on the board when Parenteau fired a shot from the top of the slot that fluttered off the right shoulder of Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and under the crossbar with 7:25 left in the middle stanza.

Game Notes

Bobrovsky made 18 saves ... Varlamov stopped 32 shots. He fell to 0-6-2 in eight road starts this season ... The Blue Jackets were 2-for-5 on the power play, while Colorado was 0-for-2 ... Avalanche goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere missed the game due to the death of his mother. He will rejoin the team for Tuesday's game in Detroit ... Calvin Pickard was called up from AHL Lake Erie to serve as Varlamov's backup ... The Avs are 1-0-3 in their last four games.