FINAL: Blue Jackets 6, Avalanche 3

Columbus (29-20-3) went on the road and snapped its five-game losing streak, using a strong third-period effort to down Colorado (22-22-8) by a 6-3 score in the Pepsi Center.
Game in a Paragraph
In a wild, back-and-forth game between two teams trying to snap losing skids, the teams were tied 2-2 after one period and 3-3 after the second. Columbus took control in the third, dominating the shot count 19-5 and getting two goals in 1:42 from Josh Anderson and Alex Wennberg to earn the win.

Quote of the Game
"Find a way, I guess. We'll take them any way we can right now as far as the state of the team, and hopefully we can build off of that third period. We have something good to build off of in that third period. You have to remember, we lost two before an eight-day break, then lose a few here. It's like we hadn't won in what seems like a month, and that wears on the players."
CBJ Notables
Quick Recap
The Blue Jackets led twice in the first period but still were tied 2-2 after the frame despite goals from Bjorkstrand and Dubois.
It took just 53 seconds for Bjorkstrand to score, as he entered the offensive zone with speed along the right wing after a pass from Alex Wennberg, then cut behind the net and beat Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer to the far post for a wraparound goal.
"For goalies, if they think maybe you're going to shoot, it's hard for them to slide over," Bjorkstrand said. "I like to think I was fast there."
Markus Nutivaara cleared a puck out of the crease after a save by Sergei Bobrovsky to keep it a 1-0 game, but Colorado tied the score at 11:59. Bobrovsky was left without a stick after two saves, and after the second, the puck got out to Erik Johnson at the right point for a slap shot that beat the CBJ goalie to the far corner.
Columbus needed just 1:03 to retake the lead, though, as Dubois scored. Scott Harrington's slapper from the right point was stopped by Grubauer but trickled into the crease, where Dubois dove over the Avs goalie to tap it in for the tally.
But the Jackets couldn't escape the period with the lead as the Colorado top line got on the board. Nathan MacKinnon protected the puck along the left-wing boards then dropped a pass to Nikita Zadorov, whose one-timer from the left point got past Bobrovsky.
After big chances went begging for each team - Bobrovsky stopped Sven Andrighetto on a 2-on-1 while Artemi Panarin fired wide on a breakaway - Colorado took its first lead when Samuel Girard scored at 14:06 of the third to make it 3-2. On an odd-man rush, Girard took the feed trailing the play and shot one past Bobrovsky's blocker as Colorado got its third goal of the game from a defenseman.
Bobrovsky made a huge save on Tyson Barrie, another D-man, and it led right to a goal for the Blue Jackets with 18.9 left in the second. Panarin grabbed the rebound and found Cam Atkinson for a perfect stretch pass, and Atkinson scored on his patented move past Grubauer to make it a 3-3 game going to the third.
"Great play," Atkinson said. "I wish (Panarin) could have buried it when I gave him the breakaway, but that's how it goes. It was kind of a weird play because Andy got kneed in the face, so he was kind of late to the bench, so I was trailing the play. Obviously Bob made a huge save there, and then it went right to Bread and Bread found me. It was nice."
Columbus dominated the third period and pulled away for the win thanks to a critical sequence near the midway point. First, Anderson scored from in front to give the Jackets a 4-3 lead with 9:31 to play. Colorado challenged for offside but to no avail, giving Columbus a power play, and Wennberg sniped one in from the right circle to make it a 5-3 game with 7:49 to play.
"(Colorado coach Jared Bednar) has to make the call, and I know it's a tough play when it's a goal on the ice, the puck is in the air, and there were two skates in spots where I'm not sure what the call is," Tortorella said. "I think he makes the right call, I really do, and we're fortunate he scores a goal."
Dubois won a race for the puck to negate and icing and scored an empty-net goal with 1:28 to play.
By the Numbers
Bjorkstrand has goals in three straight games for the first time in his career. … Panarin now has 26 points in his last 18 games and eight points (2-6-8) during a five-game point streak. … Dubois now has 21 points (8-13-21) in the last 19 games. … Columbus has recorded points in 16 of the past 21 meetings of the series (12-5-4), including seven of the last eight (6-1-1). … The Jackets won for just the 10th time in 30 games in Colorado. … Dean Kukan had two assists. ... The Avs entered third in the NHL in third-period goals with 67, while Columbus had just 45. … Columbus was 1-2 on the power play and killed four Colorado power plays. … Despite the thin-air advantage at altitude, Colorado is just 10-10-5 at home. … The game concluded the season series. Columbus won the first game 5-2 on Oct. 9 in Columbus.
Roster Report
Forward Brandon Dubinsky and defenseman Ryan Murray were scratches and are day-to-day with lower-body injuries. Forward Mark Letestu was a healthy scratch. Forwards Boone Jenner and Lukas Sedlak moved into the lineup, as did defenseman Kukan.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets continue their three-game road trip Thursday with a game at Arizona at 9 p.m.