Nylander made it 2-0 at 5:21 of the third period with a power-play goal. He swatted in a loose puck in front after Gaudreau's cross-ice pass was batted down by Giroux. He has eight points (six goals, two assists) in 10 games since being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 22.
Giroux, however, cut it to 2-1 at 7:25, finishing a backdoor pass from Boris Katchouk at the right post.
“We were doing a lot of good things, to be honest,” Giroux said. “The first shift we weren’t ready to play. When you’re trailing early like that sometimes it can deflate you. We just kept playing, just kept playing our game and just waited for our chances.”
Tim Stützle then tied it 2-2 at 12:27 when he beat Merzlikins five-hole.
“We played our best period in the third,” Columbus coach Pascal Vincent said. “The initial chances we have is 13-4 for us in the third. We had chances to put the game away in the third. … Two missed assignments and the puck’s in the back of your net.”