Nylander, Gaudreau lift Blue Jackets past Sharks to end 3-game skid

COLUMBUS -- Alex Nylander scored twice and had an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended a three-game skid with a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

Nylander has eight goals in 11 games for Columbus since being acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 22. He had no points in five games with the Penguins this season, and 14 goals in 98 NHL games prior to the trade.

“I've been working for this the past two years,” Nylander said. “I just stick to my plan. I know that if I get a chance, I’ve just got to take it. I know I could play in this league.

“It's been a really big opportunity and I'm really happy that they took a chance on me, and it's been going great, so we’ve just got to keep it going.”

Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists, and Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets (23-33-11), who had lost four of their past five. Daniil Tarasov made 39 saves, including 18 in the third period.

“We've played much better than tonight and we didn't win those games,” Columbus coach Pascal Vincent said. “Tonight, we needed Tarasov, and he played really well.”

Fabian Zetterlund and Henry Thrun scored, and Magnus Chrona made 16 saves for the Sharks (16-43-7), who have lost three straight and 12 of 13 (1-10-2).

“We had plenty of chances, especially in the third, hit a few posts,” San Jose coach David Quinn said. “[Tarasov] made some good saves. We dug ourselves a bit of a hole in the first. Our start certainly wasn’t what we wanted it to be. I thought we gradually got better as the game went on and made a great push in the third period.”

Jenner gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 17:41 of the first period. He skated down the slot, took a pass from Gaudreau and slipped a backhand under the left pad of Chrona.

“We’ve got to be ready from the start,” Zetterlund said. “Our first period is not acceptable. We know that. They dominated us in the first, then we got a little bit better, but a little bit better is not enough.”

Nylander scored 49 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0. He buried a snap shot from the right circle off a stretch pass by Ivan Provorov.

“The first time he got here my message to him was, ‘I want to see you compete, I want to see you skate, and when you have a chance, shoot the puck.’" Vincent said. "What I didn't know was his brain. He has a good brain. He can read the game offensively and defensively. I rely quite a bit on him defensively as well. So, we wanted to give him a chance, and he's taken advantage of it.”

Zetterlund cut it to 2-1 at 11:48 after Mario Ferraro’s shot deflected off the stick of Provorov to him in the crease.

Gaudreau pushed it to 3-1 at 15:03. Nylander’s shot from between the circles went wide of the net, but Gaudreau was there to stop the puck and stuff it in.

Thrun made it 3-2 at 11:32 of the third period with a wrist shot from between the circles to end an 18-game goal drought, but the Sharks could not get another one past Tarasov.

“He stood up and kept us in that game, and ultimately won the game for us,” Gaudreau said.

Nylander scored into an empty net at 18:55 for the 4-2 final.

NOTES: Nylander is the first player to score eight goals in his first 11 games for the Blue Jackets. ... Goaltender Devin Cooley is expected to make his NHL debut for the Sharks at the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.