Blue Jackets score three early, hold on vs. Sharks

Artemi Panarin scored twice as the Columbus Blue Jackets nearly let a three-goal lead slip away before holding on for a 4-2 win over win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night in San Jose.

Columbus netminder Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves, 14 in the third period, for the win at SAP Center which snaps his team's two-game losing skid.

Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno opened the scoring 9:12 into the affair, as the visitors turned the tables on the hosts for failing to score on a power play. Foligno came out of the penalty box and finished an odd-man rush by wristing a shot from the top of the left circle past Sharks goalie Martin Jones.

Sonny Milano doubled the Columbus lead at 18:01 of the opening period, finishing a beautiful play by Boone Jenner. After crossing the blueline, Jenner spun to avoid a check while maintaining possession of the puck and fed Milano on the other side of the slot for the easy finish.

Panarin made it a 3-0 lead at 5:32 of the second period. Panarin cut across the front of the net as Ian Cole fired a point shot and got just enough of the puck to deflect it into the cage.

That spelled the end of the game for Jones, the victim of three goals on 13 shots, and brought Aaron Dell between the pipes for the Sharks.

The jolt of life desperately needed by the Sharks finally came when Joonas Donskoi tallied with 1:38 left in the second period to get them on the board. Donskoi deflected Dylan DeMelo's waist-high offering past Bobrovsky to make it a 3-1 game heading into the third period.

Evander Kane made it a 3-2 count at 10:04 of the third period with his first goal since joining the Sharks at the trade deadline. Taking advantage of a neutral zone turnover, Joe Pavelski fed Kane, who buried the chance from the slot to give him five points in three games since being dealt from Buffalo.

Panarin's second goal of the night, and team-leading 20th of the season, came into an empty net.

Dell stopped all 14 shots he faced for the Sharks.

--Field Level Media