THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — Ryan Kesler provided all the offence for Vancouver with his first career hat trick Wednesday as the Canucks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime.
Kesler capped his first three-goal game on the power play at 3:30 of the extra period, taking a saucer pass from Daniel Sedin on a 2-on-1 and roofing a shot over sprawling Columbus goaltender Mathieu Garon.
The Canucks (17-8-4) posted their seventh win in nine games and have lost only once in regulation time since Nov. 21. The Blue Jackets (16-11-3) are off to their best start in club history, despite suffering their fifth straight road loss.
The Blue Jackets found themselves a man short in overtime after Jan Hejda took a boarding penalty for crunching Vancouver’s Dan Hamhuis.
Derick Brassard and Tom Sestito, with his first NHL goal, replied for the Blue Jackets in regulation.
Kesler converted a give-and-go with Alex Edler following a turnover near the Columbus blue-line during a Blue Jackets line change with 22.9 seconds left in the first to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead.
Garon didn’t see much action in the second as the Canucks managed only one shot before Brassard tied it for Columbus at 9:02, fooling Luongo with a wrist shot to the short side on a 2-on-1.
Columbus carried the play in the middle period, but just 1:48 seconds later, Kesler restored the Canucks’ lead as Blue Jackets defenceman Rostislav Klesla overskated a bouncing puck in front of Garon.
After the goal, Columbus continued to control the play, but couldn’t solve Luongo, who stopped Kristian Huselius from the slot and gloved a Kris Russell slapshot from the point.
After Blue Jackets winger Jakub Voracek backhanded the puck off the crossbar early in the third, Sestito tied it 2-2 at 7:34, deflecting Mike Commodore’s shot on a power play.
Notes: Both clubs recorded 30 shots. … Vancouver converted 1-of-4 power-play attempts while Columbus went 1-for-3. … The Blue Jackets lost Dorsett to an unknown injury in the second period … Throughout the game, the Canucks saluted the greatest Swedish players in their history. Four of Vancouver’s all-time top scorers are Swedes, including overall leader Markus Naslund (756 points). … Klesla played his 500th career NHL game. All have come with the Blue Jackets. … Huselius returned to the Columbus lineup after missing 22 games with a lower-body injury.
