COLUMBUS: Cam Talbot made NHL history in his first game as a Blue Jacket on Friday night, becoming the first goaltender to win a game with nine different franchises as Columbus beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout at Nationwide Arena.
The 39-year-old stopped 20 shots in regulation and then turned away all three Pittsburgh attempts in the shootout to seal the victory. He now stands alone ahead of the previous mark shared by three other netminders. Talbot signed a one-year contract with Columbus in September after spending the past two seasons with Detroit.
Kent Johnson scored the only goal of the shootout, snapping a shot past Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov in the opening round. Damon Severson had a goal and an assist in his season debut after shoulder surgery in April, while Mathieu Olivier also found the net and Cole Sillinger set up two goals.
The Blue Jackets controlled play for most of the night, outshooting Pittsburgh 45-22 and winning nearly two-thirds of the faceoffs. But after building a 2-0 lead, Columbus watched the Penguins rally on goals from Bryan Rust late in the second period and Evgeni Malkin early in the third to force overtime.
Pittsburgh pushed hard in the extra period, with Murashov stopping 43 shots overall, including a two-on-one rush that nearly won it for the visitors. The loss was the third straight for the Penguins.
Columbus, now 2-1-0 on the young season, heads to St. Louis on Saturday night for its first road game of the campaign.
