Blue Jackets 3 - 6 Oilers
Final
  for this game

Jones' hat trick in third carries Oilers over Columbus

Dec 3, 2011 - 6:19 AM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Ryan Jones scored three times in the third period and the Edmonton Oilers rallied for a 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.

Jones' last tally, an empty-netter in the final minute, gave the forward his first career hat trick and capped a five-goal third period for the Oilers.

"An exciting game," said Jones. "We knew we had to come out in the third and just throw everything at them, and that's exactly what we did."

Ladislav Smid and Ales Hemsky also scored in the period for Edmonton, which overcame a 2-1 deficit to snap a three-game losing streak. Devan Dubnyk had 36 saves and Jordan Eberle netted the other goal.

Derek Dorsett scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets, who fell to 1-2 on a four-game road trip. Mark Letestu added a goal and Curtis Sanford gave up five goals on 33 shots.

Jones tied the game at 2-2, picking up a loose puck behind the net and scoring on a jammed wrap-around just 1:41 into the third period.

Smid then gave Edmonton its first lead since Eberle's power play goal 21 seconds into the game, firing a long slap shot past Sanford from above the left circle at 6:19.

"We just told ourselves to keep our heads up," said Smid.

Jones' second goal, just 1:47 later, came after Eric Belanger hustled to free the puck behind the net and fed him a pass in the slot for a one-timer.

Dorsett cooled the Edmonton onslaught 2:54 after that, pulling the Blue Jackets within 4-3 on a rebound off Marc Methot's slap shot from the point.

But Shawn Horcoff slipped a pass into the slot for Hemsky, who deked to his backhand to beat Sanford for a 5-3 Edmonton lead with 4:03 remaining. Horcoff also assisted on Jones' empty-netter and was one of five Oilers players with more than one point.

"They came out fast in the third, but I don't think we did anything to change our game plan," said Sanford. "It just seemed like they got momentum."

Earlier, Rick Nash went off for hooking just 13 seconds into the game and it only took Eberle eight more ticks on the clock to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead, scoring into a wide-open net after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' deft cross-ice pass.

Letestu tied the game with 1:06 remaining in the first period and Dorsett gave Columbus a 2-1 lead midway through the second. Oilers defenseman Tom Gilbert, all alone in his zone, fanned on a pass and fell down, giving Dorsett a clear path to Dubnyk, who he beat despite an aggressive challenge from the goalie.

Game Notes

The Oilers claimed just their fourth win in 12 games (4-7-1). They moved to 1-1-1 on a six-game homestand...The Blue Jackets failed to reach .500 in the 18 games since they started the season a franchise-worst 0-7-1. They are 7-9-2 in those games...Edmonton played the first of five straight games against teams starting with the letter C: Columbus, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado and Calgary again.






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