Mathieu Olivier(7), Yegor Chinakhov(7), and Zach Werenski(7) scored the goals for Columbus, and Elvis Merzļikins stopped 19 of 23 Canadien shots in an overtime loss on Wednesday night.

Zach Werenski continues to be the best player on the ice for the Columbus Blue Jackets night in and night out. On Wednesday, he scored, had an assist, and fought Brendan Gallagher to record the Gordie Howe hat trick. It was his second career Gordie Howe Hattie. The reason he fought Gallagher was simple - He speared Werenski in a sensitive spot. Werenski said after the game, "It was a chance for me to stand up for myself, and I really didn't want to take any s--t from him." 

The CBJ were down 3-2 with about eight minutes to go and again found a way to tie the game with Werenski's goal. In the overtime period, there was a bit of controversy. While Kent Johnson and Sean Monahan attempted a 2-on-1 breakout, Johnson was held by Montréal's Nick Suzuki and was hauled down. The Referee let the play go which ended up being an odd-man situation back the other way. Just a few seconds later, Suzuki would put it in the net for the game-winner.

Dean Evason was not happy about the missed call.

The Jackets dropped their seventh straight to the Habs, but have points in four straight games. They're also just three points out of the second wildcard spot at 9-9-2.

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Mathieu Olivier scored his 7th goal of the season.

• Yegor Chinakhov scored his 7th goal of the season

• Zach Werenski scored his 7th goal, recorded his 15th assist, and had a fight. He now has 22 points in 21 games.

• Kent Johnson tallied his 6th assist. He has 10 points through seven games and has recorded a point in every game he's played this season.

• Adam Fantilli now has 10 points with his assist.

• Dmitri Voronkov had an assist, which makes 8 points in 12 games.

Team Stats

• Columbus went 0/3 on the power play.

• The CBJ PK stopped 1 of 2 Canadien power plays.

• The Jackets won 49.2% of the faceoffs.

• The Jackets scored the first goal for the 13th time this season.

• Columbus is 6-1-1 in the last 8 games at NWA.

What's Next - The Blue Jackets are home again Friday against the Calgary Flames.

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