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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - David Backes scored 22 seconds into overtime on a breakaway and the St. Louis Blues rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 Saturday night.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice and Chris Stewart tied it with 6:27 remaining in regulation for St. Louis, which entered tied for the fewest regulation losses in the league with six and have now won three straight and four of five. Brenden Morrow added two assists and Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves for the Blues.
On the winner, Columbus lost the puck at its blue line. Backes took it, fended off Fedor Tyutin on a delayed penalty call then deked Mike McKenna and calmly scored with a high shot.
Tyutin, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Johansen scored for Columbus, which came out flying to take a 3-1 lead after the first period. It was a tough loss for the Blue Jackets, who had won four of five, jelling around their backup goalies with last season's Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovksy on the shelf.
Third stringer and St. Louis native McKenna was back in net for the second straight game, making his first start since 2010 while playing for New Jersey, which was also against the Blues. On Thursday, in a 4-2 win at the New York Rangers, he stopped 17 of 18 shots in relief of an injured Curtis McElhinney.
But in this one, the Blue Jackets and McKenna couldn't hold down the fort.
Trailing 3-2 to start the third period, St. Louis pulled even after Nick Foligno and Mark Letestu couldn't convert on breakaway chances. Seconds after Letestu fired high into the glass, a puck bouncing through traffic found Stewart down low and he wasted no time converting his seventh at 13:33.
Tarasenko staked St. Louis to the early lead. Catching a fortuitous carom off Blue Jackets' Dalton Prout and with McKenna leaning toward the initial play, he scored from the slot at 4:10 of the first on the Blues' second shot.
Columbus answered with three goals in just under five minutes.
Blake Comeau powered his way around Kevin Shattenkirk and slid a short pass to near the crease where Anisimov chipped home his ninth at 8:49. Tyutin followed two minutes later with a blast from the point for his third after a hard Blue Jackets' forecheck led to a St. Louis turnover.
Then things heated up after the whistle with Columbus on the power play. Matt Calvert fought Ian Cole near the Blues goal while Barret Jackman and Folingo squared off. Cole took an extra roughing penalty giving the Blue Jackets a two-man advantage. Johansen cashed in 8 seconds later at the left dot, taking Brandon Dubinsky's feed across the circles, and firing the puck past Halak for his team-leading 12th goal.
St. Louis pressed the issue early in the second period but McKenna made several nice saves, including one with his leg pad on Vladimir Sobotka.
Tarasenko finally broke through for St. Louis, notching his second and 11th of the season, snapping a screened shot from the left circle on the power play at 8:33.
The teams had a combined eight minor penalties in the period with St. Louis whistled for five of them. Halak stoned Foligno from point-blank range late in the period with the Blue Jackets on another two-man advantage.
NOTES: Columbus coach Todd Richards said injured F Marian Gaborik (sprained knee) and D James Wisniewski (upper body) may return next week. RW Nathan Horton continues to progress in his rehab after having shoulder surgery in July. ... The Blue Jackets added Jeremy Smith to their roster on emergency recall from their AHL affiliate to be McKenna's back up. ... McKenna, who played for St. Louis' AHL affiliate last season, has played in 19 games in the NHL with New Jersey, Tampa Bay and Columbus, going 5-9-2. His father is an off-ice official and scorer for the Blues. ... Johansen extended his career-high points streak to eight games, totaling four goals and six assists. ... St. Louis improved to 11-3 versus the Eastern Conference this season. ... The Blue Jackets had won four in a row at home.
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