Zach Werenski caps surreal night with key goal for Columbus Blue Jackets

Sometimes, NHL stories write themselves. More: Kent Johnson is dangerous again for Columbus Blue Jackets For a good example, take a look at the night Zach Werenski had with the Blue Jackets in a 2-1 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Nov. 5 at Nationwide Arena. His first goal of the season, which ended a 13-game drought to start the season, pulled the Jackets even at 1-1 with 3:14 left in the third period. It also forced the game to overtime, extended his point streak to five games, redeemed him for an accidental role in giving Jason Robertson, the Stars' second-leading scorer, a breakaway and helped the only NHL team's Werenski has ever known pull off a thrilling comeback victory over the team that tried to acquire him July 1 in a blockbuster trade. Got all that? Take your time processing, because there's a lot there. Let's start with the goal drought, which was more than twice the length of Werenski's previous career high of five games to start a season (2020-21) without scoring. It wasn't anywhere close to his career-long stretch of 38 games without a goal Oct. 21, 2023 to Feb. 13, 2024, Werenski's latest goal drought loomed large after his tumultuous offseason. Even while racking up 12 assists in the Jackets' first 13 games, Werenski's critics found plenty of ammunition in his goal goose egg coming off a summer that included him winning the Norris Trophy for the first time followed shortly afterward by reports about his uncertainty about committing to stay with the Blue Jackets beyond the final two years of his contract. Werenski's long-term plans still aren't known, at least not publicly, and he would've been playing against the Jackets twice in six days had he not nixed the Stars' trade by using his full no-movement rights. Werenski should also be wearing the captain's 'C' that Boone Jenner left behind, but he's instead the only Blue Jackets player who just never takes off the alternate's 'A.' As for his role in Robertson's breakaway, which forced Cam Talbot to make an impressive save, it wasn't entirely Werenski's fault. In fact, the play started with Ivan Provorov's off-target attempt to shovel Werenski the puck with a backhand feed just inside the Stars' zone. It caught Werenski off-guard, forcing him to extend his stick awkwardly while trying to corral it. Instead, he lost his grip on it and then stepped on the stick while trying to go after the loose puck in the neutral zone. Falling flat on his belly near center ice, Werenski had a front-row view of Talbot's save with his right pad to keep the game knotted at 0-0 late in the second. That would've stung had Robertson scored what could've become a winning goal. Instead, Werenski got his own chance to score a big goal late in the third and capitalized, finally, to end his goal woes and counter Mikko Rantanen's goal for the Stars. Taking a great feed from Kent Johnson on the left wing, he skated the puck into the slot and used his backhand to flip the puck under goalie Casey DeSmith's glove and over his pad on the far side. Talbot, Valeri Nichushkin and Johnson took it from there. Talbot made three saves in overtime to force a shootout, where he didn't allow a goal, while Nichushkin and Johnson scored on their attempts against DeSmith in the second and third rounds. Werenski got the donkey hat award from Mathieu Olivier for his clutch goal, which brought a surreal night to a fitting close. After stretching the hat over his head, Werenski focused on the future ... the short-term future Nov. 6 in Buffalo. "Those last three games were fun, boys," Werenski said, as shown on the Blue Jackets' social media accounts. "This could've gone to a lot of guys tonight. Happy I got it, but let's find a win tomorrow." Dispatch   Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger  can be reached at  bhedger@dispatch.com