Nikolai Zherdev scored with 23 seconds remaining in regulation to force a tie game while Jaroslav Balastik put it away in overtime as the Columbus Jackets snapped a six game losing streak defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in exciting fashion.

Martin Lapointe, Anton Babchuk and Duncan Keith scored for the Blackhawks. Interestingly enough, their goals were on a penalty kill, power play and even strength for the trifecta. Chicago has lost four in a row and six of seven, including a similar defeat to Detroit just before Christmas. In that game, Detroit came from 2 goals behind with 39 seconds left to tie the game and then win it with less than a second left in OT.

Columbus came out firing the first four shots on goal, but Chicago goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin made good soft saves, not allowing any scoring chance rebounds. Martin Lapointe got his seventh goal of the year and get Chicago on the board first at 3:38 of the first period.

Rostislav Klesla would add his second of the year with less than four minutes remaining in the period to give the Jackets a 1-1 tie. Klesla took a hard slapshot from the blue line which zipped past Khabibulin.