CALGARY -- After a 7-0 shellacking the night before in Edmonton, Columbus coach Todd Richards challenged his team to do better. Andre Drummond Pistons Jersey . It worked. Defenceman Nikita Nikitin scored his first goal of the season 2:25 into overtime Wednesday night to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. "As a coach, you go in and challenge your group," said Richards. "There were some questions I had coming out of the Edmonton game. To me, they responded the right way." With a delayed penalty coming to the Flames forward Jiri Hudler for goaltender interference, Columbus carried the puck back up ice and poured on the pressure as Sergei Bobrovsky skated to the bench for an extra skater. After Artem Anisimov was stopped by Calgary goalie Reto Berra, the puck came to David Savard, who had a shot blocked by Mikael Backlund. However, the puck caromed out to Nikitin who had an empty net with Berra down and out. "Nikita, as far as the way he played, it might have been his best game," said Richards, who was pleased with the entire teams performance. "They came out and they played hard. Ran out of gas a little bit towards the end. I thought we battled. We got the win. They way they are playing out on the ice, I think the attitude is real positive." After the game-winning goal went in, the Flames first-year goaltender repeatedly pounded his glove into the ice. "It was great how we came back, but at the end it was bad luck," said Berra, who had 16 saves in falling to 2-4-2. Nick Foligno also scored for Columbus (8-11-3). The Blue Jackets are 2-1-0 with two stops left on a five-game road trip. They play in Vancouver on Friday. "We just had too many mental lapses last night and it cost us," said Blue Jackets centre Ryan Johansen. "Its nice to be able to forget about that now. Coming in here tonight and doing all those little things right in our defensive zone." Joe Colborne scored the lone goal for Calgary (7-11-4). Coming off an emotional 5-4 shootout victory in Winnipeg on Monday night, the Flames have lost three straight at home and are winless in their last six (0-5-1) at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "I dont think it was the most exciting game, especially when they scored early. I think they would have been happy to go home with a 1-0 road win ...," said Flames coach Bob Hartley. "The bottom line is its pretty tough to win when you only have one line going. Matt Stajans line was by far our best line and we didnt get enough from the other three." Besides the trio of Stajan, Michael Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak, the other notable highlight for the Flames was Berras spectacular first period save off Jack Johnson. Johnson looked like he had all sorts of open net to shoot at but Berra came across and, using his entire six-foot-four frame, stretched out and spectacularly kicked the puck out of the air like a bicycle kick in soccer. Before the game had ended, the video of it was already up on the NHLs website with the headline "Save of the year?" "I was too far out. I thought (Johansen) was going to shoot, then he passed it," Berra said. "So I was way too late and I had nothing else that I could do. I just tried to bring something from my body there and it hits me right on my skate. That was for sure luck, too." Berra made his eighth start in his last nine games for the Flames. He made 16 stops to fall to 2-5-1. Columbus opened the scoring shortly after when Folignos slapshot deflected off the leg of Flames defenceman TJ Brodie, the sudden change in direction sending it into the top corner behind Berra. The game remained that way until Calgary tied the game 3:28 into the third period when Colborne got behind Johnson and on a breakaway tucked a backhand over the shoulder of Bobrovsky. It was the only shot that got past Bobrovsky of the 24 he faced on the night. "To have have a chance to play right away, to reset, its good," said Bobrovsky, who was pulled against Edmonton after the fourth goal. "You dont think about the game before. It was a bad game. You have a chance to win and you get that good feeling again." After winning the Vezina Trophy last year as the NHLs best goalie, Bobrovsky has not had nearly the same success this season with a 7-9-2 record. Notes: The Blue Jackets were without Brandon Dubinsky, who suffered a bruised foot against Edmonton. Recently recalled Jack Skille took his spot ... Columbus LW Matt Calvert (lower body) is back practising and he could return Friday. Hes missed 19 games ... Bobrovsky has given up four-or-more goals six times this season. That happened only five times all of last year ... Calgary is 6-3-4 in one-goal games. Sekou Doumbouya Pistons Jersey . Wrights first stint with Milwaukee was on a 10-day contract from March 14-23. He played in two games, averaging six points and two rebounds in 16. Deividas Sirvydis Jersey . He is nigh unstoppable against the leagues worst. The 31-year-old dangerman set up two goals and scored two himself as Toronto FC rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the slumping Houston Dynamo 4-2 on Saturday night. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Langston-Galloway-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- The Sacramento Kings have signed first-round pick Nik Stauskas to his rookie contract.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Novak Djokovic opened the defence of his Dubai Championships title with a straight sets victory over Denis Istomin, while second-seeded Juan Martin del Potro had to retire from his first-round match on Tuesday. Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. "I needed to work for my games. "Having not played for more than four, five weeks, an official match, obviously it takes its toll on the court." Djokovic saved all four break points he faced on serve and broke Istomin three times -- in the third and ninth games of the first set and in the second game of the second set. Del Potro was not so fortunate, being forced to retire against Somdev Devvarman of India after losing the first-set tiebreaker 7-6 (3). Since winning the Sydney title last month, Del Potro has been struggling with a left wrist injury that has conjured up memories of similar pain he experienced in his right wrist four years ago. In 2010, the year after he won the U.S. Open, he played only three tournaments before and after surgery on his right wrist. Del Potro was fighting back tears in Dubai when he came to talk to the media after his retirement. &"I dont feel really well," he said. Custom Detroit Pistons Jerseys. . "My wrist is hurting a lot and everybody knows what happened to me four years ago with my other wrist. "It was really tough to play today. I tried everything. I cannot be the player I would like to be." Having felt the pain in his left wrist during the Australian Open, Del Potro went at the end of January to consult with Dr. Richard Berger, who performed his right wrist surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The doctor recommended a course of physical therapy. Asked if he would have kept playing if he won the first set, Del Potro said: "I dont think so, no. It was hurting too much." Devvarman, a wild card who won a challenger in New Delhi last week, hit a service winner on his third set point in the tiebreaker. That proved to be the final point of the match. "Its unfortunate, especially for a guy like him," Devvarman said. "I realized he wasnt comfortable hitting backhands and I tried to make him hit as many as I could, and he wasnt really hitting over it so I knew he wasnt happy." Third-seeded Tomas Berdych extended his winning streak to eight matches with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Romanian qualifier Marius Copil. Berdych, who reached the final in Dubai last year, won the Rotterdam title two weeks ago. Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France secured a 6-2, 6-4 win over Victor Hanescu of Romania. ' ' '

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