Columbus 3, Anaheim 1

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Ron Tugnutt came within 94 seconds of a shutout Monday night Ray Whitney and Grant Marshall scored 95 seconds apart in the third period to boost the Columbus Blue Jackets past the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 3-1.

Tugnutt was closing in on his second shutout of the season, but rookie defenseman Rostislav Klesla was penalized for holding the stick with 1:54 remaining. Just 20 seconds later, defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky fired a slap shot from just outside the left faceoff circle past Tugnutt for his fourth goal.

But Kevin Dineen scored into an empty net with 15 seconds left to seal the victory, ending the Blue Jackets' five-game winless streak. It was his second goal of the season and first since Nov. 10.

Tugnutt made 27 saves to improve to just 5-14-3.

Whitney opened the scoring 6:11 into the final period with his 10th goal. It came 30 seconds after Anaheim's Samuel Pahlsson went to the penalty box for holding.

Stationed just outside the crease on the right side, Whitney took a cross-ice pass from Brett Harkins and knocked it through the legs of a diving Marc Chouinard, who tried to cover the net after goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was caught out of position.

It was just the second power-play goal Anaheim had allowed in the last 46 chances.

Less than two minutes later, Marshall was credited with his eighth goal after his shot from behind the net ricocheted off the skate of defenseman Pavel Trnka and got past Giguere.

Anaheim lost its second game in a row and fell to 2-2-1 on a six-game road trip. Each of the Mighty Ducks' last seven defeats have been by one goal.

Despite the loss, Anaheim earned 17 points during a 6-5-2-3 December that was the best in team history.

Tugnutt stopped 15 shots in a scoreless first period. He made a stick save on Marty McInnis during a brief two-man advantage nearly four minutes into the contest.

Giguere made 10 stops in the period and eight more in the second, when he denied Whitney on a breakaway.

Columbus improved to 6