COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Blue Jackets keep finding ways to win.

Maybe it's more accurate to say the Blue Jackets are so hot they can't seem to lose.

The Blue Jackets were pushed into a shootout on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena but survived and extended their winning streak to a franchise-record 10 games with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

The streak matches the Philadelphia Flyers for the longest in the NHL this season.

"Obviously the streak is nice," said Columbus forward Brandon Dubinsky, who contributed two assists. "It's nice coming back off a long road trip. We're just finding different ways to win. I'm proud of the way the guys responded in a tough situation against a good team. We'll take the win."

The Blue Jackets scored twice in the shootout, with the winner coming from forward Sam Gagner, and backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney stopped two of the three Kings shooters to seal the victory.

"Did we deserve to win? Not so sure," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "But Mac gave us a chance and that's part of getting as many points in the can before we break for Christmas."

Coming off a three-game road trip to western Canada, the Blue Jackets started slowly, but McElhinney was spectacular in goal and helped Columbus survive some sloppy play while being outshot 46-27.

"We scored some timely goals, had some timely blocks, had some timely players," Tortorella said. "And Mac, I'm thrilled for him. Some of the saves he made ... and he does the job in the shootout."

McElhinney finished with 44 saves starting in place of regular goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the NHL leader in wins who got the night off.

"It feels great. It's special right now," the veteran McElhinney said. "This win streak is pretty enjoyable."

For a franchise that has experienced virtually no success since it came into the league 17 years ago, the Blue Jackets are on an unprecedented run. They play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night and the Montreal Canadiens the following night with a chance to move into first place in the tough Metropolitan Division.

Cam Atkinson helped keep the streak alive by scoring two goals in regulation for the Blue Jackets. His team-leading 14th of the season and second of the game early in the third period gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead. Dubinsky centered a pass from behind the net and Atkinson fired the bouncing puck past screened Kings goaltender Peter Budaj, who had 25 saves.

Kings center Jeff Carter knotted the score at 2 with his second goal of the game after a Blue Jackets turnover in front of McElhinney with 9:44 remaining in the third period. The unassisted goal was his 16th of the season.

"I thought we did a lot of good things," Carter said. "We put up 46 shots. We've got to put the puck in the net, though. We had a lot of good chances. I thought we played well enough to win, but that's the way she goes."

The Blue Jackets broke through at 7:35 of the second period with the first goal of the game. Atkinson took a pass across the goal mouth from Dubinsky and deposited the puck in the back of the net past Budaj's glove hand.

The Kings (16-13-3) scored the equalizer on a power play at 16:12 of the second period. Carter was waiting on the doorstep after Alec Martinez's shot went through the crease and the former Blue Jackets center beat McElhinney to make it 1-1.

"They're obviously on a good run," Carter said. "We knew what we were getting into tonight."

NOTES: The Blue Jackets led the NHL in scoring at 3.34 goals per game and had allowed the second fewest goals (2.07) heading into Tuesday's games. Last season, the Jackets gave up nearly one goal more per game (3.02). ... Columbus' top six defensemen are young, with the starters averaging 23.5 years old. ... The Blue Jackets had given up fewer than three goals in nine consecutive games before a 4-3 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. ... The Blue Jackets won their 20th game at Vancouver. They didn't reach 20 wins last season until Feb. 4. ... The Kings are in the midst of a seven-game road trip. ... Kings RW Dustin Brown remained sidelined with an upper-body injury. ... Blue Jackets backup G Curtis McElhinney started in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, the NHL leader with 19 wins. ... The Kings are one of only five teams to beat the Blue Jackets this year, winning 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 25 in LA.