Pavel Mintyukov scores with 3:29 left to lift Ducks past Blue Jackets, 4-3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Pavel Mintyukov slid a shot from the slot past Elvis Merzlikins with 3:29 left and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night.

Mikael Granlund threaded a pass from the right circle to set up Merzlikins, and also scored. Jacob Trouba and Mason McTavish added goals to help the Ducks move back into first place in the Pacific Division.

Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal made 23 saves. He was pulled Friday night in an 8-3 loss to Dallas after he gave up four goals on seven shots in the first 14 1/2 minutes.

Dmitri Voronkov, Mason Marchment and Zach Werenski scored for Columbus. Merzlikins made 24 saves.

Werenski tied it at 3 with 7:16 left, taking a pass from Denton Mateychuk and snapping a shot from the left circle over Dostal’s right blocker. He has five goals in three games and 14 overall.

Werenski was injured when he blocked a shot with 2:11 left and struggled to get to the bench, the Blue Jackets taking a penalty for too many men on the ice that stifled any comeback hopes.

Columbus tied it at 2 when Marchment, acquired from the Seattle Kraken on Friday, redirected a waist-high, blue-line shot from Damon Severson past Dostal 3:39 into the second.

Anaheim took a 3-2 lead when fourth-line winger Ross Johnston slipped a pass from behind the Columbus net to McTavish, who snapped a shot from the slot over Merzlikins’s right shoulder with 6:24 left in the second.

Ducks: Host Seattle on Monday night.

Blue Jackets: At Los Angeles on Monday night.

Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) celebrates after his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (91) reaches for the puck as Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (78) checks him during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Anaheim Ducks left wing Alex Killorn (17) and Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) vie for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Strome (16) and center Mikael Granlund (64) celebrate a goal by Granlund during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Anaheim Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke, top, skates into Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — First baseman Josh Bell and the Minnesota Twins have finalized their $7 million, one-year contract.

The sides agreed to terms Monday, pending a physical exam, and the Twins announced the deal Friday.

Bell gets a $250,000 signing bonus payable by Feb. 1 and a $5.5 million salary in 2026. The contract includes a $10 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1.25 million buyout for Bell, who also gets a hotel suite on road trips.

A durable switch-hitter with power, Bell projects to help fill a void at first base and designated hitter for the Twins in his 11th major league season. He hit .237 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs this year for Washington.

The Dallas-area native has played in at least 140 games in each of his eight full big league seasons, topping 600 plate appearances five times.

Bell was selected in the second round of the 2011 amateur draft out of high school by Pittsburgh and made his major league debut in 2016. His best season came with the Pirates in 2019, when he made the All-Star team while hitting .277 with 37 home runs, 116 RBIs and a .936 OPS.

He has 193 homers and a .785 OPS over his career, almost entirely in the National League. Bell had stints with Miami, Arizona and San Diego, too. His only prior American League experience came in 2023 with Cleveland.

Over the last five years, Bell has switched teams seven times — including four trades. The Twins will be his sixth team in less than four years.

This is the third straight offseason the Twins have used free agency to find a stopgap first baseman, with the 33-year-old Bell following Ty France and Carlos Santana. After France was traded to Toronto on July 31, one of nine deals the Twins made that week leading up to the deadline, Kody Clemens took most of the playing time at first base.

Clemens, who hit 19 home runs in 112 games while also filling in at second base and every outfield spot, will likely slide into a utility backup role.

Though the Twins remain in a state of flux around their payroll for 2026 and beyond, with team ownership working on adding two new investment groups to help pay down debt, president Derek Falvey said last week at baseball's winter meetings that the front office won't shed any more salary and has a modest budget to work with to supplement the roster.

That means the Twins won't be forced to trade any of their All-Stars, center fielder Byron Buxton and starting pitchers Pablo López and Joe Ryan. Now that Bell is on board, the next target for Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll will be rebuilding the bullpen for new manager Derek Shelton after it was torn down during the trading spree last summer.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Washington Nationals' Josh Bell hits a double during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sept. 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr., File)