Detroit Red Wings snap four-game losing skid with 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing an opponent outside the playoff picture was just what the Detroit Red Wings needed to find the win column again.
They improved to 3-0 this season when playing on the road the day after a home game, using their power play to dispatch the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2, Sunday at Nationwide Arena. Multiple players had two-point nights as four-game losing streak came to an end.
Taking advantage of the short journey from Detroit to Columbus, the Wings opted to start Ville Husso for a second consecutive day. He withstood three Blue Jackets power plays, including one that overlapped with pulling their goaltender the last two minutes, to finish with 32 saves.
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Unlike Saturday against Vegas, when the Wings chased from the opening minute, they never trailed Sunday.
Austin Czarnik, called up Thursday to offset losing Tyler Bertuzzi for six weeks to an upper-body injury, scored his second goal in his second stint with the Wings. Jonatan Berggren — another Grand Rapids Griffins call-up — stutter-stepped past Erik Gudbranson along the boards and sent the puck to the net, where Czarnik was in position for the redirect at 6:34. It was Berggren’s seventh point in 11 games. Defenseman Olli Määtta also drew an assist.
It was a good first period from the fourth line, with Joe Veleno drawing a hooking call on Cole Sillinger at 17:08 to put the Wings on a power play. Dominik Kubalik came through with his 10th goal of the season, fifth on a man advantage, when he one-timed a pass from Filip Hronek at 17:35.
David Perron drew a penalty early in the second period, and 52 seconds into that power play Dylan Larkin drew one, too, putting the Wings up by two skaters for 68 seconds. A minute later the Wings had a 3-1 lead, with Lucas Raymond breaking a nine-game goal-scoring drought. Perron and Hronek both picked up their second assists of the night on that goal.
The penalty kill was dinged at 16:10 when Marcus Bjork converted at 16:10 of the second period. The Blue Jackets made it a 3-2 game two minutes into the third period Johnny Gaudreau used his speed to carry the puck behind Detroit’s net and sent it out front for Kent Johnson to finish. Larkin put the puck in the net at 3:35 but there was no goal after video review showed Perron was off side; instead, Andrew Copp restored Detroit’s two-goal cushion when he banked the puck in off Joonas Korpisalo’s shoulder, at 6:08, assisted by Määttä.
The Wings (12–7–5) next play Tuesday at Tampa Bay Lightning.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings snap losing streak, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2
Source: Yahoo Sports
