Patrik Laine scored twice, including one of Columbus’ four first-period goals, and the visiting Blue Jackets extended the Montreal Canadiens’ winless streak to six games with a 6-3 victory on Sunday night.
With Columbus down 1-0 early in the first, Laine got the ball rolling to tie the game. Jack Roslovic, Eric Robinson and rookie Yegor Chinakhov each followed with a goal in the first, and fellow rookie Cole Sillinger added a key third-period score for the Blue Jackets, who won back-to-back contests for the first time since a three-game run Nov. 22-26.
Artturi Lehkonen had a goal with two assists while All-Star Nick Suzuki and Tyler Toffoli recorded one of each for the lowly Canadiens, who are mired in an 0-4-2 rut and allowed 26 goals in their last four games. Montreal’s Sam Montembeault was pulled for the second straight night after allowing three goals on seven shots in a little more than 10 minutes.
The Canadiens scored 1:19 into the contest when Suzuki got the puck behind the Columbus net, back-handed it off Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (32 saves), teammate Gustav Nyquist and in. However, Columbus leveled the contest less than three minutes later when Laine sent a wristed laser by Montembeault.
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The Blue Jackets took the lead when Roslovic threw the puck on net from roughly 40 feet away, fooling Montembeault, who couldn’t make the save with 11:21 left in the first.
Montembeault’s night ended just 10:11 into the game, when Robinson intercepted a point pass, skated in alone and rather easily slid the puck in for a short-handed goal. Columbus’ final first-period goal came off a Montreal turnover, when Chinakhov beat Montreal backup goalie Cayden Primeau (26 saves) with 6:46 left in the opening frame.
Toffoli’s blistering one-timer off a Lehkonen pass with 41 seconds left in the second period made it a 4-2 contest. Lehkonen delivered a short-handed goal with 13:05 left in regulation, but Sillinger’s blast by Primeau about three minutes later gave Columbus back its cushion.
Laine added an empty-netter for his fourth point in two games.
–Field Level Media
