Jones scores twice, surging Blue Jackets defeat Wings
COLUMBUS, OHIO » Seth Jones scored twice in the second period and Sergei Bobrovsky returned from an illness to make 22 saves as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Friday night.
Matt Calvert also scored for the surging Blue Jackets, who have won four in a row and remain firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with 13 games to go. Columbus swept a back-toback, surpassed New Jersey to grab the first wild-card spot and moved to within two points of the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Darren Helm and Andreas Athanasiou scored, and Jared Coreau, in just his second start of the season, had 33 stops for the reeling Red Wings, losers of six straight.
The Blue Jackets started with a short-handed goal near the end of the first period when Alexander Wennberg carried the puck around the back of the net and chipped it out to Calvert, who poked it by Coreau.
The lead didn’t last long. Just 21 seconds later, Helm caught Bobrovsky leaning the wrong way and got an easy goal to make it 1-1.
Sabres’ Okposo has concussion
BUFFALO, N.Y. » Buffalo forward Kyle Okposo is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with his second concussion in less than a year.
Okposo was hurt when he and Senators forward Bobby Ryan didn’t see each other and collided early in the second period of Buffalo’s 4-3 shootout win at Ottawa on Thursday.
Coach Phil Housley on Friday said he was encouraged by how Okposo looked on the team’s flight home.
“Just seeing him last night, I thought he was in a good place,” Housley said. “Obviously, there’s things that can happen down the road. But from my perspective, he was in good spirits, so that was a good sign.”
Caps sign MacLellan to contract extension
WASHINGTON » The Washington Capitals have resigned general manager Brian MacLellan to a contract extension.
MacLellan is in the fourth year of his original four-year deal when he was promoted from assistant GM. The team confirmed the extension Friday in the midst of its California road trip.
MacLellan’s deal casts a shadow over the situation of coach Barry Trotz, whose contract is up after this season.
The GM said after last season he needed to see “improvements throughout our organization” before discussing an extension for Trotz.
Marchand, Cousins fined for embellishment
NEW YORK » The NHL has fined Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand and Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Cousins for embellishment.
Each player was docked $2,000 under the league’s program designed to discourage diving and embellishment. A player is first warned and then is fined $2,000 for a second violation in a season.
Stars’ Hanzal set for season-ending surgery
DALLAS » Dallas Stars center Martin Hanzal is set for back surgery that will end his injury-plagued season.
General manager Jim Nill said Friday the expected recovery time is six to seven months.
Hanzal, who signed a $14.25 million, three-year contract on the first day of free agency in July, missed almost all of training camp and the preseason with an ankle injury. The 31-year-old Czech then missed 29 games with a variety of injuries, including the back.