Savard provides needed scoring

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When a team is struggling to score goals like the Blue Jackets are, they’ll take them any way they can get them.

In the first four games coming out of the All-Star break, Columbus has had two goals scored by defenseman David Savard.

Savard scored the first goal in two of the previous four games, scoring against Minnesota and again Tuesday in the first of two meetings with the Capitals.

That goal against Washington gave him four in 52 games — two shy of matching last season’s total yet seemingly a world away from his career-high of 11 set during the 201415 season.

“Everyone needs to chip in at this time of year. We’re looking for goals and haven’t had enough of them lately,” Savard said before the Jackets played the Capitals on Friday in the finale of the homeand-home series.

“It’s a bonus to get some goals. We all need to step up, get some dirty goals and get some points. Our mind-set right now is to get pucks at the net, get guys in front and make something happen.”

D.C. tourists

Dubois was one player who took advantage of being in Washington with his father to do some sightseeing.

Dubois and his father, Eric — who is an assistant coach for the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose — visited a number of popular sites such as the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.

The Jackets had a large traveling party on the short trip to Washington with fathers of the players flying with the team following Thursday’s practice in Columbus.

“I like stuff like that and it was fun seeing all those places,” Dubois said. “I think my dad is still walking around seeing everything. It has been really cool.”

Slap shots

Jeff Zatkoff served as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup Friday with Joonas Korpisalo starting for AHL Cleveland against Manitoba at Quicken Loans Arena. Zatkoff was acquired in a trade with Los Angeles last month for “future considerations.” Korpisalo is expected to rejoin the Jackets for Saturday’s game against New Jersey. … Scott Harrington and Markus Hannikainen were healthy scratches on Friday. Harrington hasn’t been in the lineup since Jan. 23; Hannikainen has been out since Jan. 12.