Power-play goals lift Detroit over Blue Jackets
COLUMBUS, OHIO >> Dominik Kubalik and Lucas Raymond scored power-play goals and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 on Sunday night to end a three-game losing streak.
Austin Czarnik and Andrew Copp also scored, Filip Hronek, David Perron and Olli Maatta each had two assists and Ville Husso stopped 30 shots.
Detroit was 2 of 5 on power plays.
Marcus Bjork and Kent Johnson scored for Columbus, which has lost four straight at home. Boone Jenner had two assists and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots.
Czarnik started the scoring at 6:34 of the first, redirecting a centering pass from Jonatan Berggren.
“The biggest thing for us is just get our feet moving and create energy for our lines and for our team,” Czarnik said. “If we are
able to do that, we’re effective, and so far, we’ve been able to.”
Kubalik next made it 2-0 with a power-play goal off
a one-timer from the right circle with 2:24 left in the period. Raymond beat Korpisalo from just outside the crease at 7:03 of the second, with eight seconds left on a two-man advantage.
“We need the power play,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We’re not built to score four or five. You see at times we struggle at 5-on-5 offense. Now we turn a 1-0 first period, in which we played pretty well, into a 2-0, probably a big difference in the game.”
Bjork put Columbus on the board with a power-play goal from between the circles late in the second.
Johnson’s goal 1:58 into the third period pulled Columbus within one, but Copp roofed a shot from Korpisalo’s stick side to extend Detroit’s lead to 4-2 at 6:08.
Kubalik’s goal was his 24th point in 24 games, and he leads Detroit in goals (10), power-play goals (5) and points with a man advantage (11).
The Red Wings are at Tampa Bay Tuesday night.