Blue Jackets pick up first win, beat Blackhawks 3-2
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Rookie defenseman Zach Werenski had a goal and an assist, and teammates Nick Foligno and William Karlsson picked up their first goals of the season as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Friday night.
Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky blocked 32 shots and survived a desperate Chicago power-play rally near the end of the game as the Blue Jackets picked up their first win of the season, avoiding a repeat of last season's disastrous 0-8 start.
Columbus never trailed in Friday's game.
Tyler Motte and Richard Panik scored for Chicago (2-3-0), and Corey Crawford had 25 saves.
The Blue Jackets (1-2-0) took the lead when the 19-year-old Werenski netted a wrist shot from the point during a power play at 9:10 in the first period. It was his team-leading second goal of the season, with Alexander Wennberg and Foligno credited with assists.
The Blackhawks tied it up 2:29 into the second period when a shot by Jonathan Toews ricocheted off Bobrovsky's pad and was put back by Motte, his first goal of the season.
Columbus took advantage of the power play again at 4:36 of the second when Foligno tapped it in from in front of the net, with assists from Werenski and Cam Atkinson.
Fourth-line center Karlsson got the Blue Jackets' final goal with 6:16 left in the second when he tipped in a shot from David Savard through traffic.
Panik pulled Chicago within one at 5:54 into the third period, popping in a goal from in front of the net off a pass from Gustav Forsling, but the Blackhawks couldn't tie it.
NOTES: Columbus D Ryan Murray suffered what the team called an "upper-body injury" in the first period and did not return. He may have taken an elbow the head. ...The Nationwide Arena crowd of 15,789 included a large, vocal contingency of red-clad Blackhawks fans. ... Columbus ended a streak of nine October losses at home dating to 2014. ... Bobrovsky and his mates also held off a fierce six-shot Chicago rally in front the net in the last 90 seconds of the second period. ... Columbus' Matt Calvert was penalized 2 minutes for goalie interference in the third period when he tripped Crawford, who came out of the crease to retrieve the puck. The video replay seemed to show that the contact was marginal.
UP NEXT:
Blackhawks: Return home for a Saturday night game against Toronto.
Blue Jackets: Four-game road trip begins Saturday night in Dallas.
