Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Rick Nash scored twice to lead the Columbus
Blue Jackets to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.
Manny Malhotra had a goal and an assist and Pascal Leclaire stopped 18 shots
for the Blue Jackets, who bounced back from their season-opening 3-2 overtime
loss to Vancouver on Friday.
Jeffrey Hamilton and Martin Havlat each had a goal and an assist and Nikolai
Khabibulin made 19 saves for the Blackhawks, who started their season with an
8-6 victory over Nashville on Thursday.
The game was tied heading into the second period, but three goals separated by
2:44 in the second period staked Columbus to a 5-2 lead.
Malhotra notched a power-play goal at the 10:49 mark of the period with an
assist from Adam Foote. Less than a minute later, Nash scored his second goal
of the game, this one an even-strength marker.
The final goal of the burst came on a nice bank shot. Jason Chimera fired a
shot on net and the disc died after hitting the back boards. Duvie Westcott
grabbed it and fired a shot at the back of Khabibulin and the puck hit off the
goaltender's back and went into the net with 6:27 left in the second.
It looked as if Columbus was going to cruise to the victory, but the
Blackhawks scored two goals separated by 23 seconds late in the final frame to
make it a one-goal game.
A shot from the high slot was stopped by Leclaire but, after several players
whacked at it, Patrick Sharp poked it by the goaltender with 4:19 to play.
Shortly thereafter, Havlat smacked a rebound out of mid-air from the right
side of the net to make it a 5-4 game with 3:56 to play.
Chicago pulled Khabibulin with a little over a minute left in the game, but
was unable to net the equalizer.
Adrian Aucion got the Blackhawks on the scoreboard first with an even-strength
tally 5:31 into the game.
The Blackhawks grabbed a 2-0 lead with a power-play tally at the 7:16 mark of
the first. Michal Handzus had the puck behind the right side of the net and
fed a pass to the right circle, where Hamilton one-timed it through a screen.
"We wanted to come out fast but we couldn't keep it up," said Sharp. "We might
have been trying too hard to show the fans we were a different team and guys
were trying to do too much."
Nash had an opportunity to get Columbus on the board when he skated into the
Chicago zone on a breakaway, but his wrist shot missed the net with a little
over six minutes left in the first.
The Blue Jackets, though, scored power play goals separated by 2:24 to tie the
game heading into the first intermission.
David Vyborny had the puck at the top of the right circle and fired a slap
shot on which Khabibulin made a save. The rebound, though, went out front and
Ron Hainsey grabbed it and dished it to Nash, who buried it in the back of the
net.
"We are not getting down on ourselves like we did in the past," said Nash.
Anders Eriksson let fly with a shot from the left point and Jaroslav Balastik
pounced on the rebound and blew it by Khabibulin with 2:37 left in the first.
