Blue Jackets shut out Islanders to win opener
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sonny Milano scored the first goal a little more than a minute into the new season and the Columbus Blue Jackets were off and running to a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.
Five Blue Jackets players scored one goal each in the home opener and Artemi Panarin, acquired during the summer from the Chicago Blackhawks, contributed three assists in his Columbus debut.
Sergei Bobrovsky, the Vezina Trophy winner last season as the top goaltender in the NHL, posted the shutout. He finished with 29 saves.
Milano and Cam Atkinson staked the Blue Jackets to a 2-0 lead with first-period goals. Columbus increased the lead to 5-0 with second-period goals from Ryan Murray, Zach Werenski and rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Murray's goal came on a one-timer after a pass from Panarin at 6:57 of the second period. Werenski fired a shot from just inside the blue line on a long rebound of a shot by Alexander Wennberg that beat Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss at 10:25 for a 4-0 lead.
Dubois added his first NHL goal at 11:50 of the second period with an assist from Seth Jones. The 19-year-old Dubois became the fourth Blue Jackets player to score his first NHL goal in his debut as a teenager.
The only suspense in the third period was whether Bobrovsky could finish the shutout. The Islanders could not get anything past Bobrovsky despite several prime scoring chances.
Greiss struggled and gave up all five goals on 26 shots before being pulled in the second period and replaced by Jaroslav Halak, who made 11 saves.
The Jackets came out with plenty of energy and Milano scored the first goal of the season just 1:07 into the first period. Skating in from the right circle, Milano took a pass from behind the net from Oliver Bjorkstrand and beat Greiss.
Atkinson and Panarin combined for what likely will be the first of many goals this season between them at 11:02 of the first period. Panarin rushed the net and sent a backhand pass across the crease that hit Atkinson's skate and went in to make it 2-0.
NOTES: Islanders G Jaroslav Halak will start the Islanders' home opener on Saturday against Buffalo. ... The Blue Jackets loaned F Josh Anderson to Cleveland of the American Hockey League for conditioning on Thursday. Anderson signed a three-year, $5.5 million contract on Tuesday after missing all of training camp. ... Injured Blue Jackets F Boone Jenner's consecutive games streak ended at 175. He last missed a game on March 21, 2015. ... Blue Jackets D Markus Nutivaara was sent to Cleveland.