Jackets dominate Jets in 5-2 win
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Columbus Blue Jackets used a smothering forecheck and backcheck to beat the Winnipeg Jets into submission with a 5-2 victory Tuesday night at Bell MTS Place.
It wasn't pretty -- except for a second-period goal by captain Nick Foligno -- but when a team scores two unassisted goals, it clearly is driving the opponent crazy.
The Blue Jackets (5-1-0) also got goals from Cam Atkinson, Jack Johnson, Lukas Sedlak and Zach Werenski.
Kyle Connor and Joel Armia scored for the Jets (3-3-0).
Joonas Korpisalo stopped 24 of 26 shots to post his first victory of the season.
Steve Mason got in front of 34 of 39 shots at the other end of the ice in taking the loss for the third time this year. The damage could have been worse for Mason if he hadn't been bailed out by a post and a crossbar.
Columbus opened the scoring early in the second period when Atkinson picked up a loose puck near his own blue line, catching the Jets defensemen flat-footed. He broke in alone on Mason and slipped his third of the season over the goal line on a forehand deke at the 36-second mark.
The Blue Jackets doubled the lead when Foligno intercepted a pass from his Jets counterpart, Blake Wheeler, near the Jets blue line and also broke in alone on Mason, netting his first of the season on a deke at 10:50.
Connor got the Jets on the board less than two minutes later. Playing in his first game of the season after an injury to left winger Mathieu Perreault on Saturday, the 20-year-old rookie helped cycle the puck below the Blue Jackets goal line for about 30 seconds before sneaking into the slot and burying a feed from center Mark Scheifele high to Korpisalo's blocker side at 12:30.
The Blue Jackets retook a two-goal lead thanks to some nifty stickhandling by center Brandon Dubinsky, who deked past a couple Jets down low before feeding Johnson, who hit a yawning cage with his first of the campaign at 13:54.
The visitors kept coming and were rewarded a few minutes later when fourth-line winger Pierre-Luc Dubois outmuscled Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom for the puck in the corner to Mason's left. Sedlak scooped it up, skated into the slot and banked a shot in off Mason's pad at 18:11 for his second of the year.
Werenski sucked out whatever air was left in the building when he took a pass from his partner Seth Jones and beat Mason high to the glove side at 12:15 of the third frame.
Armia scored short-handed in garbage time to pull the Jets back to 5-2.
NOTES: Jets C Adam Lowry was put on injured reserve and F Brendan Lemieux was called up from AHL Manitoba. ... The Blue Jackets started the season with 10 points in its first six games for the first time in franchise history. ... Jets G Steve Mason got his start with Columbus a decade ago and had 19 shutouts, second-most in team history. ... Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky and 2017 Vezina Trophy winner is near the top of the NHL goaltender leading board, tied for the league lead in wins (four) and shutouts (one) and sitting second in GAA (1.47) and third in save percentage (.952).