Canucks 4, Blue Jackets 1
Chris Higgins collected two goals and an assist and Cory Schneider turned aside 39 shots as the Vancouver Canucks secured their franchise-best 50th win of the season with a 4-1 road triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and Henrik Sedin also tallied and Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond notched a pair of assists apiece for league-leading Vancouver (50-17-9).
The Canucks matched a club mark with their eighth straight road victory and set the franchise record with 25 wins away from home this season.
All was not roses for the British Columbia residents, who saw defenseman Dam Hamhuis leave the ice after a first-period collision with Rick Nash. The Columbus captain skated into the offensive zone and collided with Vancouver blue-liner Kevin Bieksa, who hip-checked Nash into Hamhuis.
After Ehrhoff opened the scoring 7:52 into the first period with his 12th goal of the season, Sedin and Higgins tallied just under 5 1/2 minutes apart in the third period to give Vancouver a 3-0 lead. Higgins added his second of the night and 13th of the season with 2:24 remaining in the contest.
While serving as Roberto Luongo's backup, Schneider has permitted just 10 goals in his last six outings - all victories. The 25-year-old Massachusetts native improved to 15-3-2 on the season.
R.J. Umberger netted his 24th goal of the season and Mathieu Garon finished with 20 saves for Columbus (33-31-11), which has dropped 13 of its last 15 contests.