Coyotes 5, Blue Jackets 1
Coyotes 5, Blue Jackets 1: Steve Sullivan recorded his eighth career hat trick and Jason LaBarbera made 21 saves in relief of an injured Mike Smith as host Phoenix posted its first win of the season.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two goals and an assist while Mikkel Boedker and Antoine Vermette each set up a pair of tallies as the Coyotes avoided the franchise's first three-game skid to begin a season since 1985-86, when the club was known as the Winnipeg Jets.
Blue-liner Fedor Tyutin scored and Steve Mason stopped 37 shots in his first start for Columbus, which has gone 0-for-18 on the power play over its last five meetings with Phoenix.
Smith made four saves before exiting 11 minutes into the game with a lower-body injury, and the Blue Jackets grabbed the lead against LaBarbera 5 1/2 minutes into the second period on Tyutin's one-timer from the blue line. Sullivan forged a tie by burying a rebound on the doorstep less than two minutes later and Ekman-Larsson ripped a shot past Mason from the top of the slot with 4:38 left to put the Coyotes ahead.
Sullivan made it 3-1 during a power play at 4:21 of the third and completed his three-goal performance midway through the period with a redirection of defenseman Derek Morris' shot. Ekman-Larsson capped the scoring with 4:58 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The hat trick was Sullivan's first since Dec. 14, 2009, when he also scored three times against Columbus while playing for the Nashville Predators. ... Coyotes D Rostislav Klesla and C Martin Hanzal were scratched with lower-body injuries. ... The Blue Jackets were looking to earn at least one point in each of their first three games for the first time since the 2006-07 season.