Jackets top Wings for 5th straight win
DETROIT -- Cam Atkinson and Sam Gagner had a goal and an assist each to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night at Joe Louis Arena.
Brandon Dubinsky also scored, Lukas Sedlak picked up his first NHL goal and Gagner added an empty-net goal for Columbus (16-5-4), which won its fifth straight. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves.
Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit (13-12-3) and Petr Mrazek stopped 14 shots before being pulled in favor of Jimmy Howard in the second period. Howard made seven saves.
Gagner got his empty-net goal in the last minute. It was his 11th goal.
Larkin's power-play goal 4:46 into the second period tied the game at 1-1. Larkin put in a rebound from the left circle for his ninth goal.
Dubinsky gave the Blue Jackets the lead at 8:34 of the period by chipping in a rebound. Mrazek tried to freeze the puck between the crease and the bottom of the left circle but no whistle was blown to stop the play, so the goaltender played it behind the net.
Sedlak made it 3-1 with 6:30 left in the second by tapping home a loose puck. It was a soft shot from Gagner that Mrazek flubbed with the puck caroming off his glove.
Mrazek was replaced by Howard after that goal.
Atkinson gave Columbus a 1-0 lead 3:08 into the game with a shorthanded goal. Atkinson beat Mrazek with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle off the rush for his ninth goal and second shorthanded tally of the season.
Detroit's Anthony Mantha hit the goal post twice in the first period. His shot from deep in the left-wing corner deflected off the skate of Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones and off the right post with seven minutes left in the opening period. He then hit the left post on a breakaway with 1:19 remaining in the session.
NOTES: Three players returned from injuries for Detroit. D Andreas Athanasiou was back after missing 12 games with a sprained knee, D Alexey Marchenko sat out eight contests with a shoulder injury and G Jimmy Howard returned after an eight-game absence with a groin sprain. Howard dressed as Petr Mrazek's backup. ... Columbus D Zach Werenski is from the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe and is friends with Red Wings F Dylan Larkin from when they were teammates at the University of Michigan. ... Detroit was still without C Darren Helm (upper body), D Brendan Smith (lower body), F Tyler Bertuzzi (ankle) and LW Justin Abdelkader (lower body). ... Blue Jackets LW Nick Foligno's father, Mike, played part of his NHL career with the Red Wings.