Blue Jackets clip Red Wings 2-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson scored goals and Sergei Bobrovsky had 35 saves to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night in Nationwide Arena.
Thomas Vanek had the lone goal for Detroit. Petr Mrazek stopped 37 of 39 shots for the Red Wings (22-23-10).
The Blue Jackets (35-14-5) opened the scoring 9:26 into the first period. Columbus' Brandon Dubinsky pushed away Detroit's Dylan Larkin and fired a shot from the blue line that Jenner, positioned inside the left circle, tipped past Mrazek to make it 1-0. It was Jenner's 10th goal of the season.
At 15:06 of the first period, Columbus' David Savard was called for cross-checking Justin Abdelkader and Detroit had the first power play of the evening. The Red Wings capitalized 59 seconds in when Henrik Zetterberg passed to Vanek on the right side of the crease and Vanek lifted the puck over Bobrovsky to make it 1-1.
At 11:27 of the second period, Dubinsky's line produced again. Dubinsky passed to the left across the crease where Jenner and Atkinson were waiting. Both players got a stick on the puck before Atkinson scored from close range.
It was Atkinson's 27th goal of the season, tying a career high the forward set last season.
Dubinsky's assists were his 19th and 20th of the season. He has two goals and five assists in six games since the All-Star break and two goals and four assists in three games against Detroit this season.
Detroit pulled Mrazek with 2:05 left in the game but could not produce the tying goal.
It was the first time that Columbus allowed fewer than two goals in its last 12 games dating to Jan. 17 against Carolina.
The Blue Jackets swept the three-game series against Detroit for the first time in franchise history. Columbus has yet to suffer three consecutive losses this year.
The Blue Jackets held a moment of silence before the start of the game in honor of Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, who passed away Friday at age 87.
NOTES: Detroit C Frans Nielsen (upper body) and D Niklas Kronwall (lower body) were back in the lineup after each missed the previous three games due to injury. ... Jackets D David Savard returned to the ice. He had missed eight of the previous nine games because of back spasms. ... Blue Jackets D Scott Harrington and D Dalton Prout were scratched. ... Red Wing scratches were F Steve Ott, D Mike Green and D Ryan Sproul. ... D Jonathan Ericsson was placed on long-term injured reserve after fracturing his wrist in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.