Patrik Laine scores on first shot, Columbus Blue Jackets beat Calgary Flames 3-1
Patrik Laine scored on Columbus’ first shot and the Blue Jackets broke a three-game losing streak, beating the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Friday night.
Eric Robinson and Sean Kuraly also scored to help Columbus end a six-game home losing streak. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 12 shots in the first period before suffering a lower-body injury. He was replaced in the second by Elvis Merzlikins, who stopped 21 shots.
“We had a good start and that helped,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said.
“You get a goal early on, you get one there and take a breath. We had good energy. This was a heck of a game by a lot of guys — a really good effort all the way through.”
Michael Stone scored for Calgary and Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots in his first start after sitting out three games. The Flames had won three in a row.
Laine opened the scoring at 1:02 of the first period and Robinson made it 2-0 on a breakaway at 2:52 of the second.
“I could have had four or five tonight," Laine said.
"We were pretty happy with the way the offence was going. All four lines played good offence and defence.”
Playing with an extra skater, Stone cut the lead in half with 2:34 left in the third with a shot from the blue line. Kuraly sealed it, scoring an empty-netter with 24 seconds left.
“I think our defence struggled mightily with the puck and in coverage for the whole game,” Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said.
“Some guys came for a visit, not to try and win the hockey game. Very disappointed.”
ON A STREAK
Laine’s goal extended his point streak to three games. With his assist on Kuraly’s goal, Boone Jenner has collected points in five of his past six games. Jack Roslovic’s assist on Laine’s goal was his fourth in five games.
FAMILIAR FACES
Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau played his first game as an opponent of the Calgary Flames. Gaudreau spent nine years with Calgary, skating in 602 games with 609 points (210-399). Defenceman Erik Gudbranson also came over from the Flames in the off-season, having skated in 78 games with 17 points including six goals and eleven assists, all of which were career bests.
NO POWER
Columbus and Calgary combined for 13 penalties, six for Columbus and seven for Calgary, but were both fruitless on the power play.
RECALL
The Flames recalled forwards Matthew Phillips and Radim Zohorna from the AHL and assigned Kevin Rooney.
UP NEXT
Flames: At Toronto on Saturday night.
Blue Jackets: Host Los Angeles Sunday night.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.