After losing the first four games last season, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said he had "zero confidence" in his game. Bobrovsky doesn't have to worry about his confidence going into his fourth game this season after he made 32 saves to help the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets (1-0-2) were the only NHL team without a win entering the game against Chicago (2-3-0), but they won't have to answer any questions about possibly repeating their 0-8-0 start of a season ago. Bobrovsky was stellar late in the game when Chicago had a power play and made it a 6-on-4 advantage by pulling goalie Corey Crawford for an extra attacker while trying to tie it. Foligno and rookie defenseman Zach Werenski each had a power-play goal and an assist, and William Karlsson also scored.
Panik scored at 5:54 of the third period to pull the Blackhawks to within 3-2, tapping a bouncing puck past Bobrovsky. Werenski scored his second goal in as many games at 10:50 into the game for a 1-0 lead. Each of his goals has been on the power play. Motte tied it at 2:29 of the second, cleaning up a rebound of a shot by Jonathan Toews. Werenski helped set up the Blue Jackets' second power-play goal. Crawford made the save on his shot from the high slot, but Foligno was parked in front and made a backhanded swipe for his first goal at 4:36 of the second. Karlsson scored at 13:44 of the second to make it 3-1.
* Karlsson gave Columbus a 3-1 lead when he reached down and used the back of his stick blade to redirect a shot by David Savard.
* Columbus barely escaped the second period with a 3-1 lead. The Blackhawks kept the puck in the Blue Jackets zone for all but the final six seconds of a 2:30 stretch to end the period, but they could not score. Bobrovsky made four saves.
* With 1:23 left in the game, Bobrovsky somehow saw Seabrook's slap shot from the right point through traffic and made the save to prevent the tying goal.
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Chicago forward Patrick Kane played 28:48, including 10:08 of the third period. … Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray left the game with an upper-body injury in the first period and will not play Saturday against the Dallas Stars. … Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who sustained an upper-body injury, will not play Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. … Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell extended his consecutive games streak to 388 but played left wing. … Blue Jackets forward Lukas Sedlak made his NHL debut. … Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa (lower body) did not play. … Chicago is 8-for-19 on the penalty kill (42.1 percent) this season, last in the NHL.
Jonathan Toews: "Our effort and energy was there. That usually translates to our special teams. It's just not good enough. We deserve all the criticism."
Joel Quenneville: "Both [power-play goals} could have been prevented, whether it's a block or a clear. We've got to be sharper. More determination. Try to stay out of the box."
Richard Panik scored his fifth goal, tied with Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the NHL lead, and had an assist for the Blackhawks. Chicago rookie forward Tyler Motte, who was Werenski's teammate with the University of Michigan last season, scored his first NHL goal, and Crawford made 25 saves.
* Karlsson gave Columbus a 3-1 lead when he reached down and used the back of his stick blade to redirect a shot by David Savard.
* Crawford twice stopped former teammate Brandon Saad on a partial breakaway. The second, with 4:59 remaining, kept the Blackhawks within a goal. After Saad got around the outstretched stick of a diving Brent Seabrook, Crawford went down in the butterfly and made the save with his left pad.
* With 1:23 left in the game, Bobrovsky somehow saw Seabrook's slap shot from the right point through traffic and made the save to prevent the tying goal.
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Chicago forward Patrick Kane played 28:48, including 10:08 of the third period. … Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray left the game with an upper-body injury in the first period and will not play Saturday against the Dallas Stars. … Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who sustained an upper-body injury, will not play Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. … Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell extended his consecutive games streak to 388 but played left wing. … Blue Jackets forward Lukas Sedlak made his NHL debut. … Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa (lower body) did not play. … Chicago is 8-for-19 on the penalty kill (42.1 percent) this season, last in the NHL.
Joel Quenneville: "Both [power-play goals} could have been prevented, whether it's a block or a clear. We've got to be sharper. More determination. Try to stay out of the box."
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