Adam Erne and Robby Fabbri scored 29 seconds apart in the first period, and the Detroit Red Wings snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 3-1 win over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.
Anthony Mantha also scored, Dylan Larkin had two assists and Calvin Pickard stopped 21 shots in his first start since November 2019 for the Red Wings, who played one of their better games of the season after being outscored 12-1 over the previous three contests.
Pickard wasn't tested often, but he was solid enough to earn his first victory since Nov. 23, 2018.
Nick Foligno scored and Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves for Columbus, which is fighting for a playoff spot but mired in an 0-2-1 rut. The Blue Jackets were outshot 34-22 and outplayed by a Detroit club that was routed 7-1 at Nashville on Thursday.
After hitting iron three times through the first eight minutes of the contest, the Red Wings were finally rewarded at the 8:29 mark of the opening period. Erne deflected in a shot from Filip Hronek for his sixth goal of the season.
It was just under 30 seconds later when Fabbri drilled home a cross-slot pass from Larkin to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. The Red Wings outshot the Blue Jackets a whopping 16-5 through the first 20 minutes.
Detroit kept the pressure coming in the second period, but Columbus made it 2-1 with 8:17 left in the middle frame on just its eighth shot of the game. After the Red Wings were unable to clear the zone, Alexandre Texier slid a pass across the front of the net that Foligno buried for just his third goal in his last 29 games.
Mantha restored the Wings' two-goal advantage by putting the puck past Merzlikins, playing while starter Joonas Korpisalo is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, at 4:42 into the third.
These teams will play again Sunday at Detroit.
--Field Level Media
Columbus | Detroit | |
Nick Foligno 1 | Points | Dylan Larkin 2 |
Nick Foligno 1 | Goals | Adam Erne 1 |
Boone Jenner 1 | Assists | Dylan Larkin 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Elvis Merzlikins .912 | Save Percentage | Calvin Pickard .955 |
Elvis Merzlikins 31 | Saves | Calvin Pickard 21 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Columbus | 22 | 1 | 0-2 | 3-3 | 8 | 23 |
Detroit | 34 | 3 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 6 | 25 |