NHL Update: Columbus Blue Jackets beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-0
Steve Mason made 34 saves for his second shutout of the year, as Columbus Blue Jackets rallied for a 3-0 victory over Detroit Red Wings, at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night.
Andrew Murray and Antoine Vermette each scored a goal and earned an assist for Columbus, which has lost four of six games coming in. Jared Boll tallied another goal in the win.
“He looked big and he looked comfortable,” Blue Jackets Coach Scott Arniel said of Mason.
Jimmy Howard allowed two goals on 23 shots for Detroit, which had won its last two contests.
"Most nights when you give up two goals, I know they got an empty-netter, you got to find a way to win that game," said Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock. "They came into our home on a weekend night in front of our fans found a way to beat us."
Blue Jackets got on the board first for 1-0 lead with the only goal they needed with 7 ½ minutes left in the opening session. The play was set up by Matt Calvert, who released a backhand pass at the top of the left circle where Vermette fired a blistering
one-timer that stuffed past Howard for his 12th goal of the season.
“I never saw the pass (from Matt Calvert). All I did was hear the shot,” Howard said. “In that situation, you’re in trouble if you can’t see it.”
Just one minute later, Columbus Captain Rick Nash’s goal was waved off due to a goalie interference penalty to Derick Brassard.
Boll put Columbus ahead by two with seven minutes left in the middle stanza. It happened so when Derek MacKenzie hammered a shot on net from the left circle that Murray attempted to deflect, but Howard blocked it. Murray then grabbed his own rebound and
chipped a turnaround pass to the front where Boll one-timed it home from the low slot for his sixth goal of the season.
Murray accounted for the final scoring with an empty-net goal with one minute left in the period.
Mason stopped eight shots in the opening session then turned aside 14 shots in the second frame.
Red Wings got a chance to creep within a goal on two-man advantage late in the middle period, but Blue Jackets killed it off to seal the win at 3-0.
“Just (not) executing. Not making plays,” said Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom. “Whether it’s a pass on a breakout the way we wanted to, we just didn’t execute well at all.”
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