Chicago (19-32-9) at Columbus (24-35-2) 7:00 pm EST
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) - After ending a tough road trip in
winning style, the Columbus Blue Jackets will try to maintain
their dominance of the Chicago Blackhawks when the teams meet
Tuesday.
The Blue Jackets, who have won all three meetings with the
Blackhawks this season by one goal, lost the first three games
of a four-game trek that spanned the Olympic break before
breaking a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout victory
over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on Sunday.
Columbus had scored just five goals during the slide and got its
only two in regulation in a span of seven-plus minutes of the
first period.
Rookie Jaroslav Balastik and Nikolai Zherdev had the tallies
and, after a scoreless second and third periods, Rick Nash's
shootout goal provided the difference.
Zherdev has three goals in his last two games to become the
eighth player in franchise history to reach 20 in a season. He
enters Tuesday with a team-leading 22.
The Blackhawks wrapped up a 1-1-1 homestand with Sunday's 7-2
loss to Dallas. It marked their worst defensive effort since
November 4, when they allowed nine goals, also to the Stars.
Chicago let up the first three goals of the game before Mark
Bell tallied for the Blackhawks. However, any chance for a
comeback was thwarted by another three-goal burst by Dallas.
Rookie Adam Munro stopped just eight of 11 shots before being
relieved by Craig Anderson, who stopped 13 of 17.
Zherdev and Nash capped a three-goal first period and goaltender
Marc Denis made 41 saves to make the early lead hold up in a
3-2 triumph in the last meeting December 30.