COLUMBUS — Gustav Nyquist netted two short-handed goals and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 26 shots, as the Columbus Blue Jackets ended a seven-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Emil Bemstrom and Kirill Marchenko scored Columbus' other two goals. Johnny Gaudreau had a pair of assists to give him 13 in the month of December, tying a franchise record set by Artemi Panarin in 2017.
Athanasiou put Chicago up 1-0 at 11:33 of the first period. But not long after, Bemstrom would knot the game up at 1 at 8:40 of the first period off a feed by Gaudreau.
Bemstrom has tallied two goals in as many games since being called-up from Cleveland, Columbus' Triple A team.
Nyquist put the Jackets ahead with a goal in the second period and Marchenko stretched the lead to 3-1 with three seconds left in the period.
The game was billed by fans as the “Bedard Bowl" referring to Connor Bedard — a generational player for Regina of the Western Hockey League — and expected to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL draft. Currently the Blackhawks are dead last in the NHL with 20 points, the Blue Jackets sit just behind them with 24 points.
Nyquist finished off the Blackhawks with an empty-netter with 39 seconds left in the game.
Columbus had not lost eight straight in regulation since the start of the 2015-16 season.
Alex Stalock made 34 saves for Chicago, who have lost 11 of their last 12 games. Their only win came against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 23.
Chicago 1 0 0 = 1
Columbus 1 2 1 = 4
First Period
CHI—Andreas Athanasiou (8) Assists: Isaak Phillips (1), Sam Lafferty (6),11:33.
CBJ—Emil Bemstrom (4) (Power Play) Assists: Johnny Gaudreau (26), Adam Boqvist (1), 18:40.
Second Period
CBJ—Gustav Nyquist (7) (Shorthanded)Assist: Jack Roslovic (16), 3:50.
CBJ—Kirill Marchenko (5) Assists: Johnny Gaudreau (27), Gavin Bayreuther (2), 19:57.
Third Period
CBJ—Gustav Nyquist (8) (Empty Net) Assist: Sean Kuraly (4), 19:21.
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