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With Columbus down 1-0 early in the first, Laine got the ball
rolling to tie the game. Jack Roslovic, Eric Robinson and rookie
Yegor Chinakhov each followed with a goal in the first, and
fellow rookie Cole Sillinger added a key third-period score for
the Blue Jackets, who won back-to-back contests for the first
time since a three-game run Nov. 22-26.
Artturi Lehkonen had a goal with two assists while All-Star Nick
Suzuki and Tyler Toffoli recorded one of each for the lowly
Canadiens, who are mired in an 0-4-2 rut and allowed 26 goals in
their last four games. Montreal's Sam Montembeault was pulled
for the second straight night after allowing three goals on
seven shots in a little more than 10 minutes.
The Canadiens scored 1:19 into the contest when Suzuki got the
puck behind the Columbus net, back-handed it off Blue Jackets
goalie Joonas Korpisalo (32 saves), teammate Gustav Nyquist and
in. However, Columbus leveled the contest less than three
minutes later when Laine sent a wristed laser by Montembeault.
The Blue Jackets took the lead when Roslovic threw the puck on
net from roughly 40 feet away, fooling Montembeault, who
couldn't make the save with 11:21 left in the first.
Montembeault's night ended just 10:11 into the game, when
Robinson intercepted a point pass, skated in alone and rather
easily slid the puck in for a short-handed goal. Columbus' final
first-period goal came off a Montreal turnover, when Chinakhov
beat Montreal backup goalie Cayden Primeau (26 saves) with 6:46
left in the opening frame.
Toffoli's blistering one-timer off a Lehkonen pass with 41
seconds left in the second period made it a 4-2 contest.
Lehkonen delivered a short-handed goal with 13:05 left in
regulation, but Sillinger's blast by Primeau about three minutes
later gave Columbus back its cushion.
Laine added an empty-netter for his fourth point in two games.
--Field Level Media
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