COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Patrick Kane had two goals and an assist, Corey Crawford stopped 37 shots to get his first win in nearly 10 months, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 Saturday night.
Alex DeBrincat and Marcus Kruger also scored for Chicago, which earned a point for the sixth time in seven games (4-1-2).
Crawford was playing his second game since a concussion suffered in a win at New Jersey last Dec. 23.
Zach Werenski scored for Columbus and Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 22 saves.
With the score tied 1-1, the Blue Jackets appeared to take the lead late in the first period when Boone Jenner forced the puck low past Crawford on the left side, but the goal was waved off for pushing the goalie into the net.
Kruger put the Blackhawks ahead for good when he tipped a wrister from Alexander Fortin past Bobrovsky at 7:43 of the third.
Kane then got his sixth goal of the season from the middle of the left circle with 4:14 left, after a costly turnover in the neutral zone by Columbus' Cam Atkinson.
Kane's empty netter with 1:37 remaining capped the scoring.
The Blackhawks got on the board at 3:48 of the first period with their first shot of the game, as DeBrincat buried a pass from Dominik Kahun from the front of the net. The goal extended DeBrincat's scoring streak to seven games.
The Jackets pulled even when penalties to the Blackhawks' Henri Jokiharju and Atkinson opened up the ice for Werenski, who carried the puck from the red line and fired a wrister that beat Crawford with 7:51 left in the opening period.
NOTES: Kane and DeBrincat are now tied for the Blackhawks' lead in goals (7) and points (11). ... Brandon Davidson, a veteran of 152 NHL games with Edmonton, Montreal and New York Islanders, made his Blackhawks debut. .... Columbus has scored in six of its seven first periods this season. ... Bobrovsky was playing in his 400th career NHL game. His career record fell to 220-132-36.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Blue Jackets: Host Arizona on Tuesday.
