National Hockey League
Columbus 4, Chicago 1
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 31, 2022
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees: Mitch Dunning, Chris Schlenker
Linesmen: Bevan Mills, James Tobias
Attendance: 18280

Gustav Nyquist scored two short-handed goals and Johnny Gaudreau collected two assists to lead the host Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and snap a seven-game losing skid.

Emil Bemstrom and Kirill Marchenko also scored for the Blue Jackets in the comeback victory over the NHL's last-place team. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 27 saves, nearly half of them in the third period.

Andreas Athanasiou replied with a goal for the struggling Blackhawks, who have lost 11 of 12 games -- all in regulation time -- and have a 2-18-1 record in their last 21 outings. Goalie Alex Stalock stopped 34 shots.

With his team trailing 1-0, Bemstrom's power-play goal put the hosts on the board with 80 seconds remaining in the first period. Gaudreau sent a perfect cross-ice feed to him at the left faceoff dot and Bemstrom buried the one-timer for his fourth goal of the season and second in as many outings.

Nyquist scored the game-winning goal with a short-handed tally at 3:50 of the second period. Jack Roslovic led the rush and slipped a nifty pass to Nyquist as he reached the slot, which Nyquist converted for his first goal in 10 games.

Marchenko made it a 3-1 game with his third goal in four games and fifth of the season. Sprung down the wing thanks to a quick pass from Gaudreau, Marchenko threaded the needle from the right faceoff dot with three seconds remaining in the period.

Nyquist notched his second short-handed goal into an empty net in the final minute, his eighth tally of the season.

The Blue Jackets, who were without sniper Patrik Laine for a second consecutive game due to COVID-19, scored four goals in a game for the first time since their last victory, a 6-5 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 11.

Athanasiou gave the struggling Blackhawks a rare lead when his eighth goal of the season opened the scoring at 11:33 of the first period. Isaak Phillips collected an assist for his first NHL point.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Columbus
Andreas Athanasiou 1 Points Gustav Nyquist 2
Andreas Athanasiou 1 Goals Gustav Nyquist 2
Sam Lafferty 1 Assists Johnny Gaudreau 2
N/A Power Play Goals Emil Bemstrom 1
N/A Short Handed Goals Gustav Nyquist 2
Alex Stalock .919 Save Percentage Joonas Korpisalo .964
Alex Stalock 34 Saves Joonas Korpisalo 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Chicago 28 1 0-5 2-3 6 38
Columbus 38 4 1-3 5-5 10 26
Upcoming Games
  • Columbus will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .320 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against San Jose. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .185 after a loss.