01/30/26 10:27:00
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01/30 22:26 CST Coyle's three-goal game leads Blue Jackets to a 4-2 win over
the Blackhawks
Coyle's three-goal game leads Blue Jackets to a 4-2 win over the Blackhawks
By TIM CRONIN
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) --- Charlie Coyle had his second career hat trick, Mathieu Olivier
added a goal and an assist and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Chicago
Blackhawks 4-2 on Friday night.
The win was Columbus' fourth straight and eighth in the last nine games
(8-0-1). The Blackhawks lost in regulation for the third time in five games
(0-3-2).
Coyle set up Olivier's goal, the eventual winner, for his third point of the
game. It gave the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead 6:47 into the second period.
Coyle, with five goals and nine points in his last three games, finished off
his second career three-goal effort with an empty-netter with 1:03 left. He
scored Columbus' first two goals, beating Spencer Knight from the doorstep on a
power play with 47 seconds left in the first period, and on a hard wrist shot
over Knight's glove 1:23 into the second.
In between, Connor Bedard whistled a wrist shot past Elvis Merzlikins with 2.7
seconds left in the first. Bedard set up Chicago's other goal, matched with a
perfect feed to Frank Nazar on a 3-on-2 break four minutes after Olivier's
goal. Nazar beat Merzlikins from 25 feet.
Merzlikins stopped 22 shots, and Knight made 22 saves.
Columbus blanked the Blackhawks on their two power-play chances, running their
string of futility to 26 man-advantages and 10 games without a goal. Chicago's
last power-play goal was in Nashville on Jan. 10.
The Blackhawks called up defenseman Sam Rinzel from Rockford before the game,
benching defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was a minus-5 in Thursday's 6-2 loss
at Pittsburgh and is minus-11 in his last eight games.
Up next
Blue Jackets: At St. Louis on Saturday.
Blackhawks: Host San Jose on Monday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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