Jenner, Werenski help Blue Jackets beat Blackhawks 7-3 to end 9-game losing streak

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Boone Jenner scored twice and Zach Werenski had a franchise-record four assists as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-3 Wednesday night, snapping a nine-game losing streak.

Kirill Marchenko had a goal and an assist, and Eric Gudbranson, Cole Sillinger and Dmitri Voronkov also scored. Adam Boqvist added three assists and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 34 shots for the Blue Jackets, who last won Nov. 2 and tied a franchise record for consecutive losses.

“We played the right way,” Blue Jackets coach Pascale Vincent said. “We managed the blue lines. We are tracking what’s right — our ability to create plays, but it was coming from hard work. I felt that we had those pieces of our games in the past. We just didn’t connect offensively. And today we did.”

Connor Bedard, Jason Dickinson and Ryan Donato scored for Chicago. Petr Mrazek stopped 13 shots before being replaced in the second period by Arvid Soderblom, who had six saves.

The Blackhawks have lost five in a row, including their last three on the road.

“Not a fun one, that’s for sure,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “For whatever reason, we just didn’t move our feet well early in the game, and they were motivated.”

Jenner gave Columbus the lead 2:57 into the game, hammering the puck behind Mrazek’s skate for his team leading ninth goal. Gudbranson made it 2-0 at 6:26 with a laser from above the right circle.

Jenner’s second goal came with 6:07 left in the first on the power-play from nearly the same spot, back-handing a puck from the right side through Mrazek’s pads.

“Tonight was a team effort and everybody chipped in,” Jenner said. “You can see it throughout the game. I just thought it was a good team game that everyone came, and we were ready, focused, and went and executed. It’s something to build on.”

Bedard cut the lead to it 3-1 with his 10th of the season, the most this year by a rookie, with 4:20 left in the opening period. His 16 points leads all first-year NHL players, and he became the fifth player 18 or younger in NHL history to reach 10 career goals in 17 games or fewer.

The second period, however, was all Columbus, which scored four goals.

Sillinger scored his first of the season at 7:32 before Voronkov chased Mrazek from the net by making it 5-1 with 7:45 left.

Werenski’s assist on Voronkov’s goal was his fourth of the night, the most ever in one game by a Blue Jackets defenseman, extending his team lead to 14 assists.

Marchenko scored his fifth of the year with a tap-in with 3:34 left in the second, and Laine capped the period’s scoring just over two minutes later.

Dickinson scored on his own rebound to make it 7-2 at 6:06 of the third and Donato added the final Chicago goal with 1:29 left in the game.

UP NEXT

Blackhawks: Host Toronto Friday night.

Blue Jackets: Visit New Jersey Friday night.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL