COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pierre-Luc Dubois had two goals and an assist, rookie Emil Bemstrom added a goal and an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 Tuesday night.
Joonas Korpisalo stopped 30 shots for his eighth win as Columbus improved to 8-8-4. Eric Robinson and Boone Jenner also scored for the Blue Jackets.
Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia had the goals for the Canadiens. Carey Price stopped 21 shots in his first loss since Nov. 2 as Montreal fell to 11-6-4.
Robinson, playing in just his third NHL game, got the Blue Jackets on the board early, taking a left-circle pass from David Savard and knocking a one-timer past Price at 1:24 of the first period. Robinson’s only other NHL goal came exactly a week earlier against Price in the Blue Jackets’ overtime loss at Montreal.
The Canadiens tied the score 1-all at 16:31 when Lehkonen scored his third goal of the season off a pass through traffic from Phillip Danault.
Montreal took a 2-1 lead at 4:29 of the second as Armia camped in front of the net and buried a deflection of Ben Chiarot’s shot from the left boards. Armia’s seventh goal of the season broke a nine-game scoreless streak.
Bemstrom forced a turnover behind the net at 12:50 of the second and sent it to Dubois, who buried an off-balance shot to Price’s blocker side for his team-leading eighth goal and 12th point. Bemstrom’s assist extended his point streak to five games (two goals, three assists), tying the club’s rookie record set by Dubois in 2018.
Bemstrom put the Blue Jackets ahead 3-2 at 6:54 on their first shot of the third period, as the puck ricocheted off the glass behind the net and bounced off Price for the score. Sonny Milano and Dubois were credited with assists.
Jenner gave Columbus an insurance goal at 11:06, just 20 seconds into a power play, by redirecting Oliver Bjorkstrand’s shot to make it 4-2.
Dubois completed the scoring when he was left wide open in front at 14:33 of the third to bury a perfect pass from Gustav Nyquist for his second goal of the game and third point of the night.
NOTES
Cale Fleury, who netted his first NHL goal Nov. 16, celebrated his 21st birthday. … Nick Foligno served the final game of his three-game suspension for a hit that levelled Colorado Avalanche forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. … Montreal played without forwards Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron, who both underwent surgery this week for injuries sustained Nov. 15 against Washington.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
Blue Jackets: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
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Nicole Kraft, The Associated Press