COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Chicago Blackhawks had to dig deep into their defensive depth after Seth Jones and Jake McCabe entered COVID-19 protocols before Tuesday’s game, and the “leftover” blue-liners came up big for the Hawks, contributing to three goals in a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Riley Stillman assisted on Alex DeBrincat’s first of two goals, and Calvin de Haan scored his first goal of the season. Columbus-area native Connor Murphy put the Hawks up by two with a third-period goal, helping to hand his hometown team its fourth loss in five games.
Gustav Nyquist’s short-handed goal cut the Hawks lead to 3-2 with 1:21 to play before DeBrincat’s empty-netter — his 23rd goal of the season — provided the final margin.
The Hawks went 2-1 on the three-game trip, beating the Vegas Golden Knights and the Blue Jackets after opening the trip with a loss to the Arizona Coyotes.
Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner opened the scoring with 7:09 left in the first period. Nyquist threaded a pass behind Stillman and in front of Caleb Jones. Jones tried to kick the puck but missed, and Jenner put it between his legs.
The Hawks took advantage of a defensive breakdown and answered 24 seconds later.
After Jonathan Toews won a faceoff against Sean Kuraly, Kuraly and defenseman Zach Werenski collapsed on Toews and left DeBrincat open to Joonas Korpisalo’s back door. Stillman dished to DeBrincat from the left side, and DeBrincat flushed it as Korpisalo tried to recover.
Defenseman Jakub Galvus made his NHL debut for the Hawks, and Caleb Jones drew into the lineup after being scratched Saturday against the Golden Knights. It was only the 14th game of the season for Jones.
Despite their previous lack of usage, the Hawks put both to work.
Galvus took on Seth Jones’ role as the point on the first power-play unit, and Caleb Jones replaced Erik Gustafsson — also on the COVID list — on the second unit. Galvas also saw time on the penalty kill.
The Blue Jackets had an interest in beating the Hawks beyond adding a notch to the win column. The Hawks traded this year’s first-round pick (protected if it’s in the top two) to Columbus in the package to acquire Seth Jones, so one more ding in the Hawks’ record would have helped the Blue Jackets’ cause.
