Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) celebrates after his goal with teammates in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Monday, March 4, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio.
AP Photo | Sue Ogrocki
COLUMBUS — Alexander Nylander posted his first career hat trick, Daniil Tarasov made 37 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3 on Monday night, posting back-to-back wins for the first time in more than three months.
Nylander, the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander, has four goals and two assists in five games since being acquired by Columbus in a trade for Emil Bemstrom on Feb. 22.
Justin Danforth, Erik Gudbranson, and Yegor Chinakhov also scored for the last-place Blue Jackets, who strung together two straight wins for the first time since Nov. 22 and Nov. 24. They beat Chicago 5-2 on Saturday.
Mason Morelli, William Karlsson, and Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill had 27 stops. The Golden Knights have lost three straight and six of the last seven.
Early offensive pressure by the Blue Jackets led to Danforth’s 10th goal of the season and first in 25 games when he beat Hill 6:16 into the game.
Later in the first, Alexandre Texier shoveled a pass out to Nylander, who scored on a rebound after his first attempt from the doorstep shot was stopped by Hill.
The Columbus lead wouldn’t last long. Morelli’s deft wraparound goal — his third in eight NHL games — was followed 42 seconds later by Karlsson’s hard shot from the right circle, his team-leading 22nd goal of the season.
Gudbranson’s slap shot from the right circle went over Hill’s shoulder and gave Columbus a 3-2 lead late in the second. It was third-line defenseman’s fourth of the year and first in 28 games.
Nylander got his second of the night on a breakaway after creating a turnover and leading the rush early in the third period. After Stephenson’s one-timer cut the deficit to one goal early in the third, Chinakhov connected from the slot to push the Columbus lead back to two.
Nylander’s third was an empty-netter with 1:11 left in the game.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Host Vancouver on Thursday.
Blue Jackets: At Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
