Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Sergei Bobrovsky dazzled in his return to
the ice, turning aside 36 shots to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 2-1
victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Cam Atkinson’s power-play goal proved to be the difference and David Savard
also lit the lamp for Columbus, which was coming off a 4-3 win over
Philadelphia on Friday.
Bobrovsky earned his 100th career win after missing eight games with a
fractured finger on his left hand.
Joe Pavelski netted San Jose’s lone goal and Antti Niemi made 26 saves in
defeat.
Columbus got on the board first. Savard’s blast from the top of the right
circle went past a screened Niemi with 5:43 left in the opening stanza.
Jack Johnson skated down to the goal line and backhanded a pass through the
crease, where Atkinson wristed home a shot on the power play for a 2-0 Blue
Jackets lead with 3:21 remaining in the second period.
Pavelski cut the deficit in half with 55 seconds to play in the middle stanza
after he cycled around the right circle into the slot, where beat Bobrovsky
with a wrister short side.
Bobrovsky was solid over the final 20 minutes, stopping 16 shots to ensure the
win.
Game Notes
Prior to the game, Columbus acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from the St.
Louis Blues in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Leopold played 17:11 on the blue line … The Blue Jackets also activated
forward Artem Anisimov off injured reserve and placed forward Matt Calvert and
defenseman Fedor Tyutin on injured reserve … Columbus is 6-1-1 over its last
eight games against San Jose.
