Hawks start road trip with 6-5 comeback win in Columbus

COLUMBUS—Jonathan Toews scored twice in the third period and added an assist as the Blackhawks rallied to sweep a home-and-home series against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 6-5 victory on Saturday.Andrew Ladd, Marian Hossa and Troy Brower each had a goal and an assist, and Ben Eager also scored for the Hawks, who entered tied for the most points in the league with 68.Patrick Kane added three assists and Patrick Sharp two assists for the Blackhawks, playing the first of a season-high 8-game, 15-day road trip. Cristobal Huet made 21 saves.Columbus captain Rick Nash scored twice to snap a career-tying 11-game goal scoring skid, Kristian Huselius had a goal and two assists, and Kris Russell and Raffi Torres also scored for Columbus.Antoine Vermette and R.J. Umberger each had two assists for Columbus, which has lost 24 of its last 30. Steve Mason had 25 stops for the Blue Jackets.After blowing a 3-1 lead and facing a 4-3 deficit heading into the third period, the Blackhawks scored three times in the final period to skate away with their fifth win when trailing after two periods.Columbus has lost seven times when leading after two periods.With the Hawks on the power play, Toews tied it from the slot with this 15th 4:07 into the third period with big Dustin Byfuglien setting a screen. The Hawks continued to pressure with Eager scoring past Mason into a virtually wide-open net for his fourth, four minutes later on a nice feed from Colin Fraser.Toews scored again on the power play with a tough-angle wrist shot from the right circle at 15:03 for his 16th.It looked like the Blackhawks would break the game wide-open after easily jumping to a 3-1 lead near the midway point of the first period.Ladd opened the scoring with his ninth just 2:29 in, slotting home an easy rebound Mason didn’t control.Just after Kane zipped a shot off the post, he centered to an unmarked Brower in the slot and he slid a low shot past Mason at 7:36.Byfuglien blasted another Blackhawks shot off the iron, but the long rebound sent the Blue Jackets the other way on an odd-man rush. Jake Voracek fed Huselius, who beat Huet for his 20th at 11:44 to cut the Blackhawks lead to 2-1.Hossa scored 24 seconds later, gathering his own whiffed shot and scoring from the right circle with his 12th.Seemingly down and out, Columbus roared back with three straight scores to take a 4-3 lead.Late in the period, the rebound of a jam shot by Umberger, squirted to Nash in the slot. He snapped a one-timer over Huet for his 20th goal but first goal since Dec. 23. Early in the second period, Russell, a defenseman, jumped into the play and scored on a wrist shot from the left circle, his fifth at 3:25, to tie it.Shortly after an interference penalty expired, Nash scored on a wrist shot from the right wing inside the far post for his 21st at 7:12. Huet broke his stick in half over the goal post in frustration.Torres scored his 14th at 17:38 of the third to make it 6-5.

NOTES—

The Blackhawks trip eventually takes them through Western Canada and California before ending in North Carolina. … Columbus is 2-6-4 against its Central-Division opponents. …The Hawks are 11-3-0 and have eight consecutive wins in the division. … It was only the third time in 23 home games Columbus has scored four or more goals. …Cam Barker returned after missing the last five games with an injury.