Jackets build 3-goal lead, hand Canucks 9th straight loss

Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson each had a goal with an assist, while Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves as the Columbus Blue Jackets won their third straight Thursday night, 4-1 over the visiting Vancouver Canucks, who have lost nine in a row.

Charlie Coyle scored for the fourth time during a three-game goal streak and Zach Werenski extended his consecutive home point run to 16 games with a goal for the Blue Jackets, who are 2-0-0 since 70-year-old Rick Bowness replaced the fired Dean Evason as coach earlier this week. Merzlikins, who carried a 4.03 goals-against average into this contest, ably backed a solid offensive night by his teammates to win for the first time in five starts dating since Dec. 4.

Meanwhile, Brock Boeser snapped a 21-game goal drought for the Canucks, who capped a winless six-game road trip while amid an 0-7-2 slide - one loss shy of matching the club-record 10-game losing streak in October-November 1997. The Canucks are 8-18-5 since a 4-3 home win over the Blue Jackets on Nov. 8.

Columbus opened the scoring with 2:35 remaining in the first period. On the power play, Coyle, camped out on the side of the Vancouver net, took a Marchenko pass, then went to the backhand and roofed the puck over a sprawled Kevin Lankinen (32 saves), who made 14 saves through the opening 20 minutes.

The Blue Jackets made it 2-0 at 5:49 of the second period. Off a faceoff in the Canucks zone, Marchenko worked to win a puck battle with Vancouver's Marcus Pettersson, then sent a wrister past Lankinen. Less than five minutes later, Werenski showed off some nifty stick work, finished with a laser by a screened Lankinen for Columbus' second power-play goal.

Vancouver finally got on the board via its own power-play. With 5:51 remaining in the middle frame, Boeser netted his first goal since Nov. 28, converting from the left dot on a shot that was too hot for Merzlikins to handle.

After assisting on Werenski's goal, Johnson got one for himself when he capped a 2-on-1 with Boone Jenner with 9:47 remaining in regulation.