Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins reacts after giving up a goal to the Colorado Avalanche in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
CHICAGO (AP) — Charlie Coyle had his second career hat trick, Mathieu Olivier added a goal and an assist and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Friday night.
The win was Columbus’ fourth straight and eighth in the last nine games (8-0-1). The Blackhawks lost in regulation for the third time in five games (0-3-2).
Coyle set up Olivier’s goal, the eventual winner, for his third point of the game. It gave the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead 6:47 into the second period.
Coyle, with five goals and nine points in his last three games, finished off his second career three-goal effort with an empty-netter with 1:03 left. He scored Columbus’ first two goals, beating Spencer Knight from the doorstep on a power play with 47 seconds left in the first period, and on a hard wrist shot over Knight’s glove 1:23 into the second.
In between, Connor Bedard whistled a wrist shot past Elvis Merzlikins with 2.7 seconds left in the first. Bedard set up Chicago’s other goal, matched with a perfect feed to Frank Nazar on a 3-on-2 break four minutes after Olivier’s goal. Nazar beat Merzlikins from 25 feet.
Merzlikins stopped 22 shots, and Knight made 22 saves.
Columbus blanked the Blackhawks on their two power-play chances, running their string of futility to 26 man-advantages and 10 games without a goal. Chicago’s last power-play goal was in Nashville on Jan. 10.
The Blackhawks called up defenseman Sam Rinzel from Rockford before the game, benching defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was a minus-5 in Thursday’s 6-2 loss at Pittsburgh and is minus-11 in his last eight games.
Up next
Blue Jackets: At St. Louis on Saturday.
Blackhawks: Host San Jose on Monday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
By TIM CRONIN
Associated Press