The Columbus Blue Jackets used a four-goal second period and went 3-for-3 on the power play to cruise past the visiting Boston Bruins 6-2 in the opening half of the teams’ back-to-back, home-and-home series on Friday night.
Dmitri Voronkov posted two goals and an assist — all in the middle frame — while Sean Monahan also scored twice for Columbus, which tallied three times in a 2:47 span to break what was a 1-1 game through 20 minutes.
The Blue Jackets also received a goal and two assists from Kirill Marchenko, who is on a career-long, seven-game point streak. Adam Fantilli also lit the lamp and Zach Werenski dished out a career-high-tying four assists.
Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves as Columbus improved to 3-0-1 in its last four games ahead of the Saturday rematch in Boston.
Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle each scored and Joonas Korpisalo (27 saves) took the loss for the Bruins, who were unbeaten in their previous five (4-0-1).
Fantilli opened the Jackets’ surge seven minutes into the second, taking Voronkov’s centering pass down the slot and snapping the go-ahead goal over Korpisalo on the stick side.
The Blue Jackets extended their lead to 3-1 at 8:13. Dante Fabbro’s point shot created a rebound that bounced right to Werenski in the left circle, where he quickly whipped it across the ice to Monahan to net the insurance marker.
Voronkov finished the middle frame with consecutive power-play goals, beginning when he took Kent Johnson’s feed and spun to roof it from the top of the crease at 9:47.
With 45.7 seconds left in the period, Voronkov was alone near the blue paint and tapped in Marchenko’s shot from the left side to give Columbus a 5-1 advantage.
Marchenko added on only 3:04 into the third, streaking down the slot untouched to bang home the rebound of a Mikael Pyyhtia shot.
Monahan got the hosts out on the front foot with a man-up goal at 11:29. His one-hand knock of a rebound following Werenski’s drive from the top of the left circle flew in the air and past Korpisalo.
Boston managed just two shots before knotting the score at 15:13 of the first. Morgan Geekie’s forecheck allowed David Pastrnak to take over a loose puck and feed it from behind the goal line to Zacha, who fired home an open wrist shot from the right circle.
