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Sharp, Blackhawks rip Blue Jackets

Mar 21, 2012 - 2:22 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Patrick Sharp netted two goals as the Chicago Blackhawks skated past the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-1, at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.

Andrew Shaw and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Blackhawks, who have won four straight. Corey Crawford made 24 saves and Duncan Keith added four assists for the victors.

With the win, the Blackhawks moved to within two points of Detroit for fifth place in the Western Conference.

"We got some fortunate bounces around their net early," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought we did some good things and it was nice to see our power play contribute."

Rick Nash scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets, who have lost five of their last six games. Steve Mason was torched for all five tallies on 27 shots in defeat.

Chicago opened the scoring 4:12 into the first period with a little luck after Bryan Bickell worked his way through traffic and around behind the net to the right circle. Bickell threw it in front and it hit the shin pad of Shaw and deflected past Mason.

The Blackhawks made it 2-0 just over two minutes later when Sharp got a pass to the left of the net below the goal line from Viktor Stalberg, and beat Mason to the short side from a seemingly impossible angle.

Chicago struck again at 8:22 to make it 3-0 after Keith walked into a wicked slap shot from the left circle that was kicked out by Mason. The rebound came all the way out to Seabrook at the right point and he threw a soft wrist shot on net that fooled the Columbus netminder and found its way home.

After a scoreless second period, the Blackhawks made it 4-0 just 37 seconds into the final period.

Skating on the power play, Patrick Kane wound the puck around the boards for Keith at the left point. Keith quickly dished to Sharp, who then sent it to the right wing half-wall for Hossa before getting it back and blasting it past Mason from the slot.

Hossa added a second power-play goal for the Blackhawks at 4:09 of the third period after he got a perfect feed from Shaw and ripped it home from in close to make it 5-0.

Columbus finally got on the board at 12:31 after Jack Johnson let a shot go from the right point that was deflected past Crawford by Nash, but the Jackets would not get any closer.

"They can score often and quickly," Blue Jackets interim head coach Todd Richards said. "I didn't think we were outplayed that badly in the first period, but we were looking up at a 3-0 game. Our guys fought through it and tried, but when you spot a team a three-goal lead, especially the Chicago Blackhawks, it's tough."

Game Notes

With an assist on Tuesday, Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland has registered seven points in five games...Crawford improved to 6-2-0 in eight career appearances against the Blue Jackets...Chicago won all six meetings between the teams this season...Hossa recorded his 900th and 901st career points. He became just the ninth active player to amass 900 points...Chicago scored on both of its power-play opportunities, while Columbus went 0-for-2 with the man advantage...Nash snapped a seven-game goalless drought.