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Nash, Fritsche keep Blue Jackets rolling

Dec 11, 2006 - 1:46 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Rick Nash and Dan Fritsche made sure the Columbus Blue Jackets kept rolling.

Nash and Fritsche each scored two power-play goals as the Blue Jackets downed the Ottawa Senators, 6-2.

Columbus, which went 5-for-11 with the man advantage, won its season-high fourth straight game and improved to 5-3-0 since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach on November 24.

"I think we are all buying into coach Hitchcock's system," Nash said. "Before we were working hard and just didn't get the job done. Now we are working a bit smarter and it seems to be working. It feels really good, you see the best teams in the league winning five and six games in a row, and if we can do that, we will be fine."

"They scored when they got the chances," Ottawa coach Bryan Murray said. "I think we had seven odd-man chances at the end of the second period, they had one: Rick Nash. When you don't score, and you don't get some stops, you are not going to win. To be honest and fair, they played a very good hockey game."

Nash scored both his goals in the first period to give the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead. The left wing opened the scoring at 5:57 when he poked in a loose puck from close range and upped the advantage to 2-0 with 1:14 left when he redirected a shot past Ottawa goaltender Martin Gerber.

Nash entered with only one goal in his last nine games.

Fritsche, who entered with only three goals in his first 23 games, made it 3-0 at 2:53 of the second period when his shot from the right faceoff circle glanced off Gerber's glove into the net.

"I was just coming in with speed and I think I caught the goalie cheating a little bit and I was able to get over his glove," Fritsche said. "It was just a simple shot on net that went in."

Gerber was replaced at 7:08 of the second period after surrendering four goals on only 13 shots. Ray Emery came in and made 16 saves.

"You just have to try and change something," Emery said. "Obviously things were not going well, we had a lot of penalties and the other team gets out to a 4-0 lead, you have to try anything to turn things around."

Columbus netminder Pascal Leclaire stopped all 17 shots he faced before leaving with a groin injury late in the second period.

Ottawa's Peter Schaefer was unsuccessful on a penalty shot in the second period. He zoomed in on Leclaire and tried to deke him, but the puck rolled off of his stick.

Defenseman Christoph Schubert and Mike Fisher scored for the Senators, who went 1-for-6 on the power play.

Jason Spezza assisted on Schubert's goal to extend his point streak to nine games, during which he has six goals and seven assists.

The Blue Jackets aim for their fifth straight win when they play the Stars in Dallas on Tuesday.

"We are making a race of this thing now," Hitchcock said. "We have a lot of confidence and a lot of spirit. We are not gong to score five or six goals a night, that is not realistic, but we are going to be competitive and we are going to battle."