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Malhotra nets two as Blue Jackets clip Red Wings

Mar 17, 2008 - 2:39 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist as the Columbus Blue Jackets continued their mastery of the Detroit Red Wings with a 4-3 triumph on Sunday.

Defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and Nikolai Zherdev also tallied and All-Star Rick Nash had two assists for Columbus (32-29-11), which defeated Detroit for the third consecutive time this season and is seven points behind Vancouver (36-26-10) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"The goal for every team in the Western Conference is to have a .500 record or better against Detroit," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Detroit is a measuring stick for all of us."

"I thought we were determined," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought we stayed in it, tried to keep pushing. The puck didn't want to stay out of our net."

Johan Franzen scored twice to extend his seven-game points streak and Tomas Kopecky also tallied for Detroit (47-20-6), which has lost two in a row and remains seven points ahead of second-place San Jose (42-21-9) for the top spot in the West.

"I have never had a streak like this before," Franzen said. "I am getting a lot of ice time and playing with good players who are getting me the puck so it just keeps coming."

Sunday's contest was the first of three meetings between the Central Division rivals over the next eight days.

Malhotra opened the scoring just 3:23 into the first period, collecting a loose puck and wristing a shot past Dominik Hasek.

"A great pass from Nash," Malhotra said. "I just tried to get it on net and was fortunate it went in."

After Tollefsen gave Columbus a 2-0 advantage, Malhotra added his second of the game just 72 seconds later by skating around five-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom and backhanding the puck out of the air and past Hasek for his eighth goal of the season.

"I was upset when my shot got deflected," said Malhotra, who recorded his first multi-goal game since February 16, 2004, against Nashville. "Then I saw the puck up in the air and there was a big gaping net - so I just wanted to get something on it.

"I waited until it came down waist high before hitting it."

Zherdev's tally 4 1/2 minutes later sent Hasek to the locker room. The six-time Vezina Trophy winner, who missed the last three games with a sore back, finished with six saves.

"We're so bad defensively," Babcock said. "We gave up 17 shots and we are playing on the road. It's a game of mistakes, but they capitalized on every opportunity and we didn't."

Franzen scored the game's final two goals - the last with 4:49 remaining in the third period - but the Red Wings were able to net the equalizer.

A last-minute starter because Pascal Leclaire has the flu, Fredrik Norrena stopped 43 shots for Columbus.

"I would prefer to know the day before, but those are the things you have to get used to as a backup goalie," Norrena said.

"The goalie was great," Hitchcock said. "Freddy was able to play the last game, so that helped him. He was good - our goaltender bailed us out."