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Malhotra scores two in third as Blue Jackets win

Sep 20, 2007 - 6:32 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Blackhawks showed off their new look in their preseason home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center. Unfortunately for the crowd, it did not include a victory.

Manny Malhotra scored twice in the third period to erase a deficit and lead the Blue Jackets to a 4-3 triumph over the Blackhawks on Wednesday.

Martin Havlat, Chicago's leading scorer last season, started the game with two new linemates in Sergei Samsonov and Robert Lang. In addition, the Blackhawks' first-round draft picks of the past two years, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, made their debuts before the home fans.

Kane - who was selected first overall this past June - failed to record a shot on goal, while Toews fired one puck at Columbus goaltender Pascal Leclaire. Both players finished with a minus-3 rating, but Toews suffered a broken finger while blocking a shot in the second period and is expected to miss two weeks.

With Columbus trailing, 3-2, Curtis Glencross was called for hooking at 5:49 of the third period. But instead of the penalty putting a hold on the Blue Jackets' comeback attempt, Malhotra scored a shorthanded goal at 6:08, knotting the contest.

Just under seven minutes later, Malhotra netted his second of the game at 12:58, giving Columbus its first lead of the night.

Chicago opened the scoring at 4:47 of the first period on a power-play goal by Lang. But Columbus answered with 2:34 remaining as Jason Chimera - who also had two assists - beat netminder Nikolai Khabibulin for a tally.

The Blackhawks regained the lead less than three minutes into the middle session on Yanic Perreault's man-advantage goal, but Glencross scoerd an unassisted tally with 3:20 left to knot the game at 2-2. Glencross corralled an errant pass by Havlat and skated in on Khabibulin before slipping the puck past the goalie.

Perreault put Chicago back in front at 2:25 of the third with his second goal of the contest.

Khabibulin made 28 saves for the Blackhawks, while Leclaire stopped 25 shots for the Blue Jackets.