Monahan, Blue Jackets top Blackhawks to extend point streak to 6

CHICAGO -- Sean Monahan had a goal and an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets extended their point streak to six games with a 6-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday.

“We stuck with it,” Monahan said. “We’re finding ways to win, I guess different ways. We’re starting to enjoy that, and you get on a roll, and things are clicking right now.”

Zach Werenski had two assists to push his point streak to eight games, and Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson scored for the Blue Jackets (11-9-3), who are 5-0-1 in their past six games. Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves.

The point streak by Werenski (five goals, 11 assists) is the longest by a defenseman in Blue Jackets history.

“Nothing really, to be honest,” Werenski said of what the streak means to him. “Just happy we got the win. Great start to our (five-game) road trip. We’re going out west now, so it definitely makes it better getting a win.

“We just played simple. We played hard. Obviously, we had a few power-play goals (against) that we’d like to clean up. We just played a steady game.”

Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist, and Nick Foligno also scored for the Blackhawks (8-14-2), who have lost two in a row and three of four. Petr Mrazek made 30 saves.

“One of the worst goals-against outings for us this year, but just a team like this, we talked about them being an odd-man rush team and that’s what we really need to stay away from and make them work for anything,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “I think we gave them the game they wanted.”

The Blackhawks scored all three of their goals on the power play.

“I mean sure, it’s a good thing, I guess,” defenseman Alex Vlasic said. “But it doesn’t really mean anything. Yeah, we’ve been feeling good about it, but still losing games, so it doesn’t really help.”

Bedard put Chicago up 1-0 with a power-play goal at 2:59 of the first period. Ryan Donato picked up the puck in the slot and made a backhand pass to Bedard, who scored from the right face-off circle.

“He definitely looks more like himself the last few games, but on the defensive side of things, we have to be better and so does he,” Richardson said. “He can’t score one and give up two, right? Same as anybody else on the team.”

Ivan Provorov tied it 1-1 at 4:27, taking a drop pass from Monahan in the slot and putting a wrist shot past Mrazek with Dmitri Voronkov providing a screen in front.

Johnson gave Columbus a 2-1 lead at 11:23 on a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Damon Severson.

“It’s a great pass by (Severson),” said Johnson, who has six goals, tying his total from last season. “I just got to hit the net. He had a great play, sold the goalie. I think I could shoot a one-T even when I first got in the League like that if I got a pass like that, so it was a great play by him.”

Craig Smith tied it 2-2 at 3:00 of the second period on the power play, tipping in a shot by Taylor Hall.

Monahan put the Blue Jackets back ahead 3-2 at 4:50 with a wrist shot from the left face-off dot after taking a pass from Sean Kuraly along the left-wing boards.

Dante Fabbro extended it to 4-2 at 3:08 of the third period when he skated up the right wing and put a wrist shot past Mrazek’s glove.

With the Blackhawks on a 5-on-3 power play, Nick Foligno cut it to 4-3 at 8:08, tipping in a feed from Teuvo Teravainen.

Marchenko made it 5-3 at 10:52 on a shot from the slot at 10:52.

Voronkov scored an empty-net goal at 18:34 for the 6-3 final.

“We kept battling,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “We had some adversity, some penalties in different situations and some things that probably could have rattled our group, but didn’t. So, yeah, it was a good win in that regard. I think we’ve been pretty resilient in that area.”

NOTES: The Blue Jackets’ point streak is their longest since Jan. 18-29, 2021 (seven games). … Johnson has recorded a point in each of his first nine personal games to start the season (six goals, six assists). The only other player in Blue Jackets history to record points in each of their first nine-plus games of a season is Ryan Johansen (10 games in 2014-15) … Columbus forward Yegor Chinakhov is not with the Blue Jackets to begin their road trip because of an upper-body-injury. Columbus recalled forward Mikael Pyyhtia from Iowa of the American Hockey League. Pyyhtia did not play against the Blackhawks.