Laine scores hat trick, Blue Jackets hold off Red Wings

Patrik Laine scored his 10th NHL hat trick, and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended a 10-game road losing streak with a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday.

"I'm obviously happy to get three goals, but I'm happier that we won the game," Laine said. "That's a lot more fun than losing another one."
Vladislav Gavrikov also scored, and Johnny Gaudreau and Jack Roslovic each had two assists for Columbus (13-27-2), which won on the road for the first time since Dec. 2. Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves.
"This was an amazing game, and I'm so proud of how the guys played," Merzlikins said. "We're (almost) dead last in the League, but we haven't quit playing hockey. They put us under a lot of pressure in the third period, and I'm happy we could hold them back and win."

Olli Maatta, Jake Walman and Lucas Raymond scored in the third period, and Ville Husso made 21 saves for Detroit (18-16-7), which had won two straight.
"This has kind of been the story of our season, we can't get on a run and string together some wins," Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. "It's frustrating because we win two or three and then have a game like tonight."
Laine gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 12:47 of the first period with a one-timer from the bottom of the left face-off circle after receiving a cross-ice pass from Gaudreau. It was his first goal since Dec. 17 (10 games).
"It's not a secret, nothing has been going in lately," Laine said. "So, I've been working hard and trying to shoot as many pucks as I can. Tonight I got a couple of bounces and the guys made some great plays."

Gavrikov knocked in a rebound at 13:54 to extend it to 2-0.
Laine made it 3-0 at 15:30 when he tapped in a rebound after Roslovic's shot attempt went off the end boards. He then completed the hat trick at 1:32 of the second period with another one-timer to push the lead to 4-0.
"Give Laine credit, those were three world-class finishes," Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. "He's one of the best finishers in the world, but we made it too easy for him. We gave him so much time and space and it obviously burned us."
Maatta made it 4-1 at 5:50 of the third period when the rebound of his shot deflected in off Columbus forward Mathieu Olivier's stick and skate.
Walman cut it to 4-2 at 7:08, scoring with a slap shot from the top of the left circle after he intercepted a clearing attempt from Roslovic.
"We saw in the third period what we can do when our compete level is high," Lalonde said. "The first period was a perfect example of what happens when that level comes off just a little bit."

Raymond got the Red Wings to within 4-3 at 15:56 when he cut through the slot and finished with a backhand.
"We knew they were going to push, and we haven't been in that situation all year to be honest," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "They came at us and we made a couple mistakes, but we got through it. This is a big step for this group."
NOTES: Laine is the fourth NHL player with at least 10 hat tricks since 2016-17, joining Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (15), David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins (13) and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (12). … Columbus forward Boone Jenner had three shots on goal, two hits and one block in 19:17 of ice time after missing 11 games with a thumb injury. Forward Eric Robinson had one hit and one block in 17:31 after missing five games with an upper-body injury. … Merzlikins won for the first time since Dec. 11 (lost previous four starts). ... Raymond has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a three-game point streak.