Laine scores first goal for Blue Jackets in win against Stars

COLUMBUS -- Patrik Laine scored his first goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

Laine, acquired with Jack Roslovic in a trade from the Winnipeg Jets for Pierre-Luc Dubois on Jan. 23, gave Columbus a two-goal lead in the second period.
Roslovic also scored his first goal with Columbus, and Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves for the Blue Jackets (5-4-3), who split the two-game set.
"It always feels good to contribute," Roslovic said. "We were more confident as a group, but there were a lot of parts of the game that went back and forth, and we did a good job pushing back when they were pushing forward."

Jamie Benn scored for the third straight game, Alexander Radulov had three assists, and Anton Khudobin made 21 saves for the Stars (5-2-1).
"We certainly played well enough to get a point, at least one point," Dallas coach Rick Bowness said. "We out-chanced them. We had a lot of shot attempts. We deserved a point at least out of that game. That's how I assess it.
"We did not deserve to lose that game. If we lose in overtime or shootout, that's fine."

Oliver Bjorkstrand put Columbus ahead 1-0 at 2:23 of the first period. Seth Jones had an assist, his 200th in the NHL in his 536th game.
"I thought we played faster, more direct and at the same time with more confidence," Bjorkstrand said. "The last game wasn't good enough (a 6-3 loss to Dallas on Tuesday). We wanted to have a better game, and I thought we took a step in the right direction."
Bjorkstrand circled around the net and scored from a sharp angle at the bottom of the right face-off circle.
"It wasn't my night," Khudobin said. "That's how I feel. I feel pretty good physically, mentally, but there's something that wasn't comfortable."
Roslovic made it 2-0 at 16:59. The forward, a Columbus native, played his fifth game with the Blue Jackets.
Roope Hintz scored on the power play at 1:18 of the second period to bring Dallas within 2-1.
"I think we actually played a good game," Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen said. "We had lots of chances to score, but we didn't use those, [and] the opponent scored on their chances."
Laine controlled a bouncing puck near the right face-off dot and scooped a backhand to make it 3-1 at 7:50. The forward had two goals and an assist for the Jets in a 4-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 14, his only game with Winnipeg this season.
Jason Dickinson scored at 17:42 to make it 3-2 when a shot by Radulov went off his skate after Laine lost the puck in the offensive zone.
Cam Atkinson extended the lead to 4-2 at 3:42 of the third period by scoring off a pass to the crease by Bjorkstrand for his 200th NHL goal. Roslovic won the face-off on a play Atkinson said was drawn up on the bench.
"Literally, to a T," Atkinson said. "It couldn't have been any better and sweeter, and that's what makes it more exciting and to celebrate it with your linemates and teammates."

Benn scored on his backhand to cut it to 4-3 at 11:01.
The Stars got a power play at 18:18 and soon after pulled Khudobin for a two-man advantage. Blue Jackets forward Riley Nash twice blocked shots by John Klingberg, and Korpisalo saved a wrist shot by Benn with one second remaining.
"Was it perfect? Absolutely not," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "But we found a way to win, hung on with the goalie pulled plus the power play there at the end. We found a way to win."
NOTES: Laine was minus-2 playing 20:54 in his Columbus debut Tuesday. His goal was his 19th against the Stars, the most against one opponent in his NHL career. ... Radulov has eight points (one goal, seven assists) during a five-game point streak. … Korpisalo made consecutive starts for the first time this season. He had been alternating with Elvis Merzlikins, but Merzlikins sustained an upper-body injury in practice Wednesday and was put on injured reserve Thursday. … Atkinson has scored 373 points (200 goals, 173 assists) in 583 games in 10 seasons with Columbus. … Roslovic is the fifth Ohio-born player to score with the Blue Jackets (Dan Fritsche, Mike Rupp, Brett Harkins, Brian Holzinger).