Panarin lifts Blue Jackets past Blackhawks

CHICAGO --Artemi Panarin had two goals and an assist, including his 300th NHL point, for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Saturday.

"It was very important for me to play the way we played," Panarin said through a translator. "I'm very happy the team won and that we played the way we played tonight."
Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist, Ryan Murray had three assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 39 saves for Columbus (33-21-3), which has won five of its past six games and is in third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the Washington Capitals.
WATCH: [All Blue Jackets vs. Blackhawks highlights]
"We talked about getting on the forecheck and we talked about playing fast, two things that we didn't really do against the Islanders (3-0 loss on Thursday)," Dubois said. "I thought we got on it early tonight, kind of got away from it in the second (period), but we kept going in the third."

Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to 17 games, Jonathan Toews scored, and Cam Ward made 25 saves for Chicago (24-26-9), which has lost two of its past three games and is three points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Kane, who also extended his assist streak to 16 games, has 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) during the point streak, which is tied for the longest in the NHL this season with Florida Panthers forward Mike Hoffman, who did it from Oct. 13-Nov. 21.
"I think we have a need to improve," Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. "Our maximum level is as good as we've been, that second period. The challenge is we need to stretch that out to more of the game. And maybe a few more pucks went in in the other games we won, where tonight Bobrovsky made a lot of really good saves in the second period and even the first."
Dubois gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 12:36 of the first period, skating down the left wing before scoring short side from low in the left circle.
Kane tied it 1-1 at 16:14, scoring off a diving Bobrovsky's glove from the right circle on a power play.

Panarin scored 17 seconds later to make it 2-1 on a one-timer from in front off a pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand from behind the net.
Cam Atkinson extended the lead to 3-1 at 19:22, converting a give-and-go with Panarin on a 2-on-1.
Toews cut it to 3-2 at 19:26 of the second period, scoring from the right of the crease off a wraparound pass from Erik Gustafsson, but Panarin scored 12 seconds into the third period on a redirection in the slot to make it 4-2.
"It's nice to be getting on the score sheet every night," Toews said. "I think playing with [Kane], the way he's playing right now, you're bound to create and get chances."
Atkinson appeared to give Columbus a 5-2 lead at 8:42, but Colliton challenged for offside, and the call was reversed after a video review.
Josh Anderson made it 5-2 at 15:16 with his NHL career-high 20th goal of the season.

They said it

"Well, we didn't have the started we wanted. I think we were slow to start. You spot a team 3-1, it's tough to come back. I thought we had a good second and probably had a chance to maybe get another one there and tie it up, but spotting a team three is tough." -- Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook
"Players that come back, there's always a little bit of extra. But I thought everybody contributed, too. The top line did some damage. The thing that's fresh in my mind is that we bounced back after probably one of the worst periods we've played in quite a while and played a really good third period." -- Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella on Artemi Panarin returning to Chicago

Need to know

Panarin has 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in his past 23 games. … Bobrovsky is 5-1-0 in his past six starts. … Chicago outshot Columbus 20-9 in the second period. … Toews has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in his past 10 games. … Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat had an assist and has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his past 11 games.

What's next

Blue Jackets:Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks:Host the Ottawa Senators on Monday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, TSN5, RDS, NHL.TV)