Pickard, Red Wings defeat Blue Jackets again

DETROIT --The Detroit Red Wings swept their first two-game set of the season with a 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday.

Detroit (12-20-4) also defeated Columbus 3-1 here Saturday after being outscored 12-1 in its previous three games.
"I thought this was a great performance," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "These guys looked in the mirror after the game on Thursday (7-1 loss to the Nashville Predators) and they showed up ready to practice their tails off on Friday. Then they worked this hard for back-to-back games. That's four days without a break.
"This group really wants to be a better team."
Calvin Pickard made 16 saves in his second consecutive start.
"I think [Pickard] has been the X-factor for us this weekend," Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. "Every time they got a chance, he swallowed it up. He was rock-solid and he didn't give up any rebounds."
Jack Roslovic scored, and Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves for Columbus (13-15-8), which is 0-3-1 in its past four games.
"We played awful," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "A ton went wrong. I think we played harder (than Saturday), but we couldn't make a play."
Evgeny Svechnikov gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 10:40 of the first period, beating Merzlikins blocker side from the high slot.

Detroit held Columbus to three shots in the first period after limiting them to five in the first period Saturday.
"We outshot them 16-5 in the first period yesterday, and we kept it going from there," Larkin said. "We really answered the bell after what happened in Nashville, and I'm proud of these guys."
Roslovic tied it 1-1 at 18:25 of the second period when he redirected Oliver Bjorkstrand's shot under Pickard's arm.
"We just didn't bring it. We thought it would be easy," Roslovic said. "This [stinks] because we're starting a long road trip. Now we have to go make up these points against Tampa and Florida."

Michael Rasmussen scored his first of the season to make it 2-1 at 2:51 of the third period, jamming a loose puck under the pad of Merzlikins. Tortorella challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the call was upheld after a video review.
Filip Hronek extended the lead to 3-1 at 18:31 by shooting into an empty net from his own goal line. Each of his two goals this season have come by shooting the puck the length of the ice into an empty net.
"I'm not always a fan of icing the puck in those situations, but [Hronek] believes he can hit the net and ice games from those positions," Blashill said. "He's a very confident player, as confident as anyone I've been around."
Vladislav Namestnikov added another empty-net goal at 18:52 for the 4-1 final.
"We're something like three of four points out with 20 or 21 games to play," Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones said. "There's a lot of hockey to play and we're not quitting on this season."
NOTES: Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury. Blashill said he wouldn't have an update until Monday. … Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine had one shot on goal during the two-game set. … Pickard hadn't won on back-to-back days since he did it as a rookie for the Colorado Avalanche against the Buffalo Sabres and Red Wings on Dec. 20-21, 2014.