Blue Jackets hold off Red Wings

COLUMBUS-- Sergei Bobrovsky was good, and so were the rest of the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 2-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
Bobrovsky made 35 saves, and the line of Boone Jenner, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson had two goals and five points for Columbus (35-14-5).

Atkinson scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period, Jenner had a goal and an assist, and Dubinsky had two assists.
WATCH: All Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets highlights
"I'm not just singling out that line or [Bobrovsky]," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "Our whole team game was better. We had a much greater description as far as how hard you have to play."
Detroit (22-23-10), which has lost three straight, nearly tied the game in the last second but Thomas Vanek's shot hit the crossbar.
Vanek scored, and Petr Mrazek made 37 saves for the Red Wings, who were playing for the first time since the death of owner Mike Ilitch on Friday. A moment of silence was held prior to the game.
"We created enough chances to win, but also we had enough good goaltending to win," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "In the end we didn't come away with any points. That's very disappointing."

Atkinson gave Columbus a 2-1 lead at 11:27 of the second with his 27th goal, matching his NHL career high set last season. Dubinsky was the catalyst, skating from behind the net then sliding a backhand pass through the crease, where it hit Jenner's skate. Atkinson was there to poke the puck into the net.
Jenner gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 9:26 of the first period with a waist-level tip of a long shot by Dubinsky. Jenner has 10 goals after scoring 30 last season.
"I'm getting back to what makes me effective and doing those things more consistently," he said. "It starts with the work habits and the rest takes care of itself."
Vanek made it 1-1 at 16:06 of the first period on the Red Wings' first power play, with Henrik Zetterberg setting him up for his 14th goal.

Goal of the game

On Vanek's power-play goal, Zetterberg was in the high slot when he passed to Vanek at the right side of the net. Vanek redirected the puck past Bobrovsky, who had no chance to cover the near post.

Save of the game

Josh Anderson broke free with four minutes left in the third period but Mrazek stopped him to keep the score 2-1.

Unsung performance of the game

Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard received a double-minor for high sticking at 17:35 of the second period. Columbus' penalty kill allowed three shots but no goals over the next four minutes.
"It's a good feeling when you're in the box and you know the guys will get the job done," Savard said.

Highlight of the game

Bobrovsky was quick with the reflexes to glove a one-timer from the slot by Tomas Tatar. Bobrovsky stopped the shot targeted for the upper right corner and then held the puck high.

They said it

"Boone's playing like a beast right now. He's running guys over. He's playing like a linebacker almost. When he plays that way, he creates turnovers and creates space out there." -- Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky on linemate Boone Jenner
"The third period we played really well. Overall, on the road, we played well, but it wasn't the result we wanted today." -- Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek
"They're rolling four lines. They're playing hard, playing a good system. It's a tough team to play against, but I think we match up really well." -- Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg

Need to know

Zetterberg's assist on Vanek's goal was his 310th power-play point, moving him past Sergei Fedorov for fourth in Detroit history. Zetterberg has three goals and six assists in the past eight games. … Dubinsky has two goals and five assists in the past five games. … Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (lower body) and center Frans Nielsen (shoulder) returned after missing three games. … Savard was in the Blue Jackets lineup after missing five games with back spasms. … The Blue Jackets surpassed last season's win total (34-40-8) and with 75 points are one shy of last season's total.

What's next

Red Wings: At the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets: Host the New York Rangers on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports, MSG, NHL.TV)