Merzlikins shuts out Red Wings, Blue Jackets win in shootout

<p>COLUMBUS, Ohio &mdash; Patrik Laine and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in a shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Laine deked Thomas Greiss and beat him between the pads to lead off. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins denied Jakub Vrana and Adam Erne and Bjorkstrand’s shot sealed the win.</p>
<p>Merzlikins, who had 41 saves and made two great stops in the waning seconds of the overtime period, got his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career.</p>
<p>Greiss had 33 saves for the Red Wings, who have lost five of their last six.</p>
<p>The bottom two teams in the Central Division generated lots of chances but had trouble finishing mostly disjointed offensive pushes. It was a big one for the Blue Jackets, who would have lost 10 straight for the first time in franchise history. They were 0-7-2 and hadn’t won in three weeks.</p>
<p>Detroit’s best offensive effort was in the second period when Jakub Vrana got a breakaway and beat both Blue Jackets’ defensemen down the ice but Merlikins made the stick save. Later Vladislav Namestnikov got a look at a wide open net from a sharp angle but missed with the shot.</p>
<p>An early first period Blue Jackets goal by Bjorkstrand was waved off after a video replay showed Eric Robinson was offside entering the zone.</p>
<p>KORPI SIDELINED</p>
<p>Goalie Joonas Korpisalo will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a lower-body injury in the third period of Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. Matiss Kivlenieks was brought up from the taxi squad to back up Merzlikins the rest of the way.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Red Wings: At Carolina on Thursday, then a weekend home back-to-back with Tampa Bay.</p>
<p>Blue Jackets: Travel to Carolina Saturday before wrapping up the season with four games at home.</p>
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