Merzlikins solid in return, Blue Jackets beat Canucks 2-1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Elvis Merzlikins made 26 saves in his return after missing four games with a concussion, and the Columbus Blue Jackets held off the Vancouver Canucks for a 2-1 victory Sunday night.

Emil Bemstrom and Eric Robinson scored for Columbus (33-22-15), which moved two points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders for the top Eastern Conference wild card.

Elias Pettersson got the goal for the Canucks (35-27-6), who are tied with the Predators and Jets for the second wild card in the West. Vancouver currently holds the spot with one more win than Nashville and a game in hand on Winnipeg.

Columbus had just 22 shots on Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko after piling up 46 in a 4-1 loss to Edmonton on Saturday night.

The Blue Jackets were 0 for 2 on the power play, and Vancouver was unable to score on its three man advantages.

Following a sluggish first period that saw Vancouver outshoot Columbus 6-3, the Blue Jackets opened the scoring 7:18 into the second.

Pierre-Luc Dubois outmuscled Alex Edler for a loose puck along the end boards, then fed the puck into the slot. A wide-open Bemstrom beat Demko to the stick side for his ninth goal of the season.

With five minutes left in the second, Tyler Toffoli got Vancouver’s best chance to that point, skating into the offensive zone with plenty of open ice. Merzlikins got a piece of Toffoli’s shot before it deflected off the post.

Robinson extended the lead to 2-0 on the Blue Jackets’ 10th shot of the game, beating Demko with a slap shot for his seventh goal with 28 seconds left in the middle period.

The Canucks finally solved Merzlikins on their 21st shot, when Pettersson burst out of the penalty box after serving an elbowing minor and slid the puck five-hole for his 27th of the season at 8:19.

The loss gave Vancouver a 1-2-0 record on its current homestand, which wraps up Tuesday against the Islanders.

NOTES: Ryan Murray returned to the Columbus lineup after missing Saturday’s game in Edmonton. … Brock Boeser skated with the Canucks on Sunday morning for the first time since sustaining a rib cartilage injury on Feb. 8. His return date remains unknown.

UP NEXT

Blue Jackets: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Canucks: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.