Jackets fans could start getting used to this. The Columbus offense has been pretty potent of late and last night, trailing 1 - 0 after one period, the O erupted for a four-goal second frame that helped the team escape Winnipeg with a 6 - 3 win over the Jets. It's the 12th time in the last 17 that the Jackets have scored at least three times and they have tallied 58 goals during that stretch.
Mark Letestu got the ball, or puck rather, rolling with a short-handed marker just 0:36 into the second. Letestu would score again to close out the scoring for the Jackets 11:14 into the final stanza.
Boone Jenner scored on a penalty-shot awarded in the second period when Adam Pardy was whistled for holding on a clear breakaway. Jenner also finished with two goals on the evening, giving him eight on the season and three in the last two.
Cam Atkinson netted a goal for the third straight game and now ranks behind only Ryan Johansen in goals scored with 13 on the season.
Nick Foligno tallied his 12th and appears to be well on his way to setting a personal best in that department. His previous season-high goal total is 17 with Ottawa in 2008 - 2009.
Derek MacKenzie, returning to the lineup after serving a three-game suspension, recorded two assists, as did defenseman James Wisniewski. Wisniewski leads the Jackets in helpers with 22 and is tied for 11th in the NHL among blue liners in that category.
Curtis McElhinney stopped 28 of 31 shots faced to earn the triumph. The win evened his record at 8 - 8 - 1 as he continues to expand upon his career best victory total.
Eric O'Dell, Tobias Enstrom and Bryan Little each scored for Winnipeg, with Little adding an assist on Enstrom's goal.
The win, Columbus' third in a row, pulled the Jackets above .500 for the first time since the third game of the season. They now reside just three points out of the final playoff spot in the East.
After dropping their fifth straight, Winnipeg announced the firing of head coach Claude Noel and assistant coach Perry Pearn. Paul Maurice, formerly the bench boss in Carolina (twice) and Toronto, was hired to take Noel's place. Noel was an assistant in Columbus for four seasons working under Ken Hitchcock and had a 24-game stint as the interim coach after Hitchcock was removed.
Next up for Columbus as they try to push their winning streak to four is a home match Monday with the Tampa Bay Lightning.