Jonathan Toews had a short-handed goal and two assists and the Chicago Blackhawks started a grueling six-game, 12-day road trip by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4 on Tuesday night.
Patrick Kane added a goal and an assist, while Nick Leddy, Duncan Keith, Viktor Stalberg, Dave Bolland and Marian Hossa also scored for Chicago, which plays 20 of its last 32 regular-season games on the road.
Fernando Pisani and Brent Seabrook each had two assists as the Blackhawks overcame a 3-2 second-period deficit by scoring four consecutive goals.
Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard, Samuel Pahlsson and Matt Calvert tallied for the Blue Jackets, who started the night just five points out of the final playoff spot in the West but in a tie for 13th place.
Columbus scored twice in 42 seconds - Brassard on a slick assist from Rick Nash and Pahlsson on a shot from the right wing through traffic - for a 3-2 lead early in the second period.
But the Blackhawks then took control.
An instant after killing Stalberg's roughing penalty, they tied it when Stalberg joined a rush and benefited from Pisani's helper to notch his eighth.
Kane crashed the net just as Toews stole the puck from Columbus' Chris Clark on the back boards, Toews sliding a centering pass that Kane converted for the go-ahead goal.
The backbreaker came with 40 seconds left in the period when Toews won a battle for the puck near the offensive zone blue line with Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin and then skated past another defenseman, Grant Clitsome, who had overcommitted, before beating goaltender Steve Mason to make it 5-3.
Hossa's goal was a short-handed empty-netter in the final minute.
The first period ended prematurely when the lights in Nationwide dimmed for several minutes.
The officials sent the teams to the dressing rooms with 39.6 seconds left in the first period after the arena lights dimmed slightly — although not enough to hinder play.
There was plenty of electricity on the ice before that.
The Blue Jackets, who had trailed 2-0 in their last three games, got on the board first when Dorsett collected the puck off the back wall from Keith, then jammed the puck past Turco inside the near post for his third of the year.
Chicago tied it at the 9:10 mark when Leddy, called up on Monday from Rockford of the American Hockey League, took a pass from Jack Skille and scored on a floater that appeared to go in off the crossbar.
The Blackhawks then had 1:46 with a two-man advantage. With 15 seconds left in the 5 on 3, Keith stepped into a rocket at the right dot and blistered the one-timer past Mason.
With full power back on, the players returned from the intermission to play the final seconds of the first period, then switched ends for the second period.
