Garon, Blue Jackets stay hot against Habs
Mathieu Garon stopped 29 shots for his 17th career shutout, extending his strong play at home in leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and Kyle Wilson had goals and Jake Voracek added two assists for the Blue Jackets, who have won six of eight.
Garon, a second-round pick by the Canadiens in the 1996 draft, played three seasons for Montreal. He improved to 8-0-4 in home games since joining Columbus as a free agent in 2009.
The Canadiens, who had won four of five, were shut out for the second time this season.
The Blue Jackets cashed in on consecutive shots in the opening period.
Nash swooped in from the right wing on an odd-man rush. As he got to the faceoff dot, he aimed a wrister that slipped just over Carey Price's blocker inside the far post for his fourth goal of the season.
As that goal was being announced, Montreal's Benoit Pouliot was sent to the penalty box for boarding.
Voracek then skated with the puck across the blue line, splitting defensemen Hal Gill and Josh Gorges, and slid a pass through the crease from the left goal line. Brassard had an almost vacant net in front of him and jammed it in for his fourth of the season.
Brassard, a disappointment last season when he had just nine goals and 27 assists in 79 games, now has goals in four of his last five games.
After a scoreless second period, Columbus added a backbreaker at the 6:22 mark of the third.
On a 2-on-1 break, Jared Boll backhanded a pass under the stick of Travis Moen to set up Wilson, who scored on a backhander he lifted high into the net.
Wilson, a rookie signed as a free agent after playing two games last season with Washington, wasn't expected to stick with the club out of camp but has scored three goals in his last six games.
NOTES: During the first intermission, fans booed a weather forecast predicting the first snowfall of the season. ... Montreal D Andrei Markov played his second game after returning from knee surgery. ... The Blue Jackets blocked 24 shots to the Canadiens' eight. ... The game matched one team (Montreal) that hasn't given up four goals in a game and another (Columbus) that hasn't scored four in a game. ... Price made 21 saves.
