DETROIT (AP)—Brett Hull let his stats and his coach speak for him on another milestone night.
Hull’s first goal of the season moved him into a fourth-place tie on the NHL career list in the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-1 victory Wednesday night over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hull scored his 717th career goal to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 5:32 of the second period. The goal tied him with Phil Esposito, and left him behind only Wayne Gretzky (894), Gordie Howe (801) and Marcel Dionne (731).
But the usually and quotable Hull spoke to Howe after the game, but not to reporters. Howe was in attendance with his son, Mark—a Detroit scout.
“The milestones keep clicking by,” Red Wings coach Dave Lewis said. “I don’t think he’s done yet either.”
Detroit, which snapped a two-game losing streak, is undefeated against Columbus in the last 10 meetings (9-0-1).
“I thought we played a real solid 60 minutes,” Blue Jackets coach Doug MacLean said.
Hull added an assist, Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist, Tomas Holmstrom scored a power-play goal, and Ray Whitney added a short-handed tally for Detroit. Brendan Shanahan had three assists, and backup Manny Legace made 18 saves in his first game of the season.
“I played pretty solid,” Legace said. “Thank God it wasn’t 100 shots. The guys let me see the shots.”
Rick Nash scored the Blue Jackets’ goal.
Datsyuk centered Hull and Shanahan on a line that was conceived by associate coach Joe Kocur. The Red Wings scored twice in 23 seconds early in the second period to take a 2-0 lead.
Hull put a cross-crease pass from Datsyuk into an open net before Datsyuk scored at 5:55. Datsyuk beat Columbus goaltender Marc Denis with a fake and a forehand from in front after taking a pass from Shanahan.
“We’ve been talking about scoring more five-on-five goals,” Shanahan said. “And on one shift we get a couple.”
Detroit has been outscored 9-5 during five-and-five play.
The Blue Jackets cut the lead in half with 3:53 left in the second when Nash tipped in a pass from Todd Marchant on a 2-on-1 with the teams playing four-on-four.
But Holmstrom made it 3-1 with a power-play goal 6:53 into the third period when he tipped in Shanahan’s shot. Whitney scored with 9:48 remaining.
“We came back and got a goal in the second period, carried some momentum early in the third,” Marchant said. “Then we got a penalty and they scored.It kind of took the wind out of our sails.”
Notes
Detroit tied a team record, set in the 1964-65 season, with its 14th consecutive home victory, dating to last season. It was Whitney’s first game against his old teammates. The Red Wings signed him as a free agent in July. … Columbus C Andrew Cassels (bruised back) and D Duvie Westcott (bruisedankle) were scratched.
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