In a battle of the NHL's two worst squads, the Columbus Blue Jackets were blasted 3-0 on Wednesday by the Oilers in Edmonton.
Columbus and Edmonton bring up the rear of the Eastern Conference (and NHL). Entering the game they were the only two teams in the league with fewer than 60 points -- the Blue Jackets had 51, the Oilers 58.
The Oilers finally cracked the 60-point mark with their drubbing of Columbus, handing the Blue Jackets their third straight loss. During that stretch Columbus has been outscored 9-2.
After a scoreless first, Edmonton tallied a pair of second-period goals. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the scoring started 7:40 into the period, and Taylor Hall tacked on another goal with just five seconds remaining in the frame.
Linus Omark added a goal in the third, more than enough cushion for Edmonton keeper Devan Dubnyk, who stopped 22 shots en route to his second shutout of the season.
It was just the Oilers' second win in their last eight games.
Columbus, the only team in the league to have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, continues its swing through Canada with back-to-back games at Vancouver and Calgary on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
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