Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Chicago Blackhawks 3 FINAL

CHICAGO (AP) _ Luke Richardson's first goal in more than two years couldn't have come at a better time for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Richardson scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:51 left in the third period and the Blue Jackets ended a five-game losing skid with a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

Richardson scored his first goal in 183 games from 50 feet out on a wrist shot through traffic that beat Michael Leighton on the glove side. He last scored on Dec. 8, 2001, while with Philadelphia.

``This was my first goal in Columbus and it made it a little more meaningful to be a game-winner, even though two guys made a great play on it,'' Richardson said. ``Rick Nash screened the goalie and (David) Vyborny made a great pass to me.

``It's still meaningful to know that your name is at the end of the (goal-scoring) list.''

Columbus rallied from a 3-1 deficit to end an 11-game winless slump on the road (0-8-3). The Blue Jackets won for the first time this season when trailing after two periods.

``I thought the guys battled back,'' Columbus coach Gerard Gallant said. ``To win when we were trailing 3-2 going into the third period was great for our team.''

Vyborny, Geoff Sanderson and Tim Jackman each had a goal and an assist for Columbus. Jackman's points were his first in the NHL.

``It was more exciting for me to see Tim Jackman come up and play a hell of a game and scored his first NHL goal,'' Richardson said. ``I was more exciting for him than myself.''

Chicago's Kyle Calder and Bryan Berard each had a goal and an assist. Brett McLean also scored for the Blackhawks.

``We just got outworked,'' Chicago defenseman Stephane Robidas said. ``That shouldn't happen in our building. There's no way they should come back.''

Columbus goalie Fred Brathwaite made 33 saves. Leighton made 25.

Calder opened the scoring midway through the first period when he drove to the net and tucked in the rebound of Matt Keith's shot from the left wing.

Jackman tied it 1-all at 1:20 of the second. He one-timed a feed from Sanderson from the right circle despite being covered by Berard.

Berard's power-play goal from the top of the left circle at 9:16 gave Chicago a 2-1 lead. His slap shot beat Brathwaite high on the glove side.

McLean's power-play goal with 3:10 left in the second extended the Blackhawks' lead to 3-1. His shot from the left circle struck Brathwaite's pad, but slid into the net.

Vyborny cut it to 3-2 on a power play with 50 seconds remaining in the period. He fired in Anders Eriksson's centering pass from 10 feet.

Sanderson tied it 3-all with 8:58 left in the third. He accelerated around Chicago defenseman Jason Strudwick, broke in alone and beat Leighton on the stick side.

Leighton stopped Aaron Johnson, who had just left the penalty box, on a breakaway with 5:30 left.