MONTREAL (AP) Zachary Bolduc scored the winner with his first goal since Dec. 23, and the Montreal Canadiens edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night.

Jayden Struble - with his first of the season - also scored, and Jakub Dobes made 25 saves as Montreal won its third consecutive game.

Damon Severson scored for Columbus, and Jet Greaves stopped 18 shots.

The Blue Jackets fell to 19-4-4 since Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as head coach Jan. 12. They climbed from 28th overall to second in the Metropolitan Division ahead of Thursday’s games.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, sit third in the Atlantic Division with 11 games remaining.

Bolduc ripped a shot into the top-left corner 4:36 into the third period to snap a 31-game goalless skid and give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.

Struble ended a drought of his own when he opened the scoring at 9:54 in the first period. He snuck a wrist shot past Greaves short side for his first goal since Nov. 26, 2024.

Two minutes later, Severson got Columbus on the board by beating Dobes blocker-side on a 2-on-1 after Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was caught up ice.

With an assist on Struble’s goal, Hutson became the fourth defenseman in Canadiens history to register 70 points in a season - and the first since Chris Chelios in 1988-89. Larry Robinson and Guy Lapointe also reached the mark.

Blue Jackets: Host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Canadiens: Visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl