COLUMBIA, Ohio, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Two goals each by Nicklas Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader highlighted an offensive explosion Wednesday that gave Detroit a 9-1 win over Columbus.
The rout spoiled the 1,000th game behind the bench for Columbus Coach Ken Hitchcock, who won a Stanley Cup while guiding the Dallas Stars. Hitchcock is the 16th coach to reach the 1,000-game mark.
Detroit had been outscored by five goals over its first 15 games of the season and produced its outburst against the Blue Jackets on just 30 shots.
Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk, Dan Cleary, Ville Leino and Todd Bertuzzi also scored for the Red Wings, who had a three-game winning streak snapped Saturday in Toronto.
The win went to Jimmy Howard, who made 25 saves.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Detroit swept the Blue Jackets in their inaugural playoff appearance last season.
Steve Mason started in goal for Columbus and gave up three goals on six shots in the first 7 1/2 minutes. Mathieu Garon finished out the opening period and Mason came back in the second, eventually allowing eight goals on 27 shots.
