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Final Score: Columbus 5 - Detroit 1

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Fredrik Modin scored a pair of goals as Columbus zipped past Detroit, 5-1, at Joe Louis Arena.

Rick Nash registered a goal and two assists, while Nikolai Zherdev and Ron Hainsey each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a three-game losing streak and continued their quest for the first playoff berth in franchise history. Despite dropping seven of its previous eight games coming in, Columbus is now within two points of idle Colorado for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Pascal Leclaire stopped 20-of-21 shots in the victory.

"We were fired up right off the start," said Modin. "I thought we executed well. Getting a couple goals really helps your confidence. We know we can play good hockey, but to be a good team in this league you have to do it on a consistent basis."

Pavel Datsyuk had the only goal and Chris Osgood was pulled from the net after allowing four goals on 13 shots for Detroit, which dropped its fifth straight game. It is the longest skid by the Red Wings since a five-game stretch from November 17-25, 2006.

James Howard, recently called up from Grand Rapids, played the rest of the game and stopped nine shots. Dominik Hasek was unavailable and remains day-to- day with minor inflammation of his hip.

"We got skated into the ground in the first period," said Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock. "We have to play better and with a lot more energy. We were at our worst tonight, for sure. We didn't have any opportunity to win this game from the start. We've got to start out and be a lot better if we're going to get anything going. The only guys who are going to turn this around are the ones in this dressing room. We've got to get out of it."

The Blue Jackets opened the scoring at 7:29 of the first period, as Nash's goal came just seconds after a 5-on-3 had expired. With the power play still active, however, Columbus peppered Osgood with several hard shots, and the netminder was unable to prevent rebound chances. Hainsey's slapper served as the final attempt during the flurry, as Nash swept in from the side of the net and jammed home the loose puck.

Modin then made it 2-0 on a breakaway tally at 13:05 of the first, and less than two minutes later, Zherdev backhanded a rebound chance past Osgood for a 3-0 Columbus edge.

The Blue Jackets continued the rout in the second period during four-aside hockey, as Modin tipped home a shot from the point by Adam Foote at 11:18.

Datsyuk finally got the Red Wings on the board with a power-play tally early in the third, but Hainsey restored Columbus' four-goal margin when he buried a rebound shot into a wide-open net at 4:59.