Columbus, OH – Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Blue Jackets, battling for a playoff spot, came within seconds of securing a valuable point and possibly a second.
Ben Smith scored with 3.9 seconds remaining in the third period, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over Columbus at Nationwide Arena.
A point shot by Duncan Keith went off Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's glove and triggered a goal-mouth scramble, with Smith pushing the rebound into the open net.
Keith had three assists and Antti Raanta made 24 saves for the Blackhawks, who moved to within a point of second-place Colorado in the Central Division.
Bobrovsky had 34 saves for Columbus, which still holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets, who have lost 13 in a row to the Blackhawks, are one point ahead of ninth-place Toronto and three points up on 10th-place New Jersey.
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