Red Wings 5, Blue Jackets 2

DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Red Wings needed a little time to get warmed up against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Nicklas Lidstrom and Mikael Samuelsson each scored twice and Detroit overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat Columbus 5-2 on Saturday night for its fifth straight victory.

Mathieu Schneider also scored and Robert Lang added three assists for the Red Wings, who outshot the Blue Jackets 43-15.

"We came out flat. We weren't really skating at all," Lidstrom said. "They played last night and seemed to carry that momentum over."

Rick Nash and Jason Chimera scored for Columbus. The Blue Jackets had won their previous three games.

Detroit scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-2 lead.

Chimera gave Columbus a 2-0 lead 36 seconds into the period, when he cut in off the left wing and put a backhander past Chris Osgood.

Lidstrom's slap shot from the point for a power-play goal at 3:07 put the Red Wings on the board. Schneider tied at 2, 4:51 later, with a slap shot from the high slot that beat Marc Denis over his glove.

Samuelsson gave Detroit the lead with his first goal 52.1 seconds left in the period, when he backhanded a shot off Denis and into the net.

"It didn't look pretty at the start," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought the game got better as we went along."

Former Detroit star Sergei Fedorov talked about how the Blue Jackets let the lead sip away.

"It was great to have a 2-0 lead. Then we made some mistakes and they capitalized on them," he said. "We had a few chances. Not as many as they, but we didn't score. It was a tough break. I don't think we played as well in the second as the first."

Blue Jackets' starting goalie Pascal Leclaire left the game with a neck injury 1:53 into the second period after the Red Wings' Johan Franzen ran into him. Leclaire was replaced by Denis, who gave up all five goals.

Fedorov was penalized on the play for hooking Franzen, and Lidstrom scored his fist goal on that power play.

"It was real tough. Marc played the last three games for us and played as good as he's played in his career for us," Columbus coach Gerard Gallant said. "Pascal, unfortunately, got a bad neck injury and Marc had to come in. It's tough coming in against the Red Wings on a power play."

Lidstrom got his second goal 4:19 into the third period, when he rifled a one-time slap shot past Denis from the top of the left circle.

Babcock, in his first year as Detroit's and Lidstrom's coach, praised the three-time Norris Trophy winner.

"He's the best defenseman in the league," Babcock said. "He's the best player I've ever coached, by far."

Samuelsson got his second of the game and 16th of the season on a power play with 5:33 left.

Columbus took a 1-0 lead 9:27 into the first period when Nash tipped in Jamie Pushor's shot from the point.

Notes: Detroit was without captain Steve Yzerman (groin). ... Columbus was without C Jan Hrdina (chest), D Adam Foote (hip), and D Duvie Westcott (upper body). ... Columbus recalled D Pushor from Syracuse of the American Hockey League. ... Detroit G Manny Legace was recalled from a one-game conditioning stint with Grand Rapids of the AHL. ... Franzen got his first NHL assist on Schneider's goal. Franzen has seven goals in his rookie season. ... Samuelsson has a career-high 26 points.