COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard felt the deciding goal shouldnt have counted in the Red Wings 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. "I guess its something to remember here and keep in the back of our minds -- if you knock the net off, just throw (the puck) in there," he said. "It should count." Cam Atkinson scored a goal confirmed by video replay in the third period, and Ryan Johansen added an empty-netter for his second of the game to lead the Blue Jackets to a win that further tightens the already close Eastern Conference playoff race. On an odd-man rush, Matt Calverts shot from the left wing was stopped by Howard, although the puck popped loose behind the goalie. Atkinson, racing down the right wing, was hit by Detroit defenceman Brendan Smith. Atkinsons leg knocked the net off its moorings as he backhanded the loose puck into the cage as it was sliding away from the goal line. The goal, at 6:58 of the third, was ruled good because Smiths hit on Atkinson had knocked the net loose -- bringing a loud cheer from the crowd of 15,103. "I wasnt really sure," Atkinson said about the goal. "The net went off, but their explanation was the puck was going in as the net was coming off. Matty just made a good play. The puck kind of snuck out between his legs, and I was at the right place at the right time." Columbus, Detroit, Washington and Toronto are all tied with 80 points for places 7-10 in the East. The Blue Jackets win any tiebreaker, and Detroit and Columbus also have more games left (10) than the Capitals (9) and Maple Leafs (8). Columbus had lost three of four. "We got some fortunate bounces," Johansen said after goals 28 and 29. "Thats what we needed." Brandon Dubinsky and Johansen had power-play goals in the first period after the Blue Jackets had failed to score on their previous 36 opportunities with a man advantage over a 10-game span. James Wisniewski assisted on both and added another helper. "You know what Im pleased about? Hopefully after tonight I wont get any more questions about the power play," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "When we scored the first one I said, Good. Now we can stop talking about it." Curtis McElhinney stopped 22 of 23 shots in relief of Sergei Bobrovsky, who left after the first period because of the flu. McElhinney made Atkinsons goal stand with big stops on Darren Helm with 8 minutes left, making a sprawling pad save, and again a minute later on Johan Franzens wraparound. With 1:44 left, he deflected Kyle Quinceys wicked blast from the high slot with his right shoulder. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock refused to blame the call on the Atkinson goal for the loss. "It doesnt matter what I think, obviously," he said. "They made a decision. I thought when the net was off, the goal didnt count but they evidently thought our guy pushed their guy in. So its a goal. Theres no sense disputing that. We had to get one more goal." Gustav Nyquist, last weeks No. 1 star in the NHL, maintained his hot hand with two goals for the Red Wings, who were 3-0-1 in their previous four. He has 20 goals in his last 24 games. "It doesnt really matter," he said of his two goals. "It was an important game. Well forget about this one and move on." NOTES: With a TV camera just a couple of feet away on the other side of the glass during a break, Johansen grinned and tore off a piece of athletic tape and playfully stuck it on the glass to shield the cameras view. ... Howard stopped 23 of 26 shots. ... Last week, Nyquist had six goals and seven points in four games; the Blue Jackets had six goals as a team in their previous five games. ... RW Mitch Callahan, recalled on Monday from AHL Grand Rapids, made his NHL debut for the Red Wings, skating on the fourth line. Jordan Eberle Islanders Jersey . In this space, I will be writing new and unique pieces about the team that you wont be able to find anywhere else. So naturally, in an attempt to come up with a fresh topic about the Ottawa Senators, I am going to start with a piece about their goaltending. Anthony Beauvillier Islanders Jersey . Orlov, who scored two goals in the game, was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the play. The Flyers scored once on the power play and again with the extra attacker with 65 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-m...landers-jersey/. Moments after scoring and setting off another wild celebration at Minsk arena, Platt leapt into the arms of Belarusian captain Alexei Kalyuzhny. Thomas Greiss Jersey . It is unclear how long Kallstrom, who was brought in to alleviate the teams midfield problems, will be sidelined. Arsenals communications director, Mark Gonnella, says the club decided to proceed with Kallstroms signing despite the injury. Denis Potvin Jersey . According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts.Its MLS Rivalry Week, but what does that mean? This week pits together the fiercest rivals in the league, meaning high-profile matches consisting of old, bitter feuds and new-found competitors.Rivalry Week began three years ago at the start of the 2014 season as a way of bringing some of the leagues best players and fans together. This season there are two Rivalry Weeks. The first games take place on the weekend of May 20-22 and the others on August 26-28.The first pits together cross-city rivals New York City FC and New York Red Bulls in just their fourth derby match since New York City launched in 2015. It is sure to make for another hostile atmosphere at Yankee Stadium for the Hudson River Derby.The New York Red Bulls currently lead the head-to-head record, having won all three of the derbies so far.New York Red Bulls midfielder Lloyd Sam told Sky Sports in March about his enjoyment of playing in the derby.In New York, the excitement when the two teams play is one of the main things that is different [in the city] since theyve come in, he said.The stadiums are full and theres a lot of excitement in the air when we play.The first game of Rivalry Week is on Friday as Philadelphia Union take on DC United. Although not an official rivalry, there has been plenty of spice between the two teams over the years along the I-95 corridor. Sebastian Giovinco has eight goals and five assists in MLS in 2016 The Trillium Cup between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew SC should make for an intriguing encounter on Saturday night.Although Toronto have won six of the cups between the two clubs compared to the Crews two, Columbus are in desperate need of points as they look to re-energise their season. Expect to see the likes of Sebastian Giovinco and USA international Michael Bradley in action.The Cascadia derby between Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps takes place on Sunday evening. Alongside Seattle Sounders, the three clubs aree part of a mini-league originally created by fans of all the clubs with the incentive being bragging rights alongside league points.ddddddddddddhe team with the most points by the end of the season gets to lift the cup. Seattle Sounders are the current holders from last year. Steven Gerrards second goal of the season came in LA Galaxys 4-2 win on May 8 This season, the Whitecaps are currently top, but Portland will look to even the score in the MLS-era rivalry by taking hold of their second cup this year.And in the final game of the weekend, One of the oldest rivalries in the league comes to the forefront as Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and Co from LA Galaxy take on their rivals San Jose Earthquakes in what is known as the California Clasico. Gerrard scored his first-ever goal in MLS when he faced the Earthquakes on July 17, curling a shot past goalkeeper David Bingham to open up his account Stateside. Also See: MLS: New York City move top MLS: Vieiras City on the march MLS: Drogba on target again DC United beat Red Bulls ' ' '