COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Bill Guerin scored the only goal in the shootout and the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat Columbus 4-3 Wednesday night in the Blue Jackets’ final game before Ken Hitchcock takes over as coach.

Hitchcock’s hiring was announced by team president and general manager Doug MacLean shortly before the Blue Jackets took the ice to face the Blues.

St. Louis goalie Manny Legace stopped all four shots he faced, including a glove save on Manny Malhotra’s last attempt. Legace finished with 29 saves.

Hitchcock, whose Dallas team won the Stanley Cup in 1999, will make his debut Friday afternoon at Philadelphia against his former team. The Flyers fired him last month after the teams’ 1-6-1 start.

The game featured two of the league’s worst teams. Columbus entered with a league-low 11 points and 40 goals scored. St. Louis came in with just 13 points and 46 goals, second-worst in the NHL.

AP-ES-11-22-06 2210EST


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