GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Nathan Horton just kept on smiling. He grinned during warmups, beamed after his first shift and screamed with joy following his first goal. Horton sure is happy to be playing hockey again. And the Columbus Blue Jackets are thrilled their big investment made an immediate impact. Horton scored in his Columbus debut, Curtis McElhinney made 34 saves for his second shutout of the season, and the Blue Jackets beat the sluggish Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 on Thursday night. R.J. Umberger also scored for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a two-game losing streak amid a burst of energy provided by Horton, Columbus $37 million off-season free-agent acquisition. "I had so much fun out there," said Horton, unable to contain his smirk even after the game in dressing room. "Its so exciting to be back." Horton, the ex-Boston Bruins winger who missed the first 40 games following shoulder surgery, poked in a rebound late in the second period for his 199th career goal. Umberger added a second power-play goal midway through the final period and the Blue Jackets shored up their struggling penalty kill in a performance they hope helps them climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. "You can tell were a good team when we play hard," Horton said. "I really enjoyed being out there with the guys." Mike Smith stopped 29 shots for the Coyotes, who lost defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to injury early in the first period and they were shut out for the first time this season. It also ended a streak of six straight overtime games for the Coyotes. "We didnt compete hard enough," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. Horton, who helped Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and then had 19 points in 22 playoff games for the Bruins last season, signed a seven-year, $37.1 million free-agent deal with the Blue Jackets last summer. In his first game since last seasons Stanley Cup final, Horton was matched with Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov. They had two solid opening shifts before Hortons first shot was kicked away by Smith midway through the first period. Late in the second period after Smith took a penalty for playing the puck outside the trapezoid, James Wisniewski took a shot that Smith poked away. But the 6-foot-2, 229-pound Horton was in front of the net and tapped in the rebound at 15:51. "Sometimes I felt good, sometimes I felt bad," Horton said. "Its been a long time since Ive played." How much did the Blue Jackets need Horton? His goal snapped an 0-for-18 power-play drought. His presence even seemed to inspire the defence, which had allowed six power-play goals in the previous two games. Columbus killed all five Phoenix power plays. "We had a big talk about it (Tuesday)," Umberger said of the penalty kill. The Blue Jackets also activated goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (groin), who had been out 12 games, and defenceman Dalton Prout (upper body), who had missed six games. Bobrovsky served as the backup to McElhinney. He made several difficult saves, including on Keith Yandles point-blank shot early in the third period. "I think he was disappointed after last game," Columbus coach Todd Richards said of McElhinney, who allowed five goals in Colorado Tuesday. "You could tell after the game he wasnt happy. Even (Wednesday) he wasnt happy. And its a great response." Ekman-Larsson suffered an upper-body injury early in the first period on a hit into the boards by Derek MacKenzie. No boarding was called on the play and Tippett said they kept him out as a precaution, leaving Phoenix with only five defencemen. A day after being passed over by the U.S. Olympic team, Yandle soon went after MacKenzie. The two served fighting majors in a sloppy first period that saw only six shots apiece. But the Blue Jackets dominated the second period and Phoenix had little energy as it failed to earn a point for only the third time in 12 games. "We didnt manage the puck very well tonight," Smith said. "You lose Ekman-Larsson early in the game like that and you turn pucks over, it puts a lot of stress on five (defencemen). It wears on them." NOTES: Blue Jackets D Jack Skille (abdominal injury) returned to Columbus after being injured Tuesday vs. Colorado. ... The Blue Jackets sent F Jonathan Marchessault, D Tim Erixon and G Mike McKenna to Springfield (AHL). ... The NHL record for consecutive OT games is seven, set by Edmonton (2003) and Toronto (2008). ... Former Columbus first-round pick Rusty Klesla (illness) returned for Phoenix after missing three games. Dario Saric Jersey . Mladenovics quick hands at the net made the difference while Bencics inexperience in doubles showed. "We took a lot of pleasure," Mladenovic told Sport Plus television. "Its extremely difficult to play in such conditions, but our doubles team showed a lot of quality. Derrick Rose Jersey . Bryant underwent an operation in December to correct an irregular heartbeat. His season ended with four games left because of a rapid heartbeat, a condition he has known about for several years and had been treated for in the past. http://www.timberwolvesgear.com/authentic-karl-anthony-towns-timberwolves-jersey/ . He reps the 4-1-6The insecurity of Canadian basketball fans is not what it once was with the home grown talent making its way to the big leagues, but it is still nice to see the local kids remembering where they come from once they make their way south. Luol Deng Jersey . - Bryan Price sat down in the cushy chair. Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys . Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will reunite at this weekends season-opening World Cup at Canada Olympic Park as they begin their buildup to the Winter Games in Sochi.NAPLES, Fla. -- Even though he has beaten Bernhard Langer twice down the stretch for Champions Tour titles, Kirk Triplett isnt ready to say hes the German stars nemesis. "No," Triplett said. "Were just going to say the sample size is still very small." The 51-year-old Triplett won the ACE Group Classic on Sunday for his third Champions Tour title, holing a 6-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory. Triplett shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 16-under 200 on TwinEagles Talon Course. He won the 50-and-over tours Pebble Beach event the last two years after winning three times on the PGA Tour. "Ive never won out here on this side of the world," Triplett said. "Im a West Coast guy through and through, so to win on this Bermuda grass is, I think, a little bit of a minor miracle for me." Langer, the defending champion, Duffy Waldorf and Olin Browne tied for second. Playing in the final threesome, Triplett, Langer and Waldorf were tied for the lead with a hole to play. In Tripletts last win at Pebble Beach, he also was paired with Langer, who has owned this event the last three years, winning in 2011 and 2013 and finishing second behind Kenny Perry in 2012. "Hes awesome to play with," Triplett said. "Im telling you, you know the guy, hes such a great competitor and hes such a nice man. We were joking last week, If you shot one shot worse than Bernhhard every day all year, what would you finish on the money list? Somebody goes, Second, right? because it just feels that way sometimes.dddddddddddd." On the par-4 18th, Waldorf drove into a bunker and wound up with a bogey for a 66. "I hit a bad drive," he said. "So I mean, it was a bad drive. The pin was in a tough spot. I laid up fine, but I spun my wedge a lot and just didnt -- I didnt hit it close enough to have a chance for par." Admittedly using the wrong club, Langers second shot sailed left, and his 12-footer for par curled around the cup for bogey and a 67. Tripletts second shot from a divot landed about 25 feet from the pin. His birdie putt went past the hole and he made the 6-footer for the victory. "You want to make birdies but you dont want to make bogeys and youre thinking to yourself, 4s not going to lose this probably, " Triplett said. "I mean, it might. If it does, if it loses the 18th hole, you look the guy in the eye, shake his hand and say, Well done, sir. "It wasnt the best (putt) I made all day, but it was good enough." Langer has finished in the top 10 in 40 of the last 48 tournaments hes played in. The German star won the season-opening event in Hawaii last month for his 19th Champions Tour title. 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