Blue Jackets rout the Penguins 6-2 to snap a 6-game skid

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Zac Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov each had a goal and an assist, Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a six-game skid with a 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.

Zach Aston-Reese, Mathieu Olivier, Damon Severson and Cole Sillinger also scored for the Blue Jackets. They improved to 6-8-2 with their first victory since Oct. 30.

Anthony Beauvillier and Michael Bunting scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry, starting for the first time since Oct. 16, made 34 saves. The Penguins have lost five of six to fall to 6-10-3.

Sean Monahan got the 300th assist of his career on Voronkov's goal. He had two on the night. Merzlikins played the 200th game of his NHL career.

Penguins: Defensive issues that have plagued the Penguins continued against Columbus. Sidney Crosby had an assist, but didn't score and is still two goals short of 600 for his career.

Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets scored at least three goals for the first time in seven games. They never trailed in beating a Metropolitan Division rival that has gotten the best of them more times than not.

Voronkov got his second goal of the season and put the Blue Jackets up by two when he scored from the doorstep early in the third period.

Fifteen Blue Jackets players had points.

Both teams will be back in action on Friday night, with the Penguins hosting San Jose, and the Blue Jackets at Montreal.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, left, passes the puck in front of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Gavin Bayreuther during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson, right, collides with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Drew O'Connor during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Gavin Bayreuther, left, controls the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Michael Bunting, left, chases the puck in front of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zachary Aston-Reese during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier, left, controls the puck in front of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kevin Labanc during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger, left, controls the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Drew O'Connor, center, and forward Michael Bunting during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth, left, reaches for the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves, center, and defenseman Ryan Shea during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, right, collides with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Gavin Bayreuther, center, and goalie Elvis Merzlikins during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zachary Aston-Reese, left, works for the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, left, shoots the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Karoline Leavitt, his campaign press secretary, to serve as his White House press secretary.

Leavitt, 27, currently a spokesperson for Trump's transition, would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. Previously that distinction went to Ronald Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the position in 1969 in Richard Nixon’s administration.

“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary,” Trump said in a statement. "Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we Make America Great Again.”

Leavitt replied in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am humbled and honored. Let's MAGA,” the acronym for “Make America Great Again.”

The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps.

Trump disrupted those norms in his first term, preferring to serve as his own chief spokesperson. While he was president from 2017 to 2021, Trump had four press secretaries but frequently preferred to engage directly with the public, from his rallies, social media posts and his own briefings.

At a news conference this past August, Trump was asked if he’d have regular press briefings in his new administration. He told reporters, “I will give you total access and you’ll have a lot of press briefings and you’ll have, uh, from me.”

When it came to a press secretary, he said: “Probably they’ll do something. If it’s not daily, it’s going to be a lot. You’ll have more than you want.”

Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, is seen as a staunch and camera-ready advocate for Trump who is quick on her feet and delivers aggressive defenses of the Republican in television interviews.

She worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

During Trump’s first term in office, Leavitt worked in the White House press office. She then became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom Trump has tapped to serve as his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump’s first press secretaries, Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, were known for quarreling with reporters. Another, Stephanie Grisham, never held a briefing. Her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, often lectured the news media during her appearances in the White House press briefing room.

FILE - Karoline Leavitt speaks to the news media across the street from Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)