Hurricanes 4 - 2 Blue Jackets
Final
  for this game

Hurricanes double up slumping Blue Jackets

Nov 5, 2014 - 5:31 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Carolina Hurricanes continued their recent surge by posting a 4-2 win over the slumping Columbus Blue Jackets in the front end of a home-and-home set.

Justin Faulk scored a critical short-handed goal and Cam Ward made 17 saves for the Hurricanes, who have opened November with three consecutive wins after going 0-6-2 in October.

"It always feels good to win. Put a little bit of a streak together, doesn't matter what time of year, it feels good and gives the guys energy," said Carolina head coach Bill Peters.

Columbus trimmed its deficit to 3-2 on Nick Foligno's second goal with 5:23 remaining in the third period, but Eric Staal scored into an empty net for Carolina with 12 seconds to play.

"Finally had some energy when we scored to make it 3-2 and we start to play more inspired hockey. Outbattled, outskated for most of the game," said Columbus head coach Todd Richards.

Curtis McElhinney stopped 33 shots in the Blue Jackets' sixth straight loss.

Zach Boychuk and Riley Nash scored 1:35 apart in the first period to stake Carolina to a 2-0 lead.

Boychuk pounced on a rebound of a Tim Gleason point shot and fired a backhander into an open cage at 15:33, then Nash beat McElhinney with a wrist shot from the slot at 17:08.

Carolina forward Victor Rask went off for hooking 52 seconds later. Columbus, which killed two penalties, capitalized on the power play as Foligno buried a rebound with 1:01 remaining before intermission.

The Blue Jackets had another chance with the man advantage early in the second period, but wound up surrendering a short-handed goal. Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson tried unsuccessfully to carry the puck into the Carolina zone, then Faulk turned on the jets after thwarting the rush and beat McElhinney on a soft backhander at 6:54.

After Columbus killed off three consecutive penalties in a span of eight minutes, Foligno spun out of the corner with the puck and put home his own rebound to draw his club closer.

Game Notes

The teams meet again Friday night at Raleigh ... Right wing Alexander Semin returned to the Carolina lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous two games ... Columbus welcomed back forwards Boone Jenner and Matt Calvert. Jenner made his season debut after breaking his hand in practice in late September, while Calvert missed the past four games with an upper-body injury.






Related News