The Carolina Hurricanes rose to the occasion, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in a hotly contested matchup late Thursday.
Though likely out of play-off contention, the Hurricanes (32-28-14) surged late to grab a much-needed victory over Columbus.
Early on, the Blue Jackets (30-36-8) dominated play and put goalkeeper Eddie Lack to the test. Late into the first period, the Hurricanes successfully killed a penalty on defenseman Noah Hanifin for high-sticking. Despite being outshot 16-6, the Hurricanes entered the locker room with the score level at 0-0.
The second period began much the same as the first. After unleashing shot after shot on the Hurricanes net, pressure finally paid off late in the second period. Forward Matt Calvert squeezed his shot by the seemingly impenetrable Lack and give the Blue Jackets a slim lead.
The Hurricanes entered the locker room at the end of the second period being outshot 29-17 by the Blue Jackets. However, despite this lopsided statistic, the Canes only suffered a one-goal deficit, thanks to the quick reflexes of Lack.
Entering the third period, the Hurricanes promptly switched gears. Cranking up offensive efforts paid instant dividends as the Canes netted three goals over the span of 1:38.
Fifty-two seconds into the third period, forward Victor Rask levelled the score netting his 17th goal of the season. Goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky was unable to stop Rask’s rocket shot from range.
Moments later, forward Chris Terry took advantage of a brilliant assist from defenseman Jacob Slavin. Slavin’s long range pass fell to the stick of the speedy Terry. Terry then rounded Bobrovsky to net his eighth goal of the season.
After snatching the lead, the Canes forward momentum only continued as forward Elias Lindholm scored just 11 seconds later at 2:30. Lindholm steered Jordan Stall’s long-range effort into the back of the Blue Jacket net. Lindholm’s 10th goal of the season concluded the rush of scoring and stretched the lead out to 3-1.
However, the Blue Jackets did not settle down without a comeback effort of their own. After unleashing shots from every possible direction and rushing the net for rebounds, their efforts were eventually rewarded with a goal from Boone Jenner at 4:03.
Jenner muscled his own rebounded attempt beyond the outstretched knee pad of Lack and close the score to 3-2. However, that was the closest the Blue Jackets would come to reclaiming the lead.
As the Blue Jackets continued their aggressive tactic, the Hurricanes successfully withstood a shower of shots throughout the remainder of the third period. At the final buzzer, the Hurricanes had claimed a much needed two points from the NationWide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Next up, the Carolina Hurricanes face the New York Islanders at home Saturday in a must win matchup; if dwindling playoff hopes are to be kept alive.
