It wasn't exactly textbook; but in the end, it's the two points that matter.
The Carolina Hurricanes got back on track after a two game western road trip earlier this week with a much needed 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at PNC Arena.
Cam Ward led the Canes with an impressive 35 saves, continuing his solid play as of late. Elias Lindholm scored the game winning goal and added an empty netter for his first multi-goal performance of the season, while Jordan Staal and Chris Terry also added tallies for Carolina.
Anton Forsberg, the third string goalie behind injured Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhenney, made 25 saves for the Blue Jackets. Brandon Dubinsky scored Columbus' lone goal.
A rare fight for the Hurricanes took place in the third period, with Brad Malone taking on Dubinsky after the Carolina winger laid a questionable open-ice hit on Columbus captain Nick Foligno.
Brad Malone's hit on Nick Foligno. Foligno stayed down for a while, then off to the locker room. #Canes pic.twitter.com/bhqVwGOLhq
— Cardiac Cane (@CardiacCane) January 9, 2016The NHL will take a look at the hit and a disciplinary hearing may be in Malone's future. No penalty was called on the play. Columbus head coach John Tortorella had no update on Foligno after the game.
The win puts the Canes four points out of the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference, improving their record to 17-18-7 after 42 games. A point of note, though: of the ten teams currently in the wild card race, only New Jersey and Columbus have played as many games to date. Most teams in the thick of the playoff chase have games in hand - Philadelphia, tied with Carolina with 41 points, has three such games in hand on the Canes.
As has been the case the last number of games, the Hurricanes struggled early to get a tempo set and it showed as Columbus jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in shots on goal. Ward weathered the storm and the Canes would begin to establish their pace of play by the halfway point of the first period.
Carolina enjoyed three power plays in the game's first 25 minutes and would earn a rare score with the man advantage. Jordan Staal tipped a Jaccob Slavin shot from the point to convert at the 16:09 mark of period one to give the Canes a 1-0 lead.
[HIGHLIGHT] @Jslavin7 with the point shot, J. Staal with the tip & #Canes with the 1-0 lead. #CBJvsCAR #Redvolution https://t.co/IViFYSlOs1
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) January 9, 2016Dubinsky's tally halfway through the middle period came on a second 5-on-3 advantage after Carolina, who were called for four penalties in a 4:13 span, had just killed off a 5-on-3 situation minutes earlier. But just under five minutes later, Lindholm added what would be the game winner on another tipped shot from the point via Noah Hanifin.
[HIGHLIGHT] @lindholmelias gives the #Canes the lead back with a tip of a @NHanifin shot! #CBJvsCAR #Redvolution https://t.co/t4ihl6FlUW
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) January 9, 2016Terry scored his fourth goal of the season just minutes after Malone's hit on Foligno, taking a couple whacks at a rebound from a Jeff Skinner attempt before sneaking it by the young Columbus netminder to put the Canes up 3-1 with 10:40 to go in regulation.
[HIGHLIGHT] @JeffSkinner sets up @christerry25 for a 3-1 #Canes lead. #CBJvsCAR https://t.co/cdpEMfPxfq
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) January 9, 2016To their credit, the Blue Jackets never gave up and continued to mount pressure on the Hurricanes. Tortorella's move to pull Anton Forsberg with more than 2:30 left in the game was a good play and gave Columbus a chance to make a game of it late in the third. But Ward stood tall and the defense held firm, earning the Canes a needed two points in the standings.
The Hurricanes and Blue Jackets will do it all over again in Columbus on Saturday night in the second game of a home and home tilt.
OBSERVATIONS
Columbus looked ripe for the Canes on this night. After their initial flurry, the Blue Jackets left plenty of space for Carolina to operate and once the system clicked into place, it was smooth sailing until the Jackets' surge late in the game.
After Jordan Staal's power play tally on their first such advantage of the night, the Canes went back to their old habits of too many passes and not enough net direction on the ensuing PP's Carolina needs to develop an ability to put teams like Columbus away when presented with an opportunity, and getting three PP's in the first 25 minutes of the game is one such opportunity.
Cam Ward has looked poised and solid since the wild December 6-5 loss to Dallas. He kept it cool between the pipes and kept the Canes settled all night long with great rebound control and timely saves. At this point, with the defense firing on all cylinders, from your netminders.
Goes without saying, but the Hurricanes need to excerise extreme discipline when awarded three power plays in a row to the other team's zero. The refs generally look for anything to even things up, and Carolina gave them plenty to work with after some ill advised decisions on the ice.
GAME PREVIEW (1/9/16): Canes at Blue Jackets
No morning skate today for the Hurricanes but expect forwards Victor Rask (upper body) and Brad Malone (possible hearing) to be game-time decisions.
Cam Ward will get the nod in the net again tonight after his 35 save performance against the Jackets last night.
Carolina has a shot at a .500 record for the first time this season. A win in Columbus tonight puts the Canes no fewer than four points out of a playoff spot, and as close as two points out.
If the lineup holds from last night, here's what you'll see from the Hurricanes tonight.
Lindholm - E Staal - Versteeg Nestrasil - J Staal - Nordstrom Skinner - Nash - Terry Malone - McClement - McGinn
Hainsey – Faulk Liles – Pesce Hanifin – Slavin
Thomas Gidlow