COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vincent Trocheck had two goals and an assist to lead Carolina to a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, the Hurricanes’ fourth straight win to open the season.
Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho added power-play goals, and Jesper Fast also scored for Carolina. Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots in his fourth straight win.
“He’s been phenomenal,” Trocheck said of Andersen. “He’s kept us in all these games that we’ve had a lot of flurries in the defensive zone. We’re not usually the team that gets up so many (chances) but when we have these last few games he’s been there to step up and keep us in the game, and that’s been a big part of the reason why we’re winning games.”
Columbus captain Boone Jenner scored, and Joonas Korpisalo finished with 28 saves.
Fast put Carolina on the board at 7:11 of the first period, scoring off a behind-the-net pass from Staal after a Columbus turnover.
Carolina made it 2-0 at 13:35 of the first when a left-circle wrister from Andrei Svechnikov ricocheted off Trocheck’s back and past Korpisalo, just six seconds into a Columbus double-minor penalty for high sticking.
“I thought the special teams were big, obviously,” Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “We killed a lot of penalties and then got some powerful goals, which is huge. I didn’t love our overall like 5-on-5 play — we just had too many turnovers. It led to some really good chances for them. But it was a good effort and we did some really good things.”
Korpisalo lost his second straight game, and the Blue Jackets absorbed their first defeat at home in four games this season.
“That was a really good hockey team we played tonight, Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. ”They make you make plays.
“You have to be on your game against them. You can’t give them anything free. ... There are not a lot of holes in that team.”
Jenner took advantage of a 5-on-3 shift, the result of a pair of Carolina penalties in the second period, forcing the puck past Andersen from in front of the crease at 7:19 of the second to make it 2-1.
The goal was Jenner’s team leading fourth in five games and kept alive his three-game point streak. Jakub Voracek’s assist was his 100th as a member of the Blue Jackets and his third in as many games.
But Carolina was not done, pulling ahead 3-1 on a power-play goal by Staal, dribbling his first score of the season past Korpisalo at 15:57 of the second with just eight seconds left on a Voracek hooking penalty. Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s assist was his first for the Hurricanes, after three years with Montreal.
“You get that many penalties you are shooting yourself in the foot,” Larsen said. “You've got to play them 5 on 5."
Aho made it 4-1 at 7:05 of the third, with 22 seconds left in Columbus’ fourth penalty of the game. Trocheck’s second goal came at 16:13 off a give-and-go from Svechnikov.
WIN STREAK
With Saturday’s win, Carolina notched the second 4-0 start in the club’s history, tied for its second-longest streak.
OLD FRIENDS
The Hurricanes were reunited with Jake Bean, who played 44 games with the Carolina before joining the Blue Jackets this season. Bean has one goal in five appearances with Columbus.
MAKING A POINT
Columbus’ Patrik Laine (2-4-6) has a point in every game the Blue Jackets have played this year.
UP NEXT
Caroline: Hosts Toronto on Monday.
Columbus: Hosts Dallas Monday.
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