Jordan Staal scores in OT, Hurricanes beat Blue Jackets 4-3
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Jordan Staal scored in overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes recover after blowing a three-goal lead and beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night.
Andrej Nestrasil, Kris Versteeg and John-Michael Liles scored and Staal added an assist to get Carolina to the .500 mark for the first time this season at 18-18-7. Cam Ward made 21 saves and the Hurricanes swept the home-and-home series after beating Columbus 4-1 on Friday night. Carolina is 5-0-1 in their last six games against the Blue Jackets, including four straight wins in Columbus.
Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson scored for Columbus to erase a 3-0 deficit, and defenseman Seth Jones made his first home appearance. The Blue Jackets have lost both games since they acquired Jones from Nashville on Wednesday for center Ryan Johansen. Joonas Korpisalo made 26 saves.
Staal scored from the right hash mark on a 2-on-1 with a shot under Korpisalo's arm. Staal has 10 goals this season and has scored in three straight games.
Brandon Dubinsky nearly won it for Columbus 53 seconds into overtime, but his close range shot hit off Ward's mask and landed on top of the net.
Liles' goal put Carolina up 3-0 7:32 into the second period but then Columbus clawed back.
The speedy Atkinson scored late in the second period, stealing the puck from Justin Faulk and deking Ward on a short-handed breakaway for his 13th with 4:32 left.
In the third period, on a Columbus rush, the puck was swiped off the stick off Brandon Saad. It slid between a charging Wennberg and Ward, who left his crease. Wennberg won the race, putting the puck past the diving goalie before tucking it inside the near post at 4:23.
Anderson tied it at 11:45, powering home a pass from Kerby Rychel for his first career goal in his 11th game. Both rookies were recently recalled to plug holes opened because of injury and Johansen's trade.
Nestrasil scored on a one-timer 10:09 into the game off a cross-ice saucer pass from Elias Lindholm.
Early in the second period, Carolina found some room up the ice. Eric Staal sent a pass to the middle that caromed off Dubinsky's skate to Versteeg, and his shot slid in between Korpisalo's legs at 1:27.
Later, after a Hurricanes faceoff win, Liles pinched down low to get a loose puck in traffic, jamming it under Korpisalo.
NOTES: Columbus was without captain and LW Nick Foligno, who absorbed a blind-side hit from Hurricanes C Brad Malone on Friday night. Foligno was placed on injured reserve on Saturday. Blue Jackets RW Jared Boll and Malone fought 2:15 into the game. ... Hurricanes C Victor Rask - tied for second on the team with 26 points - was scratched with an upper-body injury. ... Carolina has scored on the power play in consecutive games after an 0 for 14 skid spanning the previous eight games. ... The Blue Jackets' top-two goalies Sergei Bobrovsky (groin) and Curtis McElhinney (ankle) remain out. ... The Hurricanes snapped a three-game road losing streak.
