Riding a three-game win streak into Thursday's tilt with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Carolina Hurricanes were shooting to keep their momentum rolling. The Canes earned a tough 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday to complete their back-to-back on the road. Against the Jackets at home, the Canes went for the win in the season series.
Frederik Andersen made his second start since returning from knee surgery. He was good in Chicago, making 22 stops, including some key high-danger ones, in their team's 4-3 overtime victory on Monday. The lineup in front of him remained the same. Daniil Tarasov started for the Blue Jackets, who played Wednesday night in Toronto.
Naturally, the Canes found themselves in a hole early. Columbus didn't look like a team that played the night before. Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko scored 2:40 apart before the halfway point in the first period to immediately force the Canes to chase the game. Tarasov was very sharp, keeping the Canes off the board through 20 minutes.
The second period was easily the Hurricanes' craziest 20-minute segment of the season. It all began with the power play finally connecting. Sebastian Aho found Seth Jarvis on the doorstep for a tap-in just under three minutes into the frame. About five minutes later, Andersen joined the fun, rimming the puck along the boards to create a transition chance. Jarvis hit a streaking Eric Robinson, who tipped it through Tarasov's arm to tie it up.
The next segment featured hard work from Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake to give the Canes the lead. Blake would score the third goal, throwing the puck from a weird angle and getting a little help from Tarasov as he fell over. The puck trickled over the line, despite Tarasov's best efforts, to make it 3-2. Blake set up Aho 35 seconds later, knocking down Zach Werenski's pass and giving it to Aho for a spinning shot that flew over Tarasov's glove to double the lead.
After a successful penalty kill, Jordan Staal left the box and set up the fifth goal. Knocking Ivan Provorov off the puck, the captain sprung Jarvis and Jordan Martinook for a 2-on-1. Jarvis fed Martinook to beat the sprawling Tarasov to extend the lead to three. For all the good things the Canes did, Columbus shrunk the lead back to one with a pair of deflected goals by James van Riemsdyk and Dmitri Voronkov to set up a tense third period.
The final 20 minutes didn't have as much flair, which benefitted the Hurricanes beautifully. The insurance goal came courtesy of excellent pressure from Martin Necas. Forcing Tarasov to turn the puck over, Necas set up Jesperi Kotkaniemi for his fourth goal in three games to restore the two-goal lead. Jarvis finished the job for good, scoring an empty-net goal in the final two minutes to kick the extra point in a 7-4 win.
While it didn't start that way, it was a big night all around for the Hurricanes. Seth Jarvis notched his first career four-point game, taking the team lead in goals in the process. Sebastian Aho added three points in the second period. Jackson Blake secured the first multi-point game of his young career. Martin Necas and Jordan Staal added a pair of assists each. All of it resulted in Frederik Andersen earning the 300th win of his career.
The nine-minute segment in the second period was as textbook a stretch as we've seen from the group this season. It was a perfect combination of special teams and even strength execution to turn the tables against the Blue Jackets. The power-play goal was a sight for sore eyes, especially after the trainwreck during their first chance. Once they got the first one, the dam fell and the goals kept coming.
The win wrapped up an excellent season series against the Blue Jackets. The Canes earned points in all four games, edging Columbus 6-4 to take the series, but it speaks volumes to the current state of the Jackets. They are no longer just a feel-good story. Columbus has turned into a very good team that could remain in the Wild Card hunt down the stretch.
The Hurricanes also reached the 30-win mark on Thursday as they picked up their fourth in a row. The group is playing incredible hockey right now, proving they can get it done in many ways. They've built a small buffer between them and the Devils for second place, with the Washington Capitals within shouting distance. There is plenty of work to be done, especially with their next trip approaching.
Up Next: There are three games remaining in January for the Carolina Hurricanes. The next two will be in New York, starting on Long Island on Saturday against the Islanders. After facing the Rangers on Tuesday, the Canes will return to Raleigh to battle the Blackhawks for the second time in ten days.