Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards was not happy with his team’s lack of discipline in a shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. Sunday afternoon against the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus did itself no favors with a penalty-filled second period.
The Hurricanes took the season series 3-1 with a 3-2 victory at Nationwide Arena, thanks in part to six power play opportunities. Though they scored only once on six tries, their only goal was a big one that got them off and running midway through the second period of what was, at times, a sleepy game.
Nick Foligno salvaged a rather uneventful first period with a buzzer-beating power play goal, giving the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead into the dressing room with 0.6 seconds left on the clock. With only six first period shots and not much going on offensively, that goal was a needed boost headed to the second period, but that’s where the momentum came to a halt for the home team.
With Ryan Murray in the box for high-sticking, Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk showed off his heavy one-timer with a rocket from center point, bringing the game even at 1-1 on Carolina’s fifth power play of the game.
That goal invigorated the Hurricanes, who were the better team 5-on-5, and as a result, they were able to draw the Jackets into penalties. Ron Hainsey gave Carolina a 2-1 lead 1:34 later, then Scott Hartnell tied the game at 12:27 with yet another goal against the Hurricanes — but the real story was the Marko Dano effort to make it happen (our Twitter account has the replay, and it’s awesome).
Brad Malone’s go-ahead goal with six minutes left in the second period proved to be the winner as the Jackets couldn’t beat Anton Khudobin, who was far less busy than Sergei Bobrovsky, for a third time.
It was a frustrating result for the Blue Jackets, who saw a modest three-game win streak come to an end, mostly due to a poor start that left them scratching their heads.
“My line and (Ryan Johansen’s) line, we did nothing,” center Brandon Dubinsky said. “The team relies on us six to be a big part of wins and we weren’t there, especially for the first 40. We were better in the third but it’s a 60-minute hockey game.
“We have to show up at five o’clock ready to go, and we certainly weren’t.”
Columbus struggled mightily to get pucks to the net and make Anton Khudobin work, and at times, the Hurricanes did not appear like the team playing its second game in as many nights. The Blue Jackets managed just 13 shots through two periods and 24 overall, but the scoring threats were few and far between.
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