Jordan Staal netted the go-ahead goal and had a pair of assists to lead the visiting Carolina Hurricanes to a wild 6-5 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday afternoon.
Vincent Trocheck, Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce all collected one goal and one assist for the Hurricanes, who received a 17-save performance from goaltender James Reimer and benefited from a blown goal call in the comeback win.
With the score tied 4-4 in a back-and-forth affair, Staal's deflection to convert a power play put the Hurricanes ahead for good 5:33 into the third period.
Hamilton's tally, just past the midway point of the final frame, ended up the game-winner.
The clubs meet again on Monday and will have an entertaining affair to top.
Three times the Blue Jackets took the lead only to see the Hurricanes erase the deficit.
Patrik Laine opened the scoring midway through the first period when he one-timed a bar-down slap shot from the top of the left circle for his second goal in as many games, but Brock McGinn evened the score 25 seconds later. Andrei Svechnikov stole the puck while on the forecheck and McGinn finished off a three-way passing play with a tap-in tally.
Riley Nash again put the Blue Jackets ahead when he was credited with the goal that saw Nick Foligno's one-timer from beyond the right circle ricochet off Nash and into the net at the 15:34 mark, but Warren Foegele replied by sliding home his own rebound attempt at 7:23 of the second period.
Foligno's 200th career goal put the hosts ahead a third time, a top-corner snipe during an odd-man rush at 14:24 of the second period and his team's first shot of the period. But Pesce's point shot at 16:35 made it a 3-3 affair.
Trocheck gave the Hurricanes their first lead with 75 seconds remaining in the second period when he buried his own rebound, a goal that counted despite replay showing it was on an offside play, even though the hosts challenged it. Max Domi replied for the Blue Jackets with a sharp-angled slapper 128 seconds into the third period to make it 4-4.
Laine added his second of the game with 56.3 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal game, but the Blue Jackets couldn't find the equalizer. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 20 shots for Columbus.
--Field Level Media
Carolina | Columbus | |
Jordan Staal 3 | Points | Patrik Laine 2 |
Jordan Staal 1 | Goals | Patrik Laine 2 |
Jordan Staal 2 | Assists | Seth Jones 2 |
Jordan Staal 1 | Power Play Goals | Patrik Laine 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
James Reimer .773 | Save Percentage | Joonas Korpisalo .769 |
James Reimer 17 | Saves | Joonas Korpisalo 20 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Carolina | 26 | 6 | 1-2 | 4-5 | 15 | 34 |
Columbus | 22 | 5 | 1-5 | 1-2 | 9 | 27 |