Hurricanes jump to early lead, beat Blue Jackets


Reuters | Updated: 05-01-2019 10:36 IST | Created: 05-01-2019 10:34 IST
Hurricanes jump to early lead, beat Blue Jackets
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Greg McKegg scored a goal and added an assist Friday night in his first game with the Carolina Hurricanes, a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Raleigh, N.C.

McKegg, a 26-year-old center playing in his first game with the Hurricanes, was playing with his fifth NHL team.

Micheal Ferland, Dougie Hamilton and Sebastian Aho also scored for the Hurricanes. Aho's empty-net goal was the only scoring in the third period.

The Hurricanes have a three-game winning streak for only the second time since early October.

Carolina goalie Curtis McElhinney stopped 22 shots. McElhinney notched his first victory with Carolina during the opening week of the season at Columbus.

Oliver Bjorkstrand and Artemi Panarin scored for the Blue Jackets, who failed to record a team point for only the second time in a 10-game span (7-2-1)

Carolina built a 3-0 lead before the Blue Jackets scored twice in a 25-second span late in the second period.

The Blue Jackets had four shots early in the third period, but ended up scoreless with only seven total shots in the final 20 minutes.

Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 16 shots and didn't last until the game's midway mark. After Carolina's third goal, including two that Bobrovsky got a glove on but failed to hold, Joonas Korpisalo was summoned.

Korpisalo had 14 saves.

Ferland's goal, which opened the scoring, came just after a Carolina power-play expired. The streak without converting on power plays at home stretched to 18 consecutive chances, but the Hurricanes were rewarded right afterward.

It was Ferland's 12th goal of the season, but his first tally since Nov. 21 as he missed some time because of injuries.

Hamilton scored in his second game in a row for his fifth goal of the season, blasting a shot from the top of the left circle. Right winger Saku Maenalanen assisted on the goal for his first NHL point, coming in his third career game. McKegg also assisted on the play.

McKegg's goal gave Carolina a 3-0 edge less than seven minutes into the second period.

Then the Blue Jackets, who hadn't played since Monday, came to life with goals on consecutive shifts. Bjorkstrand has three goals in a five-game stretch, while Panarin has four goals in the last six games.

This was the start of a three-game road stretch for the Blue Jackets.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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