Derek MacKenzie helps Columbus Blue Jackets beat Carolina Hurricanes 3-2
Centreman Derek MacKenzie lit the lamp twice to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a narrow 3-2 win over Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Samuel Pahlsson also scored a goal for the Blue Jackets, who ended a seven-game skid (0-4-3). Goaltender Steve Mason turned aside 29-of-31 shots for the victors.
Carolina centreman Jeff Skinner posted a goal for the Hurricanes, who lost their fourth straight game. Tuomo Ruutu also lit the lamp for Hurricanes in the last minute of regulation time, but they couldn't draw even. Goaltender Cam Ward stopped 25 shots in
the defeat.
Carolina Head Coach Paul Maurice was disappointed that his side didn’t make the most of the chances they had. He said, "We are struggling to tally some goals, we have been for a little bit, ever since [a 4-1 win against Pittsburgh Penguins on 25 February].
We have got players that usually don't miss those, and we missed some chances tonight. We just had too many good opportunities not to finish."
Columbus got the scoring started less than five minutes into the opening stanza when Pahlsson tallied a short-handed goal. The Blue Jackets then doubled their advantage less than a minute into the middle stanza when MacKenzie fired a shot from the left circle
that beat the Carolina net-minder.
The Hurricanes then cut the deficit in half in the 10th minute of the final frame when Erik Cole centred a pass to Skinner, who put the puck past the Blue Jackets net-minder. With less than four minutes left in the final period, Hurricanes had a big chance
when Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin was benched for tripping.
Carolina could not make an even better chance when Jussi Jokinen missed an open net with less than two minutes to play in the third stanza. The Blue Jackets restored their two goal advantage with just a minute remaining in the third period, when MacKenzie
scored an empty-net insurance goal.
With less than a minute remaining in the final frame, the Hurricanes made it 3-2 when Ruutu fired a one-timer past the Columbus net-minder to make it a one-goal game.
The Hurricanes pushed hard for an equaliser in the remaining time, but Columbus hung on for the win.
Columbus Head Coach Scott Arniel was please with his side’s performance. He said, "We get off to a real good start, getting a lead, and they were coming. We knew they were going to come. We weathered the storm, and [Mason] was outstanding."
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