Blue Jackets 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO)
Ryan Johansen scored in the third round of the shootout as visiting Columbus skated to just its second win in 10 outings (2-7-1).
The All-Star Game Most Valuable Player skated in and waited for Cam Ward to make a move before deftly shifting to his backhand and tucking the puck past the veteran goaltender in the the bonus format. Sergei Bobrovsky, who yielded three goals in the first period, preserved the win after a shaky start by extending his right pad to deny Jeff Skinner.
Scott Hartnell scored two power-play goals and Rene Bourque also tallied with the man advantage for the Blue Jackets, who defeated Carolina for the first time in three meetings this season (1-1-1). Defenseman Kevin Connauton notched an assist in his return from a lower-body injury and Bobrovsky turned aside 29 shots.
Defenseman Justin Faulk collected a goal and two assists and captain Eric Staal and Victor Rask each added a power-play goal for the Hurricanes. Ward finished with 29 saves to drop to 5-1-1 in his last seven starts versus Columbus.
Carolina got the early jump as Faulk eluded Bourque before skating in from the right-wing boards and wristing a shot past Bobrovsky to open the scoring 36 seconds into the contest. Rask and Bourque traded goals and Staal tipped home defenseman Ryan Murphy's blast from the point with 10 seconds remaining in the first period, but Hartnell scored from the doorstep at both 2:21 of the second and 6:10 of the third to forge a 3-3 tie.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Blue Jackets went 3-for-5 on the power play after going 2-for-29 in the previous 10 contests. ... Columbus' Nick Foligno was a late scratch as he dealt with flu-like symptoms. C Luke Adam was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis. ... Carolina went 2-for-4 on the power play and has scored nine times with the man advantage in the last seven games.