Dubinsky, Bobrovsky help Jackets jolt Hurricanes
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Brandon Dubinsky scored two goals and the Columbus Blue Jackets welcomed Sergei Bobrovsky back to the net on Tuesday night in a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Nationwide Arena.
Bobrovsky, who missed the last three games with an illness, finished with 24 saves and posted his NHL-best 27th win of the season.
The Blue Jackets (30-9-4) beat the Hurricanes (21-16-7) for only the second time in the last seven meetings and moved into a tie for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals.
Dubinsky delivered the go-ahead goal near the end of the first period and added his second of the night and fifth of the season early in the second. Boone Jenner and Lukas Sedlak scored the other goals for the Blue Jackets.
The Hurricanes led 1-0 late in the opening period on a goal by Sebastian Aho, his 11th of the season, but couldn't solve Bobrovsky the rest of the way.
The loss ended Carolina's four-game winning streak that included a 5-3 victory over Columbus a week earlier. The teams meet again Saturday in Columbus.
Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward allowed all four Blue Jackets' goals and was lifted in the second period. Rookie Alex Nedeljkovic shut out Columbus the rest of the way, making 17 saves.
After 18 scoreless minutes to start the game, the goals came fast and furious within a one-minute stretch.
Carolina opened the scoring with 1:54 remaining in the first period. Aho took a cross-ice pass from Teuvo Teravainen and beat Bobrovsky for a 1-0 lead.
Columbus wasted no time answering, tying the score 11 seconds later when Jenner skated in on Ward, dragged the puck in front of the crease and flipped a shot into the net for his ninth goal of the season.
The Blue Jackets went ahead just 35 seconds later when Dubinsky scored on a low bullet between the legs of Ward for a 2-1 lead after one period.
Dubinsky opened the second period with his second goal of the night, boosting the Blue Jackets' lead to 3-1 at 3:53 when his shot from above the circle found its way past Ward.
Sedlak made it 4-1 at 9:16 when he deposited a shot on a rebound of a shot by Sam Gagner over Ward's right shoulder. At that point, the Hurricanes replaced Ward with rookie Alex Nedeljkovic, a Parma, Ohio, native making his NHL debut.
NOTES: The Blue Jackets lost three of four without G Sergei Bobrovsky in the lineup since their franchise-best 16-game win streak ended. The NHL leader in wins missed the last three games because of illness. ... Columbus D Markus Nutivaara missed his first game of the season with an undisclosed injury. The Finnish rookie has two goals and five assists in 42 contests. He was replaced by Scott Harrington, who had played in only three games this season. ... Hurricanes F Brock McGinn had a productive past week, starting with a goal in Carolina's 5-3 win over Columbus. He totaled four goals and three assists in three games, all wins, and had a career-high four points against the New York Islanders. ... Carolina G Alex Nedeljkovic was called up to the NHL for the first time on Monday. A second-round draft pick in 2014, Nedeljkovic has a 5-12-1 record this season with Charlotte of the American Hockey League. G Michael Leighton was reassigned to Charlotte.