Atkinson hat trick helps Blue Jackets handle Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cam Atkinson scored a hat trick and had an assist for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Saturday.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for the Blue Jackets (12-6-2), who extended their point streak to seven games (5-0-2). Artemi Panarin had three assists, and Pierre-Luc Dubois had two.
"I thought Panarin] had that look in his eye that when the puck was on his stick, good things were going to happen" Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "For all we talk about our balanced scoring, it's nice to have that one line that could do what they did tonight and really take a game over."
***[WATCH: [All Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes highlights]*
Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes (8-8-3), who are 2-5-2 in their past nine games.
The hat trick was Atkinson's fifth in the NHL, tying Rick Nash for the Columbus record. He has six goals in the past four games and 12 goals this season.

Atkinson gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 11:54 of the first period. He took a backhand pass from Panarin and scored on a one-timer from the slot to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games.
"When I'm in the slot and [Panarin] is coming around and no one's on me, he's a player that's going to find me," Atkinson said. "We found a way to get a nice one there and kind of get the flood gates going."
Atkinson made it 2-0 at 1:57 of the second period. He took a backhand pass from Panarin and scored at the left post.
Aho made it 2-1 at 6:05 when he tucked the puck inside the far post on a wraparound.
Zach Werenski took a drop pass from Atkinson and scored from the slot to make it 3-1 at 7:22.

Atkinson completed the hat trick with a power-play goal at 11:20 to make it 4-1. He stepped into a pass from Alex Wennberg in the right face-off circle and beat Scott Darling inside the far post.
"It's funny how the puck keeps finding you," Atkinson said. "I was trying to put myself in position in open areas. Wennberg made a [heck] of a sauce pass. I saw a little open lane and it just kind of went through [Darling]."
After Columbus took the three-goal lead, Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour called timeout.
"I don't remember (what I said) because I was losing my mind," he said. "It came down to us playing a good team, and they won all the puck battles. They were the first to everything and they played like a first-place team."
The Blue Jackets were outshot 12-5 in the third period.
"Skating was the key," Bobrovsky said. "We were very smart, very structural. We worked for each other. It was fun to be part of it."

They said it

"We were just moving the puck and the [defensemen] were helping a lot. We were hard to control in their defensive zone. We were moving around a lot. I thought we did a good job tonight." -- Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois
"It was a dud. Let's call it what it was. Certainly unacceptable. Because we were a second off, we lost every single battle that was important." -- Hurricanes captain Justin Williams

Need to know

Atkinson had three goals in 22 previous games against Carolina. ... Bobrovsky has allowed one goal in each of his past four starts. ... Carolina's 31 shots on goal were its fewest of the season. … Aho extended his point streak to four games (two goals, four assists). He started the season with a 12-game streak.

What's next

Blue Jackets: At the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNO, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes: Host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; FS-CR, MSG+, NHL.TV)