FINAL: Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT)

The Blue Jackets won a 3-2 decision in overtime against Carolina on Thursday evening at PNC Arena.
Game in a Paragraph
A defensive-minded battle saw both teams use early-period momentum to gain an advantage. The Blue Jackets carried play in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the intermission. The Hurricanes used their forecheck and power play to take their first lead before Columbus responded with the tying goal late in the second period. A scoreless third period pushed the game to overtime, where Seth Jones scored his second goal of the game to give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 victory.

Quote of the Game
Head coach John Tortorella on Jones: "We needed someone to take control of the game for us. I thought he stood up and said 'I'm gonna be the guy tonight.' It's one of the better games I've seen him play since he's been here, at an important time."
CBJ Standouts
Quick Recap
The Blue Jackets put the league's top power play unit on the ice early, but it was Columbus who generated the best chances while shorthanded. Early in the penalty kill, Cam Atkinson tested Alex Nedeljkovic with a slap shot from the right circle. The Carolina netminder was sharp again soon after, gloving a David Savard shot from the slot.
Columbus maintained momentum after the penalty kill, registering the first seven shots of the period, and were rewarded with the game's first goal with 5:49 remaining in the frame. Jones led a 3-on-2 rush up the ice and scored his second goal of the season when he collected a rebound off a Bjorkstrand shot from the high slot.
Korpisalo was not busy for most of the opening period, playing behind a 14-7 shot advantage for the Blue Jackets. The goaltender kept Columbus ahead late in the period on a couple saves off Jordan Staal. First, Korpisalo was able to stuff the Carolina captain's wraparound attempt, then stood tall again when he got a pad on Staal's redirect in close.
The Hurricanes generated pressure off their forecheck early in the second period and tied the game in the opening minute. Nino Niederreiter picked up a loose puck at the side of the net and found Sebastian Aho, who fired a shot from the left circle past the glove of Korpisalo.
Just as the Blue Jackets controlled play in the early parts of the first period, Carolina recorded the first nine shots of the second. The Hurricanes capped their shot streak on the power play, where Aho scored his second goal of the game from the slot to give Carolina a 2-1 lead midway through the frame.
Carolina had a bid for a two-goal advantage, but Korpisalo came up large for the Blue Jackets. Zach Werenski blocked Hayden Fleury's wrist shot onto the stick of Warren Foegele, who found himself alone at the side of the Columbus net. The Carolina forward released the puck quickly toward an open cage, but Korpisalo lunged with his stick to stop the puck and hold on for the whistle.
Moments after their first power play ended the Blue Jackets tied the score, 2-2, on Kevin Stenlund's fifth goal of the season. Max Domi corralled a pass in the Carolina zone, and threw a backhand feed across the slot, where Stenlund used a quick release to beat Nedeljkovic stick side.
Both teams traded chances in the first half of the third period, with Jones getting the best opportunity. The Blue Jackets defenseman jumped up in the play and released a backhand shot on Nedeljkovic in close, who kept a rebound from slipping behind him. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, the teams took a more conservative approach to push the game to overtime.
Early in overtime, Korpisalo robbed Jaccob Slavin on a redirect in front, snagging the puck out of the air with his glove. The Blue Jackets goaltender was at his best midway through the frame, stopping Martin Necas on a breakaway with a blocker save.
With time winding under a minute to play in overtime, Jones scored his second goal of the night on a 2-on-1 rush. The defenseman streaked down the left wing and beat Nedeljkovic high over the glove to give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 victory.
3 Takeaways
1. Ready to go: Stenlund was a healthy scratch hours before the game, but an illness to Mikhail Grigorenko allowed the forward to regain his spot in the lineup. Stenlund responded with a game-tying goal in the second period - his second in his last two games against the Hurricanes - as Carolina was starting to grab hold of the game. Stenlund's goal settled the game back down for Columbus at a time when things could have unraveled.
2. Busting out in a big way: Jones came into the game with a 19-game goalless drought but left with two goals and his eighth career overtime winner. The Jackets defenseman pushed the pace of play with his feet, generating chances with his size and speed. In the first period, Jones forced the Carolina defense back on their heels and drove forward toward the net instead of pulling up after making a pass to Bjorkstrand inside the Hurricane's zone. He was rewarded when a big rebound found him at the side of the net for the goal.
3. A familiar style of play: The Blue Jackets have uncharacteristically surrendered goals at a higher rate than accustomed to in first half of the season, however a recent dedication to team defense has made things look more normal. Jones has been vocal on the buy-in from the team on the defensive side of the puck. "I think our initial arrival into the zone has been more consistent," Jones said. "I think our first guy, whether it's the first defenseman going into the corner or the low forward going into the corner, has been able to get a stick on pucks and get body contact. I think our second man has been close and has beat their second man into some plays, then we end up coming up with pucks. I think our wingers have done a great job over the recent weeks of getting more pucks out under lots of pressure on the half walls."
Notable
Domi collected an assist and has a 2-3-5 line the last four games. … Werenski tallied an assist, giving the defenseman a five-game point streak with a scoring line of 2-4-6 in that span. … Domi played in his 299th consecutive game, the seventh-longest active streak in the NHL. … Vladislav Gavrikov played in his 99th career game. … The Blue Jackets have won 6 of the last 8 games in the series dating back to 3/15/19. … Columbus has scored the first goal in 21 of 31 games this season, the most in the NHL. … John Tortorella won his 667th game, tying Claude Julien for 13th all time. … The Blue Jackets are 9-2-7 in one-goal games on the season. … Dougie Hamilton has a 10-game point streak for the Hurricanes, the longest active point streak in the NHL.
Roster Report
A duo of forwards swapped, with Ryan MacInnis and Stefan Matteau entering the lineup for Alexandre Texier (COVID protocol) and Emil Bemstrom (injury). MacInnis played his first game of the season, while Matteau saw his first action since 2/15. Grigorenko was a late scratch, allowing Stenlund to remain in the lineup.
Highlights
Video: Jones nets overtime winner in 3-2 win over Hurricanes
Up Next
The Blue Jackets go for the series sweep in Carolina on Saturday night against the Hurricanes. The two teams will head to Columbus for two games starting on Monday.