Hurricanes score seven straight goals to rally past Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS -- The Carolina Hurricanes scored seven straight goals, including five in the third period, to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4 at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

Brady Skjei and Steven Lorentz scored twice for the Hurricanes (23-7-1), who have won four straight and eight of nine.
Ethan Bear scored at 10:50 of the third make it 5-4, and Lorentz made it 6-4 at 11:59 as part of four goals in a 3:57 span.
The Hurricanes scored seven consecutive goals to come back to win from down four goals for the second time in their history and the first time since relocating to Carolina for the 1997-98 season. The Hartford Whalers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-4 on Jan. 19, 1989.
"That's what's special about this team," Skjei said. "There's no question we didn't think we would win."
Gustav Nyquist, in his 600th NHL game and 100th for Columbus, scored shorthanded and had an assist.

Daniil Tarasov made 31 saves in two periods for the Blue Jackets (15-14-1) before exiting with a lower-body injury. Elvis Merzlikins made 11 saves in the third period.
"They were coming and then Daniil goes down," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "It put Elvis in a tough situation.
"When it was 4-0, I never felt comfortable with how that game was played. They kept coming and we didn't have an answer to it."
Antti Raanta made six saves on nine shots in the first period before being relieved by Frederik Andersen, who made eight saves in his first game since clearing NHL COVID-19 protocol on Thursday. He last played Dec. 16.
"This game was so wide open," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We were down two, down three, down four, but it felt like at the end of the game we might have a chance."
Zach Werenski gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 6:54 of the first period and Adam Boqvist made it 2-0 at 12:30. Nyquist extended the lead at 18:04 of the first.
"It was a weird game," Skjei said. "The first period we were down 3-0 and I thought we outplayed them, honestly. We were all over them but on the D-zone we gave them chances they capitalized on."

Texier made it 4-0 at 8:39 of the second period before Lorentz redirected a shot by Tony DeAngelo at 9:11 to make it 4-1.
"We had to get something and answer after the goal against," Lorentz said.
Skjei pulled the Hurricanes to within 4-2 at 14:05 of the second and made it 4-3 at 6:53 of the third with a shot from the left circle.
Nino Niederreiter tied it 4-4 at 10:34 when the puck bounced off the end boards to him and Merzlikins was out of position. Bear scored from long range at 10:50 to make it 5-4.
After the Lorentz goal for a 6-4 score, Andrei Svechnikov scored into an empty net at 17:30 for the 7-4 final.
"They just keep on their game and play the way they want to play, and that's what they did tonight," Werenski said. "They just kept coming and coming."
The Hurricanes are the first NHL team to win by three or more goals after trailing by four since the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 7-4 on Feb. 1, 1989.
"That was special," Lorentz said. "Sometimes you get a game like that where a team is a little bit down and out or not getting the breaks, then all of a sudden you get one and stick to the game plan and good things happen, and that's what happened.
"After two periods we kind of regrouped a bit. We said, 'We're right there. Once we get the next one by him the floodgates might open,' and sure enough they did."
NOTES: The Hurricanes had their first five-goal period since scoring five in the second in a 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 23, 2019. … Nyquist has scored 361 NHL points (152 goals, 209 assists). … Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly had two shots on goal in 18:08 playing his 300th NHL game. He has scored 78 points (29 goals, 49 assists). … Columbus forward Emil Bemstrom assisted on Werenski's goal for his first assist in his second game of the season. He did not play until Thursday because of an oblique strain.