Blue Jackets withstand rally to edge Hurricanes

COLUMBUS -- Captain Nick Foligno did not get on the score sheet but could get an assist for his talk between the second and third period that helped the Columbus Blue Jackets defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
Scott Hartnell scored twice, including the game-winner at 10:25 of the third, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves for Columbus (31-10-4).
"That second period was terrible hockey from us," Hartnell said. "[Foligno] didn't mince words."

WATCH: All Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets highlights
Coach John Tortorella said Foligno got the Blue Jackets regrouped better than he could have done.
"I didn't need to go in there," Tortorella said. "They shut the door. It's a lesson to me to make sure we understand we're still going through a process. I should have been helping them. Instead, I think I hurt them and that's why I gave the team to [Foligno] and the leadership group."
Carolina (21-18-7) trailed 2-0 before tying the game and outshooting Columbus 9-2 in the second period.
Sam Gagner set up Hartnell's second of the game and 13th of the season that broke a 2-2 tie.

Sebastian Aho and Justin Faulk scored, and Michael Leighton made 17 saves in his first start since Dec. 13 for the Hurricanes. Cam Ward started the previous 21 games, including a 7-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
"We wanted a good bounce back. I thought we did that," Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal said. "We played the way we wanted to play. Sometimes you don't get the results."
Aho's 12th goal made it 2-1 at 9:05 of the second with his first NHL power-play goal.
Faulk completed a 2-on-1 at 15:27 with a shot that hit off both posts for the defenseman's ninth goal to make it 2-2.
Blue Jackets forward Markus Hannikainen, in his seventh call-up of the season from Cleveland of the American Hockey League, got his first NHL point in his 10th game at 4:49 of the first period for a 1-0 lead.
Hartnell made it 2-0 at 14:26 with a slap shot a few strides inside the blue line.
"The second goal is something I've got to stop," Leighton said.

Goal of the game

Gagner skated into the zone on the right wing, slipped between two Carolina players and sent a lead pass to the far side of the net where Hartnell was able to redirect the puck for the go-ahead goal at 10:25 of the third period.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky made a lateral save, going left to right, to stop a shorthanded 2-on-1 by the Hurricanes 35 seconds into the third period. Staal took the shot after a cross-ice pass by Elias Lindholm.

Unsung performance of the game

The Blue Jackets allowed one shot during a Carolina power play that began with 3:44 left in the third period and also included 58 seconds of 6-on-4 play when the Hurricanes pulled Leighton.

Highlight of the game

Hannikainen was in a celebratory mood with a triple-fist pump before leaping into the glass after he scored his first NHL goal.

They said it

"That first period was a little rough for me but I felt a little better as the game went on. We settled down in the second period. It showed. We only gave up two shots. They kept turning the puck over and we kept going at them." -- Hurricanes goaltender Michael Leighton
"We found ways to not completely cave. We were close tonight but we didn't." -- Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella
"There was a lot of improvement defensively, more of a commitment away from the puck and a willingness to check and compete on 50-50 pucks." -- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters
"I had to ask [Hartnell] where to go for the third star. I don't do that kind of stuff." -- Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout after getting his first two assists of the season

Need to know

Defensemen Noah Hanifin and Matt Tennyson and forward Teuvo Teravainen were healthy scratches for the Hurricanes. Defensemen Klas Dahlbeck and Ryan Murphy and forward Ty Rattie replaced them in the lineup. … Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard was out with an injury and defenseman Markus Nutivaara missed his third straight game. Harrington and Prout replaced them. … Columbus did not get a shot on goal in the second period until 3:43 remained. … The Blue Jackets went scoreless on two power plays and are 0-for-10 against the Hurricanes this season.

What's next

Hurricanes: At the Washington Capitals on Monday (7 p.m. ET; CSN-DC, FS-CR, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets: At the Ottawa Senators on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, FS-O, NHL.TV)