In Raleigh, Seth Jones scored for the Columbus Blue Jackets with 29 seconds left in regulation to force extra time on Saturday. The added session settled nothing, but the Blue Jackets defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, on penalties.
“It was a very evenly matched game,” Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella said. “Both teams played well and we found a way to win. I think the team has stayed with it and has been improving right on through this.”
Elvis Merzlikins made 35 saves in the win.
“I thought Elvis just looked solid,” Tortorella said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of movement and he makes just a fantastic save in that overtime.”
Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele were the Carolina strikers.
“When you score, you get more confidence,” Svechnikov said. “I’ve had so many chances in the last (few) games. You score, but you lost this game, so it’s kind of bad.”
Carolina is 0-1-2 in their last three matches.
“There’s nothing not to like other than the result,” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It was a grind. We knew that coming in. We had the game won. Crazy ending there on the overtime, but there’s a lot of good in there.”
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in regulation and was credited with the deciding goal in the skills competition.
“Most of us thought we lost the game, and we got a second chance, so that was awesome,” Bjorkstrand said. “The [penalty kill] did an awesome job. That’s not easy.”
The two teams will play again on Monday to complete the four-game set.
“We put really a lot of effort and love into these (
past) two games,” Merzlikins said. “We are fighting for each other. We’re blocking a lot of shots, we’re playing good defensively. I’m really happy we are getting on the right track.”
James Reimer made 28 saves in the loss.
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