Jackets routed by Carolina in preseason stumble
The sixth game of the Blue Jackets' preseason slate was ugly.
Despite taking a brief 1-0 lead on a goal by Yegor Chinakhov, Columbus allowed eight unanswered goals by the Carolina Hurricanes in an 8-1 rout at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
Martin Necas led the way for Carolina (4-0-0) with two goals, two assists and four points, while six other Hurricanes finished with multiple-point outings — including Derek Stepan (two goals, one assist) and defenseman Brent Burns (goal, two assists).
Stefan Noesen, Brady Skjei and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each had a goal and assist for the Hurricanes, who played Antti Raanta (25 saves) in net.
The Blue Jackets (3-2-1) didn't take their top stars to Raleigh, but coach Brad Larsen wasn't thrilled with how the group unraveled after Chinakhov's goal.
The Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes and the shot count — which favored Carolina 18-7 — was just as ugly. It got worse in the second, when the Hurricanes used four power plays to build a 38-12 shot advantage and pushed their lead to 6-1 on goals by Burns, Necas and
Skjei.
Looking at each roster, the Hurricanes had an advantage in NHL talent — including their top two defensive pairs in the game — but getting blown out is not a good look for the Blue Jackets. A roster cut removed 20 players from training camp Monday, but 37 players remain with Columbus and at least 14 more will be subtracted to forge a 23man roster for the season-opener Oct. 12 in Raleigh.
“There's not much to take out of this one," Larsen said. "The guys got an opportunity to go out and compete … and we got a dose of medicine tonight on work ethic."
Larsen runs a taxing camp with long practices that burn leg muscles, but this was the second straight game the Blue Jackets were outskated by a Metropolitan Division rival. Adding Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Jakub Voracek, Zach Werenski and others in the season opener will help bridge the gap, but the Hurricanes' top forwards also sat out.
"Every game's an opportunity," Larsen said. "We know they're a hardpressing team. If you're not ready and get going, you're going to be chasing the game all night. That's what happened. It's a good indicator of where maybe some guys are at right now.”