COLUMBUS — Kirill Marchenko recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career and added another goal in the shootout to help send the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Carolina, which sits atop the Metropolitan Division, has now lost three consecutive games. On the flip side, the Blue Jackets are at the bottom of the division and have won just two games in their last 11.
Max Pacioretty scored two goals and Brady Skjei added one on a power play for Carolina. Antti Raanta made 15 saves as he recorded his first loss since Nov. 17.
Marchenko broke the scoreless tie in the second period with a power play goal, taking a pass in front of the Columbus bench from Kent Johnson, skating down the right side behind the net to flip a wrap around shot past Raanta. He would make it 2-0 in favor of the Blue Jackets just 1:36 later.
But then Hurricanes stormed right back.
Pacioretty's recorded his first goal as a Hurricane, by pinballing the puck off a Columbus defender's leg past Jonas Korpisalo to cut the deficit to one.
Then Skjei fired a shot from the slot to make it 2-2 on a power-play goal at 17:18. Pacioretty scored again at 18:56 on another power play to give the Hurricanes the lead at the second intermission.
Marchenko would tie the game back up at the 5:23 mark of the third, winning a battle along the boards for the puck, skate to the middle of the left circle and fire a wrister past Raanta for his third goal of the night.
In the shootout, Marchenko and Patrik Laine scored. Then Johnson's backhand shot beat Raanta on his glove side for the game-winner. Korpisalo, who stopped 39 shots on the night, turned aside Martin Necas' shootout attempt to seal the win for Columbus.
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