CAR 5, CBJ 1: Losing Streak Hits Five As Blue Jackets Manage Just 10 Shots On Goal In Ugly Loss To Hurricanes

By Ed Francis on April 2, 2026 at 9:32 pm
The Columbus Blue Jackets managed just ten shots on goal Thursday night — tied for the fewest in franchise history — in an ugly 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
© James Guillory-Imagn Images
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  1 2 3 F
CBJ 0 1 0 1
CAR 3 1 1 5

CBJ GOALS: 
Denton Mateychuk (2nd, 11:24)

Logan Stankoven scored twice in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes added a short-handed before the first period ended en route to an easy, 5-1 victory Thursday night over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Blue Jackets, who are now 1-5-1 in their last seven games and have fallen out of a potential playoff spot with just six games to go in the season.

Stankoven's first goal came less than three minutes in, on Carolina's first shot of the game. He added another at the 8:52 mark of the period in what would end up being the game-winning goal. A short-handed goal from Alexander Nikishin made it 3-0 heading into the first intermission.

The Blue Jackets would get one back in the middle frame on a Denton Mateychuk goal, but the Hurricanes would respond just 13 seconds later to make it 4-1.

They added a fifth goal in the third via the power play to capitalize their second win over the Blue Jackets in the last three nights.

For the game, the Blue Jackets managed just ten shots on goal — two in the first, and four each in the second and third periods. The putrid total tied a franchise low, with the 2002-03 version of the team picking up just ten shots in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 1, 2003.

Of the ten shots, only two — one each from Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko — came from forwards.

After the game, head coach Rick Bowness was, as he has been in recent games, direct. While acknowledging that some players "poured their whole heart and soul" in the game, Bowness added that "some guys (gave) us absolutely nothing."

"If we want to make a serious effort to get in (the playoffs), it's going to take a whole more than some of those guys gave us tonight."

Here's how the Blue Jackets slipped out of playoff positioning in one of the ugliest losses of their season:

1st Period:

(2:27 — CAR Goal): One shot, one goal. Stankoven moves around the back of the net, then comes back out front and in front of Merzlikins, redirecting a shot by K'Andre Miller that deflects into the net for an early 1-0 lead for Carolina.

(8:52 — CAR Goal): Stankoven's second goal of the game starts with the Blue Jackets unable to clear the puck out of their own zone. Taylor Hall gets to it in the slot and fires a shot. Merzlikins makes the initial save but Stankoven gets the rebound and knocks it home, doubling the Canes lead to 2-0.

(12:50 — CAR Goal): A chance to get back into the game via the power play turns into a short-handed goal for the Canes to make it 3-0. Nikishin fires a routine shot from the faceoff dot that beats Merzlikins to extend the Carolina lead.

(11:24 — CBJ Goal): Columbus' only goal of the game comes from Mateychuk, who finds the rebound and slips it through the five-hole of Andersen.

(11:37 — CAR Goal): Just 13 seconds after Mateychuk's goal, the Hurricanes answer. Martinook takes a pass from Jordan Staal and puts it in from just inside the blue line to restore Carolina's three-goal lead, this time at 4-1.

(6:29 — CAR Goal): Svechnikov makes it 5-1 Hurricanes with a one-timer from the inside circle. Shayne Gostisbehere, fresh out of the penalty box, sets him up with the primary assist.

CBJ GAME STATS CAR
11 SHOTS 21
46 SHOT ATTEMPTS 52
22 SCORING CHANCES 25
6 HIGH-DANGER CHANCES 10
40% FACEOFF PERCENTAGE 60%
0/3 POWER PLAY 1/2
1/2 PENALTY KILL 3/3
18 HITS 19
17 GIVEAWAYS 19
8 TAKEAWAYS 5
14 BLOCKED SHOTS 19

Stat Chat:

  • Believe it or not, the 5-on-5 scoring chances in this game were only one off: Carolina had a 21-20 advantage in that category.
     
  • Zach Werenski now has just one point in his last five games. He's at 78 for the season and will need ten points over the final six games to break Artemi Panarin's club record of 87 points in a single season. Werenski also needs four points to tie his career high of 82, set last season.
     
  • This was the eighth straight loss for the Blue Jackets in Raleigh; they've been outscored 34-10 in that stretch by the Hurricanes.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets return home Saturday for just one game before they begin a three-game road trip, their final of the season. Saturday night's puck-drop against the Winnipeg Jets is slated for 7:00 p.m. 

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