Contrary to what the final score suggests, the contest got off on the wrong foot for Carolina.
Just 5:54 into the opening frame Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakov won a battle following an offensive zone faceoff and beat Antti Raanta, giving the visitors an early lead.
The positive for the home side was that it would be the only one in the back of their net all night.
On the first power play attempt of the night for Carolina, Jesperi Kotkaniemi evened the game, burying a shot across the body of Daniil Tarasov. It was the first of what would be a very successful evening for the power play, who netted their sixth and seventh markers in just their fourth preseason game.
Stefan Noesen gave the Canes the lead a few moments later with his second goal in as many exhibition contests, a tally that would then be followed by the second in as many outings for Derek Stepan.
Taking a 3-1 advantage into the middle frame, the home team then added three more, blowing the game open.
Brent Burns moved his new club to 7/15 in preseason play on the man advantage with a heavy shot from the top, the second of his three points on the night. Martin Necas entered the goal scoring party next and just 57 seconds following his setup from Ryan Dzingel, #88 returned the favor to Brady Skjei for the team's sixth goal of the night.
The Canes would add two more in the final 20 minutes, coming via the second of the night for both Stepan and Necas. When the final horn sounded it was an 8-1 victory for Carolina and a 21-save win for Antti Raanta.
