Hamilton extends point streak to 12, Hurricanes shut out Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS -- Dougie Hamilton had an assist to extend his point streak to 12 games, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 at Nationwide Arena on Monday.

Alex Nedeljkovic made 19 saves for his second NHL shutout.
Jesper Fast had a goal and an assist, and Sebastian Aho had two assists for the Hurricanes (21-7-3), who lost the first two of the four-game series against the Blue Jackets at home, 3-2 in overtime Thursday and 3-2 in the shootout Saturday.
Hamilton has two goals and 12 assists during his point streak and passed Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Howe for the longest by a defenseman in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. It is the longest active streak in the NHL and one game shy of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews' from Jan. 24-Feb. 20 for the longest this season.
"I don't think about it too much," Hamilton said. "It's just trying to take it day by day and one game at a time. I know it's a cliché, but with the schedule right now, it's just kind of focus on one game.
"I'm lucky to play with great players and guys making good plays."
Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves for the Blue Jackets (13-13-7), who lost in regulation for the first time in six games (3-1-2).
"They checked tonight, and we couldn't get through it," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "It's a big part of what they do, and tonight we had trouble getting through it."
The teams will conclude the four-game series here Thursday.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said he thought they played well in the two losses to the Blue Jackets.
"I felt really good about our games," he said. "We had one iffy period out of the whole set so far, the first game, first period, so it was a solid effort all the way around, and we got some nice plays but we didn't cash in. But tonight they did, and I thought for two periods, especially, we just kind of controlled the game that we had to win."

Brady Skjei gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 9:13 of the first period when he scored from above the right hash marks on the rebound of an Aho shot. It was his first goal in 39 games dating to Feb. 20, 2020, for the New York Rangers against the Hurricanes, four days before he was traded to them.
Fast increased the lead to 2-0 at 6:39 of the second period, tipping a shot from the right point by Brett Pesce after a face-off win by Jordan Staal.
"The first two games [of the series], I think we played pretty good hockey, but tonight we played a complete 60-minute hockey game," Fast said. "We were working hard and doing the right things, so a really good game. Even though we lost those games, the way we played was good."

Martin Necas, in his 100th NHL game, made it 3-0 at 8:58 of the second, scoring from the high slot off a pass from Aho.
"We didn't check well enough in the second, and they did. That's the difference," Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. "We didn't have that checking level we need to have in the second. They are a hard team to come back on. We were not diligent in the way we checked and that came back on us."
Nedeljkovic, from Parma, Ohio, about 135 miles north of Columbus, made 24 saves in a 4-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 20. He is 9-4-3 in 17 NHL games.
"I don't know if you can ever top the first [shutout]," he said. "The first one only happens once. I don't know if that's the right way to say it, but yeah, I had family in the stands tonight, so it was nice for them to actually be here."
NOTES: Howe had an 11-game point streak from Jan. 12-Feb. 6, 1980, for Hartford. ... Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has not scored in five games and has three points (one goal, two assists) in the past 13. He was minus-1 with two shots on goal in 18:15.