COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Carolina Hurricanes went into the game with an 11-game winless streak and without forwards Eric Staal and Ray Whitney.
And after the first 71/2 minutes Saturday, they were playing without goaltender Cam Ward, who suffered what coach Paul Maurice called a "significant injury" to his left leg.
That's asking a lot of a hockey team, and especially one that's struggling mightily. It was asking too much this night as the Columbus Blue Jackets surged in the third period to take a 3-2 victory at Nationwide Arena.
Trailing 1-0 after two periods, the Jackets opened the third with a flurry of goals. Nikita Filatov scored 50 seconds into the period. Jared Boll scored at 2:55, and then Rick Nash just 36 seconds after Boll.
Just like that the Canes' lead was gone and the game, in essence, turned into another lost cause. The Hurricanes, who got goals from Erik Cole and Tim Gleason, fell to 2-11-3 and again failed to win a road game, leaving them 0-7-2 away from home.
But a far more serious concern was Ward, whose injury came suddenly, shockingly.
Nash, cutting to the net, was knocked down near the crease. His skate appeared to catch Ward near the left knee, and Ward was doubled over in pain at 7:35 of the first period.
Ward, who has suffered a similar injury, was helped off the ice and taken to Riverside Hospital for evaluation. Team officials said Ward had a laceration, was treated and given stitches and was to stay overnight. He is expected to return to Raleigh today.
"He's a critical piece, no doubt," Maurice said. "That'd be tough to take but that's where we're all at."
With Ward out, in came Michael Leighton.
"He stabilized us," Cole said. "Everyone has confidence in him to perform."
Ninety seconds after Leighton took over, the Canes got a puck past Steve Mason. Matt Cullen found Cole open in the left circle, and Cole blistered a shot into the net.
The Canes killed off a penalty late in the first period, with Leighton making a nice stop on Raffi Torres, and then forced two Columbus penalties. Carolina had 1:49 of a 5-on-3 advantage, including the first 1:38 of the second period, but couldn't add to the lead.
It all unraveled early in the third. Columbus' Derek Dorsett's hustling play behind the net resulted in a centering pass to Filatov and the tying goal. Boll scored his first of the season with a quick shortside shot, and Nash picked up his 11th of the season after a turnover in the Carolina zone.
Gleason scored his first of the season on a shot from the point with 7:51 to play, but there would be no Carolina comeback. Not with Staal out a third straight game and Whitney a second, both with upper-body injuries.
"We were right there, again," Leighton said. "It's like we just need one more goal. But that's kinda what's going on right now."
All that was left was another long, grim plane ride home.
