An odd-angle, deflected shot to score the game’s first goal. A goal that bounced off a Carolina Hurricanes player before going into the Carolina net. It was 2-0 midway through the third period, and it had started to feel like it might just be the Columbus Blue Jackets’ day.

The Blue Jackets had won two games in a row for just the second time all season, but they were reminded Sunday, painfully and dramatically, that there are still hard lessons to learn before they can be consistent winners.

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The Hurricanes scored three goals in eight minutes late in the third period to erase a 2-0 deficit, going on to win 3-2 before 18,700 fans at PNC Arena. It was the kind of collapse the Blue Jackets have endured too frequently this season.

“It’s a few minutes of the game where we know we’re better than that,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “At the same time, that’s a team (Carolina) that aspires to win the Stanley Cup this year.”

Kirill Marchenko and Johnny Gaudreau scored third-period goals for the Blue Jackets, and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins continued his strong play of late with 40 saves. Merzlikins carried a shutout well into the third period but couldn’t be blamed for any of Carolina’s three goals.

Did a Cup contender put its foot down in the weighty moments of the third period? Or did an NHL bottom feeder collapse under the pressure? That depends on one’s perspective, but it’s probably a little of both.

The Hurricanes sniffed blood in the water from the moment Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored on a wide-open wrister from the slot at 10:01. Between that goal and Andrei Svechnikov’s go-ahead goal off the rush with 1:57 remaining, the Blue Jackets were in full-blown retreat, getting outshot 11-1.

It follows a familiar script this season. The Blue Jackets would have two or three more wins if they could only close out third-period leads. Instead, the Jackets recoil into a passive sag, fueling only the opponent’s comeback bid.

“We have to learn,” Gaudreau said. “We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. Ten minutes left, with a two-goal lead, we have to find a way to win that game. We did a good job the past two games (wins over the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils), and I thought we were on the right track.

“But (Carolina) … they were pushing pretty hard.”

MARCHY MAKES IT 1-0 WITHIN SECONDS OF THE 3RD 🔥@FanaticsBook | #CBJ

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 26, 2023

Vincent was impressed with his club’s patience through the first two periods. The Hurricanes’ depth of talent, overall speed and relentless forechecking under coach Rod Brind’Amour make them a difficult matchup for even the best teams.

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The Blue Jackets leaned on Merzlikins but played smart hockey for most of the first 50 minutes.

Only 13 seconds into the third, Marchenko took a wrist shot from low in the fight circle. The puck glanced off the shinpad of a Hurricanes defender and sailed over the glove of Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov and under the crossbar.

Gaudreau made it 2-0 at 6:41. He pounced on a failed clearing attempt by Carolina and skated in for a wrist shot that was partially blocked by a Hurricanes player but sailed up and into the net behind Kochetkov.

“We were playing the right way,” Vincent said. “There’s some patience to our game that I really liked in the first two periods because they don’t give you much.”

Merzlikins had stopped all 32 shots before Kotkaniemi made it 2-1 at 10:01. That ended a shutout streak of 96 minutes, 46 seconds, one of Merzlikins’ best stretches of the past three seasons.

SVECH IS SO BACK

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 27, 2023

For Carolina, it opened the floodgates. Brady Skjei fired home a loose puck in the slot at 16:51 to tie it. Then came Svechnikov’s game-winner at 18:03, a goal that prompted Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson to shatter his stick on the crossbar.

“It happened quick,” Gudbranson said. “We have to sit down and take a look at it and see what happened. We have to close that out.”

Vincent called it a “really good teaching moment” for his young club. This has been a tough lesson for the Blue Jackets to learn.

“The one time we didn’t protect the middle (the 2-2 goal), they took advantage,” Vincent said. “We know you can’t take a shift off against a team like Carolina. It’s disappointing today, just key moments.

“But that’s part of the growth of a hockey team. We did it right for most of the game, but that’s not enough.”

(Photo: Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images)