Carolina Hurricanes Embarrass Columbus Bluejackets 8-1 in Prospect Tournament

Matt Kennedy posted two goals and three assists and Jeff Skinner put up a goal and four assists as the prospects of the Carolina Hurricanes obliterated the Columbus Blue Jackets' prospects 8-1 on Tuesday night in the NHL Traverse City Prospects Tournament.

The Hurricanes began the onslaught when Zac Dalpe wired a shot over Columbus goaltender Jason Missiaen for a power play goal at 16:37 of the first period. The shots were an astonishing 22-5 in favour of Carolina after 20 minutes.

Just 46 seconds into the second period, Matt Kennedy made it 2-0 on a goal from the doorstep on the power play. Matt Pistilli stretched the lead to 3-0 when he knocked in the rebound of a shot from Kennedy. Rasmus Rissanen, Jeff Skinner, and Michal Jordan also added markers in the second.

Columbus managed a goal 8:49 into the second, coming from centre Chris Francis.

Carolina slowed down in the third, but didn't completely stop. Kennedy posted his second goal and fifth point of the night 8:08 into the period. Derek Claffey added one last tally 50 seconds later, making the final score 8-1. The shot totals on the night were an incredible 49-24 for Carolina.

Zac Dalpe and Jared Staal both finished the game with two points, while Matt Kennedy and Jeff Skinner each ended with five.

With the win, Carolina placed second in the Gretzky Division in the NHL Traverse City Prospects Tournament with two wins and a loss. They secured themselves a spot in the Bronze Medal Game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The game is Wednesday evening at 5:30, ET.

My Three Stars

1. Matt Kennedy - This one is a no-brainer. Kennedy rocked the arena, registering two goals and three assists and posting a plus-2.

2. Jeff Skinner - Skinner posted a goal, four assists, and plus-2. He played his heart out and was a huge contributor to the win.

3. Jared Staal - Staal did most of the little things right tonight, and added two assists to boot.

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