by Aaron Portzline, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH , The Columbus Dispatch

After two dreadful periods against the NHL's worst club, rookie Nikita Filatov, Jared Boll and Rick Nash scored in a 2-minute, 41-second span to help salvage a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 14,850.

"We played one period," coach Ken Hitchcock said, "and we got away with it."

Goaltender Steve Mason is the reason the Hurricanes didn't take a sizable early lead or mount a late-game comeback. He finished with 24 saves in one of his best games this season.

The Hurricanes, who have lost 12 straight games, played without top offensive threats Eric Staal and Ray Whitney, and they incurred another significant loss 7:35 into the first period.

Goaltender Cam Ward suffered a deep cut on his left leg after an inadvertent collision with Nash in the goal crease. Ward left a trail of blood on the ice as he was helped to the dressing room. He was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital where he spent the night as a precaution after getting stitches.

"That's scary stuff," Mason said.

Hitchcock acknowledged some trepidation a day earlier about playing the Hurricanes, and the first 40 minutes confirmed his concern, with the Hurricanes leading 1-0 on Erik Cole's first-period goal.

The Blue Jackets killed off 1 minute, 49 seconds of a 5-on-3 Carolina power play and leaned hard on Mason.

"In all honesty, that was an awful Hockey game for two periods," Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore said. "Terrible. I don't know how many offsides and icings there were. There was no energy. Dead.

"(In the second intermission) we talked about how we could win the game with one good period, how we were only down a goal thanks to Mason."

One got the sense that Hitchcock owned the floor for at least a few minutes during that intermission.

"We chatted, yeah," Hitchcock said with a smirk.

Right winger Derek Dorsett used his speed to chip the puck deep and possess it down low with Derek MacKenzie only one line change into the third.

Filatov came clean through the slot and shot home Dorsett's pass to make it 1-1 only 50 seconds into the third.

The Blue Jackets went up 2-1 at 2:55 of the third when Boll came through the neutral zone with lots of speed off an Anton Stralman pass. He appeared ready to dump the puck deep but changed his mind when Hurricanes defenseman Joe Corvo lost his stick in a glancing collision with Boll.

Boll gained the edge and made a nifty move to beat Michael Leighton, Ward's replacement, to the stick side.

"We got a great lift from our young guys," Hitchcock said. "A great big lift."

Before the crowd was seated after a cannon-blast celebration, Nash pounced on a Corvo turnover and beat Leighton with a shot inside the far post.

Carolina made it 3-2 when Gleason scored with 7:51 remaining.

But Mason made three sure-handed saves the rest of the way.

"He obviously stole that game for us," Boll said.

aportzline@dispatch.com

Box Story: Game wrap-up

\ THREE STARS

* Steve Mason, G, Blue Jackets : Stood tall early and late; finished with 24 saves

* Nikita Filatov, LW, Blue Jackets : His goal broke the ice in the third period.

* Derek Dorsett, RW, Blue Jackets : Speed and persistence led to Filatov's goal

\ GAME SUMMARY

Carolina 1 0 1 -- 2 \ Columbus 0 0 3 -- 3 \ FIRST PERIOD: Scoring -- 1. Carolina, Cole 1 (Cullen), 9:05. Penalties -- Pitkanen, Car (closing hand on puck), 17:18; Umberger, Col (interference), 19:38; Pahlsson, Col (hooking), 19:49.

SECOND: Penalties -- Klesla, Col (hooking), 13:47; Ruutu, Car (holding), 17:48.

THIRD: Scoring -- 2. Columbus, Filatov 2 (Dorsett, MacKenzie), :50; 3. Columbus, Boll 1 (Stralman, Mason), 2:55; 4. Columbus, Nash 11, 3:31; 5. Carolina, Gleason 1 (Jokinen, Boychuk), 12:09. Penalties -- Torres, Col (tripping), 4:21; Jokinen, Car (cross-checking), 8:03; Klesla, Col (boarding), 10:08.

Shots on goal: Carolina 6-12-8--26; Columbus 9-9-8--26. Power plays: Carolina 0 of 5; Columbus 0 of 3. Goalies: Carolina, C.Ward (4 shots-4 saves), Leighton 0-2-0 (7:35 first, 22-19); Columbus, Mason 7-4-2 (26-24). A: 14,850 (18,144). T: 2:26.

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