In the front end of a home-and-home, the Canes played solid from start to finish, taking round one of the Metro basement battle.
The Carolina Hurricanes, behind 28 saves from Cam Ward and a two-goal effort from Elias Lindholm, defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Friday night in front of 14,241 at PNC Arena.
But that undersells the team effort that the win showcased. Jaccob Slavin, more of a revelation with every passing game, had two assists, as did Kris Versteeg, who is now one point away from 300 for his career.