Hurricanes scored 3 goals in the third period to beat the Blue Jackets 4-1

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Eric Robinson ended a 10-game stretch without a goal by breaking a third-period tie and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook had Carolina’s other goals and Andrei Svechnikov supplied two assists. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves to improve his record to 9-1-0 for the Hurricanes, who wrapped up a 4-3-0 homestand. Bussi is the only Carolina goalie to win a game since Nov. 17.

Dmitri Voronkov scored on a first-period power play for the Blue Jackets, who’ve lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time in more than a month. Jet Greaves stopped 27 shots, but Columbus has been outscored 45-28 in the third periods of games this season.

Voronkov scored with 7:21 remaining in the opening period on just the second Columbus shot of the game.

Jarvis responded at 9:42 of the second period for his team-leading 17th goal. It was his sixth goal during the homestand.

Robinson took a pass from Taylor Hall and delivered his first goal since Nov. 15, coming against one of his former teams. Staal tacked on a power-play goal with 6:22 left. Martinook’s goal with 1:15 to play was an empty-net, short-handed tally.

The Hurricanes celebrated the 20th anniversary season of the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship with an on-ice pregame ceremony that included Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour, who was captain of the title team.

Blue Jackets: Host Ottawa on Thursday to begin a four-game homestand.

Hurricanes: Visit Washington on Thursday night.

This story has been updated to correct the losing team to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first paragraph. A previous version stated it was the Buffalo Sabres.

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Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski (8) watches his shot bounce off Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) while being guarded by Carolina Hurricanes' Joel Nystrom (64) and Jackson Blake (53) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Nikolaj Ehlers (27) controls the puck in front of Columbus Blue Jackets' Damon Severson (78) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Staal (11) joins the celebration on an empty net goal by Jordan Martinook (48) with Sean Walker (26) and K'Andre Miller (19) nearby during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal by Jordan Staal (11) as Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves (73) skates back to the net during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials have gathered to discuss preparations for the ruling party's first full congress in five years, state media reported Wednesday. The top-level meeting will set new priorities as the U.S. and South Korea seek a resumption of talks with North Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim presided over a plenary meeting of the Workers Party's Central Committee on Tuesday. It said participants began discussing unspecified key issues related to the party congress and reviewing this year's state policies.

KCNA gave no further details, but observers say the plenary meeting will likely last a few days and set an official agenda for the party congress, which is expected to be held in January or February.

The congress, the top decision-making organ of the Workers’ Party, was revived by Kim in 2016 after a 36-year hiatus. Experts say Kim aimed to increase the party’s authority as part of efforts to solidify his grip on power.

The focus of outside attention on the congress is whether Kim will respond to U.S. and South Korean efforts to improve ties. North Korea has steadfastly rebuffed the U.S. and South Korea's calls to resume talks since Kim's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, but some experts say Kim could return to talk with the U.S. next year.

In an apparent response to Trump's repeated outreach, Kim suggested in September that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops “its delusional obsession with denuclearization” of North Korea.

Meanwhile, South Korea's military said North Korea fired several artillery rounds off the North's west coast on Tuesday. Observers say the artillery launches were likely part of the North Korean military's wintertime training.

Last year, Kim declared that his country was abandoning its long-standing goal of peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered the rewriting of the North’s constitution to mark the South as a permanent enemy.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a plenary meeting of the Workers Party's Central Committee in North Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)