Rachel Barkley
In the next three games, the Carolina Hurricanes have six important Metropolitan Division points on the line that could make or break the seasons of current contenders as the road to the postseason narrows. Tuesday is the first step into the madhouse, as the Hurricanes will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena.
The game, which will be locked to ESPN+ and Hulu, is scheduled for 7:30 PM EDT.
In the Hurricanes’ last game, they were handed a rough loss by the Montreal Canadiens, who just simply refused to leave Carolina without a pair of points, effectively sweeping the season series against the Hurricanes. The game featured an insane 100 shot attempts from Carolina – their highest of the season – but they were unable to find twine more than once. The Canadiens ate everything, blocked everything, and ultimately ended the game with a 3-1 score. Montreal’s 32 blocked shots were the most any team has put up this season. You can read all about it here!
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have dealt with a series of ups and downs as of late. Last Tuesday, they were in second place in the Metro Division – something they hadn’t reached so late in the season since 2017. Now, they’re fighting in a wild-card position. The past week hasn’t been kind to them, as they’ve gone winless in their last three games.
In their game Sunday against the Boston Bruins, who surged back to force overtime and take the win, Mathieu Olivier left with an upper-body injury. Monday, they recalled Luca Del Bel Belluz, which seems to point towards a likelihood that the Blue Jackets’ bruiser will be unavailable against the Hurricanes.
In the Crease
The Hurricanes will likely have Brandon Bussi in net, should they continue with the alternating tandem. His save percentage is .894, with a goals against average of 2.45 across a 27-6-1 record.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have seemed to shy away from alternating tandems and have leaned heavily on their young netminder, Jet Greaves, who has played 48 games compared to Elvis Merzlikins’ 29. They will likely turn to Greaves once again on Tuesday. His save percentage this season is .910, with a goals against average of 2.56 across a 24-14-9 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricanes Lines
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson
Defense
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi / Frederik Andersen
Expected Columbus Blue Jackets Lines
Mason Marchment – Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko
Boone Jenner – Sean Monahan – Conor Garland
Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Miles Wood
Danton Heinen – Isac Lundestrom – Luca Del Bel Belluz
Defense
Zach Werenski – Dante Fabbro
Egor Zamula – Ivan Provorov
Denton Mateychuk – Erik Gudbranson
Goaltenders
Jet Greaves / Elvis Merzlikins
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 23.7% (9th, moved down one spot from previous game)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 80.2% (13th)
Columbus Blue Jackets power play: 20.2% (17th)
Columbus Blue Jackets penalty kill: 77.3% (25th)
Hurricanes Game Notes
The Hurricanes will face the Blue Jackets Tuesday in Nationwide Arena, and then will play them again Thursday in Lenovo Center.
Carolina is two points away from notching a 100-point season. Last season, they finished with just 99, which ended a three-year triple-digit streak.
How To Watch
Streaming: ESPN+, Hulu
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
