Rachel Barkley
A good ol’ fashioned home-and-home set continues as the Carolina Hurricanes return to Lenovo Center, playing the Columbus Blue Jackets for the fourth and final time this season, just two days after facing them in Columbus on Tuesday.
The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT, and will be a theme night centering on The Grateful Dead. Far out, man!
In the last game, the Hurricanes powered to a win thanks to strong special teams and solid goaltending from netminder Brandon Bussi, as they notched their 100th point of the season. However, the Blue Jackets may have been dealt a blow harder than a loss, as both Mason Marchment and Isac Lundestrom will be game-time decisions after getting roughed up in the last game with Carolina. You can read all about the previous game here!
Wednesday, the Hurricanes had a rare optional skate in Lenovo Center as opposed to the typical mandatory practices, which saw the attendance of Frederik Andersen, Mike Reilly, Alexander Nikishin, and Nicolas Deslauriers.
While Deslauriers isn’t expected to slip into the lineup Thursday, he still made some notable contributions during practice, teaching Nikishin some tricks of the trade as he spent over 15 minutes showing the rookie some fighting moves.
In the Crease
Likely to continue with the alternating tandem, the Hurricanes are expected to have Frederik Andersen minding the crease for Thursday’s match against the Blue Jackets. This season, his save percentage has been .871, with a goals against average of 3.16 across a 13-13-5 record.
Meanwhile, it is uncertain who will start in net for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins has not played since Saturday’s loss to the San Jose Sharks, while Jet Greaves has played two games in a row. Considering the Metropolitan Division matchup, and since he has been their best goalie this season, they may opt to run Greaves for the third game straight. His save percentage this season is .909, with a goals against average of 2.59 across a 24-15-9 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
Frederik Andersen / Brandon Bussi
Expected Columbus Blue Jackets Lines
Mason Marchment – Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko
Boone Jenner – Sean Monahan – Conor Garland
Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Danton Heinen
Kent Johnson – Isac Lundestrom – Miles Wood
Defense
Zach Werenski – Dante Fabbro
Egor Zamula – Ivan Provorov
Denton Mateychuk – Erik Gudbranson
Goaltenders
Jet Greaves / Elvis Merzlikins
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 24.6% (5th, moved down four spots from previous game)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 80.5% (13th, moved up one spot from previous game)
Columbus Blue Jackets power play: 19.9% (18th)
Columbus Blue Jackets penalty kill: 76.4% (26th)
Hurricanes Game Notes
In the previous game, Sebastian Aho found himself in the middle of a brouhaha after shoving Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski down to the ice by the face, which was helped along by a slew foot from Aho. Wednesday, Werenski spoke on the Rothman & Ice radio show about the moment, seeming to disregard thoughts about any carry over to the next game. “I know he’s not a dirty player,” he said. “But I thought that was a dirty play.”
The Hurricanes surpassed last season’s final point total of 99 in their latest win, now holding 100 points with eight more games left to play. It is their fourth 100+ point season in five years.
In the last game, Nikolaj Ehlers matched his career high in points and reached a new career high in assists, with 40 on the season so far.
How To Watch
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
