Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets Preview

Carolina comes into Thursday night with 45 points on the season, putting them in second place in the Central Division. The Hurricanes are a team that could make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Columbus has actually played much better of late, but they are still not in a playoff position at this time. The Blue Jackets have managed just 33 points, which is two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks. 

It is Carolina that is the favorite at -165 in this matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Canes Continue Picking Up Points

The Carolina Hurricanes snapped a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night, but they have still managed to win nine of their last 12. Carolina is a team that is loaded with talent, especially on the offensive end of the ice.

Sebastian Aho is a player that Columbus will need to keep track of as he leads this Hurricanes team with 13 goals and 30 total points. The Hurricanes are scoring 3.23 goals per game, and they have been terrific on the power play.

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic picked up a shutout on Tuesday night and will likely be back in net again on Thursday. 

Blue Jackets Must Find Scoring

The Columbus Blue Jackets had scored three goals in each of the first two games against Carolina before getting shutout on Tuesday. That’s still just not enough scoring, and Columbus is only averaging 2.55 goals per game this season.

The lack of offense cannot be blamed on Oliver Bjorkstrand, as he leads the team with 11 goals and 16 assists. The Blue Jackets have converted on less than 15 percent of their power-play chances, and that is a number that must improve. 

Columbus has done a great job of limiting scoring opportunities for the Hurricanes in the past three games, and that trend will need to continue on Thursday. Joonas Korpisalo has been solid for the Blue Jackets at the goaltender position of late, and he will need another solid effort in this game. 

Another Tight Game Ahead

Since this is the fourth straight matchup between the Central Division rivals, you should expect another tightly-contested game. The first two games in this “series” were decided by just one goal, and the Blue Jackets proved that they could skate with the Hurricanes.

Carolina wants to turn this into a fast-paced game, but Columbus is hoping to control the tempo. The Blue Jackets failed to score on Tuesday night, and they will be looking to bounce back with a much better performance. 

If Columbus is able to pick up a cheap goal or two at some point in this game, then they have what it takes to earn the win. The Blue Jackets have started to turn things around a bit, and this should be a good night for the home team.