Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets January 7 Betting Preview

The Carolina Hurricanes (25-6-2), despite losing two games in a row, are still one of the hottest teams in the league with an 8-2 record in their last 10 games. The Hurricanes travel to Ohio on Saturday to play the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets (11-24-2). The Blue Jackets have also lost two in a row and are 1-9 in their last 10 games.

Calder Trophy candidate Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start in goal for the Hurricanes. He's 10-3-4 with a 2.20 goals-against average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage this season. Joonas Korpisalo, the expected starting goaltender for Columbus, is 5-7-1 with a 3.13 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Carolina Hurricanes Betting Preview

The Hurricanes had a point streak of 17 games before losing 5-3 to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. They followed that up with an impressive performance against the Nashville Predators but again lost 5-3, almost entirely because of Juuse Saros. The 27-year-old Predators goaltender stopped 64 of 67 shots in the victory. 

Goaltending could have been a problem for the Hurricanes this season, but Kochetkov seemingly came out of nowhere to solve the team's concerns in that area. However, he's showing signs of coming back to earth. The Russian netminder has now allowed four goals in consecutive games after allowing just five goals in his five prior games. 

Carolina's defense has played a big role in Kochetkov's early season success. The team leads the league in shots allowed at just 26.4 per game. Offensively, the Hurricanes are 20th in goals scored but could receive a boost with Max Pacioretty returning to the ice. The former Vegas Golden Knight played 16 minutes in his season debut against the Predators.

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Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

The Blue Jackets continue to struggle and show no signs of improvement. Columbus is likely going to be in the draft lottery, which, at this point in the season, is the best thing they can hope for. Fans should be watching Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats instead of this year's edition of the Blue Jackets. 

Columbus ranks among the bottom five teams in the league in goals, shots, power play percentage, goals allowed, and shots on goal allowed. They've had their fair share of injuries, but nobody expected the team to be this bad. 

Johnny Gaudreau has been as advertised, with 38 points in 37 games, but scoring depth has been an issue. Boone Jenner is the only other player on the team with more than 20 points.

Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets Betting Odds and Prediction

The Hurricanes are massive moneyline favorites at (-313), while the Blue Jackets are paying out (+245). The over/under is set at six.

Columbus is due to win soon simply based on the law of averages, but it won't come against Carolina, which is also looking to halt a two-game slide. Expect a multiple-goal victory by the Hurricanes.