Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets need to keep stacking some wins if they are going to sneak into the playoff race in the Central Division. Columbus heads into Saturday night with 31 points on the year, which puts them just two behind the Chicago Blackhawks.

Carolina has now lost two straight games after rattling off eight straight victories to climb up the standings. The Hurricanes sit in third place in the Central Division with 42 points, but this team is a legitimate Stanley Cup title contender.

The Carolina Hurricanes are -190 over the Columbus Blue Jackets in this Central Division showdown.

Columbus Can’t Find Consistency

The Columbus Blue Jackets look like a playoff contender when things are going well, but they have also shown the ability to really struggle. Columbus has gone just 2-4 in their last six games, but they looked impressive on Thursday night.

Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the team with 16 assists and 26 total points, and he has been an important part of this team. Columbus is scoring just 2.65 goals per game, and they need to find a way to generate more offense as the season goes along.

Columbus is also allowing 3.1 goals against this season, and that could spell some trouble against a great offensive team like Carolina. The Blue Jackets just can’t afford to turn this into a high-paced game.

Carolina Presents Some Challenges

The Carolina Hurricanes are scoring 3.28 goals per game, and they are nearly impossible to stop when they are on the power play. That unit has converted nearly 32 percent of the time, and the Blue Jackets can’t afford to take penalties on Saturday night.

Sebastian Aho leads this team with 13 goals and 28 points, but Carolina has scoring options up and down the lineup. Carolina has been a bit of an offensive slump of late, and that could give the Blue Jackets some hope.

Carolina is allowing just 2.6 goals per game, despite wanting to play fast. Goaltender James Reimer has gone 12-4 in net this season, and the Blue Jackets will likely have to solve him on Saturday night.

Blue Jackets Must Control Tempo

Beating the Hurricanes in Carolina is no small feat, but now the Blue Jackets are looking to do it two times in a row. Columbus will need this game to play out similar to the previous game if they want any chance of winning it.

Columbus can beat Carolina in a game that is low-scoring, but the Blue Jackets aren’t built to score a ton of goals. The Blue Jackets are capable of being a playoff team, and they looked like it on Thursday night.

It’s hard to see the Columbus Blue Jackets winning two games in a row in Carolina, but there is some real value in betting on them to pull it off. If the Blue Jackets are able to slow down the pace yet again, then they could beat the Hurricanes again.