Over the next three games, the Carolina Hurricanes have six crucial Metropolitan Division points on the line that could make or break the current contenders' season as the path to the postseason narrows. Tuesday is the first step into the madness, as the Hurricanes face the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
The game, which will be locked to ESPN+ and Hulu, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
In the Hurricanes' last game, they suffered a blowout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, who refused to leave Carolina without a single point, effectively clinching the season series against the Hurricanes. The game included a wild 100 shot attempt from Carolina – their highest of the season – but they were unable to find the twine more than once. The Canadiens ate up everything, blocked everything and ultimately finished the game with a 3-1 score. Montreal's 32 blocked shots were the most by any team this season. You can read all about it here!
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have faced a number of ups and downs recently. Last Tuesday, they were in second place in the Metro Division – something they had not reached this late in the season since 2017. Now, they are fighting in the wild-card position. The last week has not been good for them, as they have not been able to win a single one of their last three matches.
In their game on Sunday against the Boston Bruins, who forced overtime and came back to win, Mathieu Ollivier left with an upper body injury. On Monday, they recalled Luca Del Bell Belluz, pointing to the possibility that the Blue Jackets' bruiser will be unavailable against the Hurricanes.
in the crease
If they continue to move through the rotation, the Hurricanes will likely find Brandon Bussey in the net. His save percentage is .894, with a goals-against average of 2.45 en route to a 27-6-1 record.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have been struggling to adjust to the rotation and have relied heavily on their young netminder, Jett Greaves, who has played in 48 games compared to Elvis Merzlikins' 29. They'll likely turn to Greaves again on Tuesday. His save percentage this season is .910, with a goals-against average of 2.56 with a 24-14-9 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricane 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
protect
Jacob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K'Andre Miller - Shawn Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin
goaltender
Brandon Bussey/Frederick Anderson
expected columbus blue jackets series
Mason Marchment - Adam Fantilly - Kirill Marchenko
Boon Jenner - Sean Monahan - Conor Garland
Cole Sillinger - Charlie Coyle - Miles Wood
Denton Heinen - Isak Lundestrom - Luca Del Bel Belluz
protect
Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro
Igor Zamula - Ivan Provorov
Denton Mateichuk - Eric Gudbranson
goaltender
Jet Greaves/Elvis Merzlikins
special teams
Carolina Hurricanes Power Play: 23.7% (9th, down one spot from last game)
Carolina Hurricanes Penalty Kill: 80.2% (13th)
Columbus Blue Jackets Power Play: 20.2% (17th)
Columbus Blue Jackets Penalty Kill: 77.3% (25th)
storm game notes
The Hurricanes face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena and then face off again on Thursday at Lenovo Center.
Carolina is two points away from achieving a 100-point season. Last season, they finished with only 99, ending a three-year three-point streak.
how to see
Streaming: ESPN+, Hulu
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
