Game Preview: Blue Jackets Seek To Continue Hot Start As Hurricanes Visit Columbus

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23RD 7:00 P.M. NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OHIO

CAROLINA HURRICANES

TV: BALLY SPORTS OHIO  RADIO: 105.7FM

Their only divisional foe last season, the Carolina Hurricanes return to Nationwide Arena for a Saturday night battle with the Columbus Blue Jackets in a game that features two teams off to hot starts.

The Hurricanes are a perfect 3-0-0 to start the season, while the Blue Jackets have won three of their first four. All three victories have come in front of the 5th Line, tying the franchise record for most home wins to start the season. 

Both teams have had success in scoring goals, but it's been the goaltending and special teams that have led the way for each team. Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen has a save percentage of .938 in his three starts and is allowing just two goals per game. Not to be outdone, Columbus' Elvis Merzlikins has a .947 save rate and a 1.63 goals against average in his three starts, all of which have ended in victory hugs. 

KNOW THE FOE

Carolina is off to a sensational start, winning their first three games and playing a stingy defense. That's at least somewhat of a surprise following the off-season loss of defensive leader Dougie Hamilton, who signed with the New Jersey Devils. Jaccob Slavin and the newly-acquired Ethan Bear have been a quality top pair on the blue line thus far. The Canes defense mixes experience and prime quite well: Bear is the only Carolina defender with less than 200 games of NHL experience, but at age 32, former Blue Jacket Ian Cole is the only one of the starting six who is older than 27 years old. Not a bad combination.

Offensively, Sebastian Aho is an elite center in the league and anchors a dangerous top line for the Hurricanes, but it's Andrei Svechnikov who may be the best goal-scorer on the team. Teuvo Teravainen and the 21-year-old Jesperi Kotkaniemi have gotten off to strong starts as well, with the latter scoring his first goal of the season Thursday in Montreal against the Canadiens, the team he spent the first three years of his career with.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

	Record	GAA	SV%
Joonas Korpisalo*	0-1-0	2.05	.953
Elvis Merzlikins	3-0-0	1.63	.947
	Record	GAA	SV%
Frederik Andersen*	3-0-0	2.00	.938
Antti Raanta	0-0-0	-	-
*projected starter

TEAM RANKINGS

	Average	NHL Rank
Goals For	3.50	t-10th
Goals Against	2.25	t-8th
Power Play	36.4%	t-3rd
Penalty Kill	91.7%	4th
	Average	NHL Rank
Goals For	4.33	5th
Goals Against	2.00	6th
Power Play	30.0%	8th
Penalty Kill	92.3%	3rd

CBJ PROJECTED LINES*

*subject to change

STORYLINES

• ELVIS SAVES: If the Vezina were decided after three starts, Elvis Merzlikins would be amongst the favorites. But his victories have come against Arizona, Seattle, and the New York Islanders. The Islanders carry a more than capable offense, but the western conference teams in that trio have struggled to score goals early on. Carolina, meanwhile, has not. Can Elvis — and the Blue Jackets young defense — keep up the strong start against a more dynamic offense?
   
• ENCORE? ENCORE!: After a third period benching Tuesday, Cole Sillinger's first career goal in Thursday's overtime win was a thing of beauty. (Don't sleep on that slick pass from Vladislav Gavrikov to set it up, though). How will the youngest player in the league follow up his strongest game in a Columbus sweater? While we're at it, will the "other" rookie — 20-year-old Yegor Chinakhov — break through with his first career goal? He’s been knocking on the door; time to knock it down.
   
• PENALTY KILLIN' IT: Columbus' power play has been vastly improved, but the penalty killing unit has been absolutely lights out so far. They've killed 11 of 12 penalties, and the lone power play goal was scored in the final minutes of a game that the Blue Jackets led (and won) by six on opening night. It's never good to take penalties, but the momentum that comes with a big kill can go a long way.

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