| CAR | CBJ | |
|---|---|---|
| 18-9-4 | ROAD / HOME | 17-8-7 |
| 3.47 | GOALS FOR | 3.12 |
| 2.86 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.14 |
| 22.0% | POWER PLAY | 20.1% |
| 79.9% | PENALTY KILL | 77.6% |
| 32.3 | SHOTS FOR | 29.9 |
| 24.1 | SHOTS AGAINST | 29.5 |
| 50.4% | FACEOFF % | 50.4% |
| HURRICANES: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| TUE, 3/10 | vs. Penguins | SOW, 5-4 |
| THU, 3/12 | vs. Blues | L, 3-1 |
| SAT, 3/14 | @ Lightning | W, 4-2 |
| HURRICANES: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | Seth Jarvis | 28 |
| ASSISTS | Sebastian Aho | 44 |
| POINTS | Sebastian Aho | 68 |
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 44% | |
| CBJ ODDS PER DRAFTKINGS: | +114 | |
Looking for points in a tenth straight game, the Columbus Blue Jackets (34-21-11) begin a three-game homestand Tuesday night when the Carolin Hurricanes (42-18-6) come to town for the first time this season.
As they all will be from here out, it's a critical game for the Blue Jackets playoff hopes. Three teams around them — the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins — picked up five of six possible points, with the Bruins' overtime loss the only blemish.
The results make the Blue Jackets' mountain that much harder to climb, and while they keep doing their thing and winning games, the margin for error is shrinking.
"We know how tight these games have been and are going to be coming down the stretch," goaltender Jet Greaves said. "It’s so important to get every point we can. The race is so tight.”
Greaves will get the start Tuesday night for the Blue Jackets.
Here are five things to know before a divisional 7:00 p.m. puck-drop:
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Carolina's 90 points through 66 games has them on pace for a 112-point finish. They lead the Eastern Conference and have the third best record in the league. ... The Hurricanes do an excellent job of limiting opportunities for the opposition and maximizing it for themselves. As evidence of this, they lead the league in shots allowed per game (24.1) and are second in shots per game (32.3).
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Greaves will look to make it 12 straight decisions with points. The 24-year-old netminder is 9-0-2 with a 2.40 goals against average and .910 save percentage in that stretch., including one no-decision.
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Kirill Marchenko had a milestone Saturday in Philadelphia, when he scored the 100th goal of his NHL career. With two more assists, he'll hit 100 assists in the league, as well. It took Marchenko only 276 games to reach 100 goals, second-fastest in club history behind Rick Nash (237). In the ten games since the Olympic break, Marchenko has six goals and five assists (11 points).
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Adam Fantilli's hot play of late makes it the second straight season in which Mo has turned it up as the weather starts to break. Like Marchenko, Fantilli has six goals since the Olympic break ended. His five assists put him at ten points in ten games, second on the team behind Marchenko's 11.
- Based on Tuesday's morning skate, it looks like Mason Marchment and Cole Sillinger have switched spots again, with each of them returning to their old lines. Erik Gudbranson is skating on the third line. Here are the complete projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Mason Marchment | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 91 | Kent Johnson | 23 | Sean Monahan | 83 | Conor Garland |
| 4 | Cole Sillinger | 3 | Charlie Coyle | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 21 | Isac Lundeström | 38 | Boone Jenner | 43 | Danton Heinen |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 5 | Denton Mateychuk |
| 15 | Dante Fabbro | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Jet Greaves | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
