Columbus Blue Jackets (1–1–0) at Carolina Hurricanes (1-0-0)
TUESDAY, OCT. 10, 2017, 7 p.m. (PNC ARENA)
The Carolina Hurricanes were one of the NHL's promising teams a year ago, despite once again failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have a strong group of young forwards, arguably the best blue line in the NHL...and then, we arrive at the problem.
Goaltending has held the Hurricanes back in a big way. They tried Eddie Lack and it didn't work. He's now in Calgary, backing up Mike Smith. They gave Cam Ward another chance but his play wasn't good enough last season, leading to another change between the pipes. Scott Darling, the feel-good story who backed up Corey Crawford in Chicago, was traded to the Hurricanes after the season ended and, at age 28, got his first chance to be a No. 1 goaltender.
Darling was beaten four times in Carolina's season-opening shootout win over Minnesota, but he was an impressive player (albeit in limited action) last season. He will be the Hurricanes' starting goalie tonight when they face the Blue Jackets at PNC Arena.
You Oughta Know: Sebastian Aho
Aho was a breakout player for the Hurricanes last season, scoring 24 goals in a 51-point rookie campaign. If you weren't familiar with the kid before, chances are you remember him now. He's a shifty, skilled, and highly intelligent Finnish forward who is coming off a two assist, five-shot performance in Carolina's opener.
Five Fast Facts
- The Blue Jackets are 7-7-0-2 all-time at PNC Arena.
- Josh Anderson will make his season debut for the Blue Jackets.
- Seth Jones made his Blue Jackets debut at Carolina on Jan. 8, 2016.
- Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to start for the Blue Jackets.
- 11 different players have recorded at least a point for Columbus.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: First meeting (of four).
ALL TIME SERIES: Columbus leads, 14-13-0-3.
Keys to the Game
ONE: Engage right away. The Blue Jackets were slow out of the gate on Saturday night and spotted the Blackhawks two quick goals. As it turned out, Chicago only needed those two to win the game. The Hurricanes are a good team, especially at home, and they'll be ready. The Blue Jackets had better be.
TWO: Balance it out. John Tortorella's line changes, which have generated a lot of conversation in the last 24 hours, are intended to jump-start the offense and generate a higher volume of scoring chances. Look for Pierre-Luc Dubois to have an impact here. He's been impressive in his first two NHL games.
THREE: Tidy up. The Blue Jackets were uncharacteristically sloppy with the puck on Saturday night and fed right into what the Blackhawks want opponents to do. Nothing for free tonight would be a great start.
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Sebastian Aho | 1 GP, 0-2-2 | 11 | Jordan Staal | 1 GP, 0-0-0 | 28 | Elias Lindholm | 1 GP, 0-2-2 |
| 86 | Teuvo Teravainen | 1 GP, 0-0-0 | 49 | Victor Rask | 1 GP, 1-1-2 | 11 | Justin Williams | 1 GP, 0-1-1 |
| 53 | Jeff Skinner | 1 GP, 0-0-0 | 7 | Derek Ryan | 1 GP, 1-0-1 | 56 | Janne Kuokkanen | 1 GP, 0-0-0 |
| 42 | Joakim Nordstrom | 1 GP, 1-0-1 | 16 | Marcus Kruger | 1 GP, 0-1-1 | 23 | Brock McGinn | 1 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Jaccob Slavin | 1 GP, 0-0-0 | 27 | Justin Faulk | 1 GP, 0-0-0 |
| 5 | Noah Hanifin | 1 GP, 1-0-1 | 22 | Brett Pesce | 1 GP, 0-0-0 |
| 4 | Haydn Fleury | 1 GP, 0-0-0 | 6 | Klas Dahlbeck | 0 GP, 0-0-0 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Scott Darling | 1 | 1-0-0 | 3.69 | .852 | 0 |
| 30 | Cam Ward | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
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