Columbus Blue Jackets (20–11–11) at Carolina Hurricanes (13–11–7)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2017, 7 p.m. (PNC ARENA)
The Blue Jackets' last visit to PNC Arena wasn't a fun one.
The Hurricanes' last meeting with the Blue Jackets ended in a sloppy shootout loss.
When the two teams meet tonight in Raleigh – their fourth of the season – the stakes will be slightly different than they were a month ago in Columbus. The Hurricanes are coming off a dramatic overtime win in Buffalo on Friday night, a game that was 1-1 entering the third period and ended 5-4 in their favor.
The Blue Jackets had an eventful week; it began with a humiliating loss at home to the Edmonton Oilers and continued with a bounce-back win over the New York Islanders.
You Oughta Know: Jaccob Slavin
One of the more underrated defensemen in the game, Slavin can do it all.
He logs big minutes in all situations for Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters, and even chipped in offensively in their win last night. Slavin took a pass from Elias Lindholm in overtime to give Carolina the extra point, a goal that was his fifth of the season.
Fast Facts
- The Hurricanes improved to 5-7 in overtime with last night's win. No NHL team has more appearances beyond regulation than Carolina.
- Nick Foligno became the fifth player in Blue Jackets history to score 100 goals with the club, doing so Thursday against the Islanders.
- The Blue Jackets are 7-4-0 against Metropolitan Division opponents this season.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: Blue Jackets lead 2-1-0
ALL-TIME SERIES: Blue Jackets lead 16-14-3
Keys to the Game
ONE: Don't wade into it. The Hurricanes played last night, so the Blue Jackets need to be the team that starts on time.
TWO: Smart sticks. Carolina has a handful of elusive forwards who can draw penalties and get you in trouble if you're not moving your feet.
THREE: Keep building. Forget Tuesday, remember Thursday, and continue on.
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Sebastian Aho | 31 GP, 7-16-23 | 49 | Victor Rask | 29 GP, 7-3-10 | 86 | Teuvo Teravainen | 31 GP, 8-16-24 |
| 23 | Brock McGinn | 30 GP, 6-8-14 | 11 | Jordan Staal | 31 GP, 8-11-19 | 14 | Justin Williams | 31 GP, 7-15-22 |
| 53 | Jeff Skinner | 31 GP, 11-10-21 | 7 | Derek Ryan | 31 GP, 6-11-17 | 28 | Elias Lindholm | 31 GP, 9-9-18 |
| 42 | Joakim Nordstrom | 31 GP, 2-2-4 | 16 | Marcus Kruger | 30 GP, 1-4-5 | 54 | Phi di Giuseppe | 9 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Jaccob Slavin | 31 GP, 3-5-8 | 22 | Brett Pesce | 28 GP, 0-5-5 |
| 4 | Haydn Fleury | 29 GP, 0-4-4 | 27 | Justin Faulk | 31 GP, 1-6-7 |
| 5 | Noah Hanifin | 31 GP, 5-10-15 | 57 | Trevor van Riemsdyk | 28 GP, 1-6-7 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Scott Darling | 21 | 7-9-6 | 2.72 | .899 | 0 |
| 30 | Cam Ward | 10 | 6-2-1 | 3.06 | .906 | 0 |
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