Game Day #20: Elvis In Net Again As Blue Jackets Continue Homestand, Face Hurricanes Saturday Night

The Columbus Blue Jackets seek their third straight win Saturday night when they face the Carolina Hurricanes.

It's been a good week for the Jackets, defeating the Boston Bruins 5-1 on Monday night and then overcoming a 3-0 deficit Thursday night to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-6 in overtime.

But the Hurricanes are a different breed. They're tied for the best record in both the Metro division and the Eastern Conference and are tied for the third overall in the NHL.

Their strengths are multifaceted: Carolina ranks top five in goals per game and goals against per game, lead the league in both shots for and shots against, and rank 7th on both the power play and penalty kill. 

For Columbus to make it three in a row, they'll need to put together a full 60-minute effort — something that has eluded them more often than not this season.

Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes go to battle: 

• Elvis Merzlikins makes his third straight start and fifth in the last six games. Thursday was tough between the pipes for Merzlikins, but he's won three straight games. For the season, Merzlikins has an .895 save percentage and a 3.02 goals against average. 
   
• Zach Werenski, who was named the NHL Players' Association player of the week, posted a career high five points in the Thursday win — including the game-winning goal. Head coach Dean Evason referred to Werenski as "amazing", and even that may be an understatement given what he's doing this year.
   
• With the seven-goal performance, the Blue Jackets have now scored 6+ goals six times through the first 19 games. They did that only eight times last season and have already eclipsed the 2022-23 season, when they did it five times all year.
   
• The only lineup change on the forward front is Kevin Labanc taking the place of James van Riemsdyk. On the defensive side, Jordan Harris steps in for Jack Johnson. Here are the complete projected lineups: