Game Day #49: Blue Jackets Set To Complete Four-Game Road Trip, Face Hurricanes Thursday Night

The first half of what was arguably their toughest back-to-back of the season resulted in two points for the Columbus Blue Jackets, as they dominated the Maple Leafs in Toronto, 5-1.

The second half comes Thursday night, when the Blue Jackets head to Carolina to conclude their season series with the Hurricanes and was also the second game of a back-to-back.

Columbus has won two of the first three this season between the teams, with both wins coming at home in a shootout. The other game in Carolina was a 4-1 victory for the Hurricanes.

The Blue Jackets sit at 53 points in the first wild card spot as of Thursday morning and while winning both games of the back-to-back is something few would have expected, they have the chance to do that tonight.

There's also this: with a win in regulation, they would sit just five points of Carolina for third in the Metro division — with two games in hand. A top three finish has a remote chance of happening, but the mere fact that the statement is true in late January is a testament to how competitive the Blue Jackets have been this season. 

Here's what else to know as the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes go to battle in Raleigh:

• RE: CANES
  Like the Leafs did before Wednesday's game, the Hurricanes will play Columbus having won three straight. Two of those wins have come against the Golden Knights and Stars, two of the elite teams in the Western Conference. ... Carolina is 7-3-1 in January, but it's no thanks to their power play. They are just 1 of 31 this month when up a man. ... Frederik Andersen gets the start in this one. He has missed a majority of the season with an injury but returned Monday and allowed three goals (on 25 shots) to the Chicago Blackhawks, a game that Carolina needed overtime to win.
   
• TARASOV LIKELY BETWEEN THE PIPES
  One night after his stellar performance against the Maple Leafs, Elvis Merzlikins is likely to get a well-deserved night off. That means Daniil Tarasov would be in net for the Blue Jackets. Tarasov was great Saturday night against the New York Rangers, getting credited with his first career shutout despite Columbus' 1-0 shootout loss. In his two starts last week, Tarasov stopped 49 of 51 shots and went 1-0-1.
   
• TOP LINE D
  The Blue Jackets top defensive pairing of Zach Werenski and Dante Fabbro have played exceptionally well since being joined together in November after Fabbro came over from the Nashville Predators on waivers. But what about the defensive ability of the Blue Jackets top forward line? In Wednesday's win, the trio of Dmitri Voronkov, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko skated together for over 12 minutes in 5-on-5 play, much of it against the Maple Leafs' "Matthews Line". They allowed just six shot attempts, none of which registered as a shot on goal, in that time frame. Even with Sean Monahan out for several more weeks with a wrist injury, the Blue Jackets are continuing to prove that they have a legitimate first line — on both sides of the puck.
   
• LINEUPS & PROJECTIONS
  Why change what's working? The forwards and defensive pairings remain the same as they did for last night's victory. Here are tonight's projected lines: