1. Sebastian Aho stays hot
If Carolina is to ultimately make a run this season, it will be through young stars like Sebastian Aho and Jeff Skinner. Aho sparked the Canes with two assists against the Wild, including a nice spin-o-rama assist to Victor Rask late in the third period.
The Blue Jackets also have a very good young core that will challenge Carolina. Columbus brought over Artemi Panarin in a trade with the Blackhawks for Brandon Saad. That trade has paid dividends for both teams Panarin leads the Jackets in points.
Skinner and Aho were the two leading scorers for the Canes last season. Now, Skinner should be motivated to prove he should have been named a captain for Carolina by Bill Peters. Meanwhile, Aho is already showing he can take another step forward this season.
Next: Canes: preview, predictions vs. Blue Jackets
The creativity and skill that Aho, Skinner, Rask, Lindholm, etc. bring to the Canes attack is something very few NHL teams can match. It could give the Canes the edge they need to defeat a very solid Metropolitan opponent like the Blue Jackets.