Cardiac Cane
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Carolina Hurricanes: Keys for Metro Success

By Jeb Bohn

RALEIGH, NC - MAY 14: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes leaves the ice following warmups prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 14: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes leaves the ice following warmups prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Alex Texier of the Columbus Blue Jackets
COLUMBUS, OH – MAY 6: Alexandre Texier #42 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates against the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 6, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Columbus Blue Jackets

As we’ve established, Columbus had a very, very rough summer.  Panarin was the big loss up front and his production (28g; 59a; 87p) will need a committee effort to replace.  Veteran Cam Atkinson will need another big season, though it seems unlikely that he’ll touch last year’s 41 goal output.  There is promise in the forward corps with emerging youngsters Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexandre Texier.  If both take strides forward it will go a long way in helping the Blue Jackets’ cause.  Nyquist, who scored 60 points (22g; 38a) last year will help.

Arguably the biggest loss was Bobrovsky.  The Russian keeper won 213 games over his 7-year stint in Columbus.  During that time he maintained a 2.41 goals-against average and a save percentage of .921, complimented by 33 shutouts.  Picking up the slack is 25-year-old Joonas Korpisalo.  Over 4 seasons, Korpisalo posted 41 wins with decent stats (2.89GAA; .907SV%; 1SO) but he has never been pressed to play in more than 31 games during any given season.

Splitting time with Korpisalo will be Elvis Merzlikins.  While the 25-year-old Latvian has yet to play in the NHL, he has been impressive playing for HC Lugano in Switzerland as well as several international tournaments.  How well he adapts to the NHL game will be key for the fortunes of the Blue Jackets.

Keys for the Hurricanes:

  • Keep up the pressure – Columbus gave up the 7th lowest shots against last year and, when they did give up shots, Bobrovsky was there to bail them out.  With 2 young goalies in the mix, the Hurricanes need to fully utilize their offensive depth, drive the net, set up screens, and pepper the tenders with shots.
  • Play physical – You can easily tie this in with my first point, but I wanted to focus on it separately.  Yes, physical play is a huge component of driving play.  Yes, penalties will result from it, however, for all the struggles the Carolina Hurricanes had on the man advantage, Columbus was worse, finishing 28th in the league (15.38%).
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