Carolina Hurricanes: Takeaways from OT Win vs. Columbus

The Carolina Hurricanes closed out the mid-season miniseries against the Columbus Blue Jackets in surprising fashion last night on the road. The Canes have just one game left against the Blue Jackets this season.

Two more points find themselves transferred to the Carolina Hurricanes this season, yet again courtesy of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The good news is that the Canes managed to snag both of them in one game this time, as opposed to pushing the first two games in the miniseries to an overtime period or the shootout, and then subsequently claiming the “loser points” in both situations.

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Last night’s game was a back-and-forth battle of goaltenders. According to Sebastian Aho, Alex Nedeljkovic “absolutely won that one for us”, which is great news for all of us “Nedheads” out there, and even better news for Rod Brind’amour and the Canes’ front office. This likely makes the decision of which goalie to keep in rotation when Petr Mrazek comes back much, much easier.

Goaltender heroics aside, last night’s tilt looked as arduous to play in as it was to watch. As I mentioned before, there was a ton of back-and-forth play, and both goaltenders kept their respective teams competitive. One of them just so happened to be better than the other; if you’re surprised it was Ned, I’m not sure what else to tell you.

Aho and Necas showcased some more of their blossoming chemistry with each other in the overtime period; this chemistry resulted in Aho sealing the deal for the Canes in what was likely the easiest OT goal he’s scored in his career to date.

The Carolina Hurricanes only have one more game to play against the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, but they have much more difficult opponents ahead in the coming days. The Canes suit up to face the Tampa Bay Lightning at home tomorrow, which should serve as a solid litmus test for both teams after battling it out a few weeks ago.

All in all, the Canes snuck away with another game that could’ve gone either way. Logic would say that games like this could eventually fall in the other direction, but the Canes have been an illogical team so far this season. They’ve really only been at full strength with their full NHL roster for a single game this season. Their star goaltender is a guy who was passed on by 30 other teams when he was put on waivers just a few short weeks ago.

Logic has not been a deciding factor for this Stanley Cup-contending squad, and I’m beginning to think it doesn’t really have to be.