The Carolina Hurricanes finish their seven-game homestand tonight by welcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets to town for the first time this season. The Canes looked flat for the final 40 minutes of Sunday's contest, falling 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks. Jordan Staal scored his first goal on the power play in over four years, providing the only offense in the loss for Carolina.
For a team that is usually very good at home, this homestand has been incredibly inconsistent for the Hurricanes. They've put together some good efforts, but all three of their losses haven't been particularly close. Staring at a potential losing record over their seven straight games in Raleigh, the Canes need to find that extra gear against a hungry Columbus team.
On the Other Side: Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets were one of the feel-good stories of last season. The team fought through an enormous tragedy when Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were struck and killed while riding their bikes the night before their sister's wedding. From this unspeakable tragedy, Columbus made a valiant effort but fell two points short of the second Wild Card spot.
After such a good season, the Blue Jackets didn't do anything major this offseason. Their biggest move saw them bring in Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood from the Avalanche. Along with a long-term extension for Ivan Provorov, it was an even keel summer for the Blue Jackets. It wasn't an offseason of big changes for a team on the cusp of a playoff spot.
Behind the strong play of last season's Norris Trophy runner-up Zach Werenski, the Blue Jackets are once again looking good. However, despite their winning record, they're in the basement of an incredibly tight division, sitting in 8th while being just two points out of a playoff spot. Inconsistent goaltending has been part of the issue, with the Blue Jackets allowing 98 goals in 29 games.
Last season: The home team won each meeting when these clubs met four times across two months. The Canes won twice in regulation, while the Blue Jackets won twice in a shootout, giving Carolina a 6-4 edge in points. Both games in Columbus required tying goals in the third period by the Blue Jackets to force overtime before winning in the skills competition.
Blue Jackets to Watch
Kirill Marchenko: If he's on the ice against the Hurricanes, and I have no reason to believe he won't be, Marchenko is scoring a goal. He did it five times last season, including a pair of multi-goal games in Columbus. Marchenko returned from a brief four-game absence last week, scoring two goals in three games. He's already put together a 12-game point streak this season, too.
Zach Werenski: While the Norris Trophy vote wasn't particularly close last season, Werenski was very deserving of his second-place finish. To follow it up, he started slowly but has been pouring it on recently. Werenski had a five-game point streak snapped on Sunday, but he has 19 points over his last 13 games, including six multi-point efforts.
Hurricanes to Watch
The power play: Is it cheating to list ten names instead of one? Probably, but I make the rules here. The power play has been trending in a positive direction. They scored twice against Nashville on Saturday, and their only goal on Sunday was on the man advantage, too. They're operating at 20.6 percent over their last eight games as they slowly claw back up the rankings.
Eric Robinson: After a three-game point streak to begin the season, Robinson has struggled to find the scoresheet. Over the last ten games, Robinson has just one assist, picking it up when the Canes were in Winnipeg over two weeks ago. The fourth line had a rough outing against the Sharks on Sunday, so I'd like to see a big rebound game for the former Blue Jacket.