The title defense has been, apart from a few bumps and bruises, pretty smooth for the Carolina Hurricanes. They were the first team to reach 20 points after finishing their trip with a shutout victory. Then, they became the first team to 10 wins on Tuesday, beating the Bruins for the honor. They're 10-1-1 since dropping their first two contests, and the team is rolling on all cylinders.
Playing their first game at the Lenovo Center in two weeks, the Hurricanes fought for two points against the visiting Bruins. Pavel Zacha scored 1:31 into the contest on the power play, and that's all Pyotr Kochetkov (14 saves) allowed. Jackson Blake tied it late in the first period, and Sebastian Aho broke the stalemate midway through the third to win a tight 2-1 contest on Tuesday.
The Canes and the Blue Jackets met four times last season. All four games were decided by three or more goals. The Canes rode a three-goal third period to win their first encounter in December. Columbus responded with an emphatic 5-1 win at home in mid-March. To close the series, the Canes swept both legs of a home-and-home, winning 5-2 in Columbus and 5-1 at home two days later.
Behind Enemy Lines: Columbus Blue Jackets
The big news all offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets centered on the potential trade rumors of Kirill Marchenko and reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski. It seemed like everything had been worked out until the team traded Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs right before the season began. While Werenski remains for now, there is plenty of intrigue surrounding his future in Columbus.
It doesn't help that they lost their top offensive weapon and can't seem to score. The Blue Jackets rank near the bottom in goals per game and dead last in goals scored. Their power play has converted just three times on 27 attempts (11.1 percent, 30th). Their defense hasn't been much better, sitting 22nd in goals allowed per game and 24th on the penalty kill (72.7 percent).
Despite underwhelming numbers, the Blue Jackets sit at .500 after two straight wins. Both have come in extra time, continuing another interesting trend for Columbus. They've yet to lose beyond 60 minutes. Four of their five wins have come in either overtime or the shootout. Meanwhile, all five of their losses have come in regulation. If this gets beyond regulation, the Canes better watch out.
Injury Report
Carolina: Taylor Hall's return to the lineup on Tuesday was ruined before he even got a chance to play. He "tweaked" something new during Tuesday's morning skate, preventing him from getting back into the lineup. On a positive note, Mark Jankowski was good to go, returning after missing the last four games. Only Jordan Staal remains out long-term.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets might get defenseman Ivan Provorov back in the lineup soon. They waived Carson Soucy on Wednesday, seemingly setting the stage for him to get back out there. Isac Lundestrom is the only other notable injury, as he continues to work back from an Achilles injury, which should get him back in the lineup before Christmas.
Players to Watch
Kent Johnson: You might be a bit surprised to know that Johnson leads the Blue Jackets in goals (6) and points (10) after his two-goal, three-point performance on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Johnson has back-to-back multi-point games, contributing to five of Columbus' last six goals. He'll be an RFA at the end of the season, and he could be in line for a nice payday, based on his early returns.
Matthew Knies: After recording four points in his first two games with the Blue Jackets, Knies has been incredibly quiet. He broke a seven-game pointless drought on Tuesday by recording an assist. The fit hasn't been as nice as Columbus hoped after giving up their top forward before the season. It's still early in the year, and there will be plenty more opportunities for him to break out.
Andrei Svechnikov: While it was a disappointing road trip on the scoresheet for Svechnikov, he looked a little better in Tuesday's win. He helped kick the go-ahead goal into motion, recording the secondary helper. He also took a penalty, something he didn't do on the road, and laid three hits. Svechnikov liked playing Columbus last season, recording six points in four meetings.
Eric Robinson: The fourth line has been a little quiet since getting off to a hot start during the road trip. Robinson has been held pointless since Calgary. As a former Blue Jacket, it would be nice to see him get back on the board against his old club. Robinson can be a bit streaky at times. It's about time for him to find his scoring touch again.
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