As the number of games continues to shrink, the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference remains wide open. The Carolina Hurricanes started a big divisional back-to-back tonight in Columbus, battling the Blue Jackets for the first of three scheduled tilts over the next two weeks. The Canes came out victorious for their mothers on Saturday night in Tampa, a big 4-2 win for the group.
Brandon Bussi aimed to snap the first losing streak of his NHL career, seeking a victory after consecutive losses to Calgary and St. Louis. Nicolas Deslauriers finally made his team debut, taking Eric Robinson's spot on the fourth line. The Blue Jackets countered with Jet Greaves, giving us the same goalie battle from the first meeting of the season in December, won by Bussi and the Canes.
All it took was one penalty to stop a relatively good start for Carolina. Seth Jarvis was called for a double-minor after catching Zach Werenski up high. During the first half of the penalty, Mason Marchment buried it, putting them ahead early. Late in the frame, Jackson Blake was called for tripping, and Charlie Coyle made him pay. After 20, the Hurricanes were in a 2-0 hole.
Needing a spark, the new guy stepped up and delivered. Deslauriers dropped the gloves with Mathieu Olivier, and the Canes responded. Andrei Svechnikov worked his way around the defense and a poke check to get the visitors on the board, but their positive momentum was halted by a pair of late Columbus goals from Danton Heinen and Denton Mateychuk, making the hole even deeper after two.
Not that there was any question about the game's direction once the teams hit the ice for the third, but the Blue Jackets scored one more goal early in the period to put it away for good. Coyle outworked K'Andre Miller, and Jordan Martinook missed a hit, allowing Olivier to score with ease. The Canes mustered little to make it appear any closer, getting smacked, 5-1, by the Blue Jackets.
The Canes put themselves in a bad spot in the first with two penalties
When a team is on a heater, you can't give them an inch because they will take it and run with it. That's exactly what the Canes allowed the Blue Jackets to do tonight. Seth Jarvis was guilty of an early high-sticking double-minor, his first of two in the game, and Columbus cashed in immediately during the first half, scoring on their first shot of the contest.
This penalty severely threw off the Canes' game plan, and it spiraled for the next little bit. They weren't connecting on their passes, and there was general disarray. Late in the frame, it was Jackson Blake's turn to take a penalty, and the Jackets capitalized again. Gifting teams chances has been a major issue for the Canes, and it put them in a terrible place tonight.
The new guy lights a spark, but a no-call immediately puts it back out
If there's one thing you can't say about Nicolas Deslauriers' debut (6 hits, 12:31 TOI), it's that he wasn't noticeable. Sensing his team was in danger, he called upon Mathieu Olivier to be his dance partner at center ice. Some big punches landed, and it got the Canes moving in the right direction. After another slight skirmish ended in a 4-on-4, Andrei Svechnikov scored, cutting the deficit in half.
However, the turning point was Danton Heinen's goal to make it 3-1. Brandon Bussi, who is notoriously bad at playing the puck, came out to play the puck. As he does, Heinen swoops in and takes out Bussi's left skate. I didn't catch it initially. However, it's clear as day that the contact leads to Bussi losing his edge, allowing Columbus to restore the two-goal lead, which then became three.
The Canes' broadcast mentioned during the third period that Rod Brind'Amour was told that a dive was involved on the play behind the net, and that is just about the most asinine thing I've ever heard. On what planet has Bussi grown a reputation for diving? There's clearly contact on the play. He doesn't fall for no reason. Call me biased, but it's plain bad officiating.
Additional Thoughts
Lost in a sea of mediocrity were relatively good games for both Andrei Svechnikov and Alexander Nikishin. Svechnikov scored for the second straight contest, breaking through Greaves in the second period. Nikishin provided the secondary assist on the goal, inching himself closer to the team's rookie scoring record by a defenseman. He also made a great goal-saving block before Heinen scored.
We rarely see a game this bad by the Hurricanes, in just about every facet. The Canes were the more physical team, outhitting the Jackets, 29-11. However, Columbus won over 65 percent of the draw, scored twice on five power plays, and blocked 23 shots. They wanted this game more than the Canes did, and it showed for 60 minutes.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes return home tomorrow night to welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time in eight days. There's still one more meeting looming with Pittsburgh this week, coming during the second stop of the team's upcoming three-game road trip. The Canes will be in Toronto on Friday night before finishing the trip in Montreal a week from tonight.