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Carolina Hurricanes vs. St. Louis Blues: Game Preview and Storm Advisory

Two of the hottest teams in the NHL face off as as the Blues visit Raleigh to close out the season series.

By Andrew Ahr

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Jamie Kellner

Carolina Hurricanes (20-7-3) at Columbus Blue Jackets (13-12-7)

2021 Regular Season Game 31
Monday, March 22, 2021 - 7:00 p.m. ET

Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio

Watch: Fox Sports Carolinas
Listen: 99.9 The Fan

SBN Opposition: Jackets Cannon

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The Hurricanes look to keep it rolling tonight with a matchup against a Blues club with a very similar story to date this season.

Vital Statistics

Category Hurricanes Bruins
Category Hurricanes Bruins
Record 8-6 11-5
Goals/Game 2.79 3.31
Goals Against/Game 2.71 2.06
Shots/Game 30.9 34.3
Faceoff % 49.1% 53.3%
Power Play % (Rank) 10.0% (14) 31.9% (1)
Penalty Kill % (Rank) 70.8% (14) 85.7% (4)
ES Corsi For % 55.61% 51.66%
ES PDO 101.2% 101.0
PIM/Game 8:38 6:30

Goaltender #1

Category Petr Mrazek Tuukka Rask
Category Petr Mrazek Tuukka Rask
Record 5-5 11-5
Save % .894 .939
GAA 2.73 1.96

Goaltender #2

Category Curtis McElhinney Jaroslav Halak
Category Curtis McElhinney Jaroslav Halak
Record 3-1 0-0
Save % .943 N/A
GAA 1.70 N/A

Game Notes

  • Tonight’s game is the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blues earned a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes in St. Louis in November.
  • Petr Mrazek is historically solid against the Blues with a 4-2-0 record and a .945 save percentage and a 1.44 GAA.
  • With the 6-1 win Tuesday vs. the Los Angeles Kings, the Canes capped off February with a 10-3-0 record. The Canes’ 10 wins and 20 points are both franchise records for the month of February, and this was only the fifth time in franchise history that the Canes earned 10 wins in a calendar month.
  • The Blues, meanwhile, are one of the few teams in the NHL that are hotter than the Canes over the past two months. They lead the league since January 1st with 19 wins and 40 points over 26 games, while the Hurricanes are close behind them with 18 wins and 37 points in that frame.
  • The Hurricanes will wear their popular black third jerseys tonight for the 13th out of 15 times this season.

Storm Advisory

  • An account on Instagram has been recruiting former Whalers players to “greet” followers leading up to the Hurricanes vs. Bruins whalers jersey game in Boston. Ron Francis jumped on yesterday.
  • John Forslund sat down with the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman during his market visit to talk all things Canes.
  • The trade deadline is a very stressful time for NHL agents. [The Athletic]
  • Islanders fans got their catharsis when John Tavares returned to Long Island last night.
  • Carey Price went above and beyond for a young fan who recently lost his mother.

Stalking the Standings

The Blue Jackets ended up beating the Flyers in overtime last night and took over the third playoff spot in the Metro, bumping the Canes back to the wild card.

Updated Standings

  • Metro 1: New York Islanders: 63 GP, 81 Points, 105 pt pace, 34 ROW
  • Metro 2: Washington Capitals: 64 GP, 79 Points, 101 pt pace, 33 ROW
  • Metro 3: Columbus Blue Jackets: 63 GP, 75 Points, 97 pt pace, 36 ROW
  • WC 1: Montreal Canadiens: 64 GP, 75 Points, 96 pt pace, 32 ROW
  • WC 2: Carolina Hurricanes: 63 GP, 74 Points, 95 pt pace, 33 ROW
  • 9th: Pittsburgh Penguins: 63 GP, 74 Points, 96 pt pace, 32 ROW
  • 10th: Philadelphia Flyers: 64 GP, 68 Points, 86 pt pace, 28 ROW

Tonight’s Rooting Guide

  • The Devils over the Flyers
  • The Rangers over the Canadiens
  • No overtime in Islanders vs. Capitals
  • The Sabres over the Penguins in regulation