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The Carolina Hurricanes come home tonight to play their fourth home game of the season against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the last game against Columbus, the Canes lost late in the third period despite the infamous benching of Patrik Laine.
Carolina looks could turn back to James Reimer, who won his first matchup against Columbus, in net. With Joonas Korpisalo playing Saturday, John Tortorella would go to Elvis Merzlikins tonight. Merzlikins, who has missed time with an injury, has not started a game since last month in a 3-1 loss against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Canes have had their second-best start in franchise history through 12 games with a 9-3-0 record this season but have not looked to have fired on all gears. The good news from the last game is that Teuvo Teravainen got his first goal and that Martin Necas was able to return to play after an apparent head injury.
Vital Statistics
Category | Hurricanes | Blue Jackets |
---|---|---|
Category | Hurricanes | Blue Jackets |
Record | 21-7-3 | 13-13-7 |
Goals/Game | 3.23 | 2.54 |
Goals Against/Game | 2.48 | 3.12 |
Shots/Game | 31.52 | 28.70 |
Face Off Win % | 54.4% | 46.2% |
Power Play % (Rank) | 30.6% (1st) | 14.8% (26th) |
Penalty Kill % (Rank) | 82.9% (9th) | 74.0% (26th) |
ES Corsi For % | 53.04% | 46.16% |
ES PDO | 100.96 | 99.42 |
PIM/Game | 07:21 | 06:43 |
Goaltender #1
Category | James Reimer | Joonas Korpisalo |
---|---|---|
Category | James Reimer | Joonas Korpisalo |
Record | 12-4-1 | 8-10-5 |
Save % | 0.909 | .900 |
GAA | 2.68 | 2.98 |
Goaltender #2
Category | Alex Nedeljkovic | Elvis Merzlikins |
---|---|---|
Category | Alex Nedeljkovic | Elvis Merzlikins |
Record | 7-2-2 | 5-3-2 |
Save % | .930 | .912 |
GAA | 1.96 | 2.91 |
Game Notes:
- The Hurricanes and Blue Jackets are meeting for the 44th time in their histories, with Carolina holding a 21-17-0-5 record all-time against Columbus, including a 10-10-0-2 road record.
- The Hurricanes are 15-8-5 in their last 28 games in the series.
- A pair of Blue Jackets come into the game with significant streaks. Cam Atkinson has a three-game goal streak and Seth Jones has an active five-game assist streak.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have the highest win percentage in overtime and shootout games since 2019 with .750 (15-5-0).
- Patrik Laine and Sebastian Aho rank first and second, respectively, in goals from Finnish born players since 2017. Laine leads Aho 108 to 100.
Reading Assignments:
The #Canes have placed forward Alex Galchenyuk on waivers. He'll remain in Canada for the next ~24 hours.
— Michael Smith (@MSmithCanes) February 14, 2021
Meanwhile, Cedric Paquette is en route to Raleigh, making the drive down from Ottawa with his dog, Moka. Paquette should be available Monday vs. Columbus.
- We should know by noon whether or not Alex Galchenyuk was claimed on waivers or assigned to the taxi squad.
- The League is making strides in completing the outdoor rink for the two Lake Tahoe games coming up this weekend. [$The Athletic]
Great first win in program history tonight!! Couldn't ask for a better start to year 2! pic.twitter.com/Kpdupqghay
— NC State Women's Hockey (@NCStateWHockey) February 14, 2021
- The ugliest contracts currently in the NHL. [The Hockey Writers]
- Marc-Andre Fleury’s shutout leads the Vegas Golden Knights over the Colorado Avalanche. [Sportsnet]
- The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the lethargic Washington Capitals by a score of 6-3. The new coach hasn't seemed to light the fire they were expecting. [RMNB]
- The NHL continues to adapt its COVID protocols through the first month of the season. [Associated Press]