2023-24 Regular Season, Game 20: Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Pregame)

To put it frankly, Friday night's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was embarrassing for the Carolina Hurricanes. After an incredible first period, the Canes led 1-0 on a goal from their fourth line, finished by Stefan Noesen. The Lightning finished with one shot against Antti Raanta. The second period changed the complexion of the night. To be more specific, penalties taken early by the Hurricanes changed the complexion. The Canes were assessed three penalties in the first six minutes, including a double-minor for high-sticking to Michael Bunting. The Lightning scored three times. Bunting would atone for his mistake, scoring on the power play late in the period to pull within a goal. For as bad as their start to the period was the Canes were still in the game. Shame on me for having hope. The Lightning scored five times in the third, including two goals from Brayden Point to complete his third career hat trick. Point finished the night with five points. Nikita Kucherov had two goals and six points. Andrei Vasilesvskiy returned from back surgery to guide the Lightning to a lopsided 8-2 win in Raleigh. 

The Opponent: Columbus Blue Jackets (6-11-4, 16 Points- 8th in the Metropolitan Division)

Every season, each division has a team or two that you can expect to be in the cellar. For the last few seasons, it has been the Columbus Blue Jackets. It has continued this season as they sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan. After signing Johnny Gaudreau last offseason, the Jackets struggled to do anything. They were the third-worst offense and the second-worst defense. The front office didn't make many moves, but they certainly made quality moves. Columbus sent a 3rd Round pick to New Jersey for Damon Severson, then signed him for eight years. They also added Ivan Provorov as part of a three-team deal with Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Arguably, the biggest addition came in the Entry Draft, selecting Adam Fantilli with the third pick. Unfortunately, the results haven't changed. After a 3-2-0 start, Columbus lost 13 of their next 14, going 1-9-4. This included a nine-game losing streak (0-7-2). While they're scoring the puck a little more, they've continued to struggle on defense, ranking in the bottom five in the league in goals allowed. Their defense has carried the offense, with Zach Werenski leading the team with 14 assists and 15 points and Provorov close behind with 12 assists and 13 points. Elvis Merzlikins has faced the third-most shots in the league, and while his save percentage sits at .905, he's allowing over three goals per start. The Jackets have started to turn things around a little, winning their last two games to snap their nine-game losing streak. After putting up seven goals against Chicago before Thanksgiving, Merzlikins made 37 stops against the New Jersey Devils on Friday to take a 2-1 win in New Jersey. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes won two of the three meetings against the Blue Jackets a season ago. They met to open the season in Raleigh, the only time they played at PNC Arena last season. Patrik Laine scored 11 seconds into the second period, but four unanswered goals by Seth Jarvis, Brady Skjei, Martin Necas, and Andrei Svechnikov propelled the Canes to a 4-1 win on Opening Night. The second meeting came a week into the new year in Columbus. Kirill Marchenko scored twice on the power play in the second period, but the Canes responded with three unanswered, including Max Pacioretty's first two goals as a Hurricane. Marchenko finished his hat trick in the third period, and Kent Johnson scored the deciding goal in the 5th Round of the shootout to help Columbus steal a win. Five days later, the Canes were back in Columbus with a vendetta. The Canes' defense accounted for five goals, including two from Brett Pesce, as the Canes won 6-2 to take the season series. 

Stories of the Night

1. It Can Only Get Better From Here

The only way things could get any worse is if the Blue Jackets come in and do the same thing the Lightning did on Friday night. Otherwise, there's only one direction to go. It's important to remember the Canes are 11-8-0 and in a decent spot, all things considered. The Canes played a great first period and were in a decent spot after the second despite all of the penalties. Plus, Columbus lacks the firepower that Tampa Bay has, though that doesn't mean they should be overlooked. We're still waiting for some of the stars to play consistently every game. With this being the final game of the homestand, the Canes need a positive result. 

2. Is it Pyotr's Time to Take Over?

When Pyotr Kochetkov was called up early last season, he went on a run that we've seen few rookie goalies in franchise history go on. He started last season going 10-1-4 with three shutouts and a .928 save percentage. His numbers haven't been great since then, but he's shown flashes of brilliance throughout his last few starts. Kochetkov already has a shutout this season and looked good in relief during Wednesday night's win. With Kochetkov likely to be in the net against Columbus, this is his chance to take over the net from Antti Raanta moving forward. Raanta has largely struggled this season, so the net is wide open with Frederik Andersen's return unknown. Kochetkov could fill that void, giving us a glimpse of what is to come. 

3. Year 2 Hasn't Been Kind to Johnny Gaudreau

After being the most sought-after free agent two seasons ago, Johnny Gaudreau's signing in Columbus was a major head-scratcher. They weren't a team built to win and were considered a major downgrade from Calgary. He was good in his first season, recording a team-high 53 assists and 74 points, but Columbus finished in the basement of the division. In his second season, things haven't been going well. Through 21 games, Gaudreau has just two goals and nine points, making little to no impact on the power play. There's still plenty of time to turn things around, but he hasn't been able to get things going.