"I'm Slightly Concerned": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 20: Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

The Hurricanes looked to win their road trip on Saturday night in Columbus. After splitting the first two games in Philadelphia and New Jersey, the Canes needed two points against the Blue Jackets to head into Thanksgiving Week on a good note. It was a bittersweet night for Jack Roslovic, who returned to Columbus, and Eric Robinson, who had played his first game in Columbus since the passing of close friend and Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets were coming off a wild 7-6 overtime win against the Lightning on Thursday, hoping to keep their offensive hot streak moving.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CBJ (2:04)- Dante Fabbro (2) (unassisted)

CAR (6:41)- Jack Roslovic (12) (Sebastian Aho (13))

CBJ (10:20)- Kirill Marchenko (7) (unassisted)

2nd Period

CAR (5:40)- Jalen Chatfield (2) (Dmitry Orlov (9) & Martin Necas (21))

CBJ (7:10)- Dmitri Voronkov (5) PP (Kent Johnson (4) & Zach Werenski (14))

CAR (10:39)- Sebastian Aho (6) PP (Martin Necas (22))

CAR (13:23)- Jackson Blake (6) (Jesperi Kotkaniemi (10))

3rd Period

CBJ (18:54)- Kirill Marchenko (8) (Sean Monahan (13) & Kent Johnson (5))

Overtime

None

Shootout

CBJ- Sean Monahan

My Thoughts

Welp, this is about as close to a disaster as you'll get with the Carolina Hurricanes. Their Opening Night starter is shelved for the next 8-12 weeks after being out since the State Fair road trip. Now, their future in the net could be out with a concussion after a collision with Sean Walker's butt in overtime. When it rains, it pours. Pyotr Kochetkov's health, and the health of every player, is of the utmost importance, so we shouldn't rush to immediate judgment about how long he could potentially be out until we hear something from the team. That being said, call Anaheim and see how much John Gibson is going to cost. I'm not saying you make a move, but at least ponder it. Kochetkov, who didn't start the game well, turned it on during the final 40 minutes. He was the difference in the Canes losing in regulation and losing in extra time with a point in the bag. 

I should clarify that I don't think acquiring John Gibson is the answer for the Hurricanes, especially when he has a few years left on his contract. While he could be a rental that you flip during the offseason, I can't imagine why you would trade for him if you don't intend on him sticking around. I'm not even sure why I'm entertaining the idea when I genuinely don't think it's going to happen. My concern is that the Canes don't have a solid option behind Spencer Martin, who relieved Kochetkov tonight and picked up the loss in the shootout. Yaniv Perets has one relief appearance under his belt, and Ruslan Khazheyev isn't ready. The most rational option seems to be signing Dustin Tokarski from his PTO in Chicago (AHL) to be the backup. If you've been around the block with the Canes for a long time, this is starting to feel pretty familiar. 

Honestly, the rest of the game doesn't matter. The Canes didn't win because they couldn't keep the Blue Jackets from scoring early. They did a great job of working back from one-goal deficits three times during the first half of the game, but defensive breakdowns, turnovers, and miscues put them in those positions. Fortunately, their offense came alive in the second period, scoring three times to get them ahead for the first time and keeping it that way until Columbus tied it with 66 seconds left to force overtime. Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas had two points. Jalen Chatfield scored again, as did Jackson Blake. Jack Roslovic took over the team lead in goals with his 12th in his return to Columbus. A rough start put them in a corner that they worked their way out of, only to see it crumble in the end. That's old-school Hurricanes hockey.

The Road Ahead- I usually save this for last, but it's important to the story of tonight. I felt this was a must-win game for the Canes because of their upcoming schedule. Not only did they lose in a shootout, they potentially lost the second half of their Opening Night tandem with a concussion. The next four games are at home against Dallas on Monday (one of the best teams out west), against the Rangers on Wednesday (the team who knocked you out of the playoffs for the second time in three years), against the Panthers on Friday, and in Sunrise against the Panthers on Saturday (a home-and-home against the defending champions). They're doing it with Spencer Martin likely to start at least three of those games, assuming Kochetkov doesn't play this week. They have less than 48 hours to figure out Kochetkov's prognosis and prepare for the Stars. This isn't a fun time to be a Hurricanes fan. I still love them, though.

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes the Blue Jackets will meet twice in December. First, Columbus will be in town for an early-evening battle at the Lenovo Center on December 15. The Canes will celebrate New Year's Eve in Columbus to close out 2024. The final meeting will be in Raleigh in late January.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Martin Necas

Sebastian Aho would've likely been in this spot if not for the four-minute high-sticking penalty in the third period that forced the kill to come up big. Instead, I'm gone with Martin Necas, who set up Aho on the power play. Necas finished the night with two helpers, adding the secondary assist on Jalen Chatfield's goal after moving the puck to Dmitry Orlov to set the play in motion. Necas has begun a new points streak after his 13-game heater was stalled in Philadelphia. He's now up to 33 points on the season, keeping pace with the league's best atop the leaderboard.