"With the Canes the Force Was": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 49: Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Canes made a quick trip home to face the Columbus Blue Jackets this season for the fourth and final time. Riding a three-game win streak, including back-to-back wins in Chicago and Dallas, Carolina was shooting for its longest win streak since October. Columbus occupies the top Wild Card spot as they've stayed hot into the new year. They're coming off a 5-1 win last night in Toronto that featured big nights from hometown kids Adam Fantili (first career hat trick) and Luca Del Bel Belluz (goal, assist).

Scoring Summary
1st Period
CBJ (7:08)- Kent Johnson (14) (Luca Del Bel Belluz (4) & Jake van Riemsdyk (10))
CBJ (9:48)- Kirill Marchenko (19) (Adam Fantili (13) & Jack Johnson (3))
2nd Period
CAR (2:48)- Seth Jarvis (17) PP (Sebastian Aho (33) & Martin Necas (38))
CAR (7:11)- Eric Robinson (11) (Seth Jarvis (19) & Frederik Andersen (1))
CAR (7:58)- Jackson Blake (11) (Sebastian Aho (34))
CAR (8:33)- Sebastian Aho (15) (Jackson Blake (5))
CAR (11:34)- Jordan Martinook (9) (Seth Jarvis (20) & Jordan Staal (16))
CBJ (13:21)- James van Riemsdyk (10) (Kent Johnson (16) & Jack Johnson (4))
CBJ (14:43)- Dmitri Voronkov (18) (Zach Werenski (38) & Adam Fantili (14))
3rd Period
CAR (11:13)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (10) (Martin Necas (39))
CAR (18:08)- Seth Jarvis (18) EN (Andrei Svechnikov (19) & Jordan Staal (17))

My Thoughts
If a two-goal lead is the worst lead in hockey, it's starting to feel like it's a death sentence against the Carolina Hurricanes. It might be time to petition the lead to start every game behind 2-0 because that's about the only time the Canes seem to be engaged. The first period was filled with defensive lapses, allowing several high-danger chances, two of which beat Frederik Andersen. The opening goal surprised him, while the second goal was Kirill Marchenko on a breakaway, so it was an automatic goal against the Hurricanes. Starts haven't been the Canes' forte lately, but we'll sweep that under the rug for now.

That second period was hard to keep up with. It was non-stop action, largely in the Canes' favor. The power play woke them up before they scored five unanswered goals to give them all of the momentum in the world. The Canes weren't doing anything ground-breaking. They were creating their own luck by working hard. Andersen made a heads-up decision to start the second goal. Jackson Blake and Sebastian Aho helped each other out. The penalty kill bailed out Jordan Staal before the captain returned to the ice and set his linemates up for a 2-on-1 chance. It was almost for naught after Columbus scored twice to pull within a goal, but the Canes survived to move into the third period with their lead intact. 

It feels like everyone is getting hot for the Hurricanes. Seth Jarvis had two goals and four points tonight, giving him five goals in four games and 17 points since Christmas. Sebastian Aho had three points as he's starting to find his scoring touch again. Jackson Blake had his first multi-point game, atoning for his mistake on the opening goal. Jesperi Kotkaniemi has four goals during his three-game goal streak. Martin Necas has eight points in six games with a pair of helpers tonight. Jordan Staal has 13 points in the new year. Everything is falling into place for the group as they start to find their stride during this four-game winning streak.

To close, I want to give props to the Canes' opponent tonight. Before the season, I picked Columbus to finish last in the division because they lacked established star power to stick with the rest of the division. The pie is on my face because this group is very good. While the Canes won the season series by points after each side earned two wins, Columbus gave Carolina all it could handle in four meetings this season. They'll maintain their position as a Wild Card team despite tonight's loss and they'll have their work cut out for them the rest of the way. I have concerns about their goaltending being able to keep them in it against the other teams in the hunt, but with Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko leading them into battle every night, I think Columbus might be here to stay.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Seth Jarvis
That Seth Jarvis hadn't scored four points in an NHL game before surprised me. Tonight, he checked that box by kickstarting the scoring on the power play before making two all-World passes to set up Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook, the latter of which turned out to be the game-winner. It's fitting that he bookended the scoring for the Canes by hitting the empty-netter. 

The Road Ahead- The Canes will head to New York for the next two games. They'll start on Long Island on Saturday against the Islanders before heading to Broadway to face the Rangers on Tuesday. Their next home game will be next Thursday night, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks to finish their January schedule.

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