"Bus > Jet": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 29: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Anything less than two points would feel like a disappointment as they try to close their homestand on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canes haven't wowed during this stay in Raleigh, which feels a little weird for a team that is usually very good in front of the home crowd. It didn't look good on Sunday against the Sharks, having their behinds handed to them by the upstart group from San Jose. Meanwhile, Columbus is trying to fight out of the division's cellar, which isn't that deep since they're only a few points out of a playoff spot. Both teams are hungry for points, so it should be a good bout for the folks on ESPN+/Hulu. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CBJ (12:39-PP)- Dmitri Voronkov (11) (Sean Monahan (12) & Kirill Marchenko (15))

2nd Period

CAR (9:42)- Seth Jarvis (17) (Andrei Svechnikov (9))

3rd Period

CAR (7:53)- Eric Robinson (6) (Taylor Hall (9) & Joel Nystrom (4))

CAR (13:38-PP)- Jordan Staal (9) (Andrei Svechnikov (10) & Shayne Gostisbehere (19))

CAR (18:45-SH, EN)- Jordan Martinook (4) (K'Andre Miller (11) & Sean Walker (6))

My Thoughts

The Hurricanes found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-0 game in the second period. Special teams hadn't been kind in the opening frame, thus forcing them to play from behind once again. With no answer to solve Jet Greaves, the Canes needed a spark. Enter Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis. Winning a battle along the boards, Svechnikov and Jarvis executed a good two-man game. Svechnikov probably got away with a trip against Ivan Provorov in the process, but the defender took a tumble, allowing him to get loose. Carrying the puck around the net, Svechnikov found Jarvis in the slot. He didn't get much on the shot, but Greaves never saw it. Why is that? Because Sebastian Aho, who didn't get a point on the goal, provided the screen, preventing the Columbus netminder from seeing it. From there, the Canes took over.

Before the Canes got on the board, they relied on Brandon Bussi to keep them in the fight. His start to the second period looks even greater in hindsight. Every time the Blue Jackets had a little push, Bussi was there to snuff it out. After the Canes took a 3-1 lead in the third, Bussi made just as consequential a save as he had the entire night, denying Zach Werenski on a partial breakaway to keep it a two-goal game. With his 23 saves, Bussi became just the fifth goalie in NHL history to win nine of his first ten starts. If not for the age restriction preventing anyone over 26 from winning the Calder Trophy, I'd think Bussi would be in the thick of the hunt. Regardless, he's won seven in a row, which ties him for the third-longest win streak in franchise history for a goalie, behind only Cam Ward (9) and Frederik Andersen (8). 

There are too many things to look at with this win, so I'll try to rattle them off now. The power play scored for the third straight game. They had two chances in the first period to score that went nowhere. Jordan Staal scored for the second straight game, redirecting Svechnikov's shot, giving him two assists tonight. Shayne Gostisbehere's secondary helper gives him a four-game point streak. He is also now in the Top 10 in scoring for defensemen. Joel Nystrom added an assist on the game-winning goal, making a play at the defensive blue line to prevent an entry and create a 2-on-1 during which Eric Robinson finished a pass from Taylor Hall. The penalty kill also needs some props. They gave up a goal in the first, but they came up with a huge kill early in the third and earned a short-handed empty-netter off Jordan Martinook's stick to close the night.

With tonight's win, the homestand comes to an end. A 4-3-0 record is a tad underwhelming, but the Canes did a good job to make sure that they ended it on the right side of things with the Stanley Cup team in the building. There were definite highs and lows for the group. This was one of the better performances of the homestand. I'd probably put it only behind Winnipeg in terms of a complete effort, even if the Nashville win was more dominant overall. What do all four wins have in common? Brandon Bussi started them. I think that just about sums it up.

First Star of the Game: Andrei Svechnikov

Brandon Bussi was outstanding, but I'm going with half of the duo that brought the group into the fight. Andrei Svechnikov won a board battle and made an incredible pass to draw the Canes even. He nearly set Seth Jarvis up for another one later in the period by outmuscling a defender and saucing a pass that couldn't be finished. He added another assist on the power-play goal. 

Next Up: The Canes are on the road for the first time since visiting Buffalo before Thanksgiving. They'll be in Washington, D.C., to face the Washington Capitals. This weekend, they'll face the Philadelphia Flyers on consecutive nights. It'll start in Philly on Saturday before returning to Raleigh on Sunday. After that, we reach the home stretch before Christmas. It includes three games in four nights on the road, facing Nashville, Florida, and Tampa Bay. The final game before Christmas is at home against the Panthers on Christmas Eve Eve.