"St. Patty's Day Spanking": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 67: Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

If there was ever a victory for the Hurricanes to build upon, Saturday's triumph in Tampa Bay would be at the very top of the list. Outside of a few sketchy minutes late in the second period, the Canes were the better team against their fellow conference powerhouse, allowing them to maintain a healthy lead in the division and their small lead over Buffalo for the top seed in the East. With a divisional back-to-back staring at them next, the Canes hoped to continue their general mastery of their division foes in Columbus on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last two months, thanks to a coaching change that has turned their season back around. With a playoff spot within their grasp, the Canes' failure to match their desperation would likely signal disaster. Maybe, having a new body in the lineup would help matters.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CBJ (5:25-PP)- Mason Marchment (16) (Charlie Coyle (36) & Adam Fantilli (29))

CBJ (19:05-PP)- Charlie Coyle (17) (Adam Fantilli (30) & Zach Werenski (49))

2nd Period

CAR (14:05)- Andrei Svechnikov (25) (Nikolaj Ehlers (33) & Alexander Nikishin (17))

CBJ (17:29)- Danton Heinen (4) (Charlie Coyle (37) & Cole Sillinger (21))

CBJ (18:03)- Denton Mateychuk (11) (Sean Monahan (22))

3rd Period

CBJ (7:38)- Mathieu Olivier (13) (Charlie Coyle (38) & Cole Sillinger (22))

My Thoughts

Well, that sure was not a good game for the Carolina Hurricanes. It was just about their worst effort of the season, though I feel like I say that after every bad night. Frankly, they did it to themselves. They took two penalties in the first period, one of which was a double minor, and Columbus scored on both. I think the moment that everyone points to as being the most important was the goal to make it 3-1. I don't care what anyone else says. Danton Heinen got away with a trip behind the net. It's a skate-on-skate play that, if involving another skater, would've been called a penalty. Instead, Brandon Bussi is tripped and out of position, allowing Heinen to score a goal. It doesn't excuse the goal that came immediately after, which effectively ended the Canes' night before the second intermission. It never got better from there, and the Canes deserved the beating they got tonight.

I'm tired of talking about the negative aspects of tonight's game, so let's focus on the good things. For starters, Nicolas Deslauriers played a game, which was a fun surprise. He's not going to score much, but that's not why the Canes traded for him. They acquired him from the Flyers to hit people and get into fights at the right moments. Tonight, he checked both boxes. Deslauriers laid a game-high six hits, but his time to shine came during the second period. With the group down by two goals, they needed a spark. Deslauriers provided exactly that, scrapping with Mathieu Olivier once more. He played the most he has all season, skating for 12:31 in the contest. He wasn't flashy, but you knew when Deslauriers was on the ice. 

That spark, along with Sebastian Aho and Dante Fabbro lightly sparing and giving us a 4-on-4, got the Canes on the board. Andrei Svechnikov scored the goal, but Nikolaj Ehlers deserves a lot of the credit, putting Svechnikov in a spot to power around the defender, avoid a poke check, and finish on his backhand for his 25th goal of the season. He has goals in back-to-back games and four of his last seven, scoring eight points during that time. The secondary assist went to Alexander Nikishin, who is now four points away from tying Jamie McBain's record of 30 points for a rookie defenseman. This trio, along with Deslauriers, was the team's most notable tonight. Otherwise, there wasn't a ton on the positive side. I think we just need to leave it at that.

First Star of the Game: Alexander Nikishin

It's hard to really pick a player after an effort as poor as that. I'm choosing Alexander Nikishin for two key reasons. First, he refused to allow a bad turnover early in the game to snowball into a bad game. Instead, he turned it around, found the score sheet, and inched closer to another team record. Second, Nikishin was there to support his goalie after he was tripped behind the net, laying out to make a goal-saving block that ultimately proved to be for naught. 

Around the League

Pittsburgh: The Penguins welcomed Evgeni Malkin back into the lineup on Monday by destroying the Avalanche in Denver, hanging seven on them as they end their trip in Raleigh tomorrow night.

New York (I): The Islanders refuse to lose either, picking up a 3-1 win in Toronto tonight to keep pace with the Penguins for second in the Metro.

Columbus: Despite their win, the Blue Jackets remain on the outside of the postseason, sitting one point behind Detroit and Boston for a Wild Card spot and two back of third in the division.

Current Standings

Metropolitan Division

Carolina: 90 Points

Pittsburgh: 83 Points

New York (I): 83 Points

Columbus: 81 Points

Wild Card

Boston: 82 Points

Detroit: 82 Points

Columbus: 81 Points

Ottawa: 77 Points

Next Up: The Canes are right back at it tomorrow night in Raleigh, meeting the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time in eight days. With the division crown still very much in the balance, these are two very valuable points for each side. The Canes hit the road for another road trip this weekend, starting in Toronto on Friday night. They'll meet the Penguins for the final time on Sunday night before concluding their trip in Montreal next Tuesday.