Blue Jackets try to continue winning ways tonight against always-tough Carolina Hurricanes

MAR. 20, 2021 II at CAROLINA HURRICANES II PNC ARENA II 7 PM ET

CBJ BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV:  FOX Sports Ohio   Jeff Rimer (play-by-play), Jody Shelley (color analyst), Dave Maetzold (reporter)     

Radio:  97.1 The Fan    Bob McElligott (play-by-play), Dylan Tyrer (host)

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (12-12-7, 31 pts./5th, Discover Central Division) 

Goals:  2.65 Goals-For/3.16 Goals-Against… Shots:  28.9 Shots-For/31.1 Shots-Against

Power Play:  15.8 percent (25th, NHL)… Penalty Kill:  72.6 percent (27th-T, NHL)

Penalty Minutes:  6.9 PIM (4th-T, NHL)… Overtime Record (Shootout):  3-4-3 (1-3)

CAROLINA HURRICANES (20-7-2, 42 pts./3rd, Discover Central Division)

Goals:  3.28 Goals-For/2.59 Goals-Against… Shots:  31.4 Shots-For/29.0 Shots-Against

Power Play:  31.9 percent (1st, NHL)… Penalty Kill:  82.0 percent (9th, NHL)

Penalty Minutes:  7.5 PIM (10th-T, NHL)… Overtime Record (Shootout):  7-2-0 (4-0)

Players to Watch:  Sebastian Aho (Leads team with 28 pts in 29 GP in 2020-21 and has 9-5-14 in 19 career GP vs. CBJ); D Dougie Hamilton (Has 2-10-12 over 10 game point streak and leads club with 20 assists this season)

ALL-TIME SERIES

Results:  Columbus has gone 23-19-3 in 45 regular season games vs. Carolina, including 11-10-2 on the road… Of Note: The Blue Jackets have won six of the last eight games in the series since Mar. 15, 2019… The club is 11-6-1 in the last 18 meetings against the Hurricanes dating back to Jan. 17, 2017… Columbus and Carolina have played in one-goal games in six of the last seven meetings… The Blue Jackets own all three shutouts and hat tricks in the all-time series and were awarded the first penalty shot in the series on February 8 (Cam Atkinson goal)… Goals:  CBJ – 122, CAR – 117… CBJ PP:  22-of-145 (15.2%)… CBJ PK:  136-of-158 (86.1%).

This Season (CBJ, 2-2-0)

Feb. 7 – Carolina 6, at COLUMBUS 5

Feb. 8 – at COLUMBUS 3, Carolina 2

Feb. 15 – at Carolina 7, COLUMBUS 3

Mar. 18 – COLUMBUS 3, at Carolina 2 (OT)

Mar. 20 – at Carolina

Mar. 22 – at COLUMBUS… Mar. 25 – at COLUMBUS

May 1 – at Carolina

2019-20 Results (CBJ, 3-0-0)

Oct. 12, 2019 – Columbus 3, at Carolina 2

Oct. 24, 2019 – at Columbus 4, Carolina 3 (OT)

Jan. 16, 2020 – at Columbus 3, Carolina 2

Apr. 3, 2020 – at Carolina (Cancelled)

CBJ TEAM NOTES

The Blue Jackets have picked up points in their last four games (2-0-2) following a 3-2 overtime win at Carolina on Thursday… Saturday’s game in Carolina is the second of four-straight games against the club (two road/two home)… The Jackets kicked off a stretch of 10 of 12 games against the top three teams in the Central Division (Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina) from Mar. 18-Apr. 8 on Thursday… CBJ (21, 1st) and the Hurricanes (20, 2nd) lead the NHL in scoring the first goal of their game… Columbus is 4-2-2 in March games this season.  The Jackets are 11-3-3 in their last 17 games played in the month of March dating back to Mar. 24, 2019…

CBJ PLAYER NOTES

RW Cam Atkinson has 10-7-17 with four multi-point outings in the last 20 games… RW Oliver Bjorkstrand collected his second career three-assist game and fourth career three-point game (second this season) after setting up all three Blue Jackets goals on Thursday and has recorded 4-6-10 in the last eight games… F Max Domi has recorded 2-3-5 in his past four games, including the first two multi-point efforts of his Blue Jackets career… D Seth Jones tallied his fourth career multi-goal game, including his franchise-record eighth overtime winner, in Thursday’s game.  He has recorded .71 points a game since February 1 (3-12-15 in 21 GP)… G Joonas Korpisalo has posted a 2.14 GAA and .923 SV% in his past nine games since February 25… C Jack Roslovic has posted 0-5-5 in the last four games.  He ranks second on the team in assists with 5-14-19 in 24 games in 2020-21… D David Savard is one of only three players in the NHL with 65-plus blocked shots (67) and hits (70), joining Edmonton’s Adam Larsson and Chicago’s Calvin de Haan… D Zach Werenski collected an assist in Thursday’s win to stretch his point streak to five consecutive outings (2-4-6).

MILESTONES

•     D Vladislav Gavrikov is one game from 100 in his NHL career (6-18-24, 99 GP).

•     D Scott Harrington is three games from 200 in his NHL career (7-30-37, 197 GP).

•     D Dean Kukan is four games from 100 for his NHL career (2-16-18, 96 GP).

•     LW Eric Robinson is five games from 100 in his NHL career (11-10-21, 95 GP).

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT

•       LW Gus Nyquist (shoulder surgery on Nov. 3; Injured Reserve) is expected to miss five-to-six months.

•       RW Emil Bemstrom (lower body injury on Mar. 17) is expected to miss a week.

•       LW Mikhail Grigorenko (illness) is day-to-day.

•       C Alexandre Texier (illness) is day-to-day.

                              o TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST:  72.

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