By Joe Coopersmith

BLUE JACKETS TEAM NOTES

• The Blue Jackets have won four-straight games at Nationwide Arena after tonight’s shootout win over the Hurricanes.  The Jackets have also collected points in a season-high six-straight home contests (4-0-2), points in 11 of their last 12 home contests (8-1-3) as well as 14 of their last 16 games at Nationwide Arena (11-2-3).
• CBJ have recorded points in five of their past six contests overall since Dec. 19 (4-1-1).
• Columbus picked up its fourth-straight win on New Year’s Eve and improved to 12-6-1 in games played on the day in franchise history, including a 10-4-1 record at home.
• CBJ have recorded the first goal in four of the last five games and 22 (13-5-4) of the 38 games this season.
• The club has recorded 125 goals (not including SO goals) in the first 38 games this season.  It’s the second-most goals scored through the opening 38 contests of a campaign in franchise history, trailing the 2016-17 season’s 128.
• Columbus has scored goals in 77-of-the-114 periods played in regulation this year after scoring in the first and third periods.
• CBJ have registered 35 multi-goal periods this season after scoring two goals in the first period.
• The Jackets have recorded a power play goal in nine of the last 12 games (11-of-36; 30.5 pct.) after scoring one tonight.
• Columbus has killed off 19-of-21 penalties in the last nine games played since Dec. 12 (90.5 pct.) after stopping three of Carolina’s four power plays tonight.
• Tonight’s attendance was 17,712.

BLUE JACKETS PLAYER NOTES

• RW Kirill Marchenko (16-26-42, 38 GP) scored his second multi-goal game of the campaign and 13^th multi-point effort with two goals in the first period.   He has now picked up multiple points in five of his last seven outings this season. By scoring his second goal, Marchenko (60-49-109 in 175 GP) became the fourth-fastest player to 60 goals in club history behind Geoff Sanderson (146 GP), Rick Nash (159 GP) and Patrik Laine (161 GP).  Marchenko set the franchise record for most points in the month of December (7-12-19 in 16), surpassing the 18 points recorded by Artemi Panarin (2017) and David Vyborny (2006).  It was also the second-most in any month in franchise history, trailing Panarin’s 25 points recorded in Mar. 2018 (8-17-25).  He improved his stat line to 8-2-10 in 9 career GP vs. Carolina, including points in four-straight overall (4-2-6) and three consecutive home contests (4-1-5).
• D Denton Mateychuk (0-1-1, 4 GP) collected his first career NHL point with the secondary assist on Marchenko’s first goal in the first period.
• C Sean Monahan (13-23-37, 38 GP) tallied his team-leading fifth three-point game after dishing out three assists tonight for his fifth multi-assist and 12^th multi-point game of the season.  He has registered eight points in his last four games (2-6-8) as well as 11 points in his last six outings (4-7-11).  He has now collected 6-10-16 in 19 career GP, including points in four of his last five outings against the Hurricanes (1-5-6).
• LW Dmitri Voronkov (13-11-24, 28 GP) scored a goal and assisted on another for his seventh multi-point effort of the season.  He has recorded points in seven of his last eight contests (6-6-12).  He also has collected points in all three games against the Hurricanes this season (3-1-4).
• D Zach Werenski (11-29-40, 38 GP) extended his franchise record home points streak to 13-straight games (8-17-25), becoming the second defenseman in the past 30 years to post a points streak in 13-consecutive home contests in the NHL (Mike Green, 14 GP in 2009-10).  Werenski posted 11 shots on goal tonight, setting a new franchise record with the mark (10 shots, 14 times prior).  With 3-13-16 in 16 December games, he set the club record for most assists by a blueliner in a single month (11, 3x, MR: Werenski in Nov. 2024) and tied the record for most points among CBJ defensemen he set last month (5-11-16 in 13 GP).  The blueliner has posted points in 18 of the past 25 played this season (8-22-30).  He has registered 6-9-15 in 30 career contests vs. Carolina, including assists in three of the last four (2-4-6) as well as in five of his last eight (2-6-8).  He also has points in each of his last five home contests against the Hurricanes (3-5-8) and six of his last seven at Nationwide Arena (4-5-9).

BLUE JACKETS POST-GAME AUDIO INTERVIEWS

HC Dean Evason | F Kent Johnson | F Kirill Marchenko | F Sean Monahan

HURRICANES POST-GAME AUDIO INTERVIEWS

HC Rod Brind’Amour | F Jesperi Kotkaniemi

BLUE JACKETS UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Wednesday, Jan. 1         No practice

Thursday, Jan. 2              7pm vs. Detroit (Nationwide Arena)

Friday, Jan. 3                    11am practice (Nationwide Arena)

Saturday, Jan. 4              7pm vs. St. Louis (Nationwide Arena)

COURTESY BLUE JACKETS COMMUNICATIONS