Hurricanes at Blue Jackets
Having finally snapped a five-game skid at home, the Columbus Blue Jackets will look to make it four straight wins overall when they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday in the second matchup between the teams in six days. The Blue Jackets erased a pair of two-goal deficits en route to a 4-3 shootout victory at Carolina on Tuesday. Columbus followed that up with a 3-1 win at Detroit before ending its home skid by outlasting Edmonton 5-4 in a shootout on Friday.
The Hurricanes are buried in last place in the Metropolitan Division - six points behind the Blue Jackets - and take a three-game losing streak into Sunday's matchup. Carolina has lost five of six overall this month and was blanked by Florida 2-0 on Saturday to conclude a 1-3-1 homestand. "Obviously we wanted more points and more success at home," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. "Now we know what we're up against and what we have to work with."
TV: 5 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Columbus), FSN Carolina
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (25-34-8): Carolina boasted the league's top-ranked penalty-killing unit before it took a decided step backward during the homestand. The Hurricanes surrendered six power-play goals in 12 chances over the past four games, including what proved to be the game-winning tally in Saturday's loss. “We’ll look at it and get it figured out,” Peters said. “Our stand at the (blue) line probably isn’t the same as it was earlier in the year and that’s something that can be fixed.”
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (30-34-4): Scott Hartnell is on roll for Columbus with four goals in the past three games and six tallies in the last six contests to reach 20 for the eighth season. “Right now, he’s hot,” coach Todd Richards said. “He’s shooting the puck, he’s creating chances. That’s what you want. He plays a tenacious game around the net.” The hot stretch coincides with the news that R.J. Umberger - the player Columbus sent to Philadelphia in exchange for Hartnell last year - will undergo season-ending surgery next Wednesday.
OVERTIME
1. Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky is battling a severe head cold, putting his scheduled start in question.
2. Hurricanes D Justin Faulk has two goals and two assists in three matchups versus Columbus this season.
3. The road team has won four of the last five meetings in the series.