Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas
The Carolina Hurricanes face the Columbus Blue Jackets with both teams on opposite ends of the standings this season. The Hurricanes have a 25-8-6 record which is the best in the Metropolitan Division but look to rebound after losing back-to-back games. The Blue Jackets have an 11-24-2 record and with only one win in their last 10 games have fallen into last place in the Metropolitan division. Both teams are looking to bounce back from rough losses and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Hurricanes are having a great season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.10 goals per game including 11 goals in the last three games. Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, and Andrei Svechnikov have scored 48 goals and 53 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the forward unit has also stepped up. Jordan Martinhook, Stefan Noesen, and Jordan Staal have scored 28 goals and 31 assists while Brent Burns and Brady Skjei have added 12 goals and 32 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has stepped up recently but the defense has carried the Hurricanes all season, allowing only 2.67 goals per game. Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce have combined for 5.7 defensive point shares and 94 blocked shots while Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and Jalen Chatfield have combined for 6.4 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is having a great season with a .919 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average on 443 shots.