The Carolina Hurricanes will try to complete a phase of the season with another strong outing when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit Sunday in Raleigh, N.C.
The game will be the home finale for the Hurricanes, who remain in contention for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hurricanes (48-22-7, 103 points), who will finish their schedule with four road games, and Blue Jackets (26-39-12, 64 points) will meet twice across the last 10 days of the regular season.
Carolina is 9-2-1 in its last dozen games overall and holds a 26-10-4 home record. Sunday’s outing will mark a complete season of sellouts at PNC Arena, where the Hurricanes have been for more than 13 months since the last non-sellout there.
There is a lot at stake for Carolina with the postseason looming.
“It’s getting close to playoffs, and we need every little thing that is out there,” forward Martin Necas said.
The Blue Jackets are winding down their season, but there are still some potential rewards.
“For us, unfortunately where we are, we’re just trying to play hockey and build a good culture and good foundation for the guys who are going to be here moving forward,” Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson said.
Columbus has something to build on after Saturday night’s 6-2 home victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, with all the winning team’s goals coming from defensemen.
“They took charge,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent of the defensemen. “Their gap control was right, all six defensemen. They made the right play. When you play the right way, good things happen.”
Columbus has won three games across a four-game stretch for just the third time this season. Keeping that going could be a nice boost heading into the offseason.
“The one thing we’ve done really well as a team is keeping the mindset right,” Vincent said. “Look at (Saturday), what do we have to do today to get better for (Sunday).”
Newly acquired forward Jake Guentzel has added to his production level recently, notching his first two-goal game with the Hurricanes in Friday night’s 4-2 comeback against the Washington Capitals.
Guentzel has scored in back-to-back games to push his total to five goals in 13 games with Carolina. Adding in his production with Pittsburgh, he has 27 total goals this season.
“He has been really good,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He has done a nice job, obviously, fitting in wherever we put him.”
It will be goalie Frederik Andersen’s turn in the net for Carolina. He had a seven-game winning streak snapped in Thursday’s 4-1 home loss to the Boston Bruins. He has played in 100 career games for the Hurricanes, racking up a 67-27-4 record (with two no-decisions).
The Hurricanes played without winger Andrei Svechnikov on Friday because of what was listed as illness. Brind’Amour suggested it might have been a short-term absence.
“He just didn’t feel right,” the coach said. “There wasn’t any reason to put guys in who weren’t 100 percent.”
Carolina owns a 3-2 home victory from Nov. 26 against Columbus, and Svechnikov had a goal in that game. The Hurricanes prevailed 4-2 on Feb. 29 at Columbus.
–Field Level Media
