Carolina @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 12, 2019 ) Columbus 3, Carolina 2

The Columbus Blue Jackets have played in seven straight one-goal contests and look to make things a bit easier on themselves when they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday for a Metropolitan Division battle. The Blue Jackets have earned at least a point in five consecutive games (3-0-2), including a victory at Carolina on Oct. 12 and a 4-3 overtime triumph at Toronto on Monday.

“It was great to see guys step up,” Columbus forward Cam Atkinson told reporters after his team coughed up a two-goal lead before rallying in the third period Monday. “… The Maple Leafs are a very good team, so no matter how many goals you’re up against them, they can always come back.” The Blue Jackets also came from behind to beat the Hurricanes earlier this month as Pierre-Luc Dubois got the winner in the third period for the third victory in the last four meetings. Carolina scored 21 times while winning its first five games of the season and has managed eight combined while losing three of the last four, including a 4-2 setback at Anaheim on Friday - a matchup in which coach Rod Brind’Amour said his team had a lot of guys sleeping. “We watched some video (after the Anaheim game) and closed that. It’s over now. We look forward,” Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho told the team’s website. “That’s how it is in this league. There are so many games. When you lose, you lose, and you have to move forward, and when you win, you can’t really feel too good about yourself because there’s always another game.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolinas, FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (6-3-0): Center Erik Haula, who leads the team with seven goals, suffered an upper-body injury from a hard check against Anaheim but the long stretch between games could make him ready for Thursday. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton leads the team with 10 points (five goals) and a plus-8 rating while Aho has managed only two goals despite topping Carolina with 30 shots on net. Brind’Amour told reporters goalie Petr Mrazek was “left out to dry” before getting pulled against Anaheim (four goals allowed, 13 shots) to suffer his first loss after giving up eight tallies in four wins.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (4-3-2): Power forward Josh Anderson returned to the lineup Monday after missing the previous six games with an upper-body injury and finished with two hits in just over 18 minutes of ice time. Dubois told reporters he could not take faceoffs because of an undisclosed injury Monday, but scored his team-best fourth goal and is probable for Thursday while Gustav Nyquist added the winner on overtime against Toronto. Captain Nick Foligno shares the team lead with five points (one goal) and is slated to become the seventh to reach 500 games played in franchise history Wednesday.

OVERTIME

1. Carolina RW Andrei Svechnikov posted eight points in the first five games of the season before being blanked in the last four.

2. Columbus G Joonas Korpisalo is 3-0-2 with a .933 save percentage in six career games (five starts) against Carolina.

3. The Hurricanes entered Wednesday fourth in the league in least shots allowed per game (28.9) and sixth in shots (34.1).

PREDICTION: Hurricanes 4, Blue Jackets 3