Columbus @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2018 ) Columbus 4, Carolina 1

The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to pile up points in their battle for first place in the Metropolitan Division and look to record their seventh victory in eight games when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blue Jackets are 7-1-1 in their last nine contests after matching a franchise record with five goals in the third period of a 6-3 win over Ottawa on Monday and trail first-place Washington by only two points.

“We didn’t play perfect, Neither did they,” Columbus defenseman Seth Jones told reporters after Monday’s win. “It got kind of wide-open there for a bit. All that matters is, we got the win. We got some nice goals, some timely plays when we needed them.” It’s uncertain whether or not captain Nick Foligno will join the team after missing Monday’s game to be with his five-year-old daughter Milana for a heart procedure in Boston, but Columbus will try to match the effort from a 4-1 win at Carolina on Nov. 17, when Cam Atkinson recorded a hat trick. The Hurricanes have rebounded from a 1-4-0 stretch by sweeping a home-and-home series against division-rival Philadelphia after Teuvo Teravainen recorded three points in Thursday's 5-3 win. Leading scorer Sebastian Aho (41 points), who is slated to play in his 200th NHL game on Friday, set up a pair of power-play goals in the latest victory after Carolina had gone 0-for-25 with the man advantage over its previous seven contests.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Columbus) FS Carolinas

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (23-13-3): Artemi Panarin, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, has collected three goals and six assists during his five-game point streak and leads the team with 43 points. Atkinson has scored five of his team-high 24 goals in the last six contests while Pierre-Luc Dubois registered a career-best four points on Monday to push his total to 36 on the season. Defenseman Zach Werenski recorded two of his nine goals on Monday and has notched points in five consecutive games while Jones (23 points in 32 games) has posted assists in three straight.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (17-17-5): Teravainen snapped his three-game point drought with Thursday's effort and is the only other player on the team with more than 21 points, accumulating 10 goals and 22 assists. Captain Justin Williams scored for the first time in eight games on Thursday and Micheal Ferland notched an assist but has been stuck on 11 goals since Nov. 21 - a scoreless streak of 11 games. Petr Mrazek posted the victory in his 200th NHL game on Thursday, meaning Curtis McElhinney (.924 save percentage) could receive the start against his former team.

OVERTIME

1. The Blue Jackets have not received much help from their power play during their run, going 0-for-20 over their last eight games.

2. Carolina D Dougie Hamilton snapped his 11-game point drought Thursday with a goal and an assist.

3. Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky has registered a .942 save percentage over his last eight appearances.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Hurricanes 2