Carolina Hurricanes (35-18-6) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (19-29-10)
February 29, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Columbus Blue Jackets +220 / Carolina Hurricanes -278; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Columbus Blue Jackets meet in NHL action from the Nationwide Arena on Thursday night. Who comes out on top in Thursday’s Metro division tilt? Let’s dive in and find out with our Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets Prediction.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Preview
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this one looking to build on a 3-2 win over Minnesota last time out. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 61 points including 22 goals and a team-high 39 assists while Seth Jarvis has 47 points split between 18 goals and 29 assists. Martin Necas has 42 points and Teuvo Teravainen has 38 points with Necas registering 18 goals and Teravainen logging 17 goals. In goal, Frederik Andersen has gone 4-1 with a 2.87 GAA and an .894 save percentage while Antti Raanta is 12-7-2 with a 2.99 GAA and an .872 save percentage and Pyotr Kochetkov is 16-10-3 with a 2.35 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Facts
- The Hurricanes have won each of their last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Hurricanes have won the second period in eight of their last nine games at Nationwide Arena.
- The ‘Under 0.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in four of the Hurricanes’ last five games as favorites against the Blue Jackets.
Columbus Blue Jackets Team Preview
The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this one looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss to the Rangers last time out. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with 42 points including 34 assists while Zach Werenski has 33 points with a team-high 29 assists. Kirill Marchenko has 31 points with a team-high 17 goals and Dmitrii Voronkov has 30 points with 16 goals and 14 assists. Elvis Merzlikins has gone 11-13-7 in goal for Columbus with a 3.29 GAA and a .903 save percentage while Daniil Tarasov is 4-7-2 with a 3.66 GAA and an .887 save percentage this season. The Blue Jackets will meet the Blackhawks after this one.
Columbus Blue Jackets Team Facts
- The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games as underdogs following a road loss.
- The home team has covered the puck line in six of the Blue Jackets’ last seven games.
- The ‘Over 2.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in five of the Blue Jackets’ last six games following a road loss.
- The favorites have won the second period in eight of the last nine games between the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets Prediction
I’m on the Hurricanes here. Columbus is in a tough spot here on the second half of a back-to-back after getting their brains rattled by the Rangers on Wednesday and now they face another one of the Metro division’s toughest teams in the Hurricanes who have a lot going their way right now. Rest, form and dominance in the head-to-head matchup make it really hard to ignore the Hurricanes in this one, so give me Carolina.
