Game Preview #13 – Nut Up Or Shut Up

Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes

November 7, 2014 – 7:00 PM EST
PNC Arena – Raleigh, North Carolina
Radio – WBNS 97.1 – TV – Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent’s Blog: Canes Country

First of all, if you read the title and haven’t seen “Zombieland,” please do yourself a favor and watch it.

Second of all, I called Carolina a “bad, bad team” on Tuesday, and (deservedly) got some flak for it. No more of that tonight. The Jackets did not show anything on Tuesday that would suggest they are better than Carolina right now, so they need to earn that back from me first. Carolina, you’re the best.

In all seriousness, the Hurricanes dominated in pretty much every area (except the score, really, when you think about it) the other night. The Jackets played lethargic, they looked sloppy, and Carolina looked far, far faster. All of that needs to change if Columbus would like to end their six-game losing streak.

Ugh. Six games.

Good news? James Wisniewski is back tonight. Bad news? Jack Johnson is out with a suspension. While that may not be “bad” news in the world of fancy stats, you can’t deny that he plays a lot of minutes. Whether or not he *should* be is a discussion for another time.

Cam Ward goes again for Carolina. At “press time” nothing’s been released about who will start for Columbus. It probably shouldn’t be Curtis McElhinney, but it won’t surprise me if it is.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(4-8-0, 8 Points; 8th division, 15th conference)

Carolina Hurricanes
(3-6-2, 8 Points; 7th Division, 14th Conference)

Season Series

11/04/14 – Carolina 4 at Columbus 2
11/07/14 – Columbus at Carolina
03/10/15 – Columbus at Carolina
03/15/15 – Carolina at Columbus

Head to Head Stats