The Carolina Hurricanes are set to conclude their seven-game home stand with a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, December 9. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop and will be available to watch on ESPN+ and Hulu, as well as listen on 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App.
Heading into the contest, the Hurricanes hold a record of 17-9-2, placing them second in the Metropolitan Division with 36 points. Their most recent outing resulted in a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks, where Jordan Staal scored his first power-play goal in over four years.
Shayne Gostisbehere continues to make an impact for Carolina, having recently reached the 20-point mark faster than any defenseman in franchise history. He extended his point streak to three games and has recorded points in all but five of his 19 appearances this season. His average of 1.11 points per game ranks just behind Colorado’s Cale Makar among NHL defensemen.
In terms of goaltending, Pyotr Kochetkov started Sunday’s game against San Jose, so either Frederik Andersen or Brandon Bussi is expected to start against Columbus. Andersen acknowledged recent challenges but remained optimistic about his performance: “The way I look at it, I’ve played better hockey, and I’ve had worse numbers,” he said. “It doesn’t look good, obviously. We’re not getting the wins with me in the net lately, but I still feel like I’ve got my game. Maybe not perfectly where I want it, but like I’ve said, I’ve had worse stretches where things have looked better and I’ve gotten more wins. That’s how I look at it. I try to be positive and move on.” Bussi enters with six consecutive wins and became only the eighth goalie in NHL history to win eight of his first nine career starts after helping Carolina defeat Nashville last Saturday.
Columbus comes into Raleigh holding an overall record of 13-10-6 (32 points), currently sitting at eighth place in the division but only four points behind Carolina. Despite being shut out by Washington in their last game, they had earned points in five straight prior outings (2-0-3). The Blue Jackets are one of five NHL teams averaging over 30 shots per game this season; however, their penalty kill remains an area of concern at just a 72.2% success rate.
On an individual note for Columbus, Zach Werenski has tallied 30 points through 28 games—making him one of three blueliners averaging more than a point per game alongside Cale Makar and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Regarding injuries for Carolina, defenseman Charles Alexis Legault is expected to miss three to four months following surgery for lacerated tendons suffered from a skate cut on November 9 and repaired November 10. Jaccob Slavin returned to practice wearing a no-contact sweater on December 2 before switching back to regular practice gear by December 5 after recovering from a lower-body injury sustained earlier this season; he commented about his return timeline: “Hopefully soon.”
Carolina will wear red uniforms for Tuesday’s contest.
After facing Columbus at home, the Hurricanes will practice Wednesday before traveling for two away games starting Thursday against Washington.
