South Raleigh News

Frederik Andersen will aim to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a fourth straight win as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. After recovering from a knee injury, Andersen returned to play against Chicago, marking his 500th game with a victory.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi is also in form, scoring his first multi-goal game of the season and goals in consecutive matches, including Tuesday's win over Dallas. Shayne Gostisbehere missed the morning skate but is expected to play. He has achieved 16 points in 26 career games against Columbus.

The projected lineup includes forwards Svechnikov, Aho, and Blake on one line; Robinson, Kotkaniemi, and Necas on another; Martinook, Staal, and Jarvis forming a third line; and Jaaska with Kotkaniemi and Roslovic rounding out the forwards. Defense pairs include Slavin with Burns, Orlov with Chatfield, and Gostisbehere with Walker. Andersen is set to start as goaltender with Kochetkov as backup.

Injuries currently affect William Carrier (lower-body), Tyson Jost (long-term lower-body), and Jesper Fast (out for the season due to neck injury). Riley Stillman is listed as a scratch.

The power play units feature Aho, Jarvis, Necas, Svechnikov alongside Gostisbehere for PP1; while PP2 includes Blake, Drury, Kotkaniemi with Roslovic accompanied by Burns.

Betting odds provided by Fanatics Sportsbook place the Canes at -340 for this match-up.