What - Game 82 (52-22-7)
When - 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 16
Where - Nationwide Arena; Columbus, OH
How to Watch - Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Ohio
Does anybody really necessarily care about this game tonight?
Maybe if the rookies get to play, that could be cool.
But this is now a meaningless game with the New York Rangers having won last night to secure the Metropolitan Division.
Anyway, the Carolina Hurricanes will be playing their final game of the regular season and so too will the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets (26-43-12).
Maybe the Canes try to sit some guys, maybe not. We'll learn later as they will hold a morning skate.
It could also be either Spencer Martin in goal, who hasn't played in over a month, or Frederik Andersen just to keep the rotation going.
Could we also see a Jackson Blake or Bradly Nadeau debut?
We'll see.
Streaks
- Jake Guentzel (6g, 7a) has points in eight straight games.
- Jordan Martinook (1g, 3a) and Andrei Svechnikov (2g, 4a) have points in four straight games.
- Seth Jarvis (4g, 1a) has scored in three straight games.
- Sebastian Aho (1g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- Dmitry Orlov is one point shy of 300 career points.
- Brett Pesce is two points shy of 200 career points.
Game Notes
- Carolina is 3-0-0 against Columbus this season with a 3-2 win on Nov. 26, a 4-2 win on Feb. 29, and a 3-0 win on April 7.
- Jake Guentzel (13g, 28pts in 23 games) and Seth Jarvis (3g, 9pts in 9 games) are point-per-game players against the Blue Jackets.
Key Matchups
Starting Goalies
- Spencer Martin: 7-8-2; 0.896 Sv%; 3.14 GAA
- Frederik Andersen: 13-2-0; 0.932 Sv%; 1.84 GAA
- Elvis Merzlikins: 13-17-8; 0.897 Sv%; 3.45 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Sebastian Aho (36) / Kirill Marchenko (23)
- Points - Sebastian Aho (89) / Johnny Gaudreau (59)
Power Play
- Carolina - 27.1% (2nd)
- Columbus - 15.2% (30th)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 86.3% (1st)
- Columbus - 76.2% (25th)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Jake Guentzel - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Stefan Noesen - Jack Drury - Martin Necas
Andrei Svechnikov - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Jesper Fast
Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burns
Brady Skjei - Brett Pesce
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Spencer Martin
Frederik Andersen
Injuries and Scratches: Pyotr Kochetkov, Tony DeAngelo, Brendan Lemieux, Scott Morrow, Bradly Nadeau, Jackson Blake, Teuvo Teravainen (undisclosed),
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
Johnny Gaudreau - Dmitri Voronkov - Alex Nylander
Alexandre Texier - Cole Sillinger - Kirill Marchenko
Mikael Pyyhtia - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta - Justin Danforth - Gavin Brindley
Zach Werenski - Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov - Erik Gudbranson
Nick Blankenburg - David Jiricek
Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves
Injuries and Scratches: Adam Fantilli (leg), Yegor Chinakov (UBI), Adam Boqvist (UBI), Boone Jenner (personal), Daniil Tarasov (UBI), Jake Bean (hand), Carson Meyer (UBI), Brendan Gaunce (UBI), Kent Johnson (shoulder)