Carolina Hurricanes (21-7-3, second in the Central Division) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (13-13-7, fifth in the Central Division)
Columbus, Ohio; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Carolina visits Columbus after the Hurricanes shut out Columbus 3-0. Alex Nedeljkovic earned the victory in the net for Carolina after recording 19 saves.
The Blue Jackets are 13-13-7 against the rest of their division. Columbus has converted on 14.8% of power-play opportunities, recording 12 power-play goals.
The Hurricanes are 21-7-3 in division matchups. Carolina is ninth in the league with 31.5 shots per game and is averaging 3.2 goals.
The teams meet for the second game in a row.
TOP PERFORMERS: Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the Blue Jackets with 11 goals, adding 16 assists and recording 27 points. Seth Jones has three goals over the last 10 games for Columbus.
Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes with a plus-12 in 28 games this season. Sebastian Aho has seven goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Carolina.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jackets: 5-3-2, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.7 assists, 2.6 penalties and six penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .907 save percentage.
Hurricanes: 7-1-2, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.8 assists, 3.4 penalties and 6.8 penalty minutes while giving up 1.8 goals per game with a .936 save percentage.
INJURIES: Blue Jackets: Alexandre Texier: day to day (illness), Mikhail Grigorenko: day to day (illness).
Hurricanes: Teuvo Teravainen: out (concussion), Jake Gardiner: day to day (back), Petr Mrazek: out (thumb), Vincent Trocheck: day to day (upper body).
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