Early look · NHL 2026-27

Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

ColumbusBlue Jackets2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 40-30-12 · 92 pts · 17that

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2nd

Puck drop3 Dec · 7:00 PM ET

VenueLenovo Center

All-time meetings69 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-one points apart last season

Columbus finished last season 17th in the league on 92 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113, and the 2025-26 season series went CAR 3-1-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 70

Across 69 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 38-21-10.

All-time record38-21-10Carolina's record in the series

Meetings played69This is number 70

2025-26 seriesCAR 3-1-0

Last 54-1Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

2 Apr 2026CBJ 1 – CAR 5——CAR

31 Mar 2026CAR 5 – CBJ 2——CAR

17 Mar 2026CAR 1 – CBJ 5——CBJ

9 Dec 2025CBJ 1 – CAR 4——CAR

23 Jan 2025CBJ 4 – CAR 7——CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColumbusCarolina

9 Dec 202513-11-6 · 32 pts20th18-9-2 · 38 pts5th

17 Mar 202635-21-11 · 81 pts12th42-19-6 · 90 pts3rd

31 Mar 202638-25-12 · 88 pts11th47-21-6 · 100 pts2nd

2 Apr 202638-26-12 · 88 pts13th48-21-6 · 102 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Dec 2025, Columbus were 20th in the league and Carolina 5th. By 2 Apr 2026 it was 13th and 2nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Columbus 267 to 210

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Columbus Blue Jackets

210 att · 89 on goal · 9 G · 10.1%

Crease15 att · 3 G

Slot89 att · 4 G

Wing73 att · 1 G

Point29 att · 1 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Carolina Hurricanes

267 att · 115 on goal · 15 G · 13.0%

Crease18 att · 2 G

Slot108 att · 7 G

Wing83 att · 2 G

Point52 att · 2 G

Neutral zone6 att · 2 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ColumbusCarolina

2.43xG for per game3.74

2.78xG against per game2.21

46.7%xG share62.9%

+2.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

−1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 2 games for Columbus, 4 for Carolina. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Columbus

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2740.0%

Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th

Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127

Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

89Matthew Knies22242.00

3Charlie Coyle20331.50

91Kent Johnson21121.00

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

8Zach Werenski20221.00

36Emil Andrae20110.50

5Denton Mateychuk20110.50

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Columbus

Expected starter after their game on 30 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 30 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

2 Apr 20266 · CBJ 1–5 CAR

31 Mar 20267 · CAR 5–2 CBJ

17 Mar 20266 · CAR 1–5 CBJ

9 Dec 20255 · CBJ 1–4 CAR

23 Jan 202511 · CBJ 4–7 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Columbus3.503.503.093.09

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.3Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings7.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

2 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

Injury report

Columbus · 2026 draft

See all: Columbus · 2026 draft →

#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW

#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC

#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW

#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG

Full draft

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

Thursday 3 December · the full slate

See all: Thursday 3 December · the full slate →

CARThis game 7:30 PM ET

Updated after every final