Game #75 preview, the Hurricanes are coming to try to blow away the Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets are running out of time. With just eight games left on their schedule, they need to try to win six of them to guarantee a playoff spot. It's a tall task, which would be a lot easier if they didn't have two games against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Tonight, they'll start the first of a home-and-home series against one of the best teams in the NHL. If they can rediscover the magic that saw them beat this same Carolina team 5-1 just two weeks ago, I like their odds. If not, well...this could get ugly.

The Canes should be well motivated tonight, after losing their last game 3-1 on Sunday night, at home against the Canadiens. And, we know this team will be locked in after the way they performed last time they were at Nationwide.

The Opponent

Carolina has essentially run away with the Metropolitan Division title this season. They are 46-21-6 (98 points), 9 points clear of the second place New York Islanders, with one fewer game played. They haven't yet clinched a playoff spot, but that's just a formality at this point.

The only question for them regards seeding. Currently, they are in a 3-way tie for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, though they would lose out on the tie breaker. That means they would finish second in the conference and earn a first round date with the first wild card team.

The Canes are, essentially, what the Blue Jackets aspire to become. They are a smaller market team that lacks one real superstar talent, but instead relies on playing a fast, structure-heavy game. That makes sense, because they were mostly assembled under Don Waddell. That's what he has tried to replicate in Columbus.

Up front, the Canes are led in scoring by Sebastian Aho, who has 25 goals and 74 points in 73 games this season. Their leading goal scorer is Seth Jarvis (30 goals), and his 62 points has him tied for second in scoring with Andrei Svechnikov. Nik Ehlers is just one point back.

Overall, they have a very balanced attack; one capable of striking multiple times in quick succession. Once they get their forecheck going, they are extremely hard to slow down. The key is weathering those bursts and getting out unscathed.

They have relied on goaltending by committee this season, with rookie Brandon Bussi emerging as one of the best stories of the NHL this year. He was claimed off of waivers before the season started, and has gone on to start more games for the Canes than anyone else (34).

Veteran Frederik Andersen has started 31, and on any given night, either guy has proven capable of holding down the fort. It really doesn't matter who is in the crease, though. This team is 6th in the NHL in goals scored (253) and 7th in goals against (213).

Update: Bussi gets the start.

The Good Guys

The Blue Jackets have lost all of the momentum they gained from the Rick Bowness coaching bump. They have lost three games in a row, and four of their last five; scoring just nine goals in those five games.

On Saturday, they blew a third period lead and lost the game in regulation, thanks to a late San Jose tally. As disappointing as that was, Sunday was even worse. They blew a 3-0 lead in the final 13 minutes before losing in a shootout to the Boston Bruins, a team they need to catch in the standings.

How much different would this team look with the (at least) 2 additional points they should have picked up from those games? Instead, now they are looking at two must win games against these Canes. It won't be easy.

Mathieu Olivier left Sunday's game with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He joins Dmitri Voronkov and Damon Severson, both of whom also hit the injury list with similar ailments this past week. The team recalled Luca del bel Belluz from Cleveland last night, to help stem the injury tide.

So, we are probably facing some more lineup changed for the Blue Jackets. We will update the article once we see official lineup announcements.

Update: Kent Johnson goes onto the fourth line. Luca del bel Belluz will be the healthy scratch. Jet Greaves to start in goal.

Three Keys to Success

1. Find the offensive formula. The Blue Jackets aren't going to win many games by scoring less than two goals per game on average. They need their best players to find the back of the net tonight, and that is a tough ask against the Canes.

2. Fix the leaks. Maybe more concerning than their offensive woes, has been their play in the defensive zone. The late collapses have reared their ugly head again over the last few games, and that is a bad thing.

3. Need a miracle. Winning 6 out of 8 games is a huge ask. Doing that while playing against teams like this is almost unheard of. The Jackets are holding on by a thread, and need a miracle to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Tonight's game is a national TV exclusive, so puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 Eastern. It's the third of four matchups between these two teams, with the home team winning each of the first two. They'll face off for the final time on Thursday in Raleigh. Let's go Jackets!