Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Odds, Spread, and Total
Carolina lost its interrupted home-and-home series with Montreal. The Hurricanes hope to succeed at the real thing when they visit Columbus for the front end of a home-and-home this Tuesday…
Carolina lost its interrupted home-and-home series with Montreal. The Hurricanes hope to succeed at the real thing when they visit Columbus for the front end of a home-and-home this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Are the Carolina Hurricanes the only comfortable team in the Eastern Conference? Getting a win against Zach Werenski and the Blue Jackets would help to keep it that way. Like chess players who squandered a material advantage, several NHL clubs have looked invincible in the 2025-26 race before slumping and finding themselves as desperate for points as everyone else. Tampa Bay, for instance, is now just 10 points ahead of the wild-card water line. Carolina wants to avoid needing a winning streak in April.
Beating the Blue Jackets would vault the Hurricanes to the 100-point mark with eight dates to go, clearing the way for rest and playoff preparations during next month's slate. The standings may be telling us that Seth Jarvis' team will fight hard to virtually clinch first place via a road victory. But with opposing Columbus urgently trying to snap its skid, will Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour let the Canes bang and crash? Carolina's lack of injury woes will be a boon for the playoffs if Carolina avoids the rough stuff for now.
Spread
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+194)
- Blue Jackets +1.5 (-261)
Money line
- Hurricanes -130
- Blue Jackets +102
Total
- Over 6.5 (-115)
- Under 6.5 (-116)
Note: The above data was collected on March 31, 2026, and may have changed since writing.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends
- The Carolina Hurricanes have gone 2-2 in their last four road games.
- Columbus carries a four-game win streak over Carolina on home ice.
- Totals have gone under in just two of the teams' last seven meetings.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets Injury Reports
Carolina Hurricanes
- None
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Center Mathieu Olivier is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
- Left winger Dmitri Voronkov is out with a hand injury.
- Defenseman Damon Severson is out with an upper-body injury.
- Defenseman Brendan Smith is out with a knee injury.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets Predictions and Picks
Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins owns such a larger contract than the Blue Jackets' sensational upstart Calvin “Jet” Greaves that Merzlikins will continue to start games, even though Greaves has been outstanding in early 2026. The Boston Bruins' three-goal third period against Greaves that led to Boston's 4-3 shootout triumph on Sunday could prompt head coach Rick Bowness to sit the youngster down and give Merzlikins another chance.
Then again, it was the Blue Jackets' former backup who backstopped Columbus' 5-1 win over Carolina in the clubs' last meeting on March 17. Carolina could answer a Greaves start with Brandon Bussi in goal following the end of Fredrick Andersen's five-game win streak in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Montreal. Jarvis, who has just reached the 30-goal mark for 2025-26, will hope to improve on his one shot-on-goal against Greaves from two weeks ago.
Monday's take from the Associated Press spells out the Columbus contradiction. While the Blue Jackets host the Hurricanes after “losing three games in a row,” they're also coming off a recent romp of Carolina that was Columbus' fourth straight home-ice win in the series. That trend makes Columbus into the sober pick ATS.
