Ehlers Quietly Helps Carolina Hold Off Columbus
The Hurricanes edge the Blue Jackets 3-2 at home while the forward's night stays low on noise and high on one assist.
Nikolaj Ehlers had a quiet night in a Carolina 3-2 win over Columbus: one assist, no shots on goal, and a plus 1 rating in 15:27 of ice time.
That ice time ranked 13th among the Hurricanes' 18 skaters and eighth among their 12 forwards. His assist came at even strength. He added no hits or blocks, took no penalties, and gave the puck away once. He also had one shot attempt into an empty net, which did not count as a shot on goal.
Against his season numbers, it was a slightly lighter night. He averages 16.2 minutes and has 4 goals and 8 assists in 15 games, and he went without a shot on goal here. One point is still one more than a blank sheet.
The result is what mattered for Carolina, who sit first in the Eastern Conference at 10-2-2. Columbus fell to 5-5-0 despite arriving with two straight overtime wins.