Carolina's faceoff dominance and territorial control were always going to win this game — Merzlikins conceding 2.90 goals above average simply confirmed the margin.
Carolina's 5-1 demolition of Columbus was decided before the second period began — a 3-0 first-period eruption built on shot dominance, faceoff control, and a shorthanded goal that exposed every systemic gap CBJ brought into Lenovo Center. This Metro division showdown confirmed the gap between a 50-win team and a bubble playoff side.
⚡TURNING POINT
Svechnikov's power-play goal at 6:44 of the third extended the lead to 5-1, eliminating any mathematical hope CBJ carried out of the second period. With a four-goal cushion, Carolina could dictate structure for the final 13 minutes and protect the result without risk.
🏆WHY CAR WON
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Carolina's faceoff dominance — 60.5% on 43 draws — generated consistent offensive zone starts and denied CBJ the possession entries needed to generate pressure.
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Shot volume (21 to 10) reflected a territorial control that never shifted; CBJ could not sustain zone time long enough to threaten Andersen, who conceded exactly at league-average on 10 shots.
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The shorthanded goal at 12:50 of the first destroyed CBJ's one special-teams leverage point; going down 3-0 on a SH goal while on the power play collapsed the game plan entirely.
📉WHY CBJ LOST
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Merzlikins conceded 2.90 goals above average on 21 shots — in a four-goal game, that margin was the difference between a contest and a rout.
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17 giveaways against a structured Carolina forecheck turned puck management into a liability and repeatedly reset offensive zone pressure in Carolina's favor.
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A 0-for-4 power play removed CBJ's primary path back into the game, leaving them reliant on even-strength scoring they never generated.
Three Stars
Logan Stankoven1st
CAR, C
2G2P4 SOGTOI 15:09+2
Two even-strength goals inside the first nine minutes set the tone and gave Carolina a lead it never relinquished.
Sebastian Aho2nd
CAR, C
2A2PTOI 16:30+1
Aho's distribution connected the shorthanded goal and the power-play finish, anchoring both special-teams sequences that defined the game's structure.
Taylor Hall3rd
CAR, L
2A2PTOI 13:50+2
Hall assisted on both Stankoven goals, making him the primary architect of the first-period burst that decided the contest.
