A quick Western Conference road trip starts tonight.
Tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes seek to break a very unusual trend that has been developing over the past week and a half and has played out a few times this season.
Since January 9, the Canes have beaten the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Pacific Division leaders, and a squad vying for a Western Conference wild card spot.
During that same period, Carolina has dropped games to the worst team in the Eastern Conference and third-worst in the West.
Tonight, the Hurricanes travel to Chicago to take on the worst team in the NHL. The Canes are heavy favorites, and the moneyline odds are the third-most favorable for the team this season.
Just three days removed from beating Vegas, how will the Canes respond tonight?
Chicago’s dark days continue. The Blackhawks have not made the playoffs since the 2016-17 season and have finished last in the Central Division four of the last seven seasons.
A poor start to the season and a particularly dreadful December have again put the team back in the cellar.
Nashville and Chicago have been in the bottom of the Central Division all season. Since the team’s December 21 loss against Calgary, the Blackhawks have not climbed out of the final spot in the division.
Head coach Luke Richardson was fired 26 games into his third season with Chicago. On December 5, 2024, Anders Sörensen, who led the Rockford IceHogs to three straight AHL playoff appearances, was promoted to interim head coach.
The Blackhawks have the second-worst goal differential in the league, allowing the fourth-most goals while scoring the third-least.
During five-on-five, Chicago has the second-worst goal differential and the worst corsi percentage in the league. For reference, Carolina has the best corsi percentage while ranking just 13th in goal differential.
This is important, considering the Blackhawks have the ninth-best power play in the NHL, converting 24.3 percent of opportunities.
That said, Chicago has had the fewest five-on-four minutes in the league. Despite the limited minutes, the Blackhawks are 20th in five-on-four goals (22) and 23rd in goal differential (+18).
On the kill, Chicago ranks seventh in the NHL. The team has accomplished an 82.7 penalty kill percentage while spending the fourth-most time four-on-five. The Blackhawks’ goal differential four-on-five is ninth-best in the NHL.
Special teams are often the difference-maker for underdogs. Needless to say, the Canes have to stay out of the box and get a power play tally.
Sophomore Connor Bedard continues to lead the Chicago offense. With 41 points in 46 games, he is scoring at a pace similar to his Calder Memorial Trophy-winning season last year.
Bedard leads the team with 18 power play points. He is 45th in overall scoring but 27th in power play scoring, once again emphasizing the importance of the Chicago power play.
Since the beginning of January, former Hurricane Teuvo Teravainen has led the Blackhawks in scoring. Turbo has nine points in eight games this month. Teravanien is second in team scoring with 10 goals and 23 assists.
Teravainen spent the most time with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev this season but has shifted to the first line with Bedard and Nick Foligno.
Between the pipes, former Cane Petr Mrazek has started 27 games for the Blackhawks. He is 9-16-1 with a 3.24 goals against average and .894 save percentage.
For Carolina, consistency remains the goal. Is it possible that tonight against the worst team in the NHL is a must-win game?
Since mid-November, the Hurricanes have not won more than two games in a row. This Western Conference back-to-back could be a springboard to a much-needed three-game winning streak or just another ride on the rollercoaster.
This season, the Canes have a 6-3 record on the first night of back-to-back games. Despite the solid record, Carolina cannot afford to look past Chicago with Dallas looming tomorrow night.
Last week’s Second Star of the Week, Jordan Staal, will appear in his 1,300th game tonight. He is the first player from the 2006 draft class and the 74th overall to reach this mark.
Brent Burns remains on milestone watch, with his next point being his 900th of his career.
The big question is when will Frederik Andersen return to the ice. He was activated from injured reserve and served as Pyotr Kochetkov’s backup against Vegas.
Via Walt Ruff, below are the lines and pairs from yesterday’s practice:
Forwards
- Svechnikov – Aho – Blake
- Roslovic – Drury – Necas
- Martinook – Staal – Jarvis
- Robinson – Kotkaniemi – Jaaska
Defensemen
- Slavin – Burns
- Smith – Walker
- Orlov – Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere is expected to be in the lineup tonight.
Here’s how to check out the action:
- Time: 8:30 PM ET
- Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network South with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst; Hanna Yates, in-game reporter; Shane Willis, analyst.
- Radio: 99.9 The Fan
- Line: ML: CAR -310; PL: CAR -1.5 -115