The Canes seek to snap a three-game losing streak.
In the last game before the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Carolina Hurricanes are still searching for their first win this month.
Angst is setting in among the Caniacs, as line combinations, power play struggles, and the lack of production from new acquisitions are frustrating the Carolina faithful.
Especially with the recent flu outbreak in the locker room, the Hurricanes need this 4 Nations Face-Off break. The break would be that much better with a sendoff victory.
This afternoon is the second matchup between these teams. Carolina’s first trip to Salt Lake City was a frustrating game, as the Canes hammered 50 shots on net but lost 4-1.
UHC’s predecessor, the Arizona Coyotes, was 1-1-8 in the last ten games against the Hurricanes and had just two wins in the previous nine trips to Raleigh.
Utah has been hovering around .500 all season and has been streaky at times.
In January, a three-game losing streak was followed by a three-game winning streak. A five-game losing streak led to Utah’s current two-game winning streak.
Four of UHC’s last five games have gone to overtime. Despite two losses, earning points in those games has helped Utah stay in the Western Wild Card hunt. Utah is six points out of the final Wild Card spot.
Utah has been a much better road team this season. UHC is 14-10-3 on the road and, with seven consecutive road victories, set the NHL record for the longest road winning streak by an expansion franchise.
Utah captain Clayton Keller is on pace for another point-per-game season. He leads Utah in points, assists, shots, and power play points.
Winger Dylan Guenther leads the team in goals despite missing 12 games this season due to injury.
Two games ago, Guenther returned to the lineup after a month and made a huge impact, scoring two goals and tallying one assist in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia. He is on a two-game goal-scoring streak with his score against Columbus on Thursday night.
In terms of point production, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is having a very good year. His ten goals match his career high, and Sergachev is logging more average minutes than any time in his career. Sergachev will need 31 points to set a career-high, but he needs just seven more points for the second-most in his career.
Utah has alternated their goalies over the past few weeks, so expect Karel Vejmelka in net. Vejmelka stunted in the Canes back in November, setting a career-high with 49 saves in the win.
Vejmelka has a losing record, but he ranks ninth in the league with a 2.46 goals against average and 14th with a .910 save percentage.
Carolina seems snakebit since ending January on a seven-game points streak. Despite generating many opportunities, the Canes have scored just three goals in the last three games.
It seems that the recent lull in scoring is causing the Hurricanes to grip their sticks a bit too tightly or make unnecessary passes.
The team needs a breather, and the upcoming schedule break could not come at a better time.
A hard reset on the power play is needed, but that probably won’t happen today. The Utah penalty kill is ranked sixth in the NHL, so the Hurricanes face another uphill battle on the man advantage.
There is good news. Carolina is back home in Raleigh, where the Canes have the most home wins among Eastern Conference teams.
Via Walt Ruff, the Hurricanes are wearing the red sweaters this afternoon, and the team is 7-1-1 in those jerseys.
Ruff confirms Pyotr Kochetkov will get the start between the pipes. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour says there may be lineup changes and specifically points to the availability of Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen.
Pyotr Kochetkov starts today for the #Canes against Utah.
As far as the rest of the lineup goes, Rod Brind’Amour says that there are still a couple of question marks.
When asked specifically about the availability of Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen, he answered, “We’ll see.” pic.twitter.com/wNZ85sBNWm
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) February 8, 2025
Here’s how to check out the action:
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
- 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 -230; PL: CAR -1.5 +114