The Hurricanes will look to snap their season long three-game losing streak against the Avs.
What - Game 26 (16-8-1)
When - 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5
Where - Lenovo Center; Raleigh, NC
How to Watch - FanDuel Sports Network South
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to end their season-long, three-game losing streak tonight as they host the Colorado Avalanche (14-12-0).
Carolina has struggled as of late, partly due to shaky goaltending but also due to the struggles of its top players.
If the Canes want to come out ahead, they need to simplify their game and commit to just working hard and grinding the Avs down.
Easier said then done though as Colorado has so often shown.
The Avs are coming off of a 5-4 comeback win over the Buffalo Sabres in which they scored five unanswered goals to take the win.
Nathan MacKinnon, who's tied with Martin Necas and Kirill Kaprizov for the league lead in scoring, continues to show why he's the reigning MVP and his combination of speed, strength and scoring is a hard thing to stop.
However, Colorado has had a plethora of injury issues making them very top heavy in their lineup and their goaltending has also been some of the worst in the league.
Streaks
- None
Milestone Watch
- None
Game Notes
- Carolina is 0-1-0 against Colorado this season after a 6-4 loss on Nov. 9. The Canes allowed five goals in the second period en route to losing the game.
- The Hurricanes are on a season-long, three-game losing streak. It's only the third time this season they've lost in consecutive games.
- The last time the Canes hosted the Avs, Martin Necas scored a first-period, natural hat trick, the first hatty of his career.
Key Matchups
Starting Goalies
- Pyotr Kochetkov: 10-3-0; 0.900 Sv%; 2.55 GAA
- Scott Wedgewood: 2-2-1; 0.895 Sv%; 3.11 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Martin Necas (13) / Mikko Rantanen (15)
- Points - Martin Necas (39) / Nathan MacKinnon (39)
Power Play
- Carolina - 27.5% (4th)
- Colorado - 26.8% (6th)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 82.6% (6th)
- Colorado - 73.1% (27th)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Jack Roslovic
Eric Robinson - Jack Drury - Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Seth Jarvis
William Carrier - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Jackson Blake
Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere - Sean Walker
Pyotr Kochetkov
Dustin Tokarski
Injuries and Scratches: Frederik Andersen (LBI), Jesper Fast (neck)
Avalanche Projected Lineup
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Mikko Rantanen
Nikolai Kovalenko - Casey Mittelstadt - Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta - Ivan Ivan - Logan O'Connor
Nikita Prishchepov - Parker Kelly - Chris Wagner
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Samuel Girard - Sam Malinski
Calvin de Haan - John Ludvig
Scott Wedgewood
Alexander Georgiev
Injuries and Scratches: Keaton Middleton, Ross Colton (foot), Jonathan Drouin (UBI), Oliver Kylington (UBI), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Josh Manson (UBI), Miles Wood (UBI)