Weekly Preview: Hurricane’s Opponents This Week
The Carolina Hurricanes finished up the holiday week with a much-needed victory at home against the Calgary Flames at PNC Arena. The game capped off a busy four-game week.
The losing streak also ended with the victory against Calgary but the team picked up 4 out of a possible 8 points despite being in the midst of a 5-game losing streak.
Other than Thanksgiving and the four matches, the Hurricanes were able to lock up an important player in Pyotr Kochetkov for four years.
This will make Kochetkov the only goaltender with a contract beyond this season.
The Week Ahead
The week begins with a trip to Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins tomorrow evening.
This will be the first of six road games on this trip that will last until the middle of December when the Hurricanes return home to face the Seattle Kraken.
The rest of this week rounds up with a visit to St. Louis to face the Blues and then on Saturday the trip across the country is covered with a game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Before facing the Western Conference, the Hurricanes will have a strong test with the Penguins. This game will have early implications on the standings as the Penguins are currently two points behind the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins have been hot lately, winning seven of their last ten games. With the usual characters in the Pittsburgh lineup, the Penguins have continued to light the lamp with 77 goals. That is good for third in the Eastern Conference.
Kochetkov and his new contract will surely be a factor this week and is more than likely to start at least two of the three games.
St. Louis had a very slow start to the season but has picked it up of late, winning eight of their last ten games.
The Kings are a structured team with some size but have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net.
A tough, physical game is to be expected but the Hurricanes will have mistakes to cash in on, especially on the power play.
Earlier today, Rod Brind’Amour stated that Teuvo Teravainen will be joining the team on the road trip but is not guaranteed to suit up.
It is safe to say that the three games this week will not feature Teravainen, especially against a physical team like the Kings. However, it is nice to see that Teravainen is that close to returning.
It is a sign of good things to come on the injury front. Max Pacioretty and Frederik Andersen have been on the ice practicing, with longer return dates expected.
To keep up with the rest of the division, the Hurricanes will need to grab at least three points this week. A big two-point regulation victory tomorrow would be the most important of the week.
If the standings can stay relatively the same, the Hurricanes are set for a battle in New York against the Islanders on Saturday, December 10th.