The Carolina Hurricanes had themselves a pretty good weekend. After obliterating the Panthers, 9-1, on Friday night, the team traveled to New Jersey on Saturday and got the job done again. While Nikolaj Ehlers provided the hat trick on Friday, it was Andrei Svechnikov's turn on Saturday, scoring three times for the fourth time in his career in a 4-1 win over the Devils.
After losing their first two games of 2026, the Hurricanes have turned things around, winning six of their last eight games (6-1-1). The power play has been one of the biggest areas of improvement. On December 5, the Canes were 31st in the league (13.2%). Since then, they've gone 22-for-73 (30.1%), jumping all the way to 13th after striking four times on Friday against the Cats.
On the Other Side: Buffalo Sabres
Last meeting: The Sabres welcomed the Hurricanes to town on November 23 for a Sunday afternoon battle. Each team scored on the power play in the first period, but the game was won in the second. The Sabres struck twice to break the 1-1 tie, adding a third unanswered goal into the empty net. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 stops as the Sabres won, 4-1.
It feels like forever ago since the Buffalo Sabres were a legitimate threat to make the playoffs. When they met in November, things weren't trending in the best direction, though they'd hovered around .500 for most of the season. Even in the weeks after, the Sabres sat at 11-14-4, putting them on pace for another disappointing season. On December 9, everything changed.
On that Tuesday night, the Sabres beat the Oilers, 4-3, in overtime. This win proved to be incredibly important, beginning a ten-game winning streak that took them through the end of 2025. All of a sudden, the Sabres were back in the playoff fight. They've continued this fight into the new year, putting them at 15-2-1 since that fateful night in Edmonton, and moving them into a Wild Card spot.
This afternoon begins a five-game road trip for the Sabres. They've won eight of their last nine games outside of Buffalo. The Sabres have been stingy on defense, allowing just 2.50 goals per game over their last 18 contests. Alex Lyon is yet to lose during this stretch (7-0-0), while Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen has been rolling, too.
Sabres to Watch
Tage Thompson: Part of the reason for the big turnaround has been Thompson's continued scoring. Thompson enters the night with points in his last seven (5-8-13), and 12 goals and 27 points in his last 18 games. He recorded a hat trick and two assists on Thursday night against Montreal. Thompson has also scored in both meetings this season.
Mattias Samuelsson: An often-overlooked part of the Sabres' core, Samuelsson is one of the more underrated defensemen in the league. He trails only Dahlin in ice time and is third among the defensive group in points. Samuelsson has already blown past his career numbers, and we haven't even hit the Olympic break yet.
Hurricanes to Watch
Seth Jarvis: Since returning from injury at the beginning of the month, Jarvis has been a point-per-game player. He has already scored 20 goals for the season, and he has been dynamite on special teams. Jarvis had a trio of assists over the weekend, but I would like to see him find the back of the net again this afternoon.
Jordan Martinook: The Hurricanes have performed poorly during their matinee games this season, including their last meeting against Buffalo. With the Sabres entering the game on fire, it'll be up to the Staal line to set the tone. They've been excellent with Ehlers added to the trio. While he only has one assist since his addition, Martinook has been all over it.