CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:
INJURY REPORT
Frederik Andersen, blood clotting, missed 22 games (11/7-12/23)
2023-24 Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 50
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 26 Recalled Antti Raanta from Chicago (AHL) and reassigned Yaniv Perets to Norfolk (ECHL)
HURRICANES vs. PREDATORS SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing Nashville in the second and final meeting between the teams during the 2023-24 season. — The Hurricanes and Predators are meeting for the 45th time in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 23-16-1-4 overall record, including a 9-12-0-0 road record. — Nashville leads the season series 1-0-0 in 2023-24 (Carolina: 0-0-1), but the Hurricanes are 15-5-1 in the teams’ last 21 matchups dating back to 2016-17. — Carolina suffered a 6-5 overtime loss against Nashville at PNC Arena on 12/15. Michael Bunting (2a), Martin Necas (1g, 1a) and Stefan Noesen (1g, 1a) each tallied two points, and Sebastian Aho, Jalen Chatfield and Tony DeAngelo also scored for the Hurricanes. Antti Raanta stopped 24 of 30 shots faced in net. — Sebastian Aho has registered 20 points (11g, 9a) in 21 career regular-season games against the Predators. — Martin Necas has earned 10 points (2g, 8a) in 15 career regular-season games against Nashville. — Andrei Svechnikov has recorded 12 points (7g, 5a) in 14 career regular-season games against the Predators. — Hurricanes Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels posted four points (1g, 3a) in nine games with Nashville in 1998-99. He was selected by the Predators in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft and spent just one season with the team before re-signing with the Hurricanes as a free agent ahead of the 1999-00 season. — Predators Assistant Coach Todd Richards played for the Whalers from 1990-92, registering four assists in eight NHL games with Hartford. Acquired from the Canadiens on 10/11/90 in exchange for future considerations, Richards also tallied 10 points (2g, 8a) in 14 AHL playoff games as the Springfield Indians won the Calder Cup in 1991.
SERIAL KILLERS
The Hurricanes went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill vs. NYI (12/23), holding the opposing power play scoreless for the 11th time in their last 12 games (12/2-12/21: 36-for-37, 97.3%) and improving to 41-for-43 on the kill over their last 15 contests (11/26-12/23: 95.3%). Carolina has now been shorthanded 37 times in December, the sixth-most of any NHL team, while allowing a league-low one power-play goal this month (PHI/SEA: 3). There have been only four instances in franchise history (all since relocation) of Hartford/Carolina allowing two or fewer power-play goals over an entire calendar month with double-digit games played: January 2015 (25-for-26 in 12 GP), February 2015 (22-for-24 in 12 GP), November 2016 (29-for-31 in 14 GP) and February 2022 (36-for-38 in 10 GP). Since allowing a league-high 10 power-play goals over its first seven contests this season (10/11-10/24: 22-for-32, 68.8%), Carolina has allowed just nine over its last 27 games (10/26-12/23: 69-for-74, 93.2%), tied with FLA for the fewest of any NHL team over that span. The Hurricanes have also gone 23- for-23 on the kill over their last 11 games away from home (11/4-12/21), setting a franchise record for the longest streak of road contests without allowing a power-play goal (previous: 9, from 1/12/23-3/12/23).
NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:
ALL-TIME vs. CAROLINA
OVERALL (44 GP) 20-19-(1)-4
HOME (21 GP) 12-8-(0)-1
ROAD (23 GP) 8-11-(1)-3
LAST MEETING Dec. 15, 2023 at CAR (W, 6-5)
PLAYOFFS (0-1) 2021 First Round (L, 4-2)
− The Predators are 20-19-(1)-4 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 12-8-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena. − This is the second and final matchup between Nashville and Carolina in 2023-24; it is the first and only at home. − The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Hurricanes; they are 5-5-0 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five at home. − Nashville is 1-0-0 against Carolina this season, defeating the Hurricanes, 6-5, at PNC Arena on Dec. 15. The game featured 11 combined goals with Nashville receiving three-point efforts from both Roman Josi (1g-2a) and Ryan O’Reilly (1g-2a). − The Predators went 2-0-0 against the Hurricanes in 2022-23, sweeping the regular-season series for the first time since 2015-16. Juuse Saros made 64 saves in a 5-3 win at PNC Arena on Jan. 5 and followed it up with a 33-save shutout at home on April 6. − Nashville picked up its first-ever victory as an NHL franchise on Oct. 13, 1998 in a 3-2 win over Carolina. Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette scored the franchise’s first goal at 5:12 of the first period.
NOTABLES vs. CAROLINA
− Juuse Saros made 64 saves in Nashville’s win at Carolina on Jan. 5, 2023. It was the most saves in a game in franchise history, the most by an NHL goaltender since 1990 and tied for third-most in a game in NHL history. He owns a .927 save percentage, 2.54 goals-against average and one shutout in 14 career games against the Hurricanes. − Ryan McDonagh has 20 career points (6g-14a) against Carolina, the most among current Predators skaters. − Filip Forsberg owns eight goals and 14 points in 21 career meetings with Carolina. − Colton Sissons has four points (2g-2a) and a +2 rating in 20 career contests vs. Carolina. − Roman Josi has 15 points (3g-12a) in 25 career games against the Hurricanes.
ON A ROLL
− The Predators are 14-5-0 in their last 19 games, including a four-game win streak from Dec. 10-16, their second of at least that many games in 2023-24. − Since Nov. 18, the Predators lead the NHL in points with 28 (14-5-0). They have scored the joint fifth-most goals in the NHL (62) and are ninth in goals-against per game (2.74) in that span. − Nashville recorded a six-game win streak from Nov. 18-28. It was Nashville’s first six-game win streak since claiming seven in a row from Dec. 4-17, 2021. The franchise record is 10 games, set from Feb. 19-March 8, 2018; the Predators also won eight in a row from Oct. 5-25, 2005. − Nashville owns an 11-8-0 record at Bridgestone Arena, tied for the fourth-most home wins in the NHL this season.
QUICK HITS
− Nashville’s forward line of Forsberg-O’Reilly-Nyquist is ninth in the NHL in expected goal percentage (at least 250 minutes together at 5-on-5) at 53.5 percent per MoneyPuck.com. − The Predators have three defensive pairs (who have spent at least 155 minutes together at 5-on-5) in the Top 25 in expected goals percentage, per MoneyPuck.com: McDonagh-Carrier (fourth, 60.9 percent); Josi-Fabbro (14th, 55.9 percent); and Josi-McDonagh (21st, 54.9 percent). − The Predators are 11th in the NHL in power-play goals with 25. Nashville has scored multiple power-play goals in the same game five times this season; the Predators did so nine times in 2022-23. − Nine players 25-years-old or younger have played in a game for Nashville in 2023-24: Marc Del Gaizo, Luke Evangelista, Dante Fabbro, Samuel Fagemo, Liam Foudy, Cody Glass, Juuso Parssinen, Spencer Stastney and Philip Tomasino. − Nashville leads the NHL in hits per 60 minutes (22.02) and hits (752). − The Predators have scored the first goal of a game 20 times (13-7-0), tied for the third-most in the NHL.
