Carolina Hurricanes vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 1: Preview and Storm Advisory

After blowing a 2-0 lead on Wednesday against the Florida Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes will look to right the ship tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. The last time these two teams played the Blackhawks ended the Canes’ five-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory on Feb. 4th.

The Canes currently sit one point behind Chicago in the Central Division, and the Hawks are tied for the division lead with the Panthers. While this seems like a vital game, the Canes have four games in hand on the Blackhawks and the Blue Jackets who are the next closest team to them in the standings.

Game Notes

• So far this season the Hurricanes have not lost two games in a row and they will look to keep that streak alive tonight.
• Wednesday’s game against the Panthers was the first time the Canes have lost a game in overtime this year and first regular season overtime loss since Feb. 29, 2020. The Canes had won their previous five regular-season games that went to the extra frame.
• Tonight’s game will be the first of two times the Hurricanes will wear their Reverse Retro Whalers jersey this season.
• Jordan Staal continues his offensive tear, leading the Hurricanes with seven goals and 15 points and having scored in four straight games. How long can Staal continue this pace? That’s going to be interesting to watch.
• For Chicago, Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with 23 points and is one of only four players on the team to be on the good side of zero in plus/minus.
• Chicago’s power play is very dangerous, ranking second in the NHL and converting 32.7% of the time. The Hurricanes’ penalty kill ranks 15th at 80.4%. For a team that prides itself on defense, the penalty kill needs to be better than just average so this will be a match-up to pay attention to.
• Both Nino Niederreiter and Vincent Trochek sit two points shy of 300 career points in the NHL.
• The Hurricanes and Blackhawks are meeting for the 82nd time in their histories, with Carolina holding a 37-34-7-3 overall record

Storm Advisory

Yesterday’s News Today

• Brett Pesce Once Again Proving How Valuable He is to the Hurricanes
• Jordan Staal’s two-way play fuels Canes’ hot start
• Central Division Weekly Roundup: Podium Sweep for the Southeast Division

Reading Assignments

• After the acquisition of Cedric Paquette, Morgan Geekie has found himself with no spot on the Hurricanes roster. In an effort to get him reps and game action the team has assigned him to the Chicago Wolves. [Hurricanes]
• Speaking of Paquette, he joined Michael and Mike on this week’s Canes Cast. [Hurricanes]
• Could there be fans at PNC Arena soon?

• Former Hurricane Scott Darling has been released from his AHL PTO:

• The Dallas Stars have had to postpone four games due to weather-related challenges which makes an already condensed scheduling even harder. [Dallas News]
• As NHL deals with COVID-19 issues, is on-ice transmission among players to blame? [USA Today]
• With the outdoor games at Lake Tahoe set to take place this weekend, we’ve got lots of Tahoe news for you. Starting with everything you should expect. [The Athletic $]
• The outdoor games at Lake Tahoe are a risk for the NHL, but where could the next outdoor fan-less game be played? [ESPN+ $]
• The Flyers, who have been battling COVID-19 which almost caused the league to replace them in the outdoor contest, will be without six regulars in their game against Boston on Sunday. [NHL]
• The NHL has moved up the start time for Sunday’s game between the Bruins and Flyers to avoid direct sunshine. [ESPN]
• NHL Lake Tahoe event owes nod to ‘Mystery, Alaska’. [NHL]
• The NHL meets Lake Tahoe: How the league will pull off outdoor games on picturesque golf course. [USA Today]
• Lastly, take a look at some of these views: