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Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes Game One Preview and Storm Advisory

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to kick off their 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at home against the Predators.

By Zeke Lukow

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NHL: Carolina Hurricanes at Nashville Predators Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators are familiar foes, playing their third straight game against each other, but their first of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Both teams have had seven days off to fully get healthy and ready for the postseason. The game will look very different from the most recent one that we saw.

These games will also feature one more huge change. Both arenas will be lifting a lot of their social distancing rules that limit the number of fans in attendance. With this weekend’s games, it was easy to see the impact on the intensity of play in games with fewer fans, and games with almost full arenas like in Florida.

Vital Stats

Category Carolina Nashville
Category Carolina Nashville
Head-to-Head 6-2-0 2-5-1
Total Goals For 24 17
Shots For per Game 30.3 29
Total Goals Against 17 24
Shots Against per Game 29 30.3
Leading Scorers Sebastian Aho (5-3-8) Ryan Johanson (2-2-4)
cont. Vincent Trocheck (3-5-8) Mattias Ekholm (1-3-4)
cont. --------------------------------------------------- Dante Fabbro (0-4-4)
PP 34.6% 11.1%
PK 88.9% 65.4%
FOW% 52.1% 47.9%
Penalties 33 31
Hits 162 185
Giveaways 71 64
Takeaways 40 31
Blocks 94 114

Goaltender #1

Category Frederik Andersen Linus Ullmark
Category Frederik Andersen Linus Ullmark
Record 35-14-3 26-10-2
Save % .922 .917
GAA 2.17 2.45

Goaltender #2

Category Antti Raanta Jeremy Swayman
Category Antti Raanta Jeremy Swayman
Record 15-5-4 23-14-3
Save % .912 .914
GAA 2.45 2.41

Goaltender #3

Category James Reimer Kasimir Kaskisuo
Category James Reimer Kasimir Kaskisuo
Record 15-5-2 0-0-0
Save % .906 .000
GAA 2.66 0.00

Game Notes

  • Sebastian Aho is two assists shy of passing Matt Cullen and Cory Stillman for the fourth-most assists in franchise playoff history. He is also three points away from passing three players for fifth-most playoff points in franchise history.
  • The Hurricanes and Predators have met 39 times in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 21-14-1-3 overall record, including a 13-3-1-3 home record
  • Vincent Trocheck has posted 18 points (7g, 11a) in 18 career regular-season games against Nashville.
  • Carolina finished the 2020-21 regular season ranked second on the power play (25.6%) and third on the penalty kill (85.2%). This season marked the first time in franchise history that the team has ranked in the top five in both categories.
  • Alex Nedeljkovic is looking to join Peter Sidorkiewicz (1989), Kay Whitmore (1989), and Cam Ward (2006) as the fourth rookie goaltender in franchise history to appear in a playoff game. We know what Ward was able to accomplish in 2006

Reading Assignments

  • The North Division will not start their playoffs until the final two games of the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames have been completed. But, why are those games still so important to the NHL? [$The Athletic]
  • Peter Laviolette has updates on injured Capitals players, hints that Craig Anderson will start in Game Two. [RMNB]
  • The ESPN staff gave their first-round predictions this weekend. 16 insiders participated. [ESPN]
  • St Louis Blues could be without David Perron to start their series against the Colorado Avalanche. Perron, the leading scorer for the Blues, is in COVID protocol. [NHL]

Series Updates

Central

Panthers 0 - Lightning 1

East

Penguins 0 - Islanders 1

Capitals 1 - Bruins 0

West

Avalanche 0 - Blues 0

Golden Knights 0 - Wild 1

North

Maple Leafs 0 - Canadiens 0

Oilers 0 - Jets 0