Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers: Game Preview and Storm Advisory

There’s snow on the ground in Raleigh, more is on the way, the Carolina Hurricanes are back in action after two days off, and probably the biggest visiting-team draw in the NHL comes to PNC Arena tonight for the first time in nearly two years. Add to it that these two teams sit atop the Metropolitan Division (and in the top five league wide), and it’s certainly going to be a raucous atmosphere tonight as the Canes see the New York Rangers for the inaugural time this season.

Game Notes

• You’re probably used to seeing these sorts of notes in relation to Western Conference teams, and for good reason; the pandemic combined with the infrequent matchups made it understandable. But we’re nearly halfway into the season and this is the first time the Canes and Rangers – two division rivals – have seen each other in the regular season in almost two years.
• And it’s been even longer than that since the Hurricanes actually won a game against the Rangers, who have had their number like no other team. In the past ten seasons, the Hurricanes are just 8-25-7 against New York. (Of course, that doesn’t include the Canes’ opening-round playoff series win against the Rangers in the Toronto bubble in 2020.)
• This is his second season with the Hurricanes, but tonight will be Jesper Fast’s first game against the team that drafted him. The 2010 sixth-round pick played 422 games for the Rangers from 2013-2020. Tonight will be his 83rd game with the Canes.
• But Fast isn’t the only player facing his former team tonight: the Canes have five (!!) players on the roster who are former Rangers and are lining up against the Blueshirts for the first time tonight as members of the Hurricanes. Tony DeAngelo, Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta and, if he plays, Brendan Smith are all former Rangers. Throw in Brady Skjei, who’s done this a time or two before, and the “Rangers South” moniker is extremely apropos.
• Meanwhile, while we’re on the games-played train, tonight will be Sebastian Aho’s 400th NHL game. On a points-per-game basis, the only players more productive from the 2015 draft than Aho are Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen. Pretty heady company.
• Oh, and Adam Fox won the Norris Trophy last year. Let us not speak of this again.

Storm Advisory

• A familiar face will be back in the broadcast booth tonight:

• With one coming off the Covid list, one takes his place: Jordan Martinook was placed in the Covid protocol yesterday, joining Martin Necas on the shelf for tonight.
• If you missed it, the schedule revisions are complete and the Canes will be busy between now and the end of April.
• Justin Williams’ annual summer hockey camp has a new location this year:

• Yesterday’s news today: Prospect Rankings #20-11, Metro Roundup
• What might have been. [The N&O]