Browsing: Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. — Macklin Celebrini set up San Jose’s first two goals to tie for the NHL assists lead and added an empty-netter, helping the Sharks beat Carolina 4-1 on Sunday night for their first road victory over the Hurricanes since 2018.

Celebrini tied Edmonton star Connor McDavid for the assists lead with 28, and moved a point ahead of McDavid for second in the scoring race with 43 — six behind Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado.

The Sharks had lost six in a row in Raleigh since a 3-1 victory Feb. 4, 2018 — when Celebrini was 11 years old.

Collin Graf, John Klingberg and Alexander Wennberg also scored, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 29 shots against his former team.

Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes, and Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves in his first loss in five starts this season. The Hurricanes dropped to 3-3-0 with a game left on their homestand.

Celebrini found Klingberg in the slot for a one-timer at 7:54 of the second period to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Wennberg scored off a rebound with 4:46 to go in the period.

Nedeljkovic was particularly sharp in the third period with 16 saves. Celebrini capped the scoring with the empty-netter with 1:20 left.

The Hurricanes kicked off a celebration of the 20th anniversary of their 2006 Stanley Cup champion team on Sunday. Most of the players, and former coach Peter Laviolette, were at the game and will be honoured on the ice Tuesday night before a home game with Columbus.

Sharks: At Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

Hurricanes: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.

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The tides are beginning to turn for the Nashville Predators toward the end of 2025, as they have won four of their last five games and are on a back-to-back streak.

Thursday, they knocked off the Florida Panthers, 2-1, in overtime for their first victory over the Panthers since the 2023-24 season. Steven Stamkos had the game-winning goal, which was his fourth goal in five games.

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The Predators face a hefty task on Saturday in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes to extend their winning streak.

Here is everything you need to know for the Predators Saturday evening tilt.

Who: Nashville Predators (10-13-4, 8th Central) at Carolina Hurricanes (16-8-2, 2nd in Metropolitan)

When: 6 p.m. CST

Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina

TV: FanDuel Sports Network South

Radio: 102.5 The Game

Line (via BetMGM): Predators (+1.5) Hurricanes (-1.5). Over/under 6 (-110/-110)

The Predators’ penalty kill has been impressive all season, but it arguably had its best showing in the win against the Panthers. The unit killed off 6-of-6 penalties en route to the victory.

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The performance was so impressive that Steven Stamkos, who scored the game-winner, gave the team’s postgame award to the entire PK unit. Nashville’s penalty kill is now tied for 10th in the NHL at 82.1%, killing off 69-of-84 penalties.

The effort is even more impressive considering that Cole Smith, one of the unit’s top killers, has been out for the last two weeks. In addition, the Predators have been taking fewer penalties compared to the last few seasons.

Nashville has 232 penalty minutes, which ranks 19th in the league. Usually, the Predators are one of the league leaders in that category. The Predators have dropped the gloves only six times so far. At this time last year, there had been 10.

Ryan O’Reilly has been rock-steady for the Predators all season, but has really begun to pick up momentum over the last few games. He has eight points in the last five games after failing to record a point in the previous four games.

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He leads the Predators in scoring, sitting at 21 points. O’Reilly had multi-point performances against the Red Wings (three points), Blackhawks (two points), and Panthers (two points). He’s truly been living up to his nickname, Factor, over the last few games.

Adding in Steven Stamkos’ recent success, recording six points in the last five games, it seems that the Predators are finally finding an offensive identity. Nashville has also scored four goals or more in three of its last five games.

Mar 25, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Hurricanes have consistently been one of the best teams in the NHL over the past few seasons, but the Predators have their number in the regular season, winning five of their last six against Carolina.

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In their last meeting, on March 26 in Raleigh, Luke Evangelista scored twice and Juuse Saros recorded his 200th career win, making 34 saves in a 3-1 victory. It’s a matchup the Predators have dominated even if both teams are in different spots in the standings.

Unlike Nashville, Carolina has struggled as of late, dropping three of its last five, including a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Toronto had a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period before it scored three unanswered goals.

The Hurricanes are still one of the better teams in the league, sitting at second in the Metropolitan Division with 34 points. Seth Jarvis is tied for 10th in goals with 16 in 26 games played.

Nashville: Justin Barron (lower body, injured reserve), Ozzy Weisblatt (upper body, injured reserve), Nick Perbix (upper body, day-to-day), Zach L’Heureux (lower body, injured reserve), Cole Smith (upper body, injured reserve).

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Carolina: K’Andre Miller (illness, questionable), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (ankle, injured reserve), Jaccob Slavin (lower body, injured reserve), Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body, day-to-day), Charles-Alexis Legault (hand, injured reserve).

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When Eric Comrie got scored on 16 seconds into Friday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Jets head coach Scott Arniel wasn’t upset.

Comrie was replacing star netminder Connor Hellebuyck, whom the team said Friday was undergoing arthroscopic surgery for a knee problem dating back to training camp. He’s expected to be out four to six weeks.

The former backup made 24 saves in the 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

“Obviously, we got caught right off the bat there on a transition play,†Arniel said. “Yeah, I felt for him right away but then he settled in.

“He made some big stops in the first there and then on the penalty kill he had to make a couple of really big stops.â€

Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and defenceman Josh Morrissey added a goal for Winnipeg (12-8-0), extending his point streak to seven games with four goals and seven assists.

Jordan Staal had a pair of goals and Seth Jarvis scored shorthanded for Carolina (14-5-2). K’Andre Miller and Sebastian Aho each contributed a pair of assists and backup netminder Brandon Bussi stopped 24 shots.

Arniel said Comrie was “rock solid†and “his consistent self†despite the errors made in front of him.

“It’s not a situation where we ask (Comrie) to stop 40 (shots),†Arniel said. “We need to play better in front of him. A couple of mistakes we made are things that we need to clean up for him.â€

Staal scored 16 seconds into the game, making a move to get around Jets defencemen Dylan Samberg and firing the puck past Comrie on the stick side.

Winnipeg defenceman Dylan DeMelo later batted a puck out of the air after it hit Comrie’s pad in the opening frame.

What did Comrie say to him?

“He was saying, ‘Nice save.’ I was saying, ‘It’s the least I can do for all the times you’ve saved my back,’†DeMelo said. “Yeah, desperation play and I was lucky to hit it pretty flush.â€

Comrie is now 4-2-0 this season. He’s being backed up by Thomas Milic.

The team wants to play well in front of all its goalies, but Comrie is a special teammate, DeMelo said.

“On and off the ice, he’s one of our, if not our hardest worker on our team…†DeMelo said.

“A charismatic guy, fun energy, so when he’s in the pipes we want to play hard obviously for all our goalies, but when he’s in the net he just brings so much energy to this group and he’s such a vital part of it.â€

Since Winnipeg’s defence wanted to help Comrie out, Morrissey provided the first goal at 3:44 of the opening period to tie it up. Vilardi’s power-play marker at 9:28 came after a Carolina turnover.

Vilardi said the team’s drive doesn’t change with Comrie in net.

“(Comrie) comes out with the same mindset every day, so we come out with the same mindset every day,†Vilardi said. “Heâ€s playing more now, obviously, but heâ€s up for that challenge.â€

Staal notched his second of the game when he got his stick on Jalen Chatfield’s point shot at 3:08 of the second period.

Jarvis scored his 11th goal of the season at 6:31, and Svechnikov stretched the lead to 4-2 three minutes into the third. Vilardi made it a one-goal game 54 seconds later.

Miller was called for high-sticking Vilardi with 52 seconds left in the game, and Comrie was pulled for the extra attacker, but no equalizer was scored.

“We’re a group that we’re going to play right down to the whistle,†DeMelo said. “Six-on-four, you can’t ask for more.â€

The Jets played a video tribute in the first period for Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who played 674 games for Winnipeg before signing with the Hurricanes in the off-season.

Ehlers skated away from the Carolina bench and clapped his gloves for the cheering second sellout crowd of the season at Canada Life Centre.

He later assisted on Svechnikov’s goal after sending him a no-look pass across the front of the net.

“(Heâ€s) one of the best passers in this league,†Svechnikov said. “Youâ€ve just kind of always have to expect it and get open, and heâ€ll always find you.â€

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The Hurricanes outshot Minnesota 45-18 and scored with 1:06 left with their net empty to force overtime. But Wallstedtâ€s third great showing in a row and 24 blocked shots helped the Wild improve to 5-0-1 in their past six games.

Jackson Blake scored twice for the Hurricanes, including late from the crease on a stuff-in that barely crossed the goal line and had to be reviewed. The Fargo, North Dakota, native had two more chances in overtime, including a breakaway.

Wallstedt then kept Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and Taylor Hall from scoring in the shootout. Boldyâ€s backhander off a deke got past Frederik Andersen to help give Minnesota its second shootout victory this season.

Mats Zuccarello scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway 15 seconds into the third to make it 3-1. Zuccarello missed Minnesotaâ€s first 15 games because of lower-body injury, returning to the lineup Nov. 7.

Sebastian Aho pulled Carolina to 3-2 with 13:26 left.

Wallstedt was particularly stingy early in the second period, when he made nine saves in less than seven minutes. It took Blakeâ€s net-front deflection with 5:56 left to finally solve the 23-year-old rookie from Sweden.

It was the first 5-on-5 goal allowed by Minnesota in over 302 minutes and ended a streak of 95 consecutive saves by Wallstedt. Encompassing consecutive shutouts against Calgary and Anaheim, Wallstedtâ€s scoreless streak of 175:12 is the fourth longest in Wild history.

Wallstedt entered Wednesday as the only NHL netminder with more than one shutout this season.

Boldy extended his points streak to five games with an unassisted, short-handed goal from the left slot midway through the first period.

Minnesota opened the scoring on Brock Faberâ€s tip-in from Zuccarello less than two minutes into the game.

Hurricanes: At Winnipeg on Friday night.

Wild: At Pittsburgh on Friday night.

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Meanwhile, forward Viktor Arvidsson is headed to injured reserve and listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury while forward Elias Lindholm is “getting closer” to a return but remains out with no definitive timeline, per Sturm.

McAvoy continues to undergo evaluation after taking a puck to the face on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. After meeting with doctors on Monday, the team offered no firm update on his status, but surgery could be a possibility, per Sturm.

The 27-year-old defenceman has been a cornerstone of Boston’s back end this season, logging 14 assists before being sidelined.

It’s the latest injury blow to McAvoy, who suffered a right-shoulder AC joint injury last year at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which, with an associated infection, caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

Arvidsson, 32, sustained his injury late in the game against the Canadiens. He has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his first season with the Bruins after an off-season trade from the Edmonton Oilers.

Lindholm, 31, suffered a lower-body injury in late October and was ruled out “a few weeks.”

The Swede had been off to fast start, tallying four goals and five assists in 13 games while centring the Bruins’ top line next to star winger David Pastrnak.

Mittelstadt, 26, has not played since Nov. 6. He posted four goals and five assists in 15 games before going down with injury.

Elsewhere, forward John Beecher was held out of the morning skate pending a roster move. The Bruins have yet to announce the transaction. Beecher, who was a 2019 draft pick, has been a regular presence on the fourth line.

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Andrei Svechnikov had two goals and an assist, and Taylor Hall also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won six of their last eight games. Shayne Gostisbehere had three assists, and Pyotr Kochetkov made 14 saves to help Carolina improve to 4-0 in overtime.

Conor Garland, Max Sasson and Elias Pettersson scored for Vancouver, which has lost three straight. Kevin Lankinen stopped 34 shots.

Hall tied it 3-3 at 6:26 of the third period. Gostisbehere pulled Lankinen out of the crease and then fed Hall for an easy finish.

Garland gave the Canucks a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 3:13 of the second period, finishing a crossing pass from Brock Boeser.

The Canucks scored two goals in the first period on just four shots. The Hurricanes played a helping role in both goals.

Sasson skated in alone and beat Kochetkov at 2:45 of the first after Gostisbehere and Mackenzie MacEachern collided at the Carolina blue line.

Pettersson was able to convert a turnover by Sean Walker into a short-handed goal at 9:14 to tie it 2-2.

In between, Svechnikov scored twice, 54 seconds apart, to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. First, he tied it 1-1 at 4:20 and then put the Hurricanes ahead with a power-play goal at 5:14.

Svechnikov also inadvertently caught teammate Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes’ leading scorer, in the face with his stick in a scrum behind the Vancouver goal. Jarvis fell to the ice and was clearly in pain. He held a towel to his face as he was helped off the ice, about 5 minutes into the game. He did not return.

Canucks: Visit Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Hurricanes: Host Edmonton on Saturday.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — The injury-ravaged Carolina Hurricanes found new sources of offense from two rookie defensemen, and the pair made team history in the process.

Charles-Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom picked up their first NHL points in Saturday night’s 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Their performance marked the first time in the Hurricanes’ team history that two defensemen posted their first points in the same game. And it was the fourth time in Carolina history — since the relocation from Hartford, Connecticut — that any two players recorded their first points in a game.

Legault had an assist and an empty-net goal and Nystrom assisted on a goal early in the third period as Carolina extended its winning streak to three games.

“We don’t judge their game based on that,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “But those are nice little bonuses for them. Both guys have been solid. We ask a lot of them.”

Legault scored by sending the puck nearly the length of the ice into the unattended net with 1:28 remaining in the game. His first point came when he assisted on Eric Robinson’s goal 29 seconds into the third period.

“You dream of scoring one since you’ve been a kid, so being able to get one tonight is a great feeling,” Legault said.

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Nystrom’s assist came on Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s score midway through the second period that extended Carolina’s lead to 3-1.

“Today, I got my first point, and I’m real happy for that,” Nystrom said. “… [Kotkaniemi had] a really good shot. I have to thank him too.”

In franchise history, combining Hartford and Carolina, Mark Howe and Charles Luksa were the last defensive pair to get their first career points in the same game, in October 1979.

Legault and Nystrom have been living in the same home since their somewhat unexpected additions to the NHL team this fall.

“We spent a lot of time together the last couple of weeks,” Nystrom said.

Carolina played without defenseman Jalen Chatfield for the first time this season. He left Thursday night’s game because of an upper-body injury after a blow to the head from Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick, who was assessed a match penalty.

The Hurricanes have been without defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere for more than a week. That twosome, plus Chatfield, all played in 70 or more games last season.

Carolina recalled defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from AHL Chicago earlier Saturday, but he was a healthy scratch.

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Dennis Hildeby is set to make his Toronto Maple Leafs season debut soon.

One day after the Maple Leafs placed goaltender Cayden Primeau on waivers, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed that Hildeby would back up Anthony Stolarz, who will make his 12th start of the season against when the club hosts the Boston Bruins.

With Joseph Woll joining the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint, it didn’t make sense to have Hildeby stay down with the Marlies serving as the backup. And after seeing three games of Cayden Primeau in net, it appears the Leafs saw enough of what they needed to see by placing the goaltender on waivers on Friday.

Maple Leafs Sign Dennis Hildeby To 3-Year Deal—Is He Their Third Goalie This Season?
The Toronto Maple Leafs put pen to paper on a new contract for prospect goaltender Dennis Hildeby. The 24-year-old signed a new three-year deal that carries an average annual value of $841,667 at the NHL level.

The 26-year-old Primeau went 2-1-0 in three starts with a .838 save percentage in his three starts with the Leafs.

Hildeby has been called up once this season, backing up in Primeau’s 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 25.

‘I Got Notice And Liked It Instantly’: Why Dennis Hildeby Signed Unique Three-Year Contract With Maple Leafs
Dennis Hildeby is excited for the upcoming season after signing a rather unique three-year, $2.53 million extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 24-year-old Hildeby is 2-2-1 this season with an .890 save percentage with the Marlies. He posted a .920 save percentage in three pre-season games with the Leafs in training camp.

While not confirming it, all signs point to Hildeby likely getting the nod when the Leafs host the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 9 at Scotiabank Arena. Given the slate of games on back-to-back nights, it’s highly unlikely the Leafs would entertain the thought of starting Stolarz on consecutive days.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Staal broke the record for games played as a Carolina Hurricane and then missed a long stretch of Thursday night’s game after a rare fight.

It turned out to be a rewarding evening as the Hurricanes beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3.

The Carolina captain played in his 910th game in a Hurricanes jersey, pulling ahead of brother Eric Staal.

“I appreciate the boys battling it out for me there,” Staal said. “Getting a good memory out of milestone game and getting the two points. It has been a fun ride. It has been a lot of fun with these guys here and all the other teammates I’ve played with it has been just a joy and blessing and I’m just happy to keep going.”

Jordan Staal, 37, is third in franchise history in games played when the team’s time as the Hartford Whalers is included behind Ron Francis (1,186) and Glen Wesley (913).

Staal played his first six NHL seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jordan Staal rushed Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick in the first period after Pitlick’s blow to the head of Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield, his first fight since February 2017. Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

“He comes to the rink every day and puts the team first,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “In today’s day and age, it’s not unique, but it’s getting harder and harder to find.”

Staal was involved in his first fight since February 2017, when he rushed Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick in the first period after Pitlick’s blow to the head of Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield.

“He’s our leader,” Brind’Amour said. “We talk a lot about him and we can’t say enough great things. That’s just another one of those things he does for our group and is willing to do.”

That scuffle drew Staal a five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute instigator penalty, even though Pitlick was done for the night with a match penalty.

After returning to the ice, Staal’s influence remained high. He won his final 10 faceoffs.

Chatfield’s injury marked another blow to the Hurricanes’ defensive corps.

“It’s just the way this year has gone,” Brind’Amour said. “We can’t get healthy and keep losing key pieces, that’s rough. I don’t know how long (Chatfield) is going to be out.”

Carolina has already been without Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere because of injuries, though the Hurricanes got K’Andre Miller back Thursday after a six-game absence with a lower-body injury. Miller played more than 23 minutes.

The Hurricanes have back-to-back games this weekend, facing Buffalo at home Saturday and visiting Toronto on Sunday.

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The Carolina Hurricanes are down yet another defenseman as Jalen Chatfield was injured in the first period of the Canes’ Thursday night game against the Minnesota Wild.

Chatfield was moving a puck out of his defensive zone when Minnesota Wild forward Tyler Pitlick came and delivered a hit right to the Hurricanes defenseman’s head.

The blueliner stayed down on the ice for an extended period of time and then went immediately to the room following the hit.

Pitlick was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head, meaning he is essentially kicked out of tonight’s game and is automatically suspended pending league approval.

Chatfield is the fourth Hurricanes blueline regular to be injured this season, just 13 games into the year.

Updates will be provided once made available.

UPDATE: Chatfield has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury.

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Pyotr Kochetkov Back With Carolina, Expected To Travel; Could Potentially Play In New York

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Has Andrei Svechnikov Finally Found His Game?

‘We Dodged A Bullet’: Seth Jarvis Possible To Play In Boston Despite Injury Scare

Rod Brind’Amour Provides Updates On Injured Players

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