Preview: Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes

For the second time in as many nights, the Carolina Hurricanes, who have earned points in 11 consecutive games (8-0-3), face off against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Match-Up

Chicago Blackhawks (22-24-6, 50 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (35-10-7, 77 points)
Tuesday, May 4, 7 p.m.
Watch: Bally Sports South,
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Listen: 99.9 FM The Fan,
Hurricanes.com/Listen
,
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About Last Night

Sebastian Aho tallied his fourth career hat trick to lead the
Canes past the Blackhawks, 5-2
. Aho's three-goal performance extended his point streak to a season-long eight games, and he's posted six goals and nine assists (15 points) in that stretch. Dougie Hamilton and Martin Necas also tallied for the Canes, while Alex Nedeljkovic improved to 7-0-1 in his last eight starts.

"We have to keep getting better because when you get to the playoffs, you can't have bad habits. You can't have things creep into your game," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I give the guys a lot of credit. These last three games haven't been picture perfect, but we certainly haven't come off the gas at all."

Numbers to Know

4: With four career hat tricks, Aho now ranks tied for third with Jeff Skinner for most hat tricks in team history (since relocation), behind Eric Staal (13) and Erik Cole (5).
5: The Canes' magic number for clinching first place in the Central Division is now five points (either won by the Canes or lost by Tampa Bay).
6-2-0: The Canes are closing our their ninth set of back-to-back games this season. They finished 5-2-2 in the first game and bring a 6-2-0 record in the second game into tonight's rematch.

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