Preview: December 23 vs. Florida

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers square off for the second time in five days on Tuesday, going head-to-head at Lenovo Center.

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When: Tuesday, Dec. 23

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network App | Learn More

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

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Canes Record: 22-10-3 (47 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 6-4 Loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, Dec. 20

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Panthers Record: 19-14-2 (40 Points, T-5th - Atlantic Division)

Panthers Last Game: 6-2 Loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Dec. 20

Last Time Out...

• The Canes jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead on Saturday in Tampa, before the Lightning completely flipped the contest and rallied to take a 6-4 result.
• After losing 4-3 to the Panthers on Friday night, it was a second consecutive game in which the team blew a three-goal lead.
• Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov suffered just his second loss of the season, allowing five goals on 28 shots.
• The highlight was top prospect Bradly Nadeau, who netted his second career goal after being recalled earlier in the day.

Powering Up...

• After a slow start to the season, the Hurricanes' power play has found its stride recently with goals in a season-high four straight games.
• Going back a bit further, the Canes' nine power-play markers in their last nine games rank T-3rd in the NHL in that span (since Dec. 6), trailing only Ottawa (11) and Edmonton (10).
• Sebastian Aho, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal have led the way in that department with two power-play goals apiece, while Jackson Blake, Nikolaj Ehlers and Bradly Nadeau have each cashed in once.

In Net...

• With three days since their last game, the Canes are expected to have their full complement of goaltenders available tonight.
• Brandon Bussi suffered the first post-regulation loss of his NHL career on Friday in Florida, but has been mostly stellar to start his NHL career. 11-1-1 through his first 13 appearances, it's certainly possible that the Canes go back to him tonight.
• Pyotr Kochetkov has been a respectable 6-2 in eight appearances this season, making his most recent appearance on Saturday.
• Veteran Frederik Andersen remains awaiting his next opportunity to try and get back in the win column after going 0-4-2 in his last six outings. His last start was Dec. 4, but he has remained optimistic that the record is not a reflection of his overall game.
• "The way I look at it, I've played better hockey, and I've had worse numbers," he said following his most recent outing. "It doesn't look good, obviously. We're not getting the wins with me in the net lately, but I still feel like I've got my game. Maybe not perfectly where I want it, but like I've said, I've had worse stretches where things have looked better, and I've gotten more wins. That's how I look at it. I try to be positive and move on."

On The Other Side...

• Winners of seven of their last nine, the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions have found their stride after a slow start.
• Missing key pieces in Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand has picked up the slack in a big way, leading the way with 40 points in 34 games. The 37-year-old is one of just nine players in the NHL to already hit the 20-goal mark this season.
• A strong team on home ice (12-7-2), the road hasn't been as kind to the Cats, who are 7-7-0 away from Amerant Bank Arena.

Injury Updates...

• Defenseman Jaccob Slavin suffered an upper-body injury on Dec. 19 in Florida. He was labeled as "week-to-week" and placed on injured reserve on Dec. 22.
• Forward Seth Jarvis was also injured during overtime on Dec. 19, suffering an upper-body injury. He was placed on IR on Dec. 20 and labeled as "week-to-week" on Dec. 22.
• Forward Jordan Martinook left the game on Dec. 17 with a lower-body injury and has not skated since then. Rod Brind'Amour said on Monday that he would not play tonight, missing a third consecutive game.
• Defenseman Charles Alexis Legault suffered a cut to his hand via a skate blade on Nov. 9 and underwent surgery to repair lacerated tendons on Nov. 10. He is expected to miss three to four months.

What Are We Wearing?

• The Canes will wear their WHITE uniforms for the contest. To view the team's full 2025-26 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will begin their league-mandated holiday break post-game. They'll be off on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, before resuming their schedule on Saturday when they host the Detroit Red Wings.
• Next Game: Saturday, Dec. 27 vs. Detroit | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO, WRAL | Tickets | Parking