Preview: December 5 vs. Colorado

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to snap their three-game skid on Thursday when the Colorado Avalanche come to Lenovo Center.

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When: Thursday, December 5

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET

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Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, via Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -150

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Canes Record: 16-8-1 (33 Points, 3rd - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 4-2 Loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, December 3

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Avalanche Record: 14-12-0 (28 Points, 4th - Central Division)

Avalanche Last Game: 5-4 Win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, December 3

Last Game...

• In the words of Rod Brind'Amour, the Canes "stunk" on Tuesday, never really getting to their game en route to a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
• Martin Necas continued to be a star, factoring in on both of Carolina's goals, but his team finished with just 19 shots - one above their lowest total this season.
• After missing four games due to concussion protocol, Pyotr Kochetkov returned to the crease, allowing four goals on 28 shots to move to 10-3-0 on the year.

Previous Meetings vs. Colorado...

• November 9: Carolina's then-eight-game winning streak came to an end in Colorado as the Avs took a 6-4 victory at Ball Arena.

Fantastic 4 (Nations)...

• On Wednesday, rosters for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off were finalized with three Hurricanes and five Avalanche players set to represent their countries in Montreal and Boston next February.
• Seth Jarvis (Canada) and Jaccob Slavin (USA) were named to their respective national teams, joining Sebastian Aho (Finland) who was announced earlier among the first players designated to each team.
• Jarvis and Aho will go against some future teammates tonight, as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews (Canada), as well as Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen (Finland), suit up for Colorado after also being named to their country's squad(s).

Shining Star...

• Martin Necas was named the NHL's First Star of the Month for November on Sunday and continued to perform as such on Tuesday with another pair of points.
• The Czech forward led the league in scoring during the month with 22 points (7G, 15A) in 15 games last month and now has 39 points in 25 games in total this season.
• Necas also leads the NHL with 18 power-play points and is tied for the second-most multi-point performances in the league with 13 on the year.

In Net...

• With Pyotr Kochetkov healthy again, it feels likely that he'll resume his number-one duties and be in the crease for his 14th start of the season. The young netminder "was not the issue" in Tuesday's loss according to Rod Brind'Amour, as the team in front of him did not have their sharpest performance.
• Behind him, Kochetkov will have a new face, as the team assigned Spencer Martin to Chicago (AHL) on Wednesday and recalled the newly signed Dustin Tokarski. Tokarski, 35, has 80 games of NHL experience over his 16-year pro career, most recently with Pittsburgh during the 2022-23 season.

On The Other Side...

• The Colorado Avalanche have allowed the second-most goals in the NHL this season (97), but allow the fourth-fewest shots in the league per game (26.0). Despite their shortcomings in net, they sit 14-12, speaking volumes about their ability to produce offense.
• Nathan MacKinnon is tied with Martin Necas (39) for the second-most points in the league and Cale Makar leads all defensemen with 32 points.
• One area that Carolina may be able to capitalize on is the faceoff dot. Colorado has won just 43.7% of their draws, only better than Anaheim (42.2%).

Injury Updates

• Goaltender Frederik Andersen suffered a knee injury in the team's win over Seattle on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Canes announced on Friday, Nov. 21 that the goaltender would undergo surgery and be out of action for 8-12 weeks.
• Forward Jesper Fast was ruled out for the 2024-25 season in August after having neck surgery.

What Are We Wearing?

• The team will be wearing their red uniforms. To view the team's full 2024-25 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Friday before traveling to New York for Saturday's matchup against the Islanders.
• Next Game: Saturday, Dec. 7 at NY Islanders | 5:00 p.m.
• Next Home Game: Tuesday, Dec. 10 vs. San Jose | 7:00 pm | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights