Preview: December 7 at NY Islanders

ELMONT, N.Y. - The Carolina Hurricanes head north to battle the New York Islanders in a rematch of last season's first-round playoff matchup.

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When: Saturday, December 7

Puck Drop: 5:00 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: 17-8-1 (35 Points, 3rd - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 5-3 Win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, December 5

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Islanders Record: 9-11-7 (25 Points, 8th - Metropolitan Division)

Islanders Last Game: 5-2 Loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, December 5

Last Game...

• The Canes returned to form with a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Lenovo Center on Thursday.
• With the win, Carolina snapped a three-game losing skid.
• Andrei Svechnikov posted his first career four-point performance to lead the way, while Martin Necas and Sebastian Aho bagged two points apiece.
• Pyotr Kochetkov picked up his first win since returning from injury, making 16 saves on 19 shots.

Fantastic 4 (Nations)...

• On Wednesday, rosters for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off were finalized, with three Hurricanes 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.
• On the other side, Brock Nelson (USA) is the lone Islander currently set to showcase his skills at the tournament.

No Stopping Necas...

• Martin Necas was named the NHL's First Star of the Month for November on Sunday and hasn't slowed down since.
• Producing multiple points on both Tuesday and Thursday, he now has 14 multi-point games this season, tied for the most among all NHL skaters.
• The Czech forward leads all skaters with his 41 points and became the fastest player in Hurricanes history to reach the 40-point mark (26 games).
• Necas also leads the NHL with 19 power-play points.

Jump On Them Early...

• Carolina has scored 28 first-period goals in 26 games this season (6th - NHL).
• New York is 0-6-1 when trailing after 20 minutes.

In Net...

• After facing a lighter workload in terms of shot count on Thursday, it seems likely that Pyotr Kochetkov will get the nod once more on Long Island.
• Kochetkov leads the team with 15 appearances this season and is 11-3-0 on the year.
• Alternatively, Rod Brind'Amour could elect to give newly signed netminder Dustin Tokarski his first start as a Hurricane, but Tokarski has practiced just twice with the club - Wednesday and Friday.

On The Other Side...

• The Islanders have not had the start to the season that they've wanted and are one of just three NHL teams remaining to not have reached 10 wins yet.
• Creating offense has been a struggle for the Isles, averaging just 2.48 goals per game - the lowest among all Eastern Conference teams. They've converted on just 11.8% of power plays, tied with Anaheim for 31st in the NHL. The other half of their special teams has been no better, killing off just 66.7% of infractions (32nd).
• Per usual, Ilya Sorokin remains strong in net, ranking 8th among all goalies (min. 15 GP) with his .910 sv%.

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 white uniforms. To view the team's full 2024-25 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes have a scheduled off day on Sunday and will practice Monday before taking on the Sharks in Raleigh on Tuesday.
• Next Game: Tuesday, Dec. 10 vs. San Jose | 7:00 pm | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights