Preview: February 25 at Montreal

MONTREAL - After falling in their first contest out of the break, the Carolina Hurricanes seek a bounce-back result against the Montreal Canadiens tonight as they wrap up a short stint north of the border.

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When: Tuesday, Feb. 25

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 -200

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Carolina's Record: 33-20-4 (70 Points, 2nd - Metropolitan Division)

Carolina's Last Game: 6-3 Loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Feb. 22

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Montreal's Record: 26-26-5 (57 Points, 7th - Atlantic Division)

Montreal's Last Game: 5-2 Win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Feb. 22

Last Game...

• The Canes rallied for three goals in the third period against Toronto but couldn't complete the comeback in a 6-3 loss.
• Shayne Gostisbehere led the team with two points (1G, 1A), while Andrei Svechnikov and Jaccob Slavin picked up the team's other goals.
• Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves on 21 shots in his 35th appearance of the season.

Go For Ghost...

• Shayne Gostisbehere scored on Saturday for the first time since Dec. 10, 2024, snapping a 20-game goal drought.
• Posting an assist in addition to his goal, Gostisbehere recorded his eighth multi-point performance this season, which ranks third on the team behind Sebastian Aho (14) and Seth Jarvis (9).
• The Pembroke Pines, Fla. native has tallied 20 points in 22 games against Montreal, and enters tonight's contest two points shy of 400 in his career.

In Net...

• After following a consistent every-other-game rotation in net before the break, Pyotr Kochetkov (20-11-3 | 2.55 GAA | .903 SV%) became the first Canes netminder to start consecutive contests since Jan. 7-9 with 18 saves in Toronto on Saturday.
• With that in mind, and the caveat that Kochetkov's back-to-back appearances came on either end of the two-week break, it seems likely that Frederik Andersen (6-3-0 | 2.12 GAA | .914 SV%) gets the nod in Montreal tonight.
• Should the team elect to go with Andersen, the Danish backstop would look to get back in the win column after dropping consecutive results for the first time this season in his latest two outings.
• Conversely, Kochetkov would be seeking his 21st win of the season to move to within two of his career-best 23 victories, achieved in 40 starts last season.

On The Other Side...

• The Canadiens returned from break with a bang, knocking off division rival Ottawa 5-2 on the road on Saturday.
• Entering tonight's tilt 2-6-0 in the month of February, the Habs' 23 goals allowed this month are tied for the fifth-most in the NHL.
• Cole Caufield ranks T-10th among NHLers with 27 goals in 57 games - one shy of his career-best of 28.
• Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson ranks 10th among all NHL blueliners with 42 points this season and has found the scoresheet in three of his last five games. He is also tied with Nick Suzuki for the most assists on the team (39).
• Sam Montembeault posted 27 saves in Saturday's win over the Sens, moving his record to 19-21-3 on the season. Backup Jakub Dobes kicked off his NHL career in late December with five wins in his first five games, but has gone 0-2-1 since then and was pulled from his last start on Feb. 9.

Injury Updates

• Forward William Carrier suffered a lower-body injury on Jan. 4. On Jan. 24, Rod Brind'Amour revealed that the forward is going to miss "a couple of months, at minimum."
• 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 are scheduled to be off on Wednesday before returning to action on Thursday for Whalers Night at Lenovo Center.
• Next Game: Thursday, Feb. 27 vs. Buffalo | 7:00 p.m. | Whalers Night | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights