Preview: February 5 at NY Rangers

NEW YORK - The Carolina Hurricanes play their final game before the Winter Olympic break on Thursday, taking on the New York Rangers.

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When: Thursday, February 5

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: 35-15-6 (76 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 4-3 Win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, Feb. 3

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Rangers Record: 22-28-6 (50 Points, 8th - Metropolitan Division)

Rangers Last Game: 6-5 Loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, Jan. 31

Last Time Out...

• Another outstanding showing from Brandon Bussi helped the Canes earn a 4-3 win over Ottawa at home on Tuesday night.
• Sebastian Aho scored for a third consecutive game, Seth Jarvis struck twice in just 2:02, and Jordan Staal put home the game-winner in the third.
• The win moved Carolina to 7-0-2 in the last nine games.

Season Series vs. NYR...

• Nov. 4: Pyotr Kochetkov stopped all 26 shots faced in his first game of the season, backstopping the Canes to a 3-0 victory at MSG.
• Nov 26: Igor Shesterkin turned aside 36 of 38 shots faced, spoiling Thanksgiving Eve in Raleigh and guiding his team to a 4-2 win.
• Dec. 29: Jackson Blake's first career overtime winner helped Carolina to a 3-2 win at Lenovo Center.

Captain Clutch...

• Jordan Staal enters tonight's contest with four goals in his last six games, including a pair of late-game go-ahead goals that sealed two points for Carolina against Utah and, most recently, Ottawa.
• Now with 14 tallies on the year — tied with Nikolaj Ehlers for fifth on the team and one more than his 2024-25 total in 22 fewer games — the 37-year-old is eyeing his second 20-goal season as a Hurricane, a feat he has not accomplished since 2015-16.
• Eight of those 14 goals have given his team the lead in a game, a total second only to Seth Jarvis (11) among this year's crop of Canes.

In Net...

• After a day off the ice on Wednesday, the Canes are expected to have both Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi available this evening.
• Andersen was solid in his last outing with 38 saves against Washington — his second-highest single-game total of the season. Despite the OT loss, Saturday's result marked the fifth straight game that the Canes have picked up at least a point with Andersen between the pipes.
• Should the Canes elect to go back to Bussi, just two days after his last appearance, he'll aim to pick up his seventh consecutive victory. The first-year netminder has been stellar all season, making NHL history in the process, winning 22 of his first 26 starts.

On The Other Side...

• Idle for almost a week, this season has not been what the Blueshirts had hoped for. Winning just three of their 14 games in January, New York's 50 points on the year rank last in the Eastern Conference.
• Former leading scorer Artemi Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, but the Rangers have already been operating without the star forward for four games. In that time, Mika Zibanejad has stepped up with points in all four contests, and paces the team (including Panarin) with 22 points in 14 games since the turn of the calendar.
• Despite his team's struggles, Igor Shesterkin remains one of the NHL's top goaltenders. Ranking among the NHL's top 10 in both save percentage (.913) and GAA (2.45), Shesterkin has helped the Rangers pick up points in five of his last six starts (4-1-1).

Injury Updates...

• Forward Eric Robinson suffered an upper-body injury on Jan. 19. Rod Brind'Amour told the media after practice on Jan. 21 that Robinson will be "out for an extended period," and further revealed on Jan. 23 that the forward will likely be out until the Olympic break.
• Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is set to undergo hip surgery and was declared "probably out for the year" by Rod Brind'Amour on Dec. 29.

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 begin their Winter Olympics break post-game. They'll return to practice on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and then game action on Thursday, Feb. 26, against Tampa Bay at Lenovo Center.
• Next Game: Thursday, Feb. 26 vs. Tampa | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking