Preview: February 6 at Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to earn a split of their two-game road trip on Thursday as they take on the Minnesota Wild.

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When: Thursday, Feb. 6

Puck Drop: 7:30 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN+, Hulu

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, via Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -155

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Canes Record: 32-18-4 (68 Points, 2nd - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 3-0 Loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, February 4

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Wild Record: 31-19-4 (66 Points, 3rd - Central Division)

Wild Last Game: 3-0 Loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, February 4

Last Game...

• Carolina was held scoreless for the fourth time this season on Tuesday in Winnipeg, falling 3-0 as Jets netminder Eric Comrie stopped all 29 shots faced.
• Top prospect Scott Morrow made his season debut for the Canes after appearing in a pair of contests late last season, playing 10:42 and registering two shots against the Jets.
• Pyotr Kochetkov made 27 saves in just his first regulation loss since Jan. 7.

Previous Meetings vs. MIN This Season...

• January 4: A "flat" Carolina club couldn't get to its game en route to a 4-0 loss to the Wild at Lenovo Center.

Bouncing Back...

• With Tuesday's result in Winnipeg, the Hurricanes have suffered consecutive regulation defeats for just the third time this season.
• Carolina is 12-4-1 in games following regulation losses in 2024-25, including a 2-1-0 mark after being shut out.

Killing It...

• A tough outing on Tuesday didn't significantly dull the shine on the Hurricanes' penalty kill units, as the group enters tonight's tilt with the league's top kill rate (85.4%), as well as the most games without conceding a power-play goal (36).
• Tuesday marked the first time since Nov. 30 that Carolina has conceded multiple power-play goals in a game, and just the fourth time during the 2024-25 campaign. Only four teams (CHI, NSH, SEA, TBL) have recorded fewer games with multiple power-play goals against this season.
• Carolina's six shorthanded goals rank T-7th in the NHL this year, with three of those coming since Jan. 1. Only Ottawa (4) has more since the calendar flipped to 2025.

In Net...

• Assuming the Canes' recent rotation in net continues, Frederik Andersen (6-2-0 | 2.12 GAA | .913 SV%) would be in line to return to the crease after Pyotr Kochetkov (19-10-3 | 2.47 GAA | .903 SV%) played on Tuesday.
• Should the team elect to go with Andersen, the Danish backstop would be seeking a bounce-back showing after suffering just his first loss since Oct. 11 on Saturday. Despite that result, No. 31 still stands an impressive 6-2 on the season.
• Kochetkov, meanwhile, would seek to stretch his streak of allowing three or fewer goals to 12 straight games. The 25-year-old has not allowed more than three goals in a game since Dec. 27.

On The Other Side...

• Minnesota, like Carolina, was held off the scoreboard in their most recent outing, but the difference between the two clubs was that it was the second consecutive game without a goal for the Wild.
• A torrid start to the campaign has tapered off for the Wild - from opening night to American Thanksgiving, Minnesota ranked T-3rd in the league with 32 points in 22 games. Since then, they've picked up 34 points in 32 games which ranks T-17th among NHL clubs.
• Trudging forward without star forward Kirill Kaprizov, who had surgery in January, Minnesota has relied on Marco Rossi (46pts), Matt Boldy (45pts) and Mats Zuccarello (36pts), who have each tallied 14 points in 16 games since Jan. 1.
• Special teams play has hampered the Wild this year as the club owns the 24th-ranked PP (18.8%) and 30th-ranked PK (70.8%). Only six teams have played fewer games with at least one power-play goal this season.

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 Tyson Jost suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 31 which was labeled as "long-term" by Rod Brind'Amour on Jan. 2. He returned to practice with the team in a no-contact sweater on Jan. 19 and took part in the team's morning skate on Feb. 1.
• 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 practice on Friday in Raleigh. They'll then return to game action on Saturday against the Utah Hockey Club, their final game before the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off break.
• Next Home Game: Saturday, Feb. 8 vs. Utah | 1:00 p.m. | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights