Preview: February 8 vs. Utah

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes play their final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Saturday, hosting the Utah Hockey Club for the first time.

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When: Saturday, Feb. 8

Puck Drop: 1:00 p.m. ET

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Odds at Time of Publishing, via Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -245

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Carolina's Record: 32-19-4 (68 Points, 2nd - Metropolitan Division)

Carolina's Last Game: 2-1 Loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, Feb. 6

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Utah's Record: 23-22-9 (55 Points, 5th - Central Division)

Utah's Last Game: 3-2 Win (OT) over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, Feb. 6

Last Game...

• Carolina had 91 shot attempts on Thursday night in Minnesota but walked away with just one goal and their third consecutive loss.
• Sebastian Aho snapped Filip Gustavsson's shutout bid with the extra attacker on in the final minutes, earning Carolina their first goal in over 131 minutes of play.
• Goaltender Frederik Andersen took a second loss in a row for the first time this season, moving to 6-3.

The Elephant In The Room...

• After an 0-for-2 performance on Thursday in Minnesota, their sixth consecutive game without a goal, Rod Brind'Amour had a blunt assessment of his man advantage, "Our power play stinks."
• Now 2-for-46 since the calendar flipped to 2025, Carolina's 4.4% success rate sits 32nd among all NHL clubs during that time. The next closest team, Los Angeles, has converted on 10.3% of their tries.
• Scoring at even strength has been no walk in the park for the club lately either. With Aho's goal on Thursday coming at 6-on-5, Carolina's last five-on-five goal came 134:16 ago, a third-period strike from Eric Robinson last Saturday.

Previous Meetings vs. UTAH This Season...

• November 14: Karel Vejmelka stopped 49 shots, backstopping his club to a 4-1 victory in the Canes' first-ever trip to Salt Lake City.

Home Sweet Home...

• The Canes already lead the Eastern Conference with 20 wins on home ice and they'll look to extend their gap this afternoon.
• Rod Brind'Amour's group is averaging 3.74 goals per game at Lenovo Center this season, the second-best of any team in their home building this season, trailing only the Columbus Blue Jackets (3.96).

Lucky Reds...

• When you're in a stretch like this, you're looking for anything that aids in your favor, right? Carolina is 7-1-1 this season when wearing their red alternate uniforms.

In Net...

• Assuming the Canes' recent rotation in net continues, Pyotr Kochetkov (19-10-3 | 2.47 GAA | .903 SV%) would be in line to return to the crease after Frederik Andersen (6-3-0 | 2.12 GAA | .913 SV%) played on Thursday.
• Kochetkov 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.
• 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.

On The Other Side...

• The NHL's newest franchise comes to town riding the high of back-to-back overtime wins, both of which came courtesy of young star Dylan Guenther. On Tuesday, Guenther returned from injury after missing nearly a month and now has four points in the pair of games since his reinsertion into the lineup.
• Going to OT in four of their last five games, Utah is very much in the playoff picture with the 4 Nations Face-Off Break looming, sitting just seven points out of a Wild Card spot entering Saturday's play. Their penalty kill has been one of their strong suits this season, ranking sixth at 82.5%. They also have a tendency to start games well, currently touting a +11 goal differential in first periods (T-6th).
• Goaltender Karel Vejmelka - who had 49 saves in the contest between the two clubs back in November - sits tied for 10th among NHL netminders (min. 30 GP) with his .910 save percentage.

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

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes begin their 4 Nations Face-Off break immediately following the game. They'll return to practice as a team on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
• Next Game: Saturday, Feb. 22 at Toronto | 7:00 p.m.
• Next Home Game: Thursday, Feb. 27 vs. Buffalo | 7:00 p.m. | Whalers Night | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights