He's Here:Pacioretty's multi-goal Saturday included one goal at even strength and one on the power play. After just one game of playing with Derek Stepan and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, #67 was promoted to the team's top line, skating alongside Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho against the Blue Jackets. Tuesday will be just his third game of the year after missing the start of the season
due to a torn Achilles tendon suffered in August.
Let's Get Right:For the first time since November 21-25, and just the second time this season, the Canes have gone winless in their last three games. The Hurricanes have averaged a league-high 44 shots per game over the trio of games, but Igor Shesterkin, Juuse Saros, and Joonas Korpisalo have allowed just nine goals total. Special teams have been a point of emphasis in the three, with Carolina feeling like they can improve on both the power play and penalty kill.
Svech, The All-Star:The NHL announced its All-Stars on Thursday night, naming Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov as the team's representative. With 19 goals already this season,
it will be the first time at the event for the 22-year-old
.
Burns Is Buzzin':Since December 1 Brent Burns leads the Canes with 14 points in 17 games. His 28 points pace all team defenders through 40 games.
On The Other Side:After getting off to a 19-4 start, the Devils have gone 6-8-3 since the start of December. They've averaged just 2.88 goals per game through the 17 contests, 25th out of 32 teams for the month. 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes has been a bright spot for the team as he continues to take his game to new heights, totaling 49 points in 40 games. Former Hurricane Dougie Hamilton leads the team's defense in scoring with 34 points in 40 contests.
