Stay Hot, Skjeisy:Brady Skjei takes on his former team tonight, riding a three-game goal streak. Scoring against Winnipeg, Toronto, and Philadelphia, only four defensemen in the NHL (Erik Karlsson, Dougie Hamilton, Roman Josi, and Cale Makar) have more goals than Skjei (16) this season. He is also now just three goals shy of tying Hamilton for the most by a defenseman in a single season in Canes history.
In Net:Rod Brind'Amour said post-practice Monday that the team hadn't made a decision yet on who would start in net tonight. First saying that the team would stick with the every-other-game rotation of Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen, he then said that the team has had a couple of days since their last game. If the team sticks with the rotation, Kochetkov would be looking to bounce back from a defeat suffered Friday night in Toronto. Should the team go back to Andersen, he would be hoping to earn a third straight win after stopping 29 in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Tonight, Tonight:The Canes will not hold a morning skate to start the day. Rod Brind'Amour will meet with the media pre-game at 4:45 p.m.
Hats Off For Sebastian:Sebastian Aho recorded his third hat trick of the season Saturday in Philadelphia. Now tied for third in franchise history with seven in his career, only Eric Staal (13) and Ron Francis (9) have produced more. This season, Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres (4) is the only player in the NHL with more three-goal performances.
Always Open Late:Martin Necas tied the NHL record by scoring his third game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation Saturday in Philadelphia.
Staalwart:Jordan Staal is set to play in his 729th game with the Hurricanes, tying Glen Wesley for the second-most games played in team history. Only Eric Staal (909) has more.
Just Find Three:One of Carolina's biggest assignments for the remainder of the season is finding ways to score goals without Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty. Statistics show that Rod Brind'Amour's group doesn't need much, in fact, three may be their magic number. When scoring three goals this season, the Canes are 40-4-4.
On The Other Side:There is no team in the NHL hotter than the New York Rangers at the moment. Posting a 6-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, the group followed it up with a 7-0 blanking of the Nashville Predators on Sunday. Mika Zibanejad has posted nine points in his last four games, one of nine players that have produced a point-per-game or better over the last week for the team. In net, Igor Shesterkin has won his last five starts, allowing a total of just nine goals during the run.
