The Carolina Hurricanes are set to host the Philadelphia Flyers at Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Sunday, December 14. The matchup follows a shootout win for the Hurricanes in Philadelphia, marking their third consecutive victory.
Sunday’s game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. ET puck drop and will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network South and its app. Fans can also listen on 99.9 The Fan or through the Hurricanes App.
The Hurricanes currently lead the Metropolitan Division with a record of 20-9-2, totaling 42 points. In their previous game, they overcame a two-goal deficit to secure a 4-3 shootout win against the Flyers. Shayne Gostisbehere contributed two assists, extending his point streak to 17 points over his last 16 games. Jackson Blake scored in the fourth round of the shootout to clinch the win, while goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov made 15 saves during regulation and overtime and stopped all four attempts in the shootout.
This season, Carolina has twice faced Philadelphia: an earlier overtime win at Lenovo Center and Saturday’s comeback victory in Philadelphia.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team has demonstrated resilience by winning three straight games despite conceding first in each contest. The Hurricanes have a strong record when scoring first but have managed an even split when trailing initially.
Goaltending options for Sunday include either Brandon Bussi or Frederik Andersen. Andersen commented on his recent performance: “The way I look at it, I’ve played better hockey, and I’ve had worse numbers,” he said following his most recent outing. “It doesn’t look good, obviously. We’re not getting the wins with me in the net lately, but I still feel like I’ve got my game. Maybe not perfectly where I want it, but like I’ve said, I’ve had worse stretches where things have looked better, and I’ve gotten more wins. That’s how I look at it. I try to be positive and move on.” Bussi recently became the fastest goalie to reach ten career NHL wins after securing eight consecutive victories and holds a .910 save percentage.
For Philadelphia, Trevor Zegras leads with 30 points in as many games since joining from Anaheim during the offseason. Travis Konecny added an assist Saturday night and has recorded nine points over his last seven games following a career-best season last year. Goalie Dan Vladar is expected to start after winning five of his last seven appearances.
On injuries, defenseman Charles Alexis Legault remains sidelined due to hand surgery after suffering lacerated tendons; he is expected out for three to four months. Jaccob Slavin (lower-body injury) has returned to practice but no official date for his return has been set.
The Hurricanes will wear red uniforms for this home contest at Lenovo Center—a venue that accommodates up to 20,000 people and hosts more than 150 events annually according to its official website. The team contributes significantly to Raleigh’s local economy with an impact exceeding $200 million per year through events and community engagement (source). Since moving from Hartford in 1997 (source), Carolina has provided professional ice hockey entertainment (source) and achieved milestones such as winning their first Stanley Cup in 2006 (source).
After Sunday’s matchup against Philadelphia, Carolina will have Monday off before preparing for Wednesday’s away game against Nashville.
