The Carolina Hurricanes will attempt to end a three-game losing streak as they visit the New Jersey Devils in Newark on Sunday, January 4. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. ET puck drop and will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network South and its app, with radio coverage available on 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App.
The Hurricanes currently lead the Metropolitan Division with a record of 24-14-3, totaling 51 points. Their most recent outing was a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on January 3, where they gave up four goals in the third period after holding a multi-goal lead. Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Andrei Svechnikov each scored for the second consecutive game. Goaltender Frederik Andersen allowed four goals on 34 shots in that match.
In their previous meeting this season, K’Andre Miller and Seth Jarvis each scored twice as Carolina defeated New Jersey 6-3 to open their campaign.
Sebastian Aho has been a standout performer recently, entering Sunday’s game with nine points over his last four games—ranking among the top NHL players during that stretch. “The future Finnish Olympian is coming off his second straight multi-point performance last night and has scored in three of Carolina’s last four contests.” Since debuting in the NHL during the 2016-17 season, Aho has accumulated more points against New Jersey than any other Hurricane player during regular-season play.
Brandon Bussi is expected to start in goal for Carolina after Andersen played Saturday. Bussi holds a record of 13-2-1 in his first sixteen NHL starts but looks to rebound from allowing six goals on twenty-one shots against Montreal earlier this week.
New Jersey enters with a record of 22-17-2 (46 points), sitting sixth in the division. The Devils have won two straight after dropping four of their previous six games. Star center Jack Hughes recently returned from injury and has recorded four points in six games since rejoining the lineup. Jesper Bratt (33 points) and Nico Hischier (32 points) have helped keep New Jersey competitive during Hughes’s absence.
Goaltenders Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen have alternated starts for New Jersey; Allen is likely to start against Carolina after Markstrom played Saturday night.
Carolina faces several injuries: goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is set for hip surgery; defenseman Jaccob Slavin remains out week-to-week with an upper-body injury; forward Seth Jarvis also suffered an upper-body injury but returned to practice January 1; defenseman Charles Alexis Legault is recovering from hand surgery expected to sideline him three to four months.
Following Sunday’s contest, Carolina will return home to Raleigh’s Lenovo Center—a venue shared with NC State University that accommodates up to 20,000 people—for their next game against Dallas on Tuesday evening (https://www.lenovocenter.com/arena-info/venue-facts-history). The Lenovo Center hosts more than 150 events annually and serves as an important economic driver for Raleigh by generating over $200 million yearly through events and community engagement (https://www.lenovocenter.com/arena-info/venue-facts-history).
The Hurricanes began operations in Raleigh following their relocation from Hartford in 1997 (https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/). They provide professional ice hockey entertainment at both home games and related events throughout North Carolina (https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/). The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in 2006 (https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/team/hall-of-fame).
