South Raleigh News

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, December 15. The game will be held at 5:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on FanDuel Sports Network South or listened to on 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App. Currently, the Hurricanes have a record of 18-10-1, placing them third in the Metropolitan Division.

In their last outing, the Hurricanes were defeated by the Ottawa Senators with a score of 3-0. This was the first time they were shut out at home this season. Despite the loss, head coach Rod Brind'Amour praised his team's defensive efforts, describing it as "maybe one of our better games" recently.

Previously this season, the Hurricanes faced off against Columbus and lost in a shootout with a score of 5-4. On Friday against Ottawa, Carolina successfully killed both power plays and has maintained an impressive penalty kill record this season.

Players Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho are expected to reach milestones in franchise history during tonight's game. Slavin could play his 695th game for the team, surpassing Rod Brind'Amour for sixth place all-time, while Aho could move up to tenth place with his 628th game.

Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov might start for the sixth consecutive game after making 19 saves on Friday. Alternatively, Dustin Tokarski could make his debut start for Carolina after being recalled from Chicago (AHL).

Columbus enters Sunday's match with only one win in their last seven games but has managed to secure points in three of their previous four contests through overtime losses. Defenseman Zach Werenski leads Columbus in scoring with 31 points this season.

In terms of injuries, forward Jack Drury is sidelined due to a broken bone in his hand sustained earlier this month. Goaltender Frederik Andersen is recovering from knee surgery and is expected to be out for several weeks.

Following Sunday's matchup against Columbus, Carolina will practice on Monday before facing off against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.