South Raleigh News

The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing to face the Nashville Predators on December 23, with Dustin Tokarski expected to start as goaltender. This will be Tokarski's second appearance for the Hurricanes, following his return to NHL action after a long hiatus since February 18, 2023.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour plans to maintain the same lineup that recently defeated the New York Rangers. Forward Sebastian Aho is entering the game with a streak of points in four consecutive matches and has accumulated 24 points in 22 career games against Nashville. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield is set to reach a milestone by playing his 200th game for the Hurricanes if he participates in this match.

Betting odds provided by Fanatics Sportsbook list the Hurricanes at -130 for this game.

The projected lineup includes forwards Robinson, Aho, Jarvis; Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi, Necas; Martinook, Staal, Carrier; and Roslovic, Jost, Blake. The defense pairs are Slavin with Burns; Orlov with Chatfield; and Gostisbehere with Walker. Tokarski will be backed up by Kochetkov.

Injury updates include Jack Drury (hand), Frederik Andersen (knee), and Jesper Fast (neck). Drury is out for at least four weeks from December 12, Andersen is sidelined for eight to twelve weeks from November 22, and Fast will miss the entire 2024-25 season.

Power play units feature Aho, Jarvis, Necas, Svechnikov with Gostisbehere on PP1 and Blake, Jost, Kotkaniemi, Roslovic with Burns on PP2.

The game against Nashville is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start.