Gameday: Hurricanes at Blues

ST. LOUIS - It's a little early, but Happy New Year!
This is the gameday hub, where you can find all the latest news and information you need to know for tonight's game between the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues. Make Hurricanes.com a regular stop throughout the day, as we update this hub with notes, photos and more as puck drop draws near.
On the tail end of a back-to-back with travel, the Hurricanes will not hold a morning skate, but we'll still have your gameday content here, as always.
Last updated: 7:35 p.m.

CANES LINES: WARM-UPS
7:35 p.m.
Lucas Wallmark will draw into the Canes' lineup tonight, and Scott Darling gets the start in net.
Aho-Staal-Teravainen
McGinn-Ryan-Lindholm
Skinner-Rask-Williams
Nordstrom-Wallmark-Jooris
Slavin-Pesce
Dahlbeck-Faulk
Hanifin-van Riemsdyk
Darling
Ward
Puck drop in St. Louis is coming up in 30 minutes!

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA TOOLS TO VICTORY
7:10 p.m.
TV's Mike Maniscalco details tonight's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina three Tools to Victory.
1. Have the Lead After 20
The Hurricanes are 9-1-2 with the lead after the first period, while St. Louis is 3-7-1 when trailing after the opening stanza.
2. Keep Killing It
The Hurricanes' penalty killers haven't allowed a goal in nine of their last 10 games. St. Louis has drawn the fifth most penalties in the league, and while the conversion rate isn't great, it's best not to tempt fate.
3. Play Keep Away
Puck possession against a team that can play heavy like St. Louis is a must. Starting with winning draws, then making smart plays with the puck. The less time the Blues have the puck, the better.
CANES CLOSE OUT 2017 IN ST. LOUIS
3:00 a.m.
As the New Year approaches, the Carolina Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League.
With a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a pivotal Metropolitan Division match-up at home on Friday night, the Hurricanes have now won four straight games, seven of their last eight games and six straight games at home.
This stretch of hockey has the Canes surging in the standings, and they sit just outside of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 43 points (18-12-7).
"We're playing our game. We're playing quick. We're a really fast team, and we're using that to our advantage," Jaccob Slavin after the win on Friday. "As a team, I think we're starting to find that rhythm in the third and figure out how to win games. That's going to be important going down the stretch."
In the Canes' 2-1 win over the Pens on Friday, Derek Ryan and Sebastian Aho scored goals in the second period and Cam Ward made 27 saves on 28 shots.
"From start to finish we played a really good game," Slavin said. "It started from the net out. Wardo played a heck of a game. Our forwards were moving and getting behind their D. I think we really got on them in the O-zone."
"Against a great team I thought we played a great game and battled our way to two points," Ryan said.
The Canes' final opponent of 2017 will be the St. Louis Blues, who were also in action on Friday night. The Blues fell 4-2 to the Stars in Dallas and have won just one of their last six games. Despite the recent slide and their 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games, the Blues still sit in third place in the Central Division at 23-15-2 (48 points).
On the second half of a back-to-back, the Hurricanes will again turn to their goaltending depth and start Scott Darling in net, according to head coach Bill Peters. Darling is 2-0-1 with a 2.62 goals against average and a .915 save percentage against the Blues in his career.
CANESPR NOTES: Elias Lindholm has tallied a point in four straight games (1g, 3a), and Sebastian Aho has scored a goal in three straight games (4g), including the game-winning goal in his last two games. … The Hurricanes are 3-0-1 in their last four games in the second half of back-to-back sets.
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