Preview: Stars vs. Hurricanes

After shutting out the champions, the Carolina Hurricanes now open a weekend back-to-back set against the Dallas Stars, the team that challenged Tampa Bay for the Stanley Cup in late September.

The Match-Up

Dallas Stars (4-0-0, 8 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-0, 6 points)
Saturday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Watch: FOX Sports Carolinas,
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Listen: 99.9 FM The Fan,
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,
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News to Know

Back in Action: The Canes returned to game action on Thursday after a nine-day layoff, finally opening at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Petr Mrazek made 32 saves en route to his second shutout in his first three starts of the season, while Martin Necas netted his first goal of the year, the game-winning tally 72 seconds into overtime.
Getting Healthy: The Canes were down five NHL regulars on Thursday, but the team is trending healthy. Warren Foegele,
Jordan Martinook
and Teuvo Teravainen, the three players added to the COVID-19 Protocol list on Jan. 19, all skated in a limited team practice on Friday, but they're not yet expected to be available to return to the lineup.
"This is the first on-ice workout they've had in a while. It's a good sign," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said on Friday. "They're on their way back, that's for sure."

Numbers to Know

11: After having a back-to-back interrupted last week in Nashville, this weekend marks the Canes' first of what are now 11 back-to-back sets this season.
187: After the second- and fourth-longest ironmen streaks in franchise history, belonging to Jaccob Slavin and Teravainen, ended on Thursday, Sebastian Aho now owns the team's longest stretch of consecutive games played with 187. He last missed a game on Jan. 25, 2018.
1-2-3: Mrazek is the first goaltender in franchise history to record two shutouts in his first three appearances of the season.

The Opposition

2019-20 record: 37-24-8, 82 points (.594 points %), 3rd in Central Division
CAR vs. DAL in 2019-20: 0-2-0
2019-20 leading scorer: Tyler Seguin, 50 points (17g, 33a) in 69 games
Key additions: Mark Pysyk (D)
Key subtractions: Mattias Janmark (C), Corey Perry (RW)
Led by former Hurricane Anton Khudobin in net, who recorded 14 wins, a 2.69 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 25 postseason games, the Stars made a run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, losing to Tampa Bay in six games. Though the Stars' roster remained largely untouched in the offseason, they began the season without forward Tyler Seguin, who led the team in scoring in 2019-20, and goaltender Ben Bishop, and saw Jamie Benn, Joel Kiviranta and Roope Hintz all hit the injured list in the last week.
Even still, the Stars are undefeated to begin the season. They've twice claimed victory in one-goal decisions and twice hung seven goals on an opponent in their first four games.

Worth a Click

News
CanesCast
Videos
- In the Room: Brind'Amour, Jan. 29 - In the Room: Gardiner, Jan. 29 - - Postgame: Staal, Jan. 28 - Postgame: Necas, Jan. 28 - Postgame: Mrazek, Jan. 28 - Postgame: Brind'Amour, Jan. 28