When: Saturday, January 8, 7 p.m. EST
Watch:Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App
Listen:99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes.com/Listen, Hurricanes App
Canes Record:24-7-1 (49 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)
Canes Last Game:6-3 Win over the Calgary Flames on Friday, January 7.
Panthers Record:22-7-5 (49 Points, 2nd - Atlantic Division)
Panthers Last Game:6-5 Shootout Loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday, January 6.
TRACKING THE STORYLINES:
About Last Night:Friday night the Canes battled back from a slow start against the Calgary Flames, scoring four consecutive goals for the second straight game
en route to a 6-3 victory
. Brady Skjei had three points and Frederik Andersen recorded 36 stops, two of the best performers on the night.
A Chance To Get It Back:Florida handed Carolina their
first loss on the season back on November 6
, a game that the Canes would certainly like to get back. The Panthers struck three times on the power play in the opening 20 minutes, ultimately putting Carolina in a hole they couldn't come back from.
Kotkaniemi's Gone Streaking:Jesperi Kotkaniemi provided a wonderful setup to Brady Skjei's goal Friday night, marking his sixth consecutive game with a point. The 21-year-old now has 16 points in 32 games this season.
Offense vs. Defense:When it comes to keeping the puck out of their own net, no one has done a better job this year than the Canes. They've allowed just 69 goals in 32 games, the fewest in the entire league. On the other end of things, only the Vegas Golden Knights are better when it comes to scoring. The Cats have recorded 133 goals in 34 games, good for an average of 3.88 per game played.
Running It Up:Although scoring may be Florida's strong suit, the Canes have been on a quite a roll themselves lately in that department, scored six-plus goals in consecutive games for just the fourth time in team history. Last Saturday they put up seven on Columbus and Friday's half of a dozen on Calgary, moving their average over the last month to 4.11 goals scored per game.
Additional Notes:
Milestone Watch: Tony DeAngelo needs one more assist to reach 100 in his NHL career. Martin Necas is two points shy of 100 in his NHL career.
What Color Are We Wearing?:The team will be wearing their red sweaters tonight.
Worth A Click:
Weekend Plans: Taking On The Top
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