Preview: December 23 vs. New York

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes close out their pre-holiday break schedule on Saturday when they host the New York Islanders at PNC Arena.

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When: Saturday, December 23

Puck Drop: 7:30 p.m. ET

Watch: Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

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Canes Record: 17-12-4 (38 Points, T-4th, Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 2-1 Loss (SO) the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, December 21

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Islanders Record: 15-18-9 (39 Points, 3rd, Metropolitan Division)

Islanders Last Game: 3-2 Loss (OT) to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, December 20

Previous Meetings This Season

• Saturday, November 4: After trailing 3-0 during the second period, Carolina charged back from behind, eventually earning a 4-3 OT victory.
• Thursday, November 30: The Canes outshot the Islanders 43-16 but fell 5-4 in overtime.

Last Time Out

• The penalty kill and Pyotr Kochetkov earned the Canes a hard-earned point on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.  Carolina took five penalties over the course of the night, including three during the second period and one in overtime.  Tim Gleason's killers did a great job of holding Pittsburgh to just eight shots over the course of the five tries.  Kochetkov was up to par on all eight.  Eventually the contest came down to a shootout and for the second time in three games, the Canes came out on the wrong side of the skills competition.

Penalty Kill

• The 5-for-5 evening in Pittsburgh now means that the Canes have now held the opposing power play scoreless in 10 of their last 11 games (12/2-12/21: 33-for-34, 97.1%), improving to 38-for-40 on the kill over their last 14 contests (11/26-12/21: 95.0%). Carolina has now been shorthanded 34 times in December, the sixth-most of any NHL team, while allowing a league-low one power-play goal this month.

In Net

• Kochetkov put on another fantastic performance on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, denying 24 out of 25 shots over the course of 65 minutes. Now 3-0-2 with a .949 save percentage in his last five starts, no goalie in the NHL that has played more than four games since December 12 has a better SV%. It is expected that he'll have the nod for a fourth consecutive game tonight.

On The Other Side

• The Islanders have earned points in nine of their 10 games played this month, scoring a league-leading 38 goals in December. Bo Horvat leads the charge with 15 points and Ilya Sorokin continues to be stellar, producing a .919 save percentage during the same stretch. Lane Lambert's team will give opportunities to score, allowing 38.6 shots per game since 12/1, so it will be on Carolina to take advantage.

Injury Updates

• Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been sidelined since the team announced on November 6 that he is dealing with a blood clotting issue. General Manager Don Waddell shared on December 17 that he has been cleared and could start skating again soon.

What Are We Wearing?

• The team will be wearing their red sweaters tonight. A complete uniform schedule for the season can be found here.

Additional Game Information

• Coming to tonight's game? Save $15 on parking by purchasing in advance. Click here to buy.
• Want to remember tonight forever? Purchase a commemorative ticket here.

What's Next After Tonight?

• The Canes begin their holiday break on Sunday and are scheduled to be off until Wednesday. They'll return to game action in Nashville against the Predators then.

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