Preview: December 28 vs. New Jersey

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to split a back-to-back set against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

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When: Saturday, December 28

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET

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Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, via Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -140

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Canes Record: 21-13-1 (43 Points, 3rd - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 4-2 Loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, Dec. 27

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Devils Record: 24-11-3 (51 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)

Devils Last Game: 4-2 Win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, Dec. 27

Last Game...

• Despite Carolina scoring the game-opening goal and tying the game early in the second period, New Jersey earned the victory last night in Newark.
• Brent Burns had a pair of points but Pyotr Kochetkov was beaten four times on 23 shots.

Previous Meetings This Season...

• October 15: Jackson Blake bagged his first NHL goal in the third period to help the Canes notch their first win of the season, 4-2 over New Jersey at Lenovo Center.
• November 21: Carolina was "flat" during its second game in as many nights and came up short in a 4-2 loss to the Devils in Newark.
• December 27: Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 out of 31 shots faced for New Jersey, giving his team a 4-2 victory at Prudential Center.

Upcoming History For Rod...

• Rod Brind'Amour has a chance to earn his 300th win as an NHL coach on Saturday. In his 488th game as head coach of the team, he would become the fastest coach in NHL history to reach the mark. Bruce Boudreau currently holds the record, doing so in 496 games.
• Since taking over ahead of the 2018-19 season, the Canes rank second in points percentage (.663), third in wins (299) and have the league's best penalty kill (85.1%).

Burnin' Up...

• Brent Burns' next game will be his 200th as a Hurricane. His first 199 have come consecutively - Burns owns the longest active and seventh-longest all-time games played streak at 877.
• Posting a goal and an assist last night, Burns factored in on both Carolina goals for his 193rd career multi-point game - good for second among active NHL defensemen behind Erik Karlsson (204).
• With 892 career points, the veteran blueliner is just four points shy of matching Brad Park for 13th all-time in points by a defenseman.

In Net...

• With Kochetkov starting last night, it feels likely that Dustin Tokarski (1-1-0 | 2.51 GAA | .904 SV%) will get the nod this evening. Tokarksi made his second appearance as a Hurricane on Monday in Nashville, suffering the loss, but was hardly to blame for the result.
• However, there's also an outside chance that Brind'Amour and staff go back to Kochektov for a second consecutive night. The staff elected to do so last month in a similar setting against the Florida Panthers, when Spencer Martin played two games in two days, with travel included.

On The Other Side...

• The Devils have won six of their last seven and put some more distance between themselves and the rest of the division last night.
• If the team elects to go with their other option in net tonight, Jake Allen in 5-5-1 this season with a 2.79 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
• 11 different skaters recorded a point for the Devils last night, with Luke Hughes being the lone one to record multiple. He now has points in four of his last five games and multi-point efforts in two of his last three.

Injury Updates

• Forward Jack Drury is out for "at least a few weeks" after sustaining a broken bone in his hand on Tuesday, Dec. 10, and undergoing surgery as a result. He has resumed skating by himself recently.
• Goaltender Frederik Andersen suffered a knee injury in the team's win over Seattle on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Canes announced on Friday, Nov. 21 that the goaltender would undergo surgery and be out of action for 8-12 weeks.
• Forward Jesper Fast was ruled out for the 2024-25 season in August after having neck surgery.

What Are We Wearing?

• The team will be wearing their red uniforms. To view the team's full 2024-25 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Sunday and Monday before departing for Columbus.
• Next Game: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at Columbus | 8:00 p.m.
• Next Home Game: Saturday, Jan. 4 vs. Minnesota | 7:00 pm | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights