Preview: December 30 at Toronto

TORONTO - The Carolina Hurricanes will try for a third consecutive win on Saturday as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in their final game of 2023.

-

When: Saturday, December 30

Puck Drop: 7 p.m. ET

Watch: Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

-

Canes Record: 19-13-4 (42 Points, T-3rd, Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 5-3 Win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, December 28

-

Maple Leafs Record: 17-9-6 (41 Points, 3rd, Atlantic Division)

Maple Leafs Last Game: 6-5 Loss (OT) to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, December 29

Last Time Out

• The Canes earned a second win in as many nights on Thursday, taking down the Montreal Canadiens just 24 hours after a victory in Nashville. After an early 2-0 lead was washed away, and the game was tied at 3-3 in the third, Andrei Svechnikov emerged with the game-winner, one of his three goals on the night. Jesper Fast scored the other two for Carolina and Antti Raanta earned the win in net, his first start since returning from a two-game stint in the American Hockey League.

Svechnikov's On A Roll

• Recording his third career regular-season hat trick on Thursday, #37 doubled his season total in goals on just three shots.  Now with three consecutive multi-point performances, Svechnikov has produced seven points in those games.

Four More For Aho?

• Sebastian Aho totaled four points in both Wednesday and Thursday's wins, becoming the first player in franchise history to produce four points in consecutive days.  The first player NHL player to do so in over 20 years, he now leads all Canes skaters in goals (14), assists (25), points (39), power-play assists (11), power-play points (15), multi-assist games (6) and multi-point games (11) this season.

Bunting's Return To The Six

• Forward Michael Bunting will play his first game back in Toronto tonight since signing with Carolina this offseason.  The Scarborough, Ontario native registered 112 points in 161 games with the Maple Leafs over the past two seasons (2021-23).

In Net

• Raanta's victory over Montreal on Thursday means Pyotr Kochetkov will be back between the pipes this evening. Although last Saturday against the Islanders went a little rocky, the young netminder has been mostly superb this month. Since December 12 in Ottawa, the Canes have earned points in six of Kochetkov's seven starts, as he's posted a .931 save percentage.

On The Other Side

• The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets played another wild, high-scoring affair last night, with Columbus ultimately coming out on top.  Despite now being 5-3-4 in December, Toronto's 49 goals still lead all 32 NHL teams.  Their power play, a big part of that scoring, is still operating at a 30.3% success rate this month.  Led by Auston Matthews' 21 points in 11 games, William Nylander chases right behind with 20 points in 12 games.  While the team has no trouble scoring, if there's one area where they've had difficulty, it's the penalty kill.  In their own building this season, they've killed off just 74% of penalties, ranking 29th league-wide.

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 white sweaters tonight. A complete uniform schedule for the season can be found here.

What's Next After Tonight?

• The Canes will fly home immediately post-game and are scheduled to practice at Invisalign Arena on both Sunday and Monday.  They'll then return to game action on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

Worth A Click

Two Canes Prospects To Participate In 2024 World Junior Championship

Mailbag #73: Jack Drury

Dell Joins Canes On A Free Agent Tryout

Andersen To Resume Skating Soon

Kochetkov's Most Electrifying Saves Yet

Bucket List: When and Why?

Whalers Night: In White!

Williams Named To Hurricanes Hall of Fame

Prospects: Where Are They Playing?

Uniform Schedule For 2023-24

2023-24 Single Game Tickets