Preview: January 6 vs. St. Louis

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to keep their season-best run rolling on Saturday as they host the St. Louis Blues for the second half of a back-to-back.

-

When: Saturday, January 6

Puck Drop: 8 p.m. ET

Watch: Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

-

Canes Record: 22-13-4 (48 Points, 2nd, Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 6-2 Win over the Washington Capitals on Friday, January 5

-

Blues Record: 19-17-1 (39 Points, 6th, Central Division)

Blues Last Game: 2-1 Win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, January 4

Last Time Out

• The Canes trailed 2-0 after the first period last night in D.C., but six unanswered goals, including five in the third period, led to a fifth consecutive win. Charged by two power play goals and a multi-goal evening from Brent, it was a memorable NHL debut for Vasily Ponomarev.

Welcome, Pono!

• With forwards Jesper Fast (upper-body injury), Martin Necas (upper-body injury), and Stefan Noesen(illness) all unavailable, the Canes were forced to recall one of their top prospects in Ponomarev. After producing 20 points in 20 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL), the 21-year-old picked up right where he left off, despite the different level of play. Earning the primary assist on the game-tying goal in the third, he then found twine on a two-on-one inside the final minute of the game to cap off a dream come true day.

Game-Changing Power Play

• Their multi-goal performance at Capital One Arena was the fifth time in the last six games that the Canes power play has scored multiple goals. Operating at a 50% success rate since December 23, the team has scored on 12 of their 24 attempts.

Aho + Svechnikov = Outstanding

• A large reason for the power play success as of late has been the stellar play of Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Combining for 30 points in their last six games, that places them as the league's top two scorers over the last two weeks.

In Net

• Rod Brind'Amour confirmed on Thursday that he would split his netminders for the back-to-back and given that Pyotr Kochetkov played last night, that means Antti Raanta will have the nod tonight. The 34-year-old veteran stopped 18 out of 21 last Thursday against Montreal, picking up a win in his most recent appearance.

On The Other Side

• Since making a coaching change on December 13, the Blues have gone 6-3. This season as a whole they've struggled to score, producing 106 goals in 34 games (26th, NHL) and special teams have not been a strong suit. Their power play ranks 31st at just 11.1% and their penalty kill sits 19th at 79.6%. Robert Thomas has emerged as a star in the league, selected as the team's All-Star on Thursday.  34 of his 41 points this season have come at even strength, second among all NHL skaters.

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.
• Forward Jesper Fast suffered a head injury on Saturday, December 30 in Toronto. Rod Brind'Amour said on January 1 that he will be out of the lineup for an unknown amount of time.
• Forward Martin Necas went down during Thursday's practice with an upper-body injury. He did travel to D.C. for Friday's game but did not play.  His status for tonight's game is unknown.
• Forward Stefan Noesen has been away from the team since Wednesday due to an illness.  His status for tonight's game is unknown.

What Are We Wearing?

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

What's Next After Tonight?

• The Canes are scheduled to be off on Sunday. With a four-day gap until their next game, the team is scheduled to practice Monday, be off on Tuesday, and then practice again on Wednesday before hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Worth A Click

Hurricanes Welcome Nucor As Jersey Sponsor

2024 All-Star Profile: Sebastian Aho

Aho To Represent Canes at All-Star Game

Aho Named NHL's First Star of the Week

Mailbag #74: Ended The Year Hot

Williams Named To Hurricanes Hall of Fame

Prospects: Where Are They Playing?

Uniform Schedule For 2023-24

2023-24 Single Game Tickets