2024-25 Regular Season, Game 71 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Nashville Predators

The Carolina Hurricanes completed their three-game California trip with a victory in Anaheim on Sunday night. After Frederik Andersen and Lukas Dostal battled to a scoreless tie after 20 minutes, Mark Jankowski scored his sixth goal in seven games as a Hurricane, redirecting Tyson Jost's pass for the opening marker. Alex Killorn tied it for the Ducks late in the period, beating Andersen five-hole, but Jordan Martinook quickly responded by knocking Shayne Gostisbehere's wide offering home on the rebound, giving the Canes a 2-1 advantage after two periods. Taylor Hall became his massive third period by scoring on the power play early. Trevor Zegras brought the Ducks within a goal late, but Hall scored twice more in less than a minute apart to complete the hat trick and lead the Canes to a 5-2 victory. Andersen was spectacular, making 35 stops to earn his eighth win in ten road appearances. 

The Opponent: Nashville Predators (26-36-8, 60 Points- 7th in the Central Division)

Last Meeting: The Canes visited Nashville during their final stop before the Christmas break. The Predators were all over the Canes, who'd played the day before at Madison Square Garden. It was still close after two periods, with Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault scoring for the Predators. Ryan O'Reilly struck 30 seconds into the third on the power play, and Mark Jankowski added a fourth goal almost 2:30 later to stretch their advantage. Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho tried to pull the Canes back into the fight, scoring 40 seconds apart to cut Nashville's lead in half, but they couldn't get any closer. Marchessault added his second of the night into the empty net to secure a 5-2 Nashville victory. Marchessault (2-1-3) and Filip Forsberg (0-3-3) had three points each, and Juuse Saros made 25 stops.

Since We Last Met: The Predators are entering the finals weeks of what can only be described as a disastrous campaign. After an offseason that garnered a ton of attention and hype, nothing has gone right. They have the third-fewest points in the league (60), though they own three 1st round picks in the upcoming draft. Their deadline was a mixture of adding and selling. They acquired Michael Bunting from the Penguins, but their most notable trade was sending Mark Jankowski to the Canes for a late-round selection. Filip Forsberg has been one of the few bright lights for the Predators, leading with 28 goals and 65 points. Otherwise, it has been disappointing all around. They're the worst offense in the league with a defense that isn't great either. They enter Tuesday losers in five of their last six games, scoring one goal or fewer in each loss. 

Stories of the Night

1. Home, Sweet Home...Again

While they aren't the last home games the Hurricanes are playing this season, it's their final extended homestand of the regular season, playing their next four games at the Lenovo Center. The Canes' most recent four-game stay was perfect, beating Boston, Tampa Bay, Winnipeg, and Detroit to extend their win streak. With the most home wins in the league, the Canes will have four more games to improve their standing for second in the division, with the hopes of clinching a playoff spot in front of the home crowd over the next week or so.  

2. Is Andrei Svechnikov Ready?

While he took the trip to California with the team, Andrei Svechnikov didn't appear despite hopes that he might be ready to return. My hope is that he'll be ready to go at some point this week, maybe even tonight. Once he does return, where does he fit into the lineup? All four lines have shown incredible chemistry, especially Sebastian Aho with Jackson Blake and Seth Jarvis, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi with Taylor Hall and Jack Roslovic. Maybe he'll rejoin Staal's line, but Logan Stankoven has been playing very well with the Jordans. Svechnikov is an incredible player, so he'll find his spot. He just needs to get healthy first.