2025-26 Regular Season, Game 3 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes had a great start to their contest on Saturday with the Flyers, getting the better of play for most of the 20 minutes. However, despite three failed attempts on the power play, they couldn't find the first goal. Instead, Owen Tippett took advantage of a fortuitous bounce to pot the opening goal in the final minute. The Canes got it back early in the second, courtesy of Logan Stankoven, but Bobby Brink put the Flyers right back on top a few minutes later. Taylor Hall scored his second in as many games, finishing a beautiful pass from Eric Robinson to tie it again, and Jordan Staal scored Goal #299 with 1:30 left in the period to put the Canes ahead for the first time. Travis Sanheim drew Philly even with four to go in regulation, sending us to the first overtime contest of the new season. Brink appeared to win it for the Flyers in the final minute of overtime, but a review for goalie interference took it off the board. Instead, Seth Jarvis played the hero, burying a one-timer for his third goal of the season to secure a 4-3 win. Frederik Andersen played well, stopping 20 shots in his second victory.

Injury Report

Jaccob Slavin: As on Monday's morning skate, Slavin was still being evaluated, so we don't have any answers as to his current status. I'd lean toward Slavin being unavailable on Tuesday, and we'll likely have to play the rest of the trip by ear.

Pyotr Kochetkov: The head coach said before Saturday's game that Kochetkov will miss a week of action. He isn't traveling with the team for the start of the trip, being placed on IR on Monday, but they haven't ruled out his joining at some point toward the end.

The Opponent: San Jose Sharks (0-0-2, 2 Points; 52 Points, 8th in the Pacific last season)

Last Season's Meetings: The Canes emerged victorious in both battles with San Jose a year ago. They first met in December at the Lenovo Center. Shayne Gostisbehere got the Canes on the board early, but two goals from Luke Kunin had San Jose up 2-1 after two periods. Brent Burns finished a beautiful passing play early in the third to tie it, and Jalen Chatfield wristed home a turnover with under three to play to help the Canes earn a 3-2 win. They met again in March at The Shark Tank. William Eklund finished a short-handed chance in the first period, and Seth Jarvis responded by tying it in the second. Sebastian Aho gave the Canes the lead early in the third, and Sean Walker provided the insurance marker late to secure a 3-1 victory, completing the season sweep.

Since We Last Met: After finishing with the worst offense, the worst defense, and the worst record by nine points, the Sharks only have one direction they can go. Fortunately, they have a few pieces in place that now have a season of experience under their belts. Mackin Celebrini was a Calder finalist, while Will Smith finished 6th. William Eklund scored 58 points, cruising past his previous best. Tyler Toffoli hit 30 goals for the third straight season. They have a good core, but they still aren't quite ready to threaten for a playoff spot. Along with signing a ton of veterans to one- or two-year deals this offseason, just look at their first two games of the season. In their opener, they led the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2, with Vegas' net empty. They had a chance to finish it with an empty-netter, but they couldn't find it. Instead, Jack Eichel scores from center ice on a weird play to force overtime. In OT, Alex Nedeljkovic gets a little too adventurous, misplays the puck, and allows Reilly Smith to score into a vacant cage. On Saturday, the Sharks played a high-scoring overtime contest that they came out on the wrong side of, falling 7-6 to the Ducks despite three-point efforts from Celebrini and Smith. It has been an adventurous start, but they have points in back-to-back games, so there's something positive.

Stories to Watch

1. Michael Misa makes his NHL debut

The 2nd pick from the 2025 Draft will officially take the ice for the first time as an NHLer on Tuesday, meaning there's a 150% chance he's scoring a goal against the Hurricanes. This feels like a huge deal for the Sharks, whose young core is only getting more loaded with each passing debut. He'll be a problem in the league for many years to come, beginning on Tuesday against the Canes.

2. Does Bussi get the call, too?

With Kochetkov going on IR, they're beginning the trip with Andersen and Bussi in the net. Brind'Amour indicated that Bussi will start at some point during the trip. If it were up to me, I'd start Andersen on two days' rest and let Bussi make his NHL debut on Thursday against the Ducks. However, the decision isn't up to me, so I have no clue how the team will handle it.

3. First time on the road this season

Last season was the first time under Brind'Amour that the Canes had a losing record on the road, going 16-21-4. At times, it was brutal to watch the Canes when they weren't at the Lenovo Center. This is our first look at them away from home after two successful defenses last weekend. They've seen decent success in San Jose over the last few years, but this is far from a gimme.