2025-26 Regular Season, Game 7 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes were handed their first loss of the season on Monday when they battled the Vegas Golden Knights. Jack Eichel got it started early, getting a friendly bounce off K'Andre Miller's stick to beat Frederik Andersen and get Vegas on the board. Midway through the period, Adin Hill suffered a lower-body injury, bringing Akira Schmid into the game as Hill was helped off the ice. Almost immediately after the change, Pavel Dorofeyev tucked a shot around Andersen's pad with one hand to double Vegas' advantage. The Canes got on the board early in the second. The top line all factored into the goal, finished by Sebastian Aho. They stayed within striking distance for the rest of the night until Miller lost an edge, turning the puck over to Ivan Barbashev, who finished his breakaway chance to restore Vegas' two-goal lead. William Karlsson finished the scoring into the empty net, securing a 4-1 victory for the Golden Knights.

Injury Report

Shayne Gostisbehere: After initially sticking with the team, Gostisbehere was sent back to Raleigh to get treatment for his injury, taking him out of the final two stops on the trip.

Jaccob Slavin: He's still out.

Pyotr Kochetkov: So is he.

The Opponent: Colorado Avalanche (5-0-2, 12 Points, 1st in the Central Division)

Last Season's Meetings: Home ice was defended by both sides when they met a year ago. The Canes visited Denver last November as part of a three-game road trip. They were looking good early, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Even when they surrendered their lead, the Canes quickly got it back, leading 3-2 late in the second period. That's when Colorado turned it on, scoring three times in the final four minutes to take a 5-3 lead. After trading goals in the third, the Avalanche prevailed with a 6-4 decision, snapping the Canes' eight-game winning streak. Nathan MacKinnon had four points (1G, 3A), while Jordan Martinook had three (2G, 1A). The Canes responded a month later with a 5-3 win in Raleigh. They erased an early 1-0 deficit with three unanswered goals, leading 3-1 after 40. Each team scored twice in the third period to land on the 5-3 final. Andrei Svechnikov factored on four of the Canes' five goals (1G, 3A). 

Since We Last Met: So much has transpired for the Canes and the Avalanche since the last time they met over 10 months ago. The Avalanche completely swapped their goalie tandem, trading Justus Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev for Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood in separate deals. Their paths also crossed when the Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen in January, sending Martin Necas and Jack Drury to Colorado. The Avalanche finished 3rd in the Central Division before being ousted by Rantanen, who'd been traded to Dallas at the break, and the Stars in seven games in the 1st round. The offseason was relatively quiet for the Avalanche, bringing back much of the same roster from last season. The biggest exception was Brent Burns, whom they signed to a one-year deal after Carolina let him walk this summer. It has resulted in a great start for the Avalanche. They enter play as one of the final two teams without a regulation loss, though they're coming off an overtime loss to Utah on Tuesday. Martin Necas has been lighting it up, leading the team with 11 points. Otherwise, it has been the usual suspects leading the way offensively. Nathan MacKinnon has six goals and 10 points. Cale Makar leads all defensemen in points (8). The big surprise has been Wedgewood. He has started all seven games in Blackwood's absence with an injury. He has allowed just one goal in each of Colorado's five wins, being named last week's 3rd star across the league. They're the top-ranked defense with the third-best offense, so this is going to be a fight tonight.

Stories to Watch

1. Kicking it old school

For both meetings between Carolina and Colorado this season, each side will don its old threads. The Avalanche will be in their Quebec blues, while the Canes will wear their Whalers whites. They'll wear them again when they meet in January. It'll be a fun way to inject some fun into an otherwise meaningless October meeting between two very good teams. The Canes have a good track record when wearing Whalers colors.

2. Two underperforming power plays collide

While both teams are off to blistering starts this season, one area both have struggled in is on the power play. The Avalanche has the third-worst unit in the league, operating just over 11.5%, while the Canes are right below them with the second-worst group at 9.5%. This is very surprising, given the amount of talent and firepower on each side. It's not a trend I expect for Colorado, though I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way for one more night. The jury is still out on whether the Canes can get theirs in check. 

3. Familiar faces in new places

Thursday night marks the first time that Martin Necas and Jack Drury will face the team that drafted them since being traded in January. It'll also be Brent Burns' first time since joining Colorado after three seasons in Raleigh. Revenge games are all too common when meeting the Hurricanes, whether it's the first time or the 100th time, so all three players will be interesting to watch. Necas will likely get the most chances to do damage, meaning he could be in line for a few points.