2025-26 Regular Season, Game 8 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars

Last Game: Things got wild in Denver on Thursday night when the Hurricanes collided with the Colorado Avalanche. Wearing their Whalers colors opposite Colorado's Quebec homage, the Canes hopped out to a good start. Eric Robinson picked the corner in transition on Scott Wedgewood, beating him short side to draw first blood. Less than a minute later, Valeri Nichushkin responded, tying it up just over four minutes in. The Canes took control of the period on the scoreboard with three unanswered goals before the end of the period. Seth Jarvis scored the team's first short-handed goal of the season, undressing Wedgewood on a breakaway to regain the lead. Sebastian Aho added to it with a lucky bounce off his leg. Wedgewood kicked out Nikolaj Ehlers' chance, but it redirected off Aho and into the net to extend the lead to two. Logan Stankoven made it 4-1 by poking home a rebound, chasing the Colorado netminder from the game just 13:40 into the game after allowing four goals on 11 shots.

Colorado worked back into the game, starting with Parker Kelly's seemingly illegal use of his glove to redirect a shot past Frederik Andersen. Martin Necas haunted his old mates to bring Colorado within one early in the period, and Nichushkin picked up his second of the night late on the power play to tie it. With nothing resolved after 60 minutes, the teams headed to overtime. Neither team scored over the five-minute frame, including a failed power play on each side. Jarvis opened the shootout with a beautiful goal, and Andersen shut down all three Colorado shooters to claim the second point. Andersen finished the night with 44 saves (48 shots), Jarvis and Aho extended their point streaks to seven games each, and the penalty kill went 7-for-8 despite being down three defensemen and losing two forwards during the game.

Injury Report (This list is getting long)

William Carrier: Exited Thursday's game early in the first period with a lower-body injury and is expected to be out for an extended period of time.

Eric Robinson: Exited Thursday's game before the third period with an upper-body injury and is expected to be out for an extended period of time.

K'Andre Miller: Was a late scratch on Thursday with a lower-body injury after taking warm-ups and isn't expected to be available on Saturday.  

Shayne Gostisbehere: He's at home recovering.

Jaccob Slavin: So is he.

Pyotr Kochetkov: Him, too.

The Opponent: Dallas Stars (3-3-1, 7 Points, 7th in the Central Division)

Last Season's Meetings: The Stars visited Raleigh before Thanksgiving and appeared to be in good shape through two periods. Only a Seth Jarvis short-handed goal interrupted a 3-1 start for the Stars. However, the Canes came out and scored three times in the first 8:09 of the third period (Aho, Burns, Gostisbehere-PP) to take their first lead of the night. Miro Heiskanen tied the game with just over five minutes remaining, but Martin Necas scored the game-winner on the power play, courtesy of an incredible stroke of luck. Andrei Svechnikov scored into the empty net to secure a 6-4 win on home ice. Aho finished with four points (1G, 3A), and Jarvis had three (1G, 2A), while four Stars recorded multi-point outings. The Canes went into Dallas two months later and completed the season sweep. Jesperi Kotkaniemi was the star of the night, scoring both of Carolina's goals, including the game-winner 24 seconds after Thomas Harley tied it in the third period, to win the game, 2-1, on the road.

Since We Last Met: After a 50-win, 106-point season and acquiring the "missing piece" in Mikko Rantanen from the Hurricanes at the trade deadline, the Stars seemed primed for a long run. Rantanen and the Stars collided with the Avalanche in the first round, using a hat trick in Game 7 to vanquish his old team. Then, they sent the President's Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets packing in the second round in six games. However, they were quickly dispatched by the Oilers in the Western Conference Finals, ending their run in the third round for the third year in a row. This led to Jim Nill excusing Peter DeBoer as the bench boss and naming Glen Gulutzan, starting his second tenure with the team. It was an otherwise quiet offseason for the Stars, who did what they needed to do at the trade deadline. They traded Mason Marchment to Seattle and Matt Dumba to Pittsburgh to get under the cap. Their start initially looked good, winning three straight off the bat, but they've fallen in their last four, sitting at 3-3-1 through seven games. The power play is clicking, but things aren't as smooth at 5-on-5. Jake Oettinger has also not performed to expectations, allowing over three goals per game with a sub-.900 save percentage. Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Wyatt Johnston each have eight points in seven games, leading the team.

Stories to Watch

1. Who is in the lineup for Carolina?

You'll notice that the list of injuries at the top of the page has gotten a lot longer. In fact, it doubled in size in the last two days. With six players currently hurt, the team is reeling as it finishes its road trip. Defensively, they'll probably have to ride with three rookie defensemen, giving Joel Nystrom his second appearance and Charles Alexis Legault his third. Up front, there are a few more questions. Both Carrier and Robinson are wingers, and Mark Jankowski, the healthy extra up front, is a center, so while they could move Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the wing, it still leaves a spot for a potential call-up to fill. In the net, there's no chance I'm going with Andersen again. Put Brandon Bussi in the net and let whatever happens happen. You're already 4-1-0 on the trip with everything that has happened. The goal should be to make it home in one piece.

2. Mikko Rantanen/Logan Stankoven Revenge Game

Whether it is fair or not, Mikko Rantanen and Logan Stankoven will be linked forever. Comparisons between the two will follow them for the rest of their careers, with it being more of an issue for Stankoven as the younger player than it is for Rantanen, an already established star. This will be Stankoven's first game in Dallas since the trade last March, as it will be Rantanen's first time playing against his former team after a brief stint. This means, like Martin Necas on Thursday in Colorado, Rantanen is almost bound to get a goal or two against the Canes, especially with their injured lineup. I'm expecting a relatively warm reception for Stankoven's return. He wasn't there very long, but there shouldn't be any bad blood.