2025-26 Regular Season, Game 23 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes did not play a good game against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday afternoon. They fell behind early after Alex Tuch was left all alone in front of the net for an easy tap-in on the power play. The Sabres thought they'd struck again shortly after, but Jacob Bryson's goal was taken off the board due to goalie interference. The Canes tied it late in the frame on the power play. A scramble in the crease caused Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen to be out of position for Shayne Gostisbehere to cash in. The Sabres took control of the game in the second. Early in the period, Jack Quinn popped one past Frederik Andersen, and Beck Malenstyn danged around Sebastian Aho before finishing a breakaway chance to double the lead. The Canes mounted a push in the third, yet it yielded nothing. Tage Thompson scored into the empty net, securing a 4-1 victory for Buffalo on home ice.

Injury Report

Jordan Staal: After missing Sunday's game with an illness, he didn't practice with the team on Tuesday, casting doubt about whether he'll be good for tonight.

K'Andre Miller: He was dinged up in Sunday's game and fought through it, but he also didn't practice on Tuesday, and I would hate to see him miss another game against his former team.

Pyotr Kochetkov: He's dealing with the same lingering injury that kept him out to begin the season, making sense of why he didn't play over the weekend, and he won't play tonight either.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi: No update for him outside of him skating before practice on Tuesday.

Jaccob Slavin: He also skated on Tuesday before practice, but no other updates for him either.

The Opponent: New York Rangers (11-11-2, 24 Points; 8th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: The first tussle of the season took place at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago, and the Canes ensured New York's home woes continued. Nikolaj Ehlers scored his first goal as a Hurricane late in the first period, snapping one off the far post and past Igor Shesterkin on the power play to break the ice. The Canes slowly took the crowd out of the game, and Sean Walker's goal late in the second silenced them for good. Seth Jarvis ended it with the empty-net goal, sending the Canes home with a 3-0 win. Pyotr Kochetkov, in his season debut, stopped all 25 shots he faced, shutting out the Rangers.

Since We Last Met: It says a lot about the strength of the division that first and last are only separated by six points. That the Rangers are the team at the very bottom is also very surprising. They haven't found their footing yet. It looked as if they'd found it after losing to the Canes at home. They won four of their next five, including their first home win over a month into the season against Nashville. With momentum finally on their side, the Rangers threw it away by losing four straight, including all three games on a trip out west. They rebounded with a win over the Blues on Monday to get them back to .500. The Rangers continue to struggle for offense. They've scored more than two goals twice over their last six games. New York is third from the bottom in goals per game. While their offense can't score, their defense has done a decent enough job keeping them in games. Igor Shesterkin is shouldering much of the load, starting 18 of their 24 games. His .909 save percentage might seem okay, but his 2.50 GAA is good no matter who you are. 

Stories to Watch

1. Injuries and illness galore

One of the big talking points for the group after losing in Buffalo was the flu that has circulated through the Canes' locker room. It kept Jordan Staal out of the lineup on Sunday, and it could do the same tonight. Add to it the injury K'Andre Miller suffered during that game and the lingering issue plaguing Pyotr Kochetkov, there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Canes' lineup. The same goes for the Rangers. JT Miller has missed two games and was in a no-contact jersey on Tuesday, as was Will Borgen. There are plenty of interesting things to watch simply from an injury standpoint.

2. Feast or famine?

Tomorrow is a day full of indulging and gluttony, so why can't we see the same tonight from the Hurricanes? Their road to Thanksgiving last season featured two exciting games against the Rangers and the Stars. Both wins required comebacks. I'd appreciate if the Canes didn't put us through that and scored seven goals to eliminate all doubt. The Rangers are one of the league's best on the road, though they've lost three straight against from MSG. This has all the makings of a frustrating night, but I'm crossing my fingers that the Hurricanes don't put us through that.