2025-26 Regular Season, Game 48 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes suffered their first shutout loss of the season on Tuesday night, falling 3-0 to the St. Louis Blues. After both sides failed to score in the first period, a turnover on the power play led to the Blues breaking the ice early in the second. Nick Bjugstad, returning after a month, fired it over Brandon Bussi's glove to get it started. Midway through the period, the Blues transitioned the puck beautifully again. This time, Dalibor Dvorsky was on the receiving end, doubling the lead. To close the frame, Jimmy Snuggerud nearly replicated Bjugstad's goal, firing the puck over Bussi's glove-side shoulder to push it to three. The only story left to tell in the third period was Joel Hofer's. He recorded 33 saves, picking up his fourth shutout of the season. Bussi made 28 stops in defeat. 

Injury Report
Jaccob Slavin: He was on the ice for Thursday's practice, seemingly indicating that he'll play on Friday, but likely not on Saturday, per his rehab protocol.
William Carrier: After missing both games to start the week, he skated on the fourth line, though it's not clear whether he'll be in the lineup for this contest.
Noah Philp: He's still out with a concussion, with no timetable given for his return.

The Opponent: Florida Panthers (24-18-3, 51 Points; 7th in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Panthers visited Raleigh for the final game before Christmas, marking the second meeting in less than a week before the playoff foes. The Canes got off to another good start, striking first on Eric Robinson's tally in the opening frame. They added to it in the second when Andrei Svechnikov exited the penalty box and buried a breakaway. It felt like the Canes were in for better fortunes than they had in Sunrise. Unfortunately, they forgot how to play hockey in the third period. Florida got their first goal on a bad bounce, and the game unraveled from there. The Panthers took the lead with a pair of goals from Luke Kunin and Anton Lundell 43 seconds apart. Sam Bennett added a fourth before the halfway point, and Seth Jones finished it on the power play to make it five unanswered goals in the third in a 5-2 victory for Florida. It was Carolina's third straight game blowing a multi-goal lead.

Since We Last Met: The injuries haven't let up for the Cats this season. It seems like a new player is getting hurt every week. Aleksander Barkov remains out long-term, as are Dmitry Kulikov and Jonah Gadjovich. Matthew Tkachuk is practicing, but he hasn't dressed for a game. Seth Jones was hurt early in January, and Brad Marchand has missed the last few games, too. It has been a war of attrition for the two-time defending champs, though they aren't garnering any sympathy from the hockey community. Their placement in the division is indicative of how insane the Eastern Conference has been this season. They've won their last two games on their current six-game road trip, beating Ottawa and Buffalo on Saturday and Monday, respectively. Due to all of their injured player, the Panthers have been no better than an average team this season, sitting in the middle of the league in goals scored, goals allowed, and on the power play. Their one area of strength has been their penalty kill, which is 5th overall. When they get back to a decent level of health, the Panthers could make a massive surge. 

Stories to Watch
1. Break the Panthers' psyche
The Panthers have some sort of demonic control over the Hurricanes, and they've had it since the two met in 2023. Don't ask for proof because I don't have any. Call it more of a hunch. It has been evident in both of their encounters this season. On both occasions, the Canes led by multiple goals heading into the third period. Both times, the Hurricanes lost. They have an issue with holding leads in general, but these have been two of the toughest losses to handle. Tonight, they need to find a way to play their game and prevent the Panthers from getting into their heads while simultaneously responding to the fires they try to start. It's a delicate balance, and the Canes haven't found it yet.

2. Get the offense back on track
The Hurricanes were shut out on Tuesday night in St. Louis. That hadn't happened this season. Naturally, I'm curious about how they'll respond to it. The Panthers aren't the best defensive team in the league, and Sergei Bobrovsky has been beatable this season. They've played well against him for the first two periods of both meetings, but they can't find the kill shot in the third period. It'll be on the leaders to get the team rolling.

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