2025-26 Regular Season, Game 51 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes and the Buffalo Sabres played a playoff-like game on Monday afternoon at the Lenovo Center. Buffalo got off to a very quick start, scoring on its first shot of the game. Rasmus Dahlin buried a chance past Brandon Bussi to put the Sabres on top early. The Hurricanes responded quickly. Sean Walker made a good play in the neutral zone to interrupt the Sabres' breakout, Sebastian Aho showed good patience, and Andrei Svechnikov got his stick free for the tap-in, tying the game at one. Both Bussi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were outstanding. Bussi made a few highlight-reel stops during the middle frame, but his best was easily his 2-on-0 glove save on Tage Thompson that broke the internet. The Canes assumed the lead early in the third period. Aho and Svechnikov set up Seth Jarvis on the power play to take their first lead of the afternoon. From there, the Sabres kept pushing, but Bussi wasn't letting anything through. While he only finished with 17 saves, most of them were high-quality stops. The Canes held on for dear life, winning 2-1 to win their third straight contest. 

Injury Report

Eric Robinson: After exiting Monday's contest with an apparent shoulder injury, he wasn't present for Thursday's practice and is likely going to miss a few games.

Shayne Gostisbehere: He hasn't played since the St. Louis game with what is being called an illness, but the real reason for his absence has been lingering injuries.

The Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks (20-22-7, 47 Points; 6th in the Central Division)

Last Season's Meetings: The Canes swept the season series with Chicago, using a pair of one-goal victories 10 days apart to get the job done. The Blackhawks controlled most of the game in the Windy City, leading 2-0 after 20 minutes and 3-2 after 40, despite a push from the Canes to tie it. Jordan Staal earned the team at least a point with his 700th point in his 1300th game, hopping on a loose puck that Petr Mrazek thought he had covered. In overtime, Sebastian Aho was the hero again, scoring his fourth goal in extra time to earn the second point in a 4-3 win. A week and a half later, they met again in Raleigh. The sides traded goals in the first period, but a pair of goals by Mikko Rantanen and Jaccob Slavin, 67 seconds apart, put them up by two after two periods. Connor Bedard scored in the third, but the Hawks never drew even as the Canes held on for a 3-2 win. 

Since We Last Met: The Blackhawks are trending in the right direction as an organization, even if it means another season outside of the playoffs is growing more likely. The Blackhawks didn't do a ton this season to shake up the roster, retaining Ryan Donato, extending Frank Nazar, Spencer Knight, and Wyatt Kaiser, and acquiring Andre Burakovsky from the Kraken. They made a change behind the bench, naming Jeff Blashill as the head coach after using two coaches a season ago. The group got off to a quick start this season, behind incredible play from Connor Bedard and Knight in the net. However, they slammed hard into a wall in mid-November. They lost five straight near Thanksgiving and had just three wins in 17 games between November 20 and Christmas (3-12-2). After the holidays and into the new year, things started trending back in the right direction, winning six of nine (6-2-1), including four straight games to begin 2026. Once again, a losing streak halted their positive momentum. The Hawks are coming off a 2-0 win over Winnipeg on Monday to snap their three-game skid, with Knight outdueling Connor Hellebuyck in a 32-save shutout. Bedard continues to impress, scoring 48 points in 36 games despite an injury that cost him a few weeks. Knight has been a brick wall in the net. They are a young team that is still trying to work out some of the kinks. One positive has been their penalty kill, which is the second-best in the league (84.6%). 

Stories to Watch

1. Andersen is moving in the right direction

There were two months this season when it felt like Frederik Andersen might never win another game for the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov's injury put him back in the normal rotation, and things have been looking up for the veteran. Andersen has won in two of his last three starts, putting together an exceptional effort against the Devils on Saturday. If yesterday's practice is any indication, he'll get the nod tonight. 

2. Staal line vs. Bedard

Connor Bedard will be the center of attention in almost any area he plays in, and tonight will be no different. Even if the Canes are the better team, Bedard will draw the headlines. With the Canes dictating the matchups, the Staal line will most likely draw the Bedard line, putting a ton of emphasis on the Canes' trio to slow down Bedard, in particular. It's much easier said than done, and the team has done it before.