Game Preview: Wild versus Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes Home Stand
The Carolina Hurricanes return home for a two-game series after a road trip to the northeast. Their next opponents at the Lenovo Center are the Minnesota Wild and the Buffalo Sabres.
On Tuesday night, Carolina secured a strong victory over the New York Rangers, who have been struggling this season. Nikolaj Ehlers scored his first goal as a Hurricane on the power play. The Hurricanes dominated the second and third periods, allowing New York only one shot in the final period.
Pyotr Kochetkov recorded a 26-save shutout in his season debut, despite Carolina playing with a weakened defense.
Focus Shifts to Minnesota Wild
The Hurricanes now prepare to face the Minnesota Wild, a team initially considered on the playoff bubble but has struggled early in the season. After starting with two wins in three games, Minnesota managed just one win in their last nine games through October.
The Wild snapped a five-game losing streak on November 1 and recently defeated Nashville in overtime.
Minnesota's Power Play
Minnesota's key strength is their power play, led by Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild possess the third-best power play in the NHL, converting on 31.5% of opportunities.
Kaprizov is among the league's top scorers, tied for ninth with eight goals and 10 assists. He ranks second in power play goals (5) and points (9).
Other Minnesota players with double-digit points this season include Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Marcus Johansson.
"The strength of this Minnesota squad is the power play."
Author's summary: The Hurricanes return home after a strong win to face a Minnesota Wild team revitalized by a powerful special teams unit led by Kirill Kaprizov.