Last minute Hurricanes News, Reports, Updates Heading Into Hurricanes Vs. Predators..

The Hurricanes head into Nashville for their next matchup with Piotr eyeing a tying record. Two guys still out. One did skate, but the Red Hot Hurricanes won't be denied as they head into Nashville, Tennessee to put a little Smashville in on the Predators. Tonight is going to be a very, very fun game to watch. Welcome to Hurricane's Digest. I'm Jeff Testanero. I invite you all to like, share, comment, and subscribe. Click the download button if you want. The push to 2,600 is growing and growing. I appreciate all of you. Go ahead and hit that subscribe button now. Also, a reminder, we're over on the socials at Canes Digest. Click follow over there for more. It's a big day over down in Smashville. As the Hurricanes roll in to Nashville looking for their fifth straight win with two vet forwards still missing from that projected lineup. Taylor Hall did return to the ice with the group out morning skate today, but that doesn't mean he's returning to game action tonight. Jordan Staal also remains sidelined as Carolina prepares for another game with its forward combinations. From the last few games, Hall's participation is the latest development. After his previous comeback attempt was delayed, he had been preparing to return against Boston on October 27th. Would have been a nice little homecoming for him before another issue at Morning Skate pushed that return back even further. Today, he was skating with the team again, so that is positive. I have read. Some things online from some insider people, so if you want to call them that, that Hall will probably, if everything goes well, probably return Thursday against. The New York Islanders, according to Walt Ruff, Hall is unlikely to play tonight. Rod Brind'Amour hopes he can return Thursday against the Fish Sticks. That gives us a possible next step, but Thursday remains a hope rather than a confirmed return date. For this Nashville preview, Hall stays outside of my projected lineup. Jordan Staal also remains injured. We don't know, we haven't heard anything about Jordan Staal. He has a calf tear. He suffered it last month, actually in October. Okay. Carolina continues to work without the captain and one of his regular options at center. His absence has kept Mark Jankowski in the projected middle six group, also keeping Kokaniemi employed for now. The Hurricanes have gone 8-1-1 in the 10 games Staal has missed, averaging four goals scored and two allowed. Those results show how Carolina has managed this stretch. They do not suggest Staal's absence improves the team, because it doesn't. The available players have continued producing. While he recovers, we truly are the greatest franchise. In modern-day hockey, next man up, man, Dr. Tulsi built a monster, and you know I'm right. Carolina enters at 12, 2-2 as you roll down into Smashville with 26 points and first place in the Metro. Nashville is 5, 4, and 5. Puck drop, 8 p.m., Bridgestone Arena, right off Broadway in downtown Smashville, Tennessee. Carolina is going to come in there and put a little smash in Smashville. With Holland's Staal still unavailable in this projection, the Hurricanes' expected lineup keeps the combinations showing at Morning Skate. The forward group has Jankowski between Jordan Martinuk and Seth Jarvis, which is a pretty good spot, if you ask me, for Janko there. William Carrier projects alongside Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov again. Ehlers stays with Stank and Blake. Martinuk, Janko, and Jarvi make up the next line, followed by Eric Robinson, Mr. KK, and the man who's going to smash Ville, Nick DeLaurier. Those are two projected combinations. I'm sorry, those are the projected combinations entering tonight's matchup against the Preds. On defense, you got Slavin with Chatfield, Miller with Walker, Ghost alongside, you know, Volmaki. He, he, um. It's going great. There's really no reason to switch out the defenses. Ruff listed Mike Riley and Alex Nikitian as the additional defensive pair at morning skate outside of those projected six. I would like to see, I mean. Volmaki's playing great. I would love to see Riley get a little more, but, yeah, we've got to be in there as well. We're not going to rush. I don't think Rod's going to rush Nikitian back if he plays him at all. That'd be terrible. He'll scratch all season. Jankowski, that would do a lot for his contract negotiations next year. Sure. Jankowski's production. I'm sorry. I love Boomer. Jankowski's production is one of the developments besides Carolina's continued success. Through these absences, Ruff reports that he has eight goals in his last nine games played, providing scoring from the group currently centered between Marty Pardee and Mr. Jarvie. Tonight also brings Jankowski back to his former team. Wearing the yellow and blue, he appeared in 123 games for Nashville before joining the Hurricanes, giving this matchup another connection beyond the standings and the fact that the two states neighbor. Look it up on the map if you didn't know that. A little geography lesson for you. Aho enters with 21 points in 16 games, including 9 goals, 12 assists. He remains Carolina's leading scorer as the Hurricanes take this lineup and the hit show on the road. Special teams are a significant part of tonight's matchup. Carolina's power play enters at 24.1%. While its penalty kill is operating at 83.3%. Both units rank 9th, entering the game. We are just too freaking good. Aho also has recently produced against... All of his opponents across six meetings, shown on the card floating above my head, dating back to the 23-24 season. He has six goals, ten points. That is a specific six-game sample, giving some context to his previous meetings with the Preds. Nashville Predators bring a power play converting at 31.9% and a penalty kill at 88.9%. Both sit inside the league's top five. That makes... Discipline, a measurable factor tonight in Nashville as the Preds are converting nearly one in three power play opportunities. Nashville projects Steven Stamkos with Ryan O'Reilly and Bork. We got Forsberg with Wright and Hoglander. Colton with former Hurricane Jack Drury and Edstrom. Reed Schaefer, Alex Kerfoot, Jonathan Marchenault. Marchenault. Marchenault, French-Canadian compete in the forward group. We got Roman Josi with Willsby. Brady Shea. Oh, Brady Shea. I remember Brady Shea. I miss Brady Shea. With Nick Prubik. Damon Hunt with Jaden Struble. Juuse Saros is projected as the starting goalie for the Nashville Predators, Carolina, arrives following Sunday's 7-0 win over Winnipeg. Nashville's last result was a 5-4 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Hurricanes now face a home team with strong special team numbers and several familiar players. For the Hurricanes, I'm projecting Pyotr Kochetkov to start tonight. He enters with 10 wins. 10 starts and 0.929 save percentage and a 1.49 GAA Sunday added a 26 save shutout to that opening run. He is fantastic and Yeah, why take them out now? Kochetkov has started Carolina's last four games, allowing just three goals across those appearances. That stretch includes shutouts against St. Louis and Winnipeg, plus victories over Boston and Columbus. His assignment remains projected here. Ruff listed Kochetkov first in today's goalie group. I'm going to go with Kochetkov first in the group. I know there's a lot of questions in the group, but... You know, I'm not confirming anything. Ruff didn't confirm anything. So if he gets the net, the NHL record is within his grasp. Jack Campbell won his first 11 decisions in the 2020-21 season with the Maple Leafs established the NHL mark for consecutive wins to begin a goalie season. Kochetkov is one win away from matching that 11-0 opening. This is specifically... For season opening games. So we are on streak watch. Next. He wins tonight in Smashville. And we will have. Something very even more special. If our team couldn't get any more special. Or set any more records. I mean this is really great. We are on watch. Projected lineup is Kochetkov. Against Saros for Carolina. That means a potential opportunity. To extend both. The team's four-game winning streak and Piotr's perfect start. Hall's return remains pending. Jordo remains out. Carolina's available lineup gets another road test tonight. And if Piotr the Great starts and earns the win in Nashville, his next victory would put him alongside Campbell in the NHL record book heading into Thursday night against the Fish Sticks of Long Island. I'm excited. I really don't expect Piotr to not be in that, which is why I projected him. My starter for the evening, he wins tonight, he's tied for first, he wins Thursday, he's in the Hall of Fame, so good for him. Yes, he'll be in the Hall of Fame because it's an NHL record there, but a little plaque with Piotr and the Carolina. Red and black up there in Toronto. If anything else comes back down, I'll be the first to let you know. Until then, for Hurricanes Digest, he starts tonight, win or lose, we're going to jump in and we're going to chat about it because we're going for the record. For Hurricanes Digest, I'm Jeff Testanero. Let's go, Piotr.