The Carolina Hurricanes are set to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, December 4, as they aim for their third consecutive victory. The game will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on FanDuel Sports Network South or listened to on 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App.
The Hurricanes currently hold a record of 16-7-2, placing them second in the Metropolitan Division with 34 points. Their most recent match resulted in a 1-0 overtime win against the Calgary Flames, where Nikolaj Ehlers scored the only goal and Brandon Bussi earned his first NHL shutout.
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. In their previous encounter, the Hurricanes overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Toronto 5-4 at Scotiabank Arena.
Forward Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to reach a milestone by playing his 700th career game tonight. Since joining Carolina, Ehlers has tallied 16 points—second only to Sebastian Aho’s 17—in that span.
Regarding goaltending, Pyotr Kochetkov returned to practice this week after recovering from a lower-body injury, making him available alongside Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi. Bussi has started the last two games and recorded his first shutout last Sunday. Andersen has struggled recently with no wins in his last five starts.
On Toronto’s side, injuries have affected team depth throughout the season. William Nylander and John Tavares have led offensively but defensive challenges remain; goaltender Anthony Stolarz holds an .884 save percentage so far this season.
Carolina will wear black uniforms for Thursday’s contest. After this game, they are scheduled to practice Friday before hosting Nashville Predators at Lenovo Center on Saturday.
