North Raleigh Today

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to resume their season with a back-to-back series against the New Jersey Devils following a holiday break. The first game is scheduled for Friday, December 27, with a puck drop at 7:00 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network South or listen via 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App.

Currently, the Hurricanes hold a record of 21-12-1, placing them third in the Metropolitan Division with 43 points. They suffered a 4-0 loss to the Nashville Predators in their last outing on December 23. Meanwhile, the Devils lead the division with a record of 23-11-3 and recently secured a 5-0 victory over the New York Rangers.

In their previous match, Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho scored within 40 seconds during the third period, but it was insufficient to overcome Nashville's lead. Goaltender Dustin Tokarski allowed four goals on 24 shots in that game.

Rod Brind'Amour has an opportunity to achieve his 300th win as an NHL coach during Friday's game. If successful, he would become the fastest coach in NHL history to reach this milestone. Since taking charge before the 2018-19 season, Brind'Amour's team ranks second in points percentage and third in wins.

Defenseman Jaccob Slavin may play his 700th NHL game if he participates in New Jersey. Slavin has led all defensemen in takeaways since his debut in the 2015-16 season.

Sebastian Aho continues his strong performance with a five-game point streak, accumulating four goals and two assists during this period.

In goal, Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start after an extra day of rest on Monday. He recently achieved a win over the New York Rangers and became the first goalie in Canes history to record two points in one game since relocation.

On the other side, Jacob Markstrom of the Devils has recorded consecutive shutouts while Jack Hughes remains a key offensive player with 45 points across 37 games.

The Hurricanes have announced several injury updates: Forward Jack Drury will be out for at least four weeks due to a broken hand; Goaltender Frederik Andersen is recovering from knee surgery; Forward Jesper Fast is out for the entire season.

Following Friday's game, both teams will travel back to Raleigh for another matchup on Saturday evening.