North Raleigh Today

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, January 20, in a matchup that kicks off their back-to-back games against Central Division opponents. The game will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on FanDuel Sports Network South or listened to via 99.9 The Fan.

Currently holding a record of 27-16-3, the Hurricanes are third in the Metropolitan Division with 57 points. They recently secured a win against the Vegas Golden Knights with a score of 3-2 on Friday, January 17.

Pyotr Kochetkov played a crucial role in that victory by saving 29 out of 31 shots. Seth Jarvis also contributed significantly with two goals, both assisted by Jordan Martinook.

Jordan Staal, captain of the Hurricanes, is approaching his milestone of playing his 1,300th NHL game. "He'll become just the eighth active player to reach the milestone," noted in reference to other notable players such as Ryan Suter and Sidney Crosby. Staal has nine points from his last seven games and was named NHL's Second Star of the Week recently.

Brent Burns is nearing another milestone; his next point will mark his 900th career point in the NHL. Should he achieve this feat, he'll be recognized as the first defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom to reach this number.

In terms of goaltending decisions for Monday's game, Frederik Andersen may make an appearance after being activated from injured reserve following knee surgery. Alternatively, Pyotr Kochetkov might continue after his performance against Vegas.

The Blackhawks hold a record of 15-28-3 and are currently last in the NHL standings with only 33 points. Despite making changes earlier this season, they still rank low across major offensive categories like goals per game and shots per game.

Former Hurricane Teuvo Teravainen is second on their team for scoring with 33 points over 46 games while Connor Bedard leads with 41 points over the same period. Petr Mrazek has been leading in net appearances for Chicago with an .894 save percentage over his games played.

Injury updates for Carolina include William Carrier seeking further medical opinion after suffering a lower-body injury and Tyson Jost returning to practice but not yet ready for play following an injury labeled as "long-term."

Carolina will wear their white uniforms during this game before moving onto their next challenge against Dallas Stars on Tuesday night followed by hosting Columbus later in the week.