The No. 2 Hurricanes host the No. 32 Blackhawks with a sharp edge in form, standings and goaltending.
Saturday at Lenovo Center, the No. 2 Hurricanes (13-3-2, 28 points) host the No. 32 Blackhawks (4-12-1, 9 points), who are trying to stop a five-game skid. Carolina has won four of its last five, and it took the season’s first meeting 5-2 in Chicago. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 22 points (8 goals, 14 assists), while Connor Bedard has Chicago’s best total at 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 11 games. Goaltending looms large: Pyotr Kochetkov has a .921 save percentage for Carolina, compared with Spencer Knight’s .891 for Chicago, and the Blackhawks will need to limit chances to keep pace.