The Carolina Hurricanes (22-9-2) are the best team in the Eastern Conference and they showed their power in the month of December by winning six of eight games, including a five-game winning streak. They continued that momentum on the road against the Nashville Predators (13-16-4), winning 4-1. They bombarded Predators goalie Juuse Saros with 37 shots their netminder, Pyotr Kochetkov, almost earned a shutout, if not for a late goal from Filip Forsberg.
Summary of the game
The first period was Hurricanes dominance, but the big number on the scoreboard didn’t show until 1 p.m., when Jackson Blake put in a rebound from close range to take a 1-0 lead. Blake earned his first goal since scoring two at home against the same Predators team on December 6.
There was no scoring in the second period, but the Hurricanes came pretty close. Winger Taylor Hall had a breakaway on Saros, but he couldn’t lift the puck over his pads.
The score wasn’t scored until the third period, when Predators defenseman Nick Perbix knocked the puck out of play. He was called for a delay of game penalty, giving Carolina a chance on the power play, and they took advantage, with Sebastian Aho cashing in from the low slot to make it 2–0 at 2:43.
The Hurricanes extended that lead to 3-0 two minutes later at the 4:33 mark, with Seth Jarvis scoring on an impressive feed from Aho. The Predators would show some fight, with Forsberg taking the puck away from Kochetkov to get off the shutout and make it 3-1 at the 8:06 mark.
Related: Dear Santa: Carolina Hurricanes’ 2025-26 wish list
However, the Hurricanes stopped the bleeding and at 19:15 Aho scored his second goal of the match on an empty netter, with an assist from Andrei Svechnikov, to reach the final score of 4–1.
Program and ranking
The Hurricanes extend their lead over the Eastern Conference, with a total of 46 points, five points higher than the next best teams, with both the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders at 41. They continue their road trip with games against the Florida Panthers on December 19 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 20. They return home to play the Panthers on December 23.
The Predators, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the Central Division, and with 30 points, they are tied with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames for the second-worst point total in the NHL (the Vancouver Canucks are the worst team with 29). They continue their three-game homestand with games against the Toronto Maple Leafs (December 20) and New York Rangers (December 21) before hitting the road against the Minnesota Wild on December 23.
Three stars
First Star: Sebastian Aho (two goals, one assist, plus-1 plus/minus)
Second star: Pyotr Kochetkov (25 saves, .962 save percentage)
Third Star: Filip Forsberg (one goal, even plus/minus)
#Hurricanes #Defeat #Predators #Extend #Winning #Streak #Games #Hockey #Writers #Carolina #Hurricanes #Latest #News #Analysis