It will be a clash of top teams Thursday when the Carolina Hurricanes face the visiting Colorado Avalanche at Raleigh, N.C.
The Avalanche check in as the top team in the NHL at 41-12-5 (87 points). Entering NHL play Wednesday, Carolina was 39-12-5 and tied with the Florida Panthers for most points in the Eastern Conference at 83.
Despite Colorado’s solid play this season, it has been a rough month. The Avalanche hold a 2-2-1 record in March following their three-game winning streak to end February.
“We looked tired,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after Tuesday’s 5-3 road loss against the New Jersey Devils. “We looked mentally tired.”
Carolina hasn’t played since defeating Seattle 3-2 on Sunday night, and there was no practice for the next two days.
“Get everyone leaving the building feeling good, that was the main thing,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the positive outlook after a stretch of four games in six days when the team went 2-1-1.
Since the Hurricanes last had a game, the Avalanche have played twice. There was Colorado’s 5-4 road win Monday night against the New York Islanders before Tuesday’s loss at New Jersey.
“No legs, mentally and physically tired,” Bednar said.
The coach said the plan in advance of Thursday’s game was to “get a rest and move on.”
Following the showdown with the Hurricanes, the Avalanche will be off for two days before their only home game across a period of more than two weeks. They play host to the surging Calgary Flames on Sunday.
The Hurricanes hold an 11-game points streak in home games, and the team’s .815 home points percentage, based on a 21-4-2 mark, ranks second in the NHL behind only Colorado (23-3-3, .845).
A victory Thursday would allow Carolina to match the second-longest home points streak in franchise history.
Among the good vibes for the Hurricanes was Martin Necas’ game-winning goal in the third period Sunday against the Kraken. Necas went 18 games without a goal — his longest scoreless stretch in a career that has spanned parts of five seasons.
It was the nature of the goal that might be most beneficial, in Brind’Amour’s opinion. It didn’t come in a smooth sequence, but rather with Necas being opportunistic while showing quick reflexes near the net.
“He needs to get a few of those,” Brind’Amour said. “All the goal scorers get those, too. They get the nice ones that you see, but they also get other kinds.”
The Hurricanes could have goalie Frederik Andersen back after he was a scratch Sunday. Alex Lyon was recalled to serve as the backup against the Kraken, but has since been reassigned to the American Hockey League.
With Andersen dealing with a minor injury, Antti Raanta made consecutive starts for just the third time this season.
Colorado will arrive with defenseman Jack Johnson, who recently eclipsed the 1,000-game mark for his career. Johnson was Carolina’s first-round draft pick in 2005, but never signed with the team.
This is the first clash of the season between the teams, with the other set for April 16 at Denver.
–Field Level Media