National Hockey League
Preview
San Jose at Carolina
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes have gone about two weeks without a feeling that the pieces are all fitting together.

It's an unusual stretch for a team that has excelled for most of the past few seasons.

Another chance to sort through glitches comes Tuesday night when the San Jose Sharks visit Raleigh, N.C.

The Hurricanes have lost four of their last five games, falling 4-3 to the host New York Islanders on Saturday. Andrei Svechnikov scored two power-play goals as Carolina took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period before New York put together a three-goal blitz before the second intermission.

Turnovers have translated into trouble for Carolina.

"We're just a little off," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We forget how hard it is (not only) to play our game, but to win. Can't take it for granted. ...

"We've gotta regain it. There's only one way to play. There's no easy way. We'll get there."

Now might be the time to get rolling with the start of a four-game homestand before four consecutive road games that extend past Christmas.

The Sharks will arrive with their own problems after back-to-back losses. They've scored a total of one goal through regulation in each of their last three games.

"I think at times we play in fear and we lose our swagger," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "That's where we're at right now."

San Jose lost 3-1 on Saturday at Florida despite goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood's 49 saves. Warsofsky called it "one of the best goalie performances (he's) ever seen," yet on Monday the Sharks traded Blackwood to the Avalanche and received veteran goalie Alexandar Georgiev from Colorado.

There was not much for the Sharks to say after the Panthers peppered them with 52 shots on goal.

"There is a lot you can learn from that team," Sharks center Nico Sturm said. "The next step for us as a team is playing with the swagger and the belief in ourselves."

For the Hurricanes, low shot counts have minimized some of the trouble that Carolina often causes opponents.

"We've got to make it a lot harder," Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "We've got to find it. We need to find that consistency with what we were doing early in the season and we'll turn it around."

Across the past three games, the Hurricanes have collected five power-play goals. Gostisbehere attributes that to increasing comfort among players on those units.

But that's not a solution to Carolina's slump.

"We've got to get our 5-on-5 game going," Brind'Amour said.

Svechnikov had a career-high four-point game (one goal, three assists) in Carolina's most recent home game with last week's victory against Colorado. Then came his two power-play goals Saturday.

Gostisbehere said there's no reason that the team can't regain its form. The players recognize there are holes that need to be patched.

"It's hard to chase games in this league," Gostisbehere said. "It's tough when you try to come from behind. It's little things that have crept into our game the last five."

The Hurricanes made a roster move during the weekend, placing forward Brendan Lemieux on waivers before he was released.

San Jose will be playing in its fifth consecutive road game, with one more stop on the trip Thursday at St. Louis. Sharks forward Will Smith didn't play Saturday and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

The Sharks and Hurricanes won't meet for a rematch until March 20.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Day Night Div
San Jose 10-15-1-4 L2 6-6-1-0 4-9-0-4 1-2-0-0 9-13-1-4 4-5-0-0
Carolina 17-9-0-1 L1 10-3-0-0 7-6-0-1 2-3-0-0 15-6-0-1 7-2-0-1
Last Meeting
San Jose Carolina
Date Away Home Shots Saves PP Shots Saves PP
10/27/23 SJ 0 CAR 3 20 37 0-2 40 20 1-4
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Total Points Player  
San Jose C. Addison 0
Carolina T. Teravainen 3
Goals Player  
San Jose C. Addison 0
Carolina T. Teravainen 3
Assists Player  
San Jose C. Addison 0
Carolina S. Aho 2
Saves Player  
San Jose K. Kahkonen 37
Carolina A. Raanta 20
Season
Total Points Player  
San Jose M. Granlund 31
Carolina M. Necas 45
Goals Player  
San Jose T. Toffoli 12
Carolina M. Necas 14
Assists Player  
San Jose M. Granlund 21
Carolina M. Necas 31
Saves Player  
San Jose M. Blackwood 597
Carolina P. Kochetkov 390
Quickchart Matchup
San Jose Off vs  Carolina Def
2.73 GF
2.96 GA
27.6 Shots
25.2 Shots
17 PP
15 PK
Carolina Off vs  San Jose Def
3.74 GF
3.47 GA
32.4 Shots
32.8 Shots
26 PP
19 PK