The Carolina Hurricanes are in the mix for the best record in the NHL, but they’ve also entered a phase of gearing up for the postseason.
The next stop comes Sunday night at Chicago, where the Blackhawks are out of the playoff conversation.
The Hurricanes (51-22-7, 109 points) have won four games in a row and six of their past seven. They’ve won in Boston and St. Louis to reach the halfway mark of a season-closing four-game road stretch.
Chicago (23-51-5, 51 points) has fewer than half of Carolina’s point total. The Blackhawks lost 5-1 to visiting Nashville on Friday night.
Sunday’s game will mark the home finale for Chicago, which will attempt to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Hurricanes’ 5-2 victory Friday night in St. Louis came with several lineup adjustments as coach Rod Brind’Amour is managing the workloads of several players and giving others opportunities.
The St. Louis game marked nights off for defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Brett Pesce and forwards Jordan Stall and Teuvo Teravainen.
“We’re missing four guys that are big parts of our group, but other guys get an opportunity to show what they can do,” Brind’Amour said. “I still think our top guys were good, which you have to have. I keep saying the goaltending has really just been superb, and that’s a big deal.”
Defenseman Scott Morrow made his NHL debut just 10 days after signing an entry-level contract with Carolina. The former University of Massachusetts player was paired with veteran Dmitry Orlov.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Morrow said. “I’m glad I got to get it out of the way. The first couple of shifts were fast, but then I feel like I adjusted pretty quick, so I was happy with it.”
Brind’Amour said he wanted Morrow to play without stress and not be overly concerned with strategy.
“I think he adapted and had some good opportunities in the O-zone, kind of what we expected out of him,” Brind’Amour said. “I thought he showed real well.”
The Blackhawks are checking in on newcomers as well. Defenseman Ethan Del Mastro made his NHL debut Friday night, skating for more than 18 1/2 minutes.
“Pretty surreal when you step on the ice for the warmups and then you know hearing in the crowd and stuff at the start of the game,” Del Mastro said. “It’s pretty special. Obviously, not the result we wanted, but pretty awesome.”
Defenseman Connor Murphy was back in Chicago’s lineup following a 34-game absence because of a groin injury. He said it was valuable to be out there with the team, even in challenging times.
“The guys have gone through a hard stretch for a while now, and just to be able to go through it with everyone is really important,” Murphy said.
Forward Jake Guentzel has a seven-game points streak (six goals, six assists) for the Hurricanes.
Goalie Frederik Andersen was in net against the Blues, meaning the Hurricanes’ Pyotr Kochetkov will get the call Sunday.
The Hurricanes defeated Chicago 6-3 on Feb. 19 at home with six different players scoring goals.
-Field Level Media