The Carolina Hurricanes will likely be without star forward Taylor Hall when they face the Nashville Predators. Hall has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury. Interestingly enough, Carolina has won six of these matchups and lost just one in regulation. As a result, the defending Stanley Cup champions currently have the most points in the NHL.
Hurricanes beat writer Walt Ruff is reporting that Hall practiced with his teammates in Nashville on November 3. Despite this, the veteran forward is not expected to play against the Predators. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour, however, informed media members that he is hopeful the winger can play Thursday. After facing Nashville, the Hurricanes will play the New York Islanders on November 5.
Hall initially suffered the setback during the second period of a game against the Washington Capitals. At the time, replays showed the veteran taking a significant hit from Justin Sourdif. He was previously activated on October 27 and set to face the Boston Bruins that night. Nevertheless, the forward tweaked something in the practice before the game.
Without Hall in the lineup, the Carolina Hurricanes have had to mix up their forward lines. Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to once again take his teammate’s spot alongside Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. The injury has also allowed Nicolas Deslauriers to get more playing time. While known as one of the NHL’s top enforcers, the winger scored twice against the Vancouver Canucks on October 20.
Carolina Hurricanes Will Shift Forward Lines When Taylor Hall Returns
Although not necessarily a superstar player, Hall has been a key piece of the puzzle for the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite being seen as a throw-in piece in the three-team Mikko Rantanen trade, the veteran has posted solid stats in Carolina. In fact, he has 71 points in 119 regular-season games with the club. For reference, he racked up just 28 points in 56 games with the Chicago Blackhawks before the deal.
Hall’s impact with Carolina was even more noticeable during their recent postseason run. The veteran was a major contributor, recording 19 points in 19 games en route to the title. Only Blake had more points for the Hurricanes during the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. He also led his teammates with an impressive +14 rating.
With the veteran set to return to the Carolina Hurricanes lineup soon, he will almost certainly replace Ehlers on the second line. Hall has formed solid chemistry with Stankoven and Blake. Ehlers, on the other hand, will likely slide back down to the third line. If so, star winger Seth Jarvis should move back up to the top line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
Carolina Hoping to Keep Momentum Going in Nashville
Without Hall, the Carolina Hurricanes will be looking to remain one of the league’s hottest teams. The champs are 12-2-2 in 2026-27, and 8-1-1 over their last 10 games. During this impressive stretch, Carolina has scored 40 total goals. Overall, the Hurricanes have the third-highest goals-per-game average in the NHL this season.
Pyotr Kochetkov will once again be the starting goalie for the Hurricanes against the Predators. The Russian is 10-0 this season and has a 1.49 GAA and a .929 save rate. He has started his team’s last four games entering the night.
Hurricanes Announce Taylor Hall Update Before Predators Game