The Carolina Hurricanes look like they have made a starting goaltender decision ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with the Blackhawks.
Per Daily Faceoff, via Walt Ruff, the Hurricanes will roll with Pyotr Kochetkov when the puck drops at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Kochetkov has been impressive this season, going 10-1-0 with a .922 save percentage, a 1.64 GAA, two shutouts, and an .818 quality starts percentage. Should that projection hold, the Hurricanes should be in very, very good shape against the Blackhawks.
Per Ruff and Peter Dewar at Hurricanes.com, “In three career games against the Blackhawks, he (Kochetkov) is 3-0-0 with a total of four goals allowed.”
Those are impressive numbers against one team. Not only is Kochetkov looking to return to the win column; he also has a good chance to get back there on Saturday night.
Hurricanes Projected Lines And Pairings vs. Blackhawks
Per Ruff, William Carrier is slated to take the first line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Carrier’s recent goal against the Islanders solidified how good the Hurricanes’ forward group really is.
Logan Stankoven, who has been on a scoring tear lately, is slated to center Nikolaj Ehlers and Jackson Blake.
Taylor Hall looks like he will line up alongside Mark Jankowski and Seth Jarvis. Jankowski is further solidifying himself as a depth scorer in Raleigh, with eight goals in 14 games.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi is slated to center Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook. Kotkaniemi has also been putting up solid numbers, with five goals and eight points in 16 games.
Defensively, Jaccob Slavin is slated to line up with Jalen Chatfield. Slavin has 40 blocked shots this season and leads the team. Chatfield has two goals and six points in 18 games.
K’Andre Miller and Sean Walker are on the projected second pairing. Walker has been arguably Carolina’s most complete defenseman, with nine points, three goals, 39 blocks, and 23 hits.
Shayne Gostisbehere is projected to potentially line up alongside Alexander Nikishin. If the projection holds, it will mark Nikishin’s season debut. Nikishin will be one to watch if he indeed plays.
Carolina Must Not Play Down To Blackhawks
Home games against bad hockey teams are potential trap games. The Hurricanes must make sure they don’t play down to Chicago.
Chicago is currently 4-12-1, with 37 goals scored and 67 allowed. Those numbers rank 32nd and 31st in the league, respectively. Carolina is on the other side of the equation, ranking second in goals scored (69) and fourth in goals allowed (42).
It may be early in the season, but the Blackhawks could skate into Saturday night with a “nothing-to-lose” mentality. If the Hurricanes let them gain early momentum, this matchup may not be as easy as it looks on paper.
This will also be Carolina’s final game in five days, as they will travel to Helsinki, Finland, to face the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14. The best way to gear up for the overseas trip? Go into it with momentum. That means refusing to allow one of the league’s worst teams to get the best of the Hurricanes.
Hurricanes Make Potential Goaltending Decision Ahead of Blackhawks Game