Andersen allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Hurricanes' win in Chicago on Thursday. For the second time in a couple weeks, the Hurricanes will stick with Andersen for a second game in a row. Andersen has cleaned things up a bit recently and comes into Saturday at 7-3-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .862 SV% in his last 10 starts.
Kochetkov has been out since December 20th with a hip injury but is set to return and has been assigned to Chicago (AHL) for a conditioning stint. Prior to his long-term injury, the 26-year-old had a 6-2-0 record with a 2.33 GAA and .899 SV%. Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen have being holding down the crease in his absence.
The Hurricanes are resting a handful of players on Thursday night, which will force Kotkaniemi back into the lineup. Kotkaniemi has two goals and seven assists in 38 games this season.
The Hurricanes are resting a handful of players on Thursday, giving Slavin the opportunity to make his Hurricanes debut. Slavin played 15 games in the NHL in the 2021-22 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has otherwise spent his entire career in the AHL. The seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 66 games this season with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
Carolina's playoff position is firmly secured, so Martinook will be one of a handful of Hurricanes to get the night off on Thursday. Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov will all join Martinook in the press box.
Carolina's playoff position is firmly secured, so Staal will be one of a handful of Hurricanes to get the night off on Thursday. Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Martinook, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov will all join Staal in the press box.
Carolina's playoff position is firmly secured, so Slavin will be one of a handful of Hurricanes to get the night off on Thursday. Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov will all join Slavin in the press box.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give a handful of players the night off on Thursday. Brind'Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give a handful of players the night off on Thursday. Skyler Brind'Amour, Nadeau, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give a handful of players the night off on Thursday. Brind'Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Sebastian Aho the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes are on the tail-end of a back-to-back, so Andersen will get the start when they travel to Chicago on Thursday. Andersen struggled in his last start, surrendering five goals on 30 shots in a 6-3 loss in Ottawa on Sunday. The 13-year-veteran has endured an up-and-down season between the pipes, posting a 14-14-5 record and an .870 SV% across 33 appearances. Luckily for Andersen, he does draw a favourable matchup on Thursday, as the Hurricanes enter action at -210 on the money line.
Legault made his NHL debut earlier this season, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in an eight game stint with the Hurricanes. The 22-year-old defenseman, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, has seven points (3G / 4A) in 22 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season.
Slavin played 15 games in the NHL in the 2021-22 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has otherwise spent his entire career in the AHL. The seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 66 games this season with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
Nadeau was drafted 30th-overall by Carolina in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old had an eight-game stint with the Hurricanes earlier this season, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL, where he has 53 points (26G / 27A) in 51 games with the Chicago Wolves.
Brind'Amour was a sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft that made his NHL debut last season with Carolina, scoring one goal in two games. The 26-year-old forward has spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he has 34 points (16G / 18A) in 66 games with the Chicago Wolves.
Chatfield exited Tuesday's game after only 13:54 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury. The severity of Chatfield's injury is unclear, but the team will likely err on the side of caution with the playoffs fast approaching. The 29-year-old defenseman has 17 points (2G / 15A) in 71 games this season.
Jordan Staal (undisclosed) will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday, sending Kotkaniemi back to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Kotkaniemi is averaging 11:03 time-on-ice and has nine points (2G / 7A) in 38 games this season.
