Overview
- Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden with national TV coverage on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
- New York returns from a 3-1 road trip on a three-game streak yet sits 0-4-1 at home after a wild 6-5 OT loss in its last game at MSG.
- Carolina started 5-0-0 but is 2-4-0 in its past six, following a 6-2 win over the Islanders with a 2-1 loss in Boston while struggling late in games.
- With regulars out on defense, Alexander Nikishin has taken on heavy minutes as the Hurricanes manage lineup shuffles and a three-goalie mix involving Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi.
- The Rangers rank near the bottom in goals per game and on the power play but defend well, while the Hurricanes lean on strong five-on-five scoring; Carolina is 6-1-0 in the last seven meetings.