Game preview · NHL 2026-27

Carolina Hurricanes at Chicago Blackhawks: game preview

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2ndat

ChicagoBlackhawks2026-27: 1-3-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 29-39-14 · 72 pts · 31st

Puck drop10 Oct · 7:00 PM ET

VenueUnited Center

All-time meetings49 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Forty-one points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 points. Chicago finished 31st on 72, and the 2025-26 season series went CAR 1-0-1.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 50

Across 49 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 33-10-6.

All-time record33-10-6Carolina's record in the series

Meetings played49This is number 50

2025-26 seriesCAR 1-0-1

Last 54-1Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

9 Apr 2026CAR 7 – CHI 222–25CAR 0/1 · CHI 0/4CAR

22 Jan 2026CHI 4 – CAR 3 SO22–31CHI 0/1 · CAR 0/5CHI

30 Jan 2025CHI 2 – CAR 320–27CHI 0/3 · CAR 0/2CAR

20 Jan 2025CAR 4 – CHI 3 OT48–25CAR 0/2 · CHI 0/2CAR

14 Apr 2024CAR 4 – CHI 234–16CAR 2/3 · CHI 0/3CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaChicago

22 Jan 202631-15-5 · 67 pts2nd21-22-7 · 49 pts27th

9 Apr 202651-22-6 · 108 pts2nd28-37-14 · 70 pts31st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 22 Jan 2026, Carolina were 2nd in the league and Chicago 27th. By 9 Apr 2026 it was 2nd and 31st.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Chicago 343 to 203

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Carolina Hurricanes

343 att · 163 on goal · 21 G · 12.9%

Crease26 att · 6 G

Slot143 att · 13 G

Wing121 att · 2 G

Point44 att · 0 G

Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

Chicago Blackhawks

203 att · 108 on goal · 12 G · 11.1%

Crease19 att · 5 G

Slot58 att · 6 G

Wing81 att · 1 G

Point38 att · 0 G

Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

CarolinaChicago

3.74xG for per game2.41

2.21xG against per game3.83

62.9%xG share38.7%

−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.7

−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.7

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 4 for Chicago. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings2/13 · 15.4%

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings13 (2.60/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings2

Chicago

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2711.1%

Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th

Power play · last 5 meetings0/13 · 0.0%

Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%

Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235

Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings13 (2.60/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Jaccob Slavin has 5 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

74Jaccob Slavin41456

24Seth Jarvis440412

22Logan Stankoven22245

8Ryan Donato51345

71Taylor Hall31343

11Jordan Staal430310

20Sebastian Aho32139

95Ilya Mikheyev42137

53Jackson Blake41239

3Seth Jones30337

Head-to-head finder

Jaccob Slavin vs Chicago · game by game

See all: Jaccob Slavin vs Chicago · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

22 Jan 2026home011123:32

30 Jan 2025home101325:51

20 Jan 2025away033126:21

14 Apr 2024away000120:54

Last 5 meetings5 P1 G, 4 A · 6 SOG

Next best4 PSeth Jarvis, CAR

2026-27 season2 P4 GP · 0 G

Blank vs CHI1 of 4

Full game log

Goaltending

Pyotr Kochetkov has started most of these meetings

Pyotr Kochetkov played 2 of the last 5 meetings with Chicago, with a .889 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 8 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Chicago

Expected starter after their game on 8 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Pyotr Kochetkov

See all: Pyotr Kochetkov →

CAR · 1-0-0 in 2026-27 Starter not named

SV% · 2026-27.8891 GP · 1.91 GAA · 2025-26 .899

vs Chicago.8892 app · 36 SA · 4 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+0.51 start

vs CHIVenueSAGASV%

30 Jan 2025home202.900

14 Apr 2024away162.875

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Brandon Bussi .851 (3 GP)

Full game log

Spencer Knight

See all: Spencer Knight →

CHI · 1-2-0 in 2026-27 Starter not named

SV% · 2026-27.8913 GP · 3.36 GAA · 2025-26 .902

vs Carolina.8112 app · 53 SA · 10 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+0.53 starts · most on the roster

vs CARVenueSAGASV%

9 Apr 2026home227.682

22 Jan 2026away313.903

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Arvid Soderblom .813 (1 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

9 Apr 20269 · CAR 7–2 CHI

22 Jan 20267 · CHI 4–3 CAR

30 Jan 20255 · CHI 2–3 CAR

20 Jan 20257 · CAR 4–3 CHI

14 Apr 20246 · CAR 4–2 CHI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

Chicago2.254.252.603.35

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct

Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov

Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

Injury report

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

Chicago · 2026 draft

See all: Chicago · 2026 draft →

#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD

#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW

#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D

#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD

Full draft

Saturday 10 October · the full slate

See all: Saturday 10 October · the full slate →

CHIThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Carolina Hurricanes at Chicago Blackhawks: game preview

Forty-one points apart last season

Meeting number 50

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Carolina out-attempted Chicago 343 to 203

Carolina Hurricanes

Chicago Blackhawks

Carolina have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Carolina

Chicago

Jaccob Slavin has 5 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Jaccob Slavin vs Chicago · game by game

Pyotr Kochetkov has started most of these meetings

Pyotr Kochetkov

Spencer Knight

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

5 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Chicago · injuries

Latest moves

Carolina · 2026 draft

Chicago · 2026 draft

Saturday 10 October · the full slate