Early look · NHL 2026-27

Colorado Avalanche at Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

ColoradoAvalanche2026-27: 2-0-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 55-16-11 · 121 pts · 1stat

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

Puck drop9 Feb · 7:30 PM ET

VenueLenovo Center

All-time meetings44 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eight points apart last season

Colorado finished last season 1st in the league on 121 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 45

Across 44 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 28-11-5.

All-time record28-11-5Colorado's record in the series

Meetings played44This is number 45

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

3 Jan 2026COL 5 – CAR 3——COL

23 Oct 2025CAR 5 – COL 4 SO——CAR

5 Dec 2024COL 3 – CAR 5——CAR

9 Nov 2024CAR 4 – COL 6——COL

8 Feb 2024COL 2 – CAR 5——CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColoradoCarolina

23 Oct 20255-0-3 · 13 pts1st6-1-0 · 12 pts4th

3 Jan 202631-2-7 · 69 pts1st24-14-3 · 51 pts6th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 23 Oct 2025, Colorado were 1st in the league and Carolina 4th. By 3 Jan 2026 it was 1st and 6th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Carolina 147 to 110

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

Colorado Avalanche

147 att · 83 on goal · 9 G · 10.8%

Crease19 att · 3 G

Slot55 att · 3 G

Wing42 att · 3 G

Point25 att · 0 G

Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Carolina Hurricanes

110 att · 59 on goal · 7 G · 11.9%

Crease15 att · 3 G

Slot38 att · 3 G

Wing32 att · 1 G

Point23 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado 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.

ColoradoCarolina

3.16xG for per game3.74

2.55xG against per game2.21

55.4%xG share62.9%

+7.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

+0.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 2 games for Colorado, 4 for Carolina. 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

Colorado

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2744.4%

Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st

Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124

Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

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 meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

29Nathan MacKinnon22352.50

62Artturi Lehkonen23142.00

88Martin Necas22242.00

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

42Josh Manson21231.50

8Cale Makar21231.50

7Devon Toews20221.00

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Colorado

Expected starter after their game on 30 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 30 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Feb

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Feb

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 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

3 Jan 20268 · COL 5–3 CAR

23 Oct 20259 · CAR 5–4 COL

5 Dec 20248 · COL 3–5 CAR

9 Nov 202410 · CAR 4–6 COL

8 Feb 20247 · COL 2–5 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Colorado7.002.503.682.48

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

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 suggest6.4Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings8.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct

Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

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.

Injury report

Colorado · 2026 draft

See all: Colorado · 2026 draft →

#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC

#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC

#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG

#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D

Full draft

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

Tuesday 9 February · the full slate

See all: Tuesday 9 February · the full slate →

CARThis game 8:00 PM ET

Updated after every final