Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 30 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Puck drop2 Apr · 7:00 PM ET
VenueLittle Caesars Arena
All-time meetings68 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-one points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 69

Across 68 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 37-29-2.

All-time record37-29-2Detroit's record in the series
Meetings played68This is number 69
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Carolina
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
28 Feb 2026DET 2 – CAR 5——CAR
12 Jan 2026CAR 3 – DET 4 OT——DET
27 Dec 2025DET 2 – CAR 5——CAR
4 Apr 2025CAR 3 – DET 5——DET
14 Mar 2025DET 2 – CAR 4——CAR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaDetroit
27 Dec 202523-11-3 · 49 pts4th22-14-3 · 47 pts5th
12 Jan 202628-14-4 · 60 pts4th28-15-4 · 60 pts5th
28 Feb 202632-15-5 · 69 pts3rd32-16-5 · 69 pts4th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 27 Dec 2025, Carolina were 4th in the league and Detroit 5th. By 28 Feb 2026 it was 3rd and 4th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Detroit 229 to 120

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

Carolina Hurricanes

229 att · 108 on goal · 13 G · 12.0%
Crease25 att · 3 G
Slot86 att · 5 G
Wing81 att · 4 G
Point35 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Detroit Red Wings

120 att · 67 on goal · 8 G · 11.9%
Crease16 att · 3 G
Slot36 att · 4 G
Wing45 att · 1 G
Point14 att · 0 G
Neutral zone9 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.

CarolinaDetroit
3.74xG for per game3.23
2.21xG against per game2.85
62.9%xG share53.1%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 3 for Detroit. 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 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

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Sebastian Aho44371.75
53Jackson Blake40330.75
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
74Jaccob Slavin40220.50
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
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 →

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

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

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Mar

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7
Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Mar

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.


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

28 Feb 20267 · DET 2–5 CAR
12 Jan 20267 · CAR 3–4 DET
27 Dec 20257 · DET 2–5 CAR
4 Apr 20258 · CAR 3–5 DET
14 Mar 20256 · DET 2–4 CAR

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
Detroit2.332.672.943.15

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 meetings7.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
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.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report
#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD
#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC
#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW
#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW
Full draft
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
Full draft

Updated after every final