Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 15 December, 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 Colorado Avalanche: game preview

Puck drop18 Dec · 9:00 PM ET
VenueBall Arena
All-time meetings44 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Eight points apart last season

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

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
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

DateCarolinaColorado
23 Oct 20256-1-0 · 12 pts4th5-0-3 · 13 pts1st
3 Jan 202624-14-3 · 51 pts6th31-2-7 · 69 pts1st

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


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.

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

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
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.

CarolinaColorado
3.74xG for per game3.16
2.21xG against per game2.55
62.9%xG share55.4%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.7
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.1

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

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

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
88Martin Necas22242.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
74Jaccob Slavin40220.50
42Josh Manson21231.50
8Cale Makar21231.50
7Devon Toews20221.00
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 17 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 16 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Dec

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.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Dec

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

No appearances against Carolina 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
Carolina2.753.003.612.93
Colorado7.002.503.682.48

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

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct
Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 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.

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).

Injury report
#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD
#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC
#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW
#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW
Full draft
#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC
#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC
#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG
#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final