NHL Game Preview - Carolina at Chicago

Tue Nov 19, 2019 8:30 PM EST

A pair of hot teams will face off when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

Chicago carries a four-game winning streak into the contest and will look to make it a season-long five-game winning streak. The Blackhawks have outscored opponents 21-10 over the past four games.

Carolina, meanwhile, has won three in a row, outscoring opponents 17-9 during that stretch. The Hurricanes will try to wrap up a three-game road trip with a flawless record.

The teams already have met once this season, with the Hurricanes skating to a 4-0 win on their home ice Oct. 26. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice against Chicago, and Nino Niederreiter and Jordan Staal had one goal apiece.

Since then, the mood has brightened for the Blackhawks. They have earned at least one point in nine of 11 games following their shutout at Carolina.

"I think we got through a difficult time, and being in the beginning of the year, it's magnified," Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton recently told reporters. "If we would have went through that stretch in January with 40 good games before then, maybe it's not as big of a deal, but when you come out of the gates like that, it put the team under pressure. Everyone was under pressure.

"So (we're) happy that we were able to come out of it and stick together, and now there's definitely some belief we're a dangerous team and we're going to be difficult to beat."

The same is true for Carolina, which is on pace for a 102-point season with 25 points in its first 20 games.

The Hurricanes are led by Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton, who each have nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. Former Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen is third on Carolina's scoring list with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists), and Sebastian Aho rounds out the top four with 15 points (nine goals, six assists).

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour recently praised Teravainen for playing hard on both ends of the ice.

"He doesn't get a lot of publicity, he doesn't get a lot of props for what he does," Brind'Amour said to reporters. "He's a two-way player. He's one of the better ones in the league, in my opinion.

"(He) does a lot of little things that don't show up on the scoresheet, and then obviously he does show up on the scoresheet, too, with the ability he has. He's a very gifted player and certainly a huge part of this team."

The Blackhawks' top scorer is Patrick Kane, who has 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in his first 20 games. Former junior league teammates Alex DeBrincat (five goals, 11 assists) and Dylan Strome (four goals, 12 assists) are tied for second on the scoring list with 16 points apiece.

Carolina will start Petr Mrazek (9-3-1, 2.62 goals-against average) or James Reimer (3-4-0, 3.07 GAA) in net.

Chicago will start Robin Lehner (5-3-2, 2.46 GAA) or Corey Crawford (4-4-2, 3.01 GAA) in net.

The Blackhawks are 6-3-2 on home ice this season. The Hurricanes are 5-4-1 on the road.

--Field Level Media