The Carolina Hurricanes just got their first loss of the season and will look to bounce back Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Hurricanes just lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-1. The Canes were down 2-0 after one period, scored one in the second period, and the Knights got some insurance goals in the third. Carolina outshot Vegas 27-26 and out-hit them 15-13. Both teams did well with blocking shots, and the Hurricanes could have done more with the Knights' puck giveaways. The Canes' power play was 0-for-4, but the penalty kill was 4-for-4. The top forwards and defenders had negative plus/minus points.

The Avalanche just lost to the Utah Mammoth, 4-3 in overtime. The Avs were up 1-0 after one period, gave up two goals in the second, tied things up early in the third, were down a goal again, and tied things up late. Colorado gave up the overtime goal right away. Shots were even at 33 apiece, and the Avalanche were out-hit 28-20. The Avs had a decent amount of quality chances blocked and went 0-for-1 on the power play. The penalty kill was 1-for-2. Nathan MacKinnon put up eight shots but couldn't score.

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Note: The above data was collected on Oct. 23, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Carolina Hurricanes

Colorado Avalanche

Carolina is second in scoring, ninth in goals against, 31st on the power play, and sixth on the penalty kill. Seth Jarvis leads the team in goals and points. The Hurricanes have a plus nine goal differential, and that is No. 1 in the Eastern Conference. Jarvis has been a scoring machine for the Canes and Sebastian Aho has been picking up points as well. Carolina just had a five-game winning streak end, and they scored at least four goals in all of those games. The Canes will look to tighten up the defense again and score in the critical moments.

Colorado is sixth in scoring, tied for first in goals against, 30th on the power play, and tied for 10th on the penalty kill. Martin Necas leads the team in assists and points. The defense is allowing just 1.9 goals per game and backup goalie, Scott Wedgewood, is playing well too. On offense, MacKinnon and Necas have played well together, especially in 5-on-5 play. However, despite all this offensive talent, the power play is the third worst in the league. The Avs are 2-0-1 at home and only gave up one goal in each of those victorious games.

Best Bet: Under

Both of these teams are coming off tough losses. The Hurricanes had a blowout loss and the Avalanche came back twice, only to lose in overtime. The scoring is great for both teams, but so is their defense. Special teams play might not be a factor in this game because both teams struggle on the power play and are good at killing penalties. The Canes are a physical defensive team and the Avs are balanced on both sides of the puck.