Hurricanes getting used to new personnel with slumping Kings up next

Hurricanes getting used to new personnel with slumping Kings up next

Saturday night's game between the host Carolina Hurricanes and the Los Angeles Kings in Raleigh, N.C., features two teams going in opposite directions.The Hurricanes have won six of their last seven

Saturday night’s game between the host Carolina Hurricanes and the Los Angeles Kings in Raleigh, N.C., features two teams going in opposite directions.The Hurricanes have won six of their last seven and the Kings have lost eight of their last 10.Carolina defeated the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday night, and star winger Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal for Carolina in his third game with his new team.The surprise blockbuster deal with the Colorado Avalanche and the Blackhawks last Friday netted the Hurricanes Rantanen and Taylor Hall and sent Martin Necas and Jack Drury to the Avalanche.”It’s going to take a little bit more time to get fully comfortable with everything on the ice (so) it comes with instinct and no thinking at all, which was better (Thursday),” Rantanen said. “I think we could have had a couple more goals there. But a lot of good players around me, so I’m happy.”His goal gave Carolina a 2-1 lead 4:52 into the second period. It was Rantanen’s 26th goal of the season to go along with 40 assists for 66 points, which is among the league’s top 10 scorers, in 52 games.Seth Jarvis (short-handed) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin also scored for Carolina and Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves.Hall and top-line center Sebastian Aho did not play on Thursday because of illnesses.Ryan Suzuki made his NHL debut for the Hurricanes. Suzuki was Carolina’s first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. He was plus-1 in 6:12 of ice time.The Kings have been shut out in two consecutive games after losing to the host Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night and are 0-3-1 in their last four.They lost by the same 3-0 score at the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night and have gone 162:55 without a goal, dating back to the first period of their 5-2 loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. And that was an own goal by Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider, credited to Quinton Byfield.

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