NHL Game Preview: Colorado Avalanche at Carolina Hurricanes with Line Combinations 1/3/2026

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Colorado Avalanche (30-2-7, 67 pts) at Carolina Hurricanes (24-13-3, 51 pts)

Venue: Lenovo Center
Date: Saturday, January 3
Time: 7:00 pm EST
How To Watch: ESPN+/ALT/FDSNSO
Radio: 560 AM WQAM/102.5 The Game

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

Colorado Avalanche News & Notes:

The Avalanche won their ninth straight on Wednesday with a 6-1 win over the Blues. They’re on a 12-game point streak, averaging 4.2 goals per game while allowing 2.2 goals per game.

Carolina Hurricanes News & Notes:

The Hurricanes dropped their second straight on Thursday with a 7-5 loss to the Canadiens. They’re 2-3-0 in their last five games, averaging 3.2 goals per game while allowing 4.2 goals per game.

Colorado Avalanche Projected Lines:

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Necas
Lehkonen-Nelson-Nichushkin
Colton-Drury-Olofsson
Bardakov-Kelly-Brindley

Toews-Makar
Manson-Burns
Girard-Malinski

Blackwood
Wedgewood

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Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lines

Ehlers-Aho-Svechnikov
Robinson-Stankoven-Blake
Carrier-Staal-Martinook
Hall-Jankowski-Kotkaniemi

Nikishin-Walker
Gostisbehere-Chatfield
Miller-Nystrom

Bussi
Andersen

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Carolina Hockey – Inside The Rink

Players To Watch:

Colorado Avalanche

Valeri Nichushkin scored two of Colorado’s four goals in their loss to Carolina back in October.

Carolina Hurricanes

Logan Stankoven scored one of Carolina’s four regulation goals in their 5-4 win over the Avalanche back on October 23rd.

Injury Report:

Colorado Avalanche

F Logan O’Connor – IR
F Joel Kiviranta – DTD

Carolina Hurricanes

D Charles-Alexis Legault – IR
F Seth Jarvis – IR
D Jaccob Slavin – Out
D Shayne Gostisbehere – Out
G Pyotr Kochetkov – IR

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