On Jan. 20, the Carolina Hurricanes take to the ice without star left winger Sebastian Aho, on the road against the Detroit Red Wings. Without Aho, the Canes need some secondary scoring support to step up in a big way. Detroit is playing better of late, making a midseason challenge in the Atlantic Division.
Meanwhile, the Canes are losing ground to the rest of the Metropolitan Division, the tightest of the four divisions in the NHL. A victory for Carolina tonight would move them to 50 points on the season. For Detroit, it would put them at 45 points.