Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Taylor Hall and Seth Jarvis also scored for Carolina, which had lost its first two games after the league break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

On Whalers night at Lenovo Center, Mikko Rantanen slipped into a different sweater and turned in his first multi-point game with the Canes.

There was arguably nothing to be excited about for the Avalanche coming out of the lengthy 4 Nations Face-Off break. And it was unfortunate because they worked so hard last month after the Mikko Rantanen bombshell to get the locker room back in order and go on a 4-1-0 run.

Mikko Rantanen will be in action when the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres face off at PNC Arena on Thursday, starting at 7:00 PM ET. Considering a wager on Rantanen in the Hurricanes-Sabres game?

In this week's NHL Insider, the Colorado Avalanche and Jared Bednar have found their new face-off ace in Jack Drury.

The reeling Hurricanes came home desperately needing to find a way forward. A fight and two early goals — and a two-point night from Mikko Rantanen — did the trick in a 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Mikko Rantanen and Tage Thompson are two of the best players to watch when the Carolina Hurricanes meet the Buffalo Sabres at PNC Arena on Thursday, February 27 at 7:00 PM ET. Purchase tickets for this game at StubHub!

Jared Bednar and Nathan MacKinnon both said the team had no passengers. That’s not a new concept, nor is it the first time we’ve heard the coach and star center use that phrase. But this season? It very well just might be.

And yes, Gourde, who has a modified no-trade, would like to join a contender. He won two Stanley Cups in Tampa as you’ll remember and I always saw him as a potential fit with Toronto by the way if they strike out on those bigger names that Dregs talked about at the top.

After practice on Tuesday, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was coy, not wanting to spill the beans to media. As it turns out he was saving the news for the folks on Altitude Sports Radio, as he let them know Wednesday morning that,

If head coach Jared Bednar could show an example of one single game that best describes how he’d like his team to play, it would be this one. The Avalanche came out strong, controlled play, checked hard,