One night earlier, Kane buried a game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Chicago snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 24-12-5 after 41 games.
“That could be a huge win for us here, especially (when) you look at the halfway point of the season,” Kane said. “You lose that one, maybe you start losing a little confidence.”
Instead, the Blackhawks will carry a renewed sense of confidence into Friday’s contest against Carolina (17-14-7). The game marks the second and final meeting of the regular season between the teams.
Like the Blackhawks, the Hurricanes are coming off a feel-good win Thursday night. Jeff Skinner scored the go-ahead goal as Carolina pulled away for a 4-2 win on the road against the St. Louis Blues.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Carolina, which has two wins in its past five games.
“Coming out of the Christmas break, we really haven’t gotten to the level we were at before,” Skinner said. “Now, we’re back on the right track. Maybe this will kick-start something.”
The Hurricanes have proved they are not intimidated by the Blackhawks. In the first meeting between the teams Dec. 30, Carolina held on for a 3-2 win at home thanks to goals from Elias Lindholm, Lee Stempniak and Jay McClement. Chicago received goals from Michal Kempny and Vinnie Hinostroza.
Goaltender Scott Darling made 25 saves in the Dec. 30 loss against the Hurricanes, and he is expected to start Friday in the second game of a back-to-back set. Darling is 10-4-2 with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in his third season with the Blackhawks.
For Carolina, veteran Cam Ward could start his second game in as many nights. He made 21 saves against the Blues to improve to 14-11-1.
If Ward rests, Michael Leighton could earn his third start for the Hurricanes. Leighton, 35, is 2-1-0 with a 3.53 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage but performed well recently in the AHL.
Regardless of who starts in net for Carolina, the Blackhawks will provide a difficult test. Four players have scored double-digit goals including Artem Anisimov (18), Marian Hossa (16), Artemi Panarin (15) and Kane (12).
Anisimov scored twice Thursday and is tied for seventh in the NHL in goals scored. The 28-year-old is only four goals shy of matching his career high of 22, set during the 2013-14 season with Columbus.
“He’s just a great hockey player,” Kane said. “He does everything right, plays both ends of the ice. I think people probably don’t see it a lot, but he’s so skilled.”
Carolina is led by Skinner (14 goals) and center Victor Rask (10 goals). Meanwhile, center Derek Ryan will try to stay hot after tallying his fifth and sixth goals of the season Thursday at St. Louis.
“It’s huge to start off with a nice win and get some confidence to get the boys rolling,” Ryan said. “Hopefully, that just continues into the next game in Chicago.”
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