Carolina Hurricanes (1-1-0) at Nashville Predators (2-0-0)
It took a global pandemic and a confluence of events that few if anyone ever saw coming, but tonight, the NHL will feature a long-overdue first: a divisional matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.
The two teams have played 31 times since the Predators joined the league in 1998, but with eight matchups between the teams this season they will increase that number by more than 25% just in the next four months. Plenty about this season will be a one-off, but it’s easy to make the argument that if the NHL keeps anything on the books post-COVID, more frequent meetings between Carolina and Nashville should be near the top of the list.