RALEIGH, N.C. -- Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Lenovo Center on Thursday.

After the Hurricanes shocked the hockey world over the weekend, Mikko Rantanen still may elect for free agency. Would this make the trade not worth what they gave up?

The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams in the NHL of late, winning six of their last seven games and securing 13 of a possible 14 standings points in that span.

The Chicago Blackhawks did not play a pretty game, taking on a Carolina Hurricanes team down a player for the night. The effort was there, even when the decision-making wasn’t. Ultimately, the talent gap was too big to overcome in a hard-fought 3-2 loss in Raleigh.

The Carolina Hurricanes will look to earn points in a sixth consecutive game as they host the Chicago Blackhawks (16-29-5). The Canes are coming off of a 4-0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers and tonight will also be the first home games for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall with their new club.

In an interview, Mikko Rantanen revealed his reaction a day after the Colorado Avalanche traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes. On Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche surprised the whole National Hockey League when they agreed on the terms of a trade involving the Finnish superstar Mikko Rantanen.

After a blockbuster trade late Friday, Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall made their Carolina Hurricanes debuts in the team’s overtime road loss at the New York Islanders.

The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the New York Rangers (24-21-4) tonight in the second game of the Mikko Rantanen/Taylor Hall era. Carolina is coming off of a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday,

Whatever bug is running through the Carolina Hurricanes locker room, it took some of the sizzle out of their 3-2 home victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. No Sebastian Ano and no ex-Hawk Taylor Hall.

"We have star players, too, that don’t seem to be protected as well as some of the other teams’ stars," Blackhawks captain Foligno said.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves for his first shutout of the season in likely his final game in Montreal, helping the Minnesota Wild beat the Canadiens 4-0 on Thursday night. The 40-year-old Fleury, from Sorel-Tracy about 50 miles northeast of Montreal,