RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal with Carolina, helping the Hurricanes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday night. Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin also scored for the Hurricanes, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves.

It hasn't taken long for Carolina Hurricanes fans to warm up to one of their team's newest acquisitions, superstar winger Mikko Rantanen. Having landed the 28-year-old in a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche,

The Blackhawks could expedite their painstaking rebuilding process and be significant players in free agency this summer.

Team Finland announced their leadership group for the 4 Nations Face-Off today and both Carolina Hurricanes forwards Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen were named alternate captains. Finland will be captained by Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers and Mikael Granlund of the San Jose Sharks will also serve as an alternate captain.

The Avalanche began the process of moving on with its first win since the deal Sunday afternoon against the Rangers. Drury scored a goal. Necas was dynamic, collecting two assists and hitting both the crossbar and post with shots while playing in Rantanen’s old spot next to MacKinnon.

Can we anticipate Mikko Rantanen lighting the lamp when the Carolina Hurricanes face off with the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:00 PM ET on Thursday? To help you with your bets, check out the numbers and insights below.

The word “blockbuster” gets thrown around a little too often in today’s NHL, often for trades unworthy of the term, in the same way that anything might feel like a five-star meal to a starving man. But the deal that dropped on Friday night? That one deserves the title, no questions asked.

Mikko Rantanen says he was willing to take a discount to stay with the Avalanche before the Hurricanes trade happened.

The newly acquired Mikko Rantanen is making himself right at home with his new team. In his first home game since being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24, Rantanen recorded his first goal as a member of the squad.

The Carolina Hurricanes traded away a fan favorite in Martin Necas but they got back what they hope is a difference maker in Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen comes to Raleigh from the Colorado Avalanche and said he’s excited about joining the squad.

Though there's still season left to play, the Edmonton Oilers will likely face one of these four teams in the first round of the playoffs.