Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night at Raleigh, N.C., winning for only the second time in the past seven games.

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

The Buffalo Sabres were unable to overcome an early deficit in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Thursday. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall, and Seth Jarvis all scored goals for the Hurricanes,

On Whalers night, the Carolina Hurricanes got Brass Bonanza playing at max volume with their 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Mikko Rantanen scored the game-winner as he looks to

According to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, it looks like Carolina is leaning toward keeping Rantanen in tow through the end of the season whether or not he commits to signing a contract extension before the March 7 trade deadline.

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres will look to end their three-game road skid in a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina has a 21-6-1 record in home games and a 33-21-4 record overall. The Hurricanes have gone 15-7-1 in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.

Mikko Rantanen is expected to clarify whether he is willing to engage in contract talks with the Carolina Hurricanes over the coming days as the clock ticks down towards the trade deadline, TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports.