Canes face Penguins with goalie carousel and key injuries. Who will rise as the Hurricanes battle for a crucial win to end 2025?
What - Game 39 (24-11-3)
When - 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 30
Where - PPG Paints Arena; Pittsburgh, PA
How to Watch - FanDuel Sports Network South, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, Sportsnet
The Carolina Hurricanes will play their final game of 2025 tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
The Canes, who are winners of two straight, are coming off of a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers on Monday, a came where they had to overcome two separate deficits to win.
The team was dealt more bad news on the injury front as it was revealed that goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov will have season-ending surgery, so it looks like Frederik Andersen is once again back to getting starts and the Canes are going to need him to really figure things out and fast.
Pittsburgh enters tonight's contest coming off of a 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
The Penguins have been hot and cold all year, capable of scoring in bunches along with the league's third-best power play, but they've also gone through multiple dry spells and they haven't been strong whatsoever at preventing goals.
This one could very well be a high-scoring affair.
Streaks
- Sebastian Aho (1g, 3a) has points in three straight games.
- Jordan Martinook (2g) and Jackson Blake (2g) have goals in back-to-back games.
- Jalen Chatfield (2a) has points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- K'Andre Miller is two games away from 400 career games played.
- Jesperi Kotkaniemi is two games away from 500 career games played.
- Sebastian Aho is three goals away from 300 career goals.
Game Notes
- Carolina is 76-70-11-8 all-time against Pittsburgh, including going 3-0-0 last season.
- The Hurricanes have been dominant over the Penguins in recent years, holding a 16-3-1 record over them over the last 20 meetings.
- Hurricanes center Jordan Staal was drafted second overall by the Penguins in 2006 and played there from 2006-12, winning the Cup in 2009. He was traded to Carolina in 2011.
- Penguins forward Ville Koivunen was drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft by Carolina and eventually traded as part of the Jake Guentzel deal.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Frederik Andersen: 5-8-2; 0.869 Sv%; 3.27 GAA
- Stuart Skinner: 11-11-4; 0.885 Sv%; 2.98 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Seth Jarvis (19) / Sidney Crosby (20)
- Points - Sebastian Aho (35) / Sidney Crosby (39)
Power Play
- Carolina - 17.8% (22nd)
- Pittsburgh - 29.7% (3rd)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 80.2% (15th)
- Pittsburgh - 81.7% (12th)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Eric Robinson
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Jackson Blake
William Carrier - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
Taylor Hall - Mark Jankowski - Logan Stankoven
Alexander Nikishin - Sean Walker
K'Andre Miller - Jalen Chatfield
Mike Reilly - Joel Nystrom
Frederik Andersen
Brandon Bussi
Injuries and Scratches: Noah Philp, Gavin Bayreuther, Seth Jarvis (UBI), Jaccob Slavin (UBI), Pyotr Kochetkov (hip), Shayne Gostisbehere (LBI)
Penguins Projected Lineup
Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha - Tommy Novak - Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty - Ben Kindel - Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak - Kris Letang
Ryan Shea - Jack St. Ivany
Stuart Skinner
Arturs Silovs
Injuries and Scratches: Harrison Brunicke, Connor Clifton, Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Filip Hallander (leg), Caleb Jones (LBI), Evgeni Malkin (UBI)
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