Can the Hurricanes tighten their defense against Edmonton's potent offense? Trade deadline drama looms before this potentially high-scoring matchup.
What - Game 62 (39-16-6)
When - 9 p.m., Friday, March 6
Where - Rogers Place; Edmonton, AB, Canada
How to Watch - FanDuel Sports Network South, Sportsnet West
Will the Carolina Hurricanes look different when they take on the Edmonton Oilers Friday night?
That's the ultimate question as the NHL trade deadline is set for 3 p.m. that day, with the Canes set to play six hours after that.
The Hurricanes enter the game coming off of a 6-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.
The Canes have surrendered four or more goals in two of their four games since returning from the Olympic break, so it's clear the biggest thing they need to improve on is defense (especially so since they themselves have scored at least five goals in three of those games).
Edmonton is in a bit of a similar boat, coming off of a 5-4 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.
Scoring is no issue for the Oilers, who boast two of the league's top scorers and the number one power play, but preventing them has been another story entirely.
So, this could very well be a high-scoring game.
Streaks
- Sean Walker (1g, 3a) has points in three straight games.
- Nikolaj Ehlers (4g) has goals in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- Taylor Hall is two goals away from 300 career goals.
Game Notes
- Carolina is 0-0-1 against Edmonton this season, losing 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 15 in Raleigh.
- Sebastian Aho (11g, 26pts in 17gp) and Andrei Svechnikov (7g, 15pts n 13gp) are point-per-game players for their career against the Oilers.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Brandon Bussi: 25-3-1; 0.903 Sv%; 2.29 GAA
- Tristan Jarry: 15-7-2; 0.890 Sv%; 3.18 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Seth Jarvis (26) / Connor McDavid (35)
- Points - Sebastian Aho (61) / Connor McDavid (105)
Power Play
- Carolina - 22.6% (10th)
- Edmonton - 32.9% (1st)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 80% (13th)
- Edmonton - 76.7% (26th)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin
Brandon Bussi
Frederik Andersen
Injuries and Scratches: Mike Reilly, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Pyotr Kochetkov (hip)
Oilers Projected Lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Matthew Savoie - Leon Draisaitl - Jack Roslovic
Josh Samanski - Adam Henrique - Trent Frederic
Vasily Podkolzin - Jason Dickinson - Kasperi Kapanen
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse - Ty Emberson
Jake Walman - Connor Murphy
Tristan Jarry
Connor Ingram
Injuries and Scratches: Spencer Stastney, Mattias Janmark (undisclosed), Curtis Lazar (undisclosed)
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