Gostisbehere looks to return as Hurricanes face streaking Devils. Rookie goalie Bussi aims for redemption in a divisional matchup.
What - Game 72 (45-20-6)
When - 5 p.m., Saturday, March 28
Where - Lenovo Center; Raleigh, NC
How to Watch - FanDuel Sports Network South, MSGSN
The Carolina Hurricanes are finally back home after a long stretch of road games and tonight will take on the New Jersey Devils for the last time this year.
Carolina is coming off of a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, a game that saw their three-game winning streak snapped.
The Hurricanes are expecting to get defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere back as the veteran has missed the team's last nine games with a lower-body injury.
It will also be a big game for netminder Brandon Bussi, who is expected to start. The rookie goalie has struggled since the Olympic break, with just a 0.844 save percentage and 3.8 GAA, so he really needs a good outing for his confidence.
New Jersey will be playing their final game of a five-game road trip and are currently on a two-game winning streak.
The season went off the rails for the Devils after a strong start to the year and now they're basically out of the postseason, but there's still a lot of talent on the roster that the Hurricanes need to be aware of.
Streaks
- Seth Jarvis (1g, 6a) has points in four straight games.
- Nikolaj Ehlers (2g, 1a) and Andrei Svechnikov (2a) have points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- Taylor Hall is one goal away from 300 career goals.
- Sean Walker is three assists away from 100 career assists.
- Sebastian Aho is four assists away from 400 career assists.
Game Notes
- Carolina is 3-0-0 against the Devils this season, winning 6-3 on opening night in Raleigh and 3-1 and 4-1 in New Jersey on Jan. 4 and Jan. 17.
- The Hurricanes are 13-5-0 in the last 18 meetings between the two clubs.
- Carolina hasn't lost to New Jersey in a regular season game at Lenovo Center since 2023.
- Nikolaj Ehlers (12g, 23pts in 21gp) is a point-per-game player for his career against New Jersey.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Brandon Bussi: 26-6-1; 0.896 Sv%; 2.47 GAA
- Jake Allen: 14-16-1; 0.906 Sv%; 2.68 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Seth Jarvis (29) / Nico Hischier (26)
- Points - Sebastian Aho (72) / Jesper Bratt (60)
Power Play
- Carolina - 23.3% (10th)
- New Jersey - 22.4% (13th)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 80% (14th)
- New Jersey - 80.1% (13th)
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, Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov (hip)
Devils Projected Lineup
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Jesper Bratt - Jack Hughes - Connor Brown
Evgenii Dadonov - Cody Glass - Lenni Hameenaho
Paul Cotter - Nick Bjugstad - Maxim Tsyplakov
Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes - Johnathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon - Simon Nemec
Jake Allen
Jacob Markstrom
Injuries and Scratches: Arseny Gritsyuk (undisclosed), Zack MacEwen (ACL), Stefan Noesen (knee), Brett Pesce (LBI)
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