Streaking Hurricanes clash with red-hot Lightning. See the projected lineups, key matchups, and where to catch this East showdown.
What - Game 58 (36-15-6)
When - 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26
Where - Lenovo Center; Raleigh, NC
How to Watch - FanDuel Sports Network South, The Spot
NHL hockey is back on in Raleigh as the Carolina Hurricanes return to action as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The two titans of the East will go head-to-head for the second time this season as both look to stake their claim as the best team in the conference.
Carolina enters tonight's contest on a 10-game points streak and wins in their last three games, while Tampa Bay are winners of six in a row and nine of their last 10.
The Hurricanes will also be looking to shake off the rust from a long layoff while the Lightning have the benefit of having played already last night.
Streaks
- Jordan Staal (4g, 1a) has points in five straight games.
- Andrei Svechnikov (1g, 2a) has points in three straight games.
- Nikolaj Ehlers (2a) has points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- Taylor Hall is four goals away from 300 career goals.
- Jordan Staal is four assists away from 300 assists as a Carolina Hurricane.
- Jalen Chatfield is five games away from 300 games played as a Hurricane.
Game Notes
- Carolina is 0-1-0 against Tampa Bay this season, having lost 6-4 Dec. 20.
- The Lightning had a trio of Olympians that played alongside the Hurricanes' Olympians. Brandon Hagel played for Team Canada, Jake Guentzel played for Team USA and Oliver Bjorkstrand played for Team Denmark.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Brandon Bussi: 23-3-1; 0.908 Sv%; 2.16 GAA
- Jonas Johansson: 10-7-1; 0.890 Sv%; 2.91 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Seth Jarvis (25) / Nikita Kucherov (29)
- Points - Sebastian Aho (57) / Nikita Kucherov (91)
Power Play
- Carolina - 21.6% (14th)
- Tampa Bay - 22.4% (12th)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 80.6% (11th)
- Tampa Bay - 83.9% (4th)
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)
Lightning Projected Lineup
Gage Concalves - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel - Dominic James - Jake Guentzel
Zemgus Girgensons - Yanni Gourde - Pontus Holmberg
Scott Sabourin - Oliver Bjorkstrand
J.J. Moser - Darren Raddysh
Charle-Edouard D'Astous - Victor Hedman
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg
Jonas Johannsson
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Injuries and Scratches: Declan Carlile, Maxwell Crozier (abdomen), Nick Paul (undisclosed), Anthony Cirelli (undisclosed)
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