The Pittsburgh Penguins meet the Carolina Hurricanes for a Metro Division battle.
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their home stand as they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes for their first matchup of the season. The Penguins (11-8-3) have won five of their last six games and have quickly found themselves back in the conversation in the Metropolitan Division.
They'll get the chance to see how they stack up against the division with this test against the Hurricanes (11-6-5). Here's three things to watch for in this divisional battle.
1. Penguins Dominating Metro Division
Early in the season, the Penguins are dominating the Metro Division. They are 3-0 against divisional opponents, dominating Columbus, Washington, and Philadelphia with multi-goal victories. The Penguins offense exploded in those games, outscoring their opponents by nearly 10 goals.
The Penguins will look to continue this trend of running their division against their toughest divisional opponent yet.
2. Hurricanes Far From Full Health
Something the Penguins are very familiar with is injuries. The Hurricanes are going through their own plague, as they deal with injuries across the lineup.
The team is currently without starting goaltender Frederik Andersen, leaving goaltending duties to the duo of Anti Raanta and youngster Pyotr Kochetkov.
The Canes are also without a glut of forwards. Veterans Teuvo Teravainen, Max Pacioretty, and Ondrej Kase are out of the lineup, and none figure to return in this matchup against the Penguins. Look out for how this shorthanded Carolina team responds despite their health issues.
3. Kapanen's Final Chance?
The Penguins are playing better hockey in the last two weeks, and a huge part of that is play of the fourth line. The Pens need another boost to their third line, and head coach Mike Sullivan has turned to Kasperi Kapanen as a temporary solution.
It looks like the maligned forward will get another, and perhaps final, chance to impress in the Penguins lineup. He'll look to slot into the third line right wing, and his leash will be short as he's missed the last nine of 10 games.
The Penguins face-off against the Hurricanes at 7:00PM at PPG Paints Arena.
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