Game Preview: Penguins vs Hurricanes

The Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at PNC Arena in Raleigh at 5 PM eastern. The Penguins are currently 18-8-4 and sit third in the Metropolitan division with 40 points. The Hurricanes are currently 18-6-6 and sit second in the Metropolitan division with 42 points. The game will be shown on AT&T Sports Network Pittsburgh for Western Pennsylvania folks and on Bally Sports South for the local Canes fans. Other fans can catch it on Sling TV and ESPN+. 

The Canes come into this game with a 6-0-1 record in their past seven games. They won their fourth straight game last night against the Dallas Stars in OT 5-4 after blowing a 4-2 lead in the third period. The Pens come into town on a seven-game winning streak. They have been off since Thursday when they defeated the Florida Panthers 4-2 at FLA Live Arena. 

The Pens have two games left before the Christmas break. They host the New York Rangers on Tuesday and the Canes on Thursday. The Canes host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday before they travel to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Afterward, they head back home to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday before their Christmas break. 

The Penguins and Canes last met on November 29th, with the Canes winning in overtime after Bryan Rust was cross-checked, and the Penguins stopped playing, expecting a penalty, which led to the breakaway for the Canes. The Canes and Pens will take each other on two times in five days, both each hosting each other and then will meet one final time on January 14th in Raleigh to end their season series. 

This will only be the sixth time the Canes and Pens have played each other since the beginning of the 2019-20 season. The Penguins are 1-2-2 in those matches. 

PROJECTED LINES

Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov-Paul Stastny-Martin Necas

Teuvo Teravainen-Jesper Kotkaniemi-Seth Jarvis

Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Derek Stepan-Jack Drury-Stefan Noesen

Jacob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Calvin de Hann-Jalen Chatfield

Pyotr Kochetkov

Antti Raanta

Scratched: F Sebastian Aho (injured)

IR: G Frederik Andersen, F Ondrej Kase, F Max Pacioretty, D Jake Gardiner 

Penguins

Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell

Danton Heinen-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust

Brock McGinn-Jeff Carter-Kasperi Kapanen

Ryan Poehling-Teddy Blueger-Josh Archibald 

Marcus Pettersson-Kris Letang

Brian Dumoulin-Jan Rutta

P.O. Joesph-Chad Ruhwedel 

Tristian Jarry

Casey DeSmith

Scratched: F Drew O’Connor, D Mark Friedman, F Jason Zucker (injured)

IR: D Jeff Petry

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CAR: F Stefan Noesen (2G in past 2 games)

PIT: F Evgeni Malkin (2G, 7P in past 5 games)

Stanley Cup Aspirations – Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.

1. Stanley Cup Aspirations 44:49
2. The Final Countdown 36:54
3. Here Come the Playoffs 32:42
4. Home Stretch 38:16
5. Kevy Cooks 45:22