Hurricanes vs Ducks: Preview

Carolina Hurricanes vs Anaheim Ducks
November 16, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
Fox Sports Southeast - 99.9 FM - WRALSportsFan app
SB Nation Rivals - Anaheim Calling

Vital Statistics

*Stats from NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• It isn't easy to find a team that is worse at scoring goals than the Hurricanes are, because there are only two of them in the league, but the Canes played one Saturday night (and still managed to give up three goals) and will play the other tonight. Averaging just 1.65 goals/game, the Anaheim Ducks are the most scoring-challenged team in the entire NHL.
• Unlike the Canes or Flyers, the Ducks do not suffer the reputation of a team that isn't very talented in their scoring ranks. After all, their roster is relatively intact from the one that came within a win of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, but for whatever reason, they haven't been able to start firing on all cylinders. Captain Ryan Getzlaf, who was briefly out of the lineup with appendix surgery, has not scored a goal this season after tallying 25 goals last season. Jakob Silfverberg has also been held without a goal, and Carl Hagelin, part of a draft-day trade with the New York Rangers, has seen his ice time dwindle as he has struggled to find his game.
• The Ducks started out slow but have gained points in six out of their last seven games. After a 4-1 home loss to the Islanders Friday night, they made several roster moves over the weekend before setting out on a four-game road trip. Forwards Nick Ritchie and Michael Sgarbossa were recalled from the San Diego Gulls, and the team placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers, but he did not make it through and was claimed by the Avalanche. If Ritchie is in the lineup tonight, it will be his NHL debut.
• Given that the Ducks are playing the first game of a back-to-back series tonight, and the second game is against a conference rival (they face the Predators tomorrow night), the Canes may see Anaheim's back up goaltender tonight, none other than former Hurricane Anton Khudobin, who was traded to the Ducks during the 2015 draft in exchange for James Wisniewski. If Dobby doesn't get the start against his former team (he played Friday), the Canes will face Frederik Andersen, who was drafted by the Canes in 2010 but refused to sign with the team and was picked up in the 2012 draft by the Ducks. Andersen and Khudobin have only faced the Canes three times between the two of them, but they've won all three.
• The Canes faced the Ducks twice last season and came up short both times for a 0-1-1 series record. Their last win against the Ducks was in a shootout on November 15, 2013 here in Raleigh.
• Few changes are expected tonight vis-a-vis the Canes lineup. For the most part, the forward lines and defensive pairings will remain as the team skated in Saturday's game. Michal Jordan, a healthy scratch for the previous two games, will draw in for Ryan Murphy, who suffered a concussion after being boarded by Ryan White in the second period of Saturday's game (side note, White later left the game after taking a hit from John-Michael Liles, and is reported to be out of the Flyers lineup for 2-4 weeks with an upper body injury). Noah Hanifin will take Murphy's place on the first power play unit.
• Eddie Lack has been announced as tonight's starting goaltender.  A former Pacific division rival of the Ducks, Lack has eight career appearances against them and a 2-4-2 record with a 2.88 GAA.
• Happy belated birthday to Brett Pesce, who turned 21 yesterday. If he wished for a solid start to his NHL career, he has certainly fulfilled that wish himself.
• Broadcast alert: Please note that tonight's game will be aired on Fox Sports Southeast, not Fox Sports Carolinas. Check here for the channel lineup from your broadcast provider.

Projected Lineups

Hurricanes (confirmed from Monday's pregame skate)

Eric Staal - Jordan Staal - Elias Lindholm
Jeff Skinner - Riley Nash - Kris Versteeg
Chris Terry -Victor Rask- Joakim Nordstrom
Nathan Gerbe - Jay McClement - Andrej Nestrasil
Brad Malone

Ron Hainsey - Justin Faulk 
John-Michael Liles - Brett Pesce
Noah Hanifin - Michal Jordan

Eddie Lack
Cam Ward

Injuries and scratches: James Wisniewski (IR - ACL), Ryan Murphy (concussion)

Ducks (updated from Monday's pregame skate)

Rickard Rakell - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Nick Ritchie - Ryan Kesler - Chris Stewart
Carl Hagelin - Shawn Horcoff - Andrew Cogliano
Patrick Maroon - Michael Sgarbossa - Jakob Silfverberg

Cam Fowler - Kevin Bieksa
Hampus Lindholm - Josh Manson
Clayton Stoner - Sami Vantanen

Anton Khudobin
Frederik Andersen

Injuries and Scratches: Jiri Sekac (IR), Simon Despres (IR concussion), Mike Santorelli (healthy), Korbinian Holzer (healthy)

Storm Debris

• Bill Peters post-practice audio 11/15/15 [CH.com].
• Canes Gameday Hub [CH.com].
• A more humble and more mellow Peter Karmanos talks Hall of Fame with Ken Smith of WRAL news [WRALSportsFan].
• The Section 328 podcast previews the Ducks game with special guest Jen Neale, formerly of Anaheim Calling, now with Puck Daddy [Section 328].
• Anaheim practice report from Saturday, with more on the recalls of Ritchie and Sgarbossa [Ducks.com]
• On the scoring struggles of Carl Hagelin, who was benched for the third period Saturday night, and Jakob Silfverberg [LA Times].