Hurricanes vs Maple Leafs: Preview

Carolina Hurricanes vs Toronto Maple Leafs
November 20, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
Fox Sports Carolinas - 99.9 FM - WRALSportsFan app
SB Nation Rivals - Pension Plan Puppets

Vital Statistics

*Stats from NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• The Canes and Maple Leafs will face each other three times this season. The Canes swept the three-game series last season, but that was life before Mike Babcock. The former Detroit head coach and friend and mentor to Bill Peters has implemented a more structured, "Detroit-like" approach in his tenure with the Leafs, as expected. Though still in the Atlantic division basement, after a slow start they've earned points in six out of their last seven games, including a win Tuesday against the Avalanche, where they scored five goals on special teams (four on the power play and one short-handed).
• Tyler Bozak and Morgan Rielly are tied for the Leafs points lead with 12 each (3g, 9a), and Joffrey Lupul and James van Riemsdyk lead the team in goals with seven each. Slump alerts: Nazem Kadri has gone 15 games without a goal, and rookie Byron Froese has not yet scored in his 13-game NHL career.
• With four straight wins, James Reimer has played his way into the starter's role in net for the Leafs. Reimer is 4-3-1 with a 2.41 GAA and one shutout in 10 career games agains the Canes.
• The big news for the Canes is the recall of defenseman Jaccob Slavin from the Charlotte Checkers, who is scheduled to make his NHL debut tonight. Slavin was signed to an NHL entry level contract on July 1 after playing two years of collegiate hockey at Colorado College, and was impressive at Traverse City and in training camp before being one of the final cuts from the opening roster. If all goes according to plan, Slavin will join Noah Hanifin and Brett Pesce as the third rookie defenseman in tonight's lineup.
• Bill Peters has again shuffled the forward lines over the last couple of days of practice, looking to spark offense. The Staals have been split up down the middle, and Victor Rask will center Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm.
• Justin Faulk still leads the league in power play goals by a defenseman (6, which ties him with two forwards, Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn) and has a three-game point streak.
• Ryan Murphy remains out of the lineup recovering from a concussion, but in a bit of good news, he was reported to be with the team at RCI on Wednesday and in the locker room at PNC yesterday, so hopefully he will be able to resume on-ice activities soon.
• Fun with stats: The Canes are currently ranked first in the league in faceoff percentage, shots against/game, and penalty minutes/game, but they are ranked last in even strength goal percentage, PDO, and power play percentage.
• The Canes are back in black tonight. So far they are 1-0-1 on the season in their alternate jerseys. The team will practice this morning at 10:30 am and there will be a Storm Surge live broadcast with commentary via the Canes website.

Projected Lineups

Hurricanes (from Thursday's practice)

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

Jaccob Slavin - Justin Faulk 
Ron Hainsey - Brett Pesce
Noah Hanifin - John-Michael Liles

Eddie Lack
Cam Ward

Injuries and scratches: James Wisniewski (IR - ACL), Ryan Murphy (concussion), Andrej Nestrasil (healthy), Michal Jordan (healthy)

Maple Leafs (from Tuesday's game)

James van Riemsdyk - Nazem Kadri - Leo Komarov
Shawn Matthias - Tyler Bozak - PA Parenteau
Daniel Winnik - Byron Froese - Joffrey Lupul
Michael Grabner - Brad Boyes - Peter Holland

Jake Gardiner - Dion Phaneuf
Matt Hunwick - Morgan Rielly
Matt Marincin - Roman Polak

James Reimer
Jonathan Bernier

Injuries and Scratches: Nick Spaling (undisclosed), Frank Corrado (healthy), Scott Harrington (healthy)

Storm Debris

• Bill Peters post-practice quotes 11/19 [CH.com].
• Slavin readies for his NHL debut [CH.com].
• A thoughtful look at the contrast in development styles between the Canes and Leafs [Canes and Coffee].
• Canes, NHL look for ways to score more goals [N&O].
• Canes Francis calls season frustrating, but with good signs [N&O] [WRALSportsFan].
• Bill Peters weathers the storm with a positive approach, much like his mentor [Toronto Star].
• Eric Staal says he'd like to stay in Carolina [Sportsnet], but the Canes could be better off trading him [SI].
• Mike Babcock post-practice quotes 11/19 [TML].
• Nazem Kadri remains optimistic despite his goal drought [Toronto Star].
• The 2016 NHL All-Star Game will feature an entirely different format, here's why [Puck Daddy], along with roster projections [NHL.com].
• Down Goes Brown has an idea for bringing the trade market back to life. It's so crazy it just might work [ESPN].
• What it means statistically to go to the "dirty areas" of the ice [TSN].
• Finally, 19 days in, the creepy factor is starting to become more apparent (Movember update):