Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes: Game Preview, Lines, Statistics, How to Watch

Florida Panthers (11-9-1) at Carolina Hurricanes (8-8-4)
Sunday, November 27, 2016 | 6:00 p.m. ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, North Carolina
Watch: FOX Sports Carolinas | FOX Sports GO app
Listen: Buzz Sports Radio | WRAL SportsFan app
SB Nation rival blog: Litter Box Cats

Vital Statistics

Game Notes

• The Hurricanes return home for one game that almost functions as an extension of the team’s road trip. After today, they hit the road for three more games this week, including paying two visits to Madison Square Garden over the span of four days. (NHL scheduling: it’s faaaaaaan-tastic!)
• Both of these teams played last night. The Hurricanes, as you likely know, dropped a 2-1 decision to the Ottawa Senators on the strength of a late goal by Kyle Turris. (Sound familiar?) Check our recap here and About Last Night here.
• The Panthers went to a shootout but defeated the red-hot Blue Jackets 2-1, with Aleksander Barkov scoring the winning goal in the skills competition. Roberto Luongo stole the show, turning aside 35 shots plus all three Jackets shootout attempts.
• This is the only game this season the Panthers will play in Raleigh. The Canes visit Sunrise twice late in the season, on February 28 and March 21.
• Feeling old yet today? You may after you read this: today is 19-year-old Noah Hanifin’s 100th career game. At this rate he may hit 200 before he hits legal drinking age. And now if you'll excuse me I am going to go cry into my collection of Saturday Evening Post magazines.
• Even though Cam Ward has played lights out in the month of November, the Canes can’t hit the broad side of a barn lately at the other end. This wasn’t an issue when they were winning games 1-0 and 2-1 a couple of weeks ago, but now it looms very large.
• The Canes’ shooting percentage over the past three games is an abysmal 4.5% — four goals on 94 shots — so while they’re certainly having no trouble firing pucks at opposing goaltenders, they aren’t making their shots count. Bill Peters has talked about the Canes needing to do the dirty work in front of the net, and now it’s time for someone - anyone - to follow through.
• The Panthers, meanwhile, are living dangerously and may be primed for a letdown today. Their 5-2 record over the past seven games is somewhat tempered by the fact that four of those wins came in overtime or the shootout, and the Panthers’ seven overtime games this year are the third-most in the NHL behind the Devils (10) and Blackhawks (8). The Panthers are an impressive 6-1 past regulation this year.
• Luongo has likely earned the night off tonight after his impressive performance against Columbus yesterday, and the Canes are probably going to face James Reimer, who is 5-3-2 against Carolina in his career.
• The combination of Jonathan Marchessault and Vincent Trocheck has been carrying the mail at even strength for the Panthers. Marchessault has seven even-strength goals, Trocheck has six, and no one else has more than three.
• Last season the Panthers swept the Hurricanes in the season series for the second straight season. It’s been almost three full years - February 7, 2014, to be exact - since the Canes beat the Panthers on home ice, and almost as long (3/27/14) since the Canes have defeated the Panthers anywhere.
• Last night, Brock McGinn was questionable at the morning skate and ended up scratched with an upper-body injury, causing Andrej Nestrasil to draw into the lineup after six games as a healthy scratch.
• Broadcasting note: today’s game is on Buzz Sports Radio (620 AM/99.3/96.5 FM) because The Fan will be airing the Carolina Panthers game.
• Late breaking news:

Projected Lines

Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho - Jordan Staal - Jeff Skinner
Teuvo Teravainen - Victor Rask - Elias Lindholm
Andrej Nestrasil - Derek Ryan - Lee Stempniak
Joakim Nordstrom - Jay McClement - Viktor Stalberg

Brett Pesce - Jaccob Slavin
Justin Faulk - Ron Hainsey
Matt Tennyson - Noah Hanifin

Michael Leighton
Cam Ward

Scratches: Bryan Bickell (multiple sclerosis), Brock McGinn (upper-body), Ryan Murphy (conditioning), Klas Dahlbeck (healthy)

Panthers

Jussi Jokinen - Aleksander Barkov - Jaromir Jagr
Jonathan Marchessault - Vincent Trocheck - Reilly Smith
Nick Bjugstad - Denis Malgin - Colton Sceviour
Seth Griffith - Derek MacKenzie - Shawn Thornton

Keith Yandle - Jason Demers
Jakub Kindl - Aaron Ekblad
Michael Matheson - Mark Pysyk

James Reimer
Roberto Luongo

Scratches: Jonathan Huberdeau (Achilles), Alex Petrovic (ankle), Kyle Rau (healthy), Dylan McIlrath (healthy)