Hurricanes vs Devils: Preview

Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils
March 27, 2016 - 5:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
Fox Sports Carolinas - 99.9 FM - WRALSportsFan app
SB Nation Rival Blog - All About The Jersey

Vital Statistics

*Stats from NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• Another day, another overtime game. That certainly seems more the rule than the exception for the Carolina Hurricanes, who played in their 24th overtime game of the season last night in a 4-3 loss to the Islanders. League-wide just under 25% of all games make it to extra innings, so 32% for the Canes is on the high side, and they lead the league with 15 combined losses between 3-on-3 overtime and shootouts. But if there's goodness to be derived from that stat, as frustrating as it might seem, it is an indication that the Canes are competitive in a large number of games that they haven't won, and perhaps an eye toward a bit more finish in the off-season can make a big difference in next season's standings.
• If history is any indication, today's game against the New Jersey Devils will probably not go to overtime. The Canes and Devils have only played three overtime games in their last 36 regular-season meetings. Head-to-head this season each team has won two and lost two, so today's matchup will decide the series.
• The big story for the Devils of late has been the play of rookie goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who was called into backup action when Cory Schneider went down with a knee injury and has stopped all but two pucks in his first three games played. That includes a shutout win against the late-surging Penguins and 60 minutes of perfect goaltending before giving up an overtime goal in a 1-0 loss to the league-best Capitals, which broke a 159:34 shutout streak.
• Kyle Palmieri is the Devils leading scorer with 29 goals and 53 points, and Travis Zajac leads with 27 assists. When previewing a game it's often wise to look for a player who needs a first career goal or a first of the season or a milestone, since the Canes seem generous in that regard, and the Devils have a few young players fitting that category (Seth Helgeson, Blake Pietila, Vojtech Mozik). But today look no further than former Hurricane Tuomo Ruutu, who may be reaching the end of a fine career, much of it played here in Raleigh. Ruutu has had a frustrating season filled with injuries, healthy scratches, and fourth line duty, and enters today's game with zero points in 30 games played this season.
• With back-to-back games and an early start, the Canes won't practice this morning, so lineup changes and confirmation of a starting goaltender won't be known until closer to game time. Chris Terry is on a five-game point streak (3g, 2a), a career best. Victor Rask has goals in two straight games, Jaccob Slavin has assists in two straight games, and Noah Hanifin has four assists in his last four games played.

Projected Lineups

Hurricanes (3/26 vs Islanders)

Joakim Nordstrom - Jordan Staal - Elias Lindholm
Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Chris Terry
Riley Nash - Jay McClement - Patrick Brown
Nathan Gerbe -Brad Malone - Brody Sutter

Jaccob Slavin - Justin Faulk
Noah Hanifin - Brett Pesce
Ron Hainsey - Ryan Murphy
Michal Jordan

Eddie Lack
Cam Ward

Injuries and scratches: James Wisniewski (IR ACL), Andrej Nestrasil (fractured vertebra), Phillip Di Giuseppe (undisclosed)

Devils (vs Capitals 3/25)

Joseph Blandisi - Adam Henrique - Devante Smith-Pelly
Reid Boucher - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri
Blake Pietila - Sergey Kalinin - Mike Sislo
Bobby Farnham - Stephen Gionta - Tuomo Ruutu

Andy Greene - Adam Larsson
John Moore - Damon Severson
David Warsofsky - Vojtech Mozik
Seth Helgeson

Scott Wedgewood
Keith Kinkaid

Injuries and scratches: Mike Cammalleri (IR hand), Patrik Elias (knee), Jacob Josefson (upper body), Tyler Kennedy (lower body), Jiri Tlusty (IR wrist), Jordin Tootoo (upper body), Jon Merrill (upper body), David Schlemko (undisclosed), Cory Schneider (knee)

Storm Debris

• Canes Gameday Hub [CH.com].