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With five games remaining in their regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes enter today’s game holding the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They control their playoff fate, although their margin for error is thin. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens each trail the Canes by a single point in the standings.
Vital Statistics
| Category | Hurricanes | Bruins |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Hurricanes | Bruins |
| Record | 8-6 | 11-5 |
| Goals/Game | 2.79 | 3.31 |
| Goals Against/Game | 2.71 | 2.06 |
| Shots/Game | 30.9 | 34.3 |
| Faceoff % | 49.1% | 53.3% |
| Power Play % (Rank) | 10.0% (14) | 31.9% (1) |
| Penalty Kill % (Rank) | 70.8% (14) | 85.7% (4) |
| ES Corsi For % | 55.61% | 51.66% |
| ES PDO | 101.2% | 101.0 |
| PIM/Game | 8:38 | 6:30 |
Goaltender #1
| Category | Petr Mrazek | Tuukka Rask |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Petr Mrazek | Tuukka Rask |
| Record | 5-5 | 11-5 |
| Save % | .894 | .939 |
| GAA | 2.73 | 1.96 |
Goaltender #2
| Category | Curtis McElhinney | Jaroslav Halak |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Curtis McElhinney | Jaroslav Halak |
| Record | 3-1 | 0-0 |
| Save % | .943 | N/A |
| GAA | 1.70 | N/A |
Game Notes
- This is the third meeting of the year between the Canes and Flyers. Carolina won both of the prior meetings. The fourth and final meeting is on April 6th in Philadelphia and will be the final regular season game for both teams.
- Dougie Hamilton played in his 500th NHL game in Thursday’s loss to Washington. Hamilton has scored more goals (32) than any other defenseman since the start of the 17-18 season.
- Justin Williams reached the 50 point mark with an assist against Washington. He now has recorded 50 or more points seven times in his career.
- The Canes’ 91 points rank 4th in franchise history (since relocation). They can’t catch the ‘05-06 team that posted 112 points, but the second-best record of 97 points (‘08-’09) is still feasible.
- Sebastian Aho has 81 points this year (30g, 51a). He is the first Hurricane skater to post 80 points since Eric Staal who tallied 82 points in ‘07-08.
- Brett Pesce has 11 points across 14 games in the month of March, the most points he has registered in any month of his career. His seven goals, twenty assists, and twenty-seven points are career highs for the fourth-year defenseman from Tarrytown, NY.
Stalking the Standings
At this point you don’t need much of a narrative. Everyone around the Canes, except the Penguins (who lost to Nashville yesterday), is in action tonight. The Canes’ magic number over the Canadiens is 8. A three-point game doesn’t hurt the Canes at all. A win, in any form, is all that matters.
- Metro 1: Washington Capitals: 78 GP, 100 points, 105 pt pace, 42 ROW
- Metro 2: New York Islanders: 78 GP, 97 points, 102 pt pace, 41 ROW
- Metro 3: Pittsburgh Penguins: 78 GP, 95 points, 100 pt pace, 40 ROW
- WC 1: Carolina Hurricanes: 77 GP, 91 points, 97 pt pace, 40 ROW
- WC 2: Columbus Blue Jackets: 77 GP, 90 points, 96 pt pace, 42 ROW
- 9th: Montreal Canadiens: 78 GP, 90 points, 95 pt pace, 39 ROW
Tonight’s Rooting Guide
Projected Lineups
Hurricanes
Nino Niederreiter - Sebastian Aho - Justin Williams
Andrei Svechnikov - Jordan Staal - Teuvo Teravainen
Micheal Ferland - Lucas Wallmark - Jordan Martinook
Warren Foegele - Greg McKegg - Brock McGinn
Jaccob Slavin - Dougie Hamilton
Brett Pesce - Justin Faulk
Calvin de Haan - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Petr Mrazek
Curtis McElhinney
Injuries and scratches: Saku Mananlanen (healthy)
Flyers
James van Riemsdyk - Nolan Patrick - Claude Giroux
Oskar Lindblom - Sean Couturier - Jakub Voracek
Ryan Hartman - Scott Laughton - Travis Konecny
Michael Raffl - Corban Knight - Justin Bailey
Ivan Provorov - Travis Sanheim
Shayne Gostisbehere - Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg - Radko Gudas
Brian Elliott
Cam Talbot