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What a difference a weekend can make. After the Carolina Hurricanes (37-25-5, 79pts) defeated two straight Metro division opponents in a back-to-back, the Canes now hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With at least one game in hand against all their nearest playoff competitors, Carolina enters tonight’s game in control of their own playoff destiny.
Obviously, the arrival of Morgan Geekie with a two-goal, one assist debut captured the headlines. Yet, the real story might be that the Canes are finally getting much-needed scoring contributions from some of their veterans.
Jake Gardiner had a goal, an assist, four shots, and finished plus-1 in the Pittsburgh game. Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal each had a pair of assists.
What’s more, the forward lines that so recently seemed out of sorts now appear to be rounding into shape. Both the Staal line and the fourth line looked potent against the Penguins.
In net, Petr Mrazek (20-16-2, .904 SV%, 2.71 GAA) returns from the concussion he suffered February 22nd against the Maple Leafs. With Mrazek returning to the lineup, Alex Nedeljkovic has been re-assigned to Charlotte.
Vital Statistics
| Category | Hurricanes | Blue Jackets |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Hurricanes | Blue Jackets |
| Record | 21-7-3 | 13-13-7 |
| Goals/Game | 3.23 | 2.54 |
| Goals Against/Game | 2.48 | 3.12 |
| Shots/Game | 31.52 | 28.70 |
| Face Off Win % | 54.4% | 46.2% |
| Power Play % (Rank) | 30.6% (1st) | 14.8% (26th) |
| Penalty Kill % (Rank) | 82.9% (9th) | 74.0% (26th) |
| ES Corsi For % | 53.04% | 46.16% |
| ES PDO | 100.96 | 99.42 |
| PIM/Game | 07:21 | 06:43 |
Goaltender #1
| Category | James Reimer | Joonas Korpisalo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | James Reimer | Joonas Korpisalo |
| Record | 12-4-1 | 8-10-5 |
| Save % | 0.909 | .900 |
| GAA | 2.68 | 2.98 |
Goaltender #2
| Category | Alex Nedeljkovic | Elvis Merzlikins |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Alex Nedeljkovic | Elvis Merzlikins |
| Record | 7-2-2 | 5-3-2 |
| Save % | .930 | .912 |
| GAA | 1.96 | 2.91 |
The Canes’ expected lines:
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Warren Foegele - Vincent Trocheck - Martin Necas
Brock McGinn - Jordan Staal - Justin Williams
Nino Niederreiter - Morgan Geekie - Jordan Martinook
Joel Edmundson - Jaccob Slavin
Haydn Fleury - Brady Skjei
Jake Gardiner - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Petr Mrazek
Anton Forsberg
Injuries and Scratches: Dougie Hamilton (IR leg), Brett Pesce (IR shoulder), James Reimer (lower-body), Sami Vatanen (IR leg), Ryan Dzingel (upper-body)
It’s been a long season for the Detroit Red Wings (17-48-5, 39pts). Last in the NHL in terms of points, Detroit is an incredible 21 points back of the Los Angeles Kings — the team with the league’s second-lowest point total.
Amazingly, even with all the losing, the Red Wings enter tonight’s game as the winners of two-straight. Detroit has only managed to string together three straight wins one other time this entire season, and that happened all the way back in November.
The Red Wings are led by Dylan Larkin (19g, 34a), Tyler Bertuzzi (20g, 27a), and Anthony Mantha (16g, 21a).
In net, Jonathan Bernier (15-21-3, .908 SV%, 2.90 GAA) should get the start.
The Red Wings’ expected lines:
Tyler Bertuzzi - Dylan Larkin - Anthony Mantha
Darren Helm - Valtteri Filppula - Sam Gagner
Christoffer Ehn - Luke Glendening - Robby Fabbri
Brendan Perlini - Frans Nielsen - Dmytro Timashov
Trevor Daley - Filip Hronek
Patrik Nemeth - Alex Biega
Madison Bowey - Gustav Lindstrom
Jonathan Bernier
Jimmy Howard
Injuries and Scratches: Danny DeKeyser (IR back), Filip Zadina (IR lower-body), Justin Abdelkader (illness), Adam Erne (hand)