Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars: Lineups and Game Discussion

The Carolina Hurricanes will look to do something tonight they’ve yet to do this season: sweep both games of a two-game series on the road. In the first games of these road double headers this season Carolina is 5-0-0, but the team is 0-3-0 in the second game.

In fact, Dallas is the only team Carolina has beaten more than once this season, as the Canes swept a two-game set with the Stars in Raleigh at the start of this month.

Carolina may be getting another reinforcement tonight, as Rod Brind’Amour said this morning that he’s hopeful Martin Necas will return to the lineup, though he’s still “probably somewhat of a game-time decision.”

Brind’Amour also said Alex Nedeljkovic would make his second start of the season in net. If Necas is able to play, it would give the Hurricanes their full group of projected skaters from opening night (minus just-traded Ryan Dzingel) for just the second time this season, and first since that season opener on Jan. 14. Given that he didn’t play in the third period Thursday, Morgan Geekie would seem to be the likely odd man out if Necas draws back in.

Newly-acquired Hurricanes Alex Galchenyuk and Cedric Paquette will not be available while they begin a seven-day quarantine following their trade from the Ottawa Senators earlier today. Each player will need to test negative for COVID four times over the next week to be eligible to come off the protocol list, which will be no earlier than next Saturday’s game.

(update: or will it?)

Here’s the Hurricanes’ projected lineup if Necas plays:

Brock McGinn - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Nino Niederreiter - Vincent Trocheck - Martin Necas
Andrei Svechnikov - Jordan Staal - Warren Foegele
Steven Lorentz - Jordan Martinook - Jesper Fast

Jaccob Slavin - Dougie Hamilton
Brady Skjei - Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner - Haydn Fleury

Alex Nedeljkovic
James Reimer

Injuries and Scratches: Max McCormick (IR upper body), Petr Mrazek (right thumb), Alex Galchenyuk (COVID protocol), Cedric Paquette (COVID protocol)

Taxi squad: Morgan Geekie, Jake Bean, Joakim Ryan, Antoine Bibeau

The Hurricanes will likely see a determined Stars bunch tonight after Dallas dropped a tight first game of the series. Since starting the year 4-0-0, the Stars have just one win in their last seven games, as they’re 1-3-3 in that stretch.

Here’s how the Stars are expected to line up tonight per our friends at Defending Big D:

Jamie Benn - Joe Pavelski - Joel Kiviranta
Jason Robertson - Roope Hintz - Denis Gurianov
Andrew Cogliano - Radek Faksa - Blake Comeau
Justin Dowling - Jason Dickinson - Ty Dellandrea

Esa Lindell - John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak - Miro Heiskanen
Andrej Sekera - Mark Pysyk

Jake Oettinger
Anton Khudobin

Injuries and Scratches: Alexander Radulov (IR lower body), Joel Hanley (healthy), Tyler Seguin (non-roster hip), Ben Bishop (LTIR knee), Stephen Johns (LTIR post-concussion)

Taxi squad: Joel L’Esperance, Nick Caamano, Tanner Kero, Taylor Fedun, Landon Bow

Tonight’s Officials

Referees: Dan O’Rourke #9, Gord Dwyer #19
Linesmen: Travis Gawryletz #67, Vaughan Rody #73