Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers: Game Preview and Storm Advisory

The Hurricanes’ trip through Florida hasn’t exactly gone as anticipated, dropping both games to the Tampa Bay Lightning and being 6-1 in the process. They’ve also now lost three straight games, including the 4-2 loss to the Lightning before the road trip. Sure, you want a team to have to face a little adversity as they go through a season, to help them develop resiliency and learn how to win and all of those great thoughts coaches spout. But that doesn’t mean it’s fun or neat to watch it happening.

Whatever comes next for the Hurricanes, they’re going to do it without Teuvo Teravainen, who was recently diagnosed with a concussion. Rod Brind’Amour confirmed that Teravainen will not accompany the team on this road trip.

The Florida Panthers currently sit at the top of the Central Division with 28 points; the Lightning with 27 points are close behind. The Hurricanes have already ceded enough points to their Florida competitors and would love to turn this road trip around.

Game Notes

• The team has played without Teravainen before, as he missed three games due to being on the COVID protocol list. It’s been a tough break for a player who was expected to play a big role in the team’s offense this season. He has appeared in 12 games and has seemingly been sidelined every time he finally started to get into a groove. Wishing him the best in health!
• Sebastian Aho unsurprisingly leads the Hurricanes in points, with 17 in 19 games. Vincent Trocheck, Andrei Svechnikov, and Jordan Staal are close behind him. Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter are both sitting on nine goals for the season.
• The Panthers have been impressive this season, currently 2-1-0 on their homestand. They won in dramatic fashion against the Dallas Stars, coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period.
• Sergei Bobrovsky has continued to struggle in net, but this season, the Panthers seem to be able to outscore their problems. With eight goals, Alexander Barkov is tied for lead in goals with offseason acquisition Patric Hornqvist, who has displayed the same wrecking ball style of play that made him successful in Pittsburgh.
• The tendency to outscore their problems might make this a challenge for the Hurricanes, given James Reimer’s struggles in net recently. The defense and goaltending will need to be strong tonight to keep Florida’s dangerous scorers away from the net.

Storm Advisory

• Good news for the Hurricanes’s goaltending situation:

• Tripp Tracy used his time off in the pandemic to enjoy small town life again. [Grosse Pointe News]
• The Chicago Wolves finally suffered their first loss of the season, losing 4-1 to the Grand Rapids Griffins. [Chicago Wolves]
• Former New Jersey Devils goaltender Corey Schneider recently lost his 14-year old nephew in a house fire. Schneider has started a fundraiser to help the family. [GoFundMe]
• Participation in the Olympics still seems up in the air, but if the NHL does participate, they have two very strong choices to lead the team in net. [The Athletic $]
• Tyler Toffoli’s move to Montreal has everything: small dogs, tiny apartments, lots of snow, COVID scares... [Sportsnet]
• PWHPA player Jessica Platt talks about her experience of coming out as trans while playing hockey and her hopes for a better future for others who follow in her footsteps. [Sports Media LGBT+]
• No, you’re still confused about the fact that Alex Burrows is a coach. [Eyes on the Prize]