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Fresh off of a thrilling overtime victory over the Pacific-leading Vegas Golden Knights, the Carolina Hurricanes head north. They hit the metaphorical road to Canada for the first time this calendar year (their last stop there was Vancouver in December) to take on the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators are about as different from the Golden Knights as you can get; yet, the last time the Hurricanes lined up against them, Ottawa came away victorious after a wild third period which saw four total goals in about five minutes of playing time.
So, sure, the Senators may be nearly at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings (a fate saved only by Montreal’s dismal performance this season) but the Hurricanes have already learned not to underestimate them. The Senators have won their last two games, a 5-0 rout of the equally-struggling Buffalo Sabres, and a 2-1 win over the free-falling Columbus Blue Jackets.
So it’s a confident Senators team that will greet the Hurricanes tonight. Let’s see how the teams match up:
Vital Statistics
| Category | Hurricanes | Bruins |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Hurricanes | Bruins |
| Record | 54-20-8 | 51-26-5 |
| Goals/Game | 3.38 | 3.08 |
| Goals Against/Game | 2.44 | 2.66 |
| Shots/Game | 34.12 | 36.12 |
| Face Off Win % | 53.9% | 54.2% |
| Power Play % (Rank) | 22.0% (13th) | 21.2% (15th) |
| Penalty Kill % (Rank) | 88.0% (1st) | 81.3% (9th) |
| ES Corsi For % | 43.86% | 56.14% |
| ES PDO | 113.44 | 86.56 |
| PIM/Game | 12:00 | 22:00 |
Goaltender #1
| Category | Frederik Andersen | Linus Ullmark |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Frederik Andersen | Linus Ullmark |
| Record | 35-14-3 | 26-10-2 |
| Save % | .922 | .917 |
| GAA | 2.17 | 2.45 |
Goaltender #2
| Category | Antti Raanta | Jeremy Swayman |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Antti Raanta | Jeremy Swayman |
| Record | 15-5-4 | 23-14-3 |
| Save % | .912 | .914 |
| GAA | 2.45 | 2.41 |
Game Notes
- Hurricanes goaltender Freddie Anderson is two wins away from 250. Antti Raanta is two away from 100.
- Derek Stepan is three away from 500 career points.
- Sebastian Aho has points in seven of his last 10 games. The Hurricanes are 3-7-1 when Aho does not record a point.
- Andrei Svechnikov has points in five straight games and eight of his last 10. The team has a 5-6-2 when Svechnikov does not score.
- Senators forward Drake Batherson, the team’s leading scorer, was injured on Tuesday night by a controversial hit from Sabres’ goaltender Aaron Dell. Dell was suspended for his actions; Batherson has had to withdraw from participating in this year’s All-Star Game. He’ll be replaced by Matthew Tkachuk.
Buffalo’s Aaron Dell has been suspended for three games for Interference on Ottawa’s Drake Batherson. https://t.co/pXXthyGU6h
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 26, 2022
- Tyler Ennis, who recorded a hat trick against the Sabres, is two assists away from 200 in his career.
- Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom has been added to the COVID-19 protocol list. In his absence, Lassi Thomson has been recalled to Ottawa (though, per the team, he was getting a call-up anyway, even before Brannstrom came out of the lineup.)
- Forward Dylan Gambrell was also injured on Tuesday and is expected to be out for a week or so.
- Goaltender Matt Murray was struggling so badly that he was sent to the AHL earlier in the season. In his last four starts, he’s 3-0-1, with a 2.00 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. His resurgence is playing a big role in the Senators’ recent string of strong play.
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