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It’s a battle of the titans tonight in Raleigh as two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference face off. The Carolina Hurricanes will make their TNT debut tonight as they look to turn their fortunes around having lost three of their past four games coming off the All-Star break.
For the Florida Panthers, this is their first game since February 1st which was a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers. Things do not get any easier for the Cats after tonight as they next head to Minnesota to face the Wild who just took down the Hurricanes on Saturday.
If you are the Carolina Hurricanes nothing is a must win these days since the team is comfortably in a playoff spot but for a morale stand point this feels like a must win. They have yet to beat the Panthers this season going 0-1-1 against them so far. Coming off a terrible road trip that saw them go 1-2-1, Rod Brind’Amour will want his team to show up and show off in a big home game that is being covered on national television.
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
- On paper these two teams are eerily similar. Both are a smaller market team that is a top contender in the East. Both are being led by a resurgence from their number one goalie and both have very good scoring balance up and down their lineup.
- The key match-up will be Florida’s offense versus Carolina’s defense. The Panthers lead the league in GF/60 at 4.09 and the Hurricanes lead the league in GA/60 at just 2.37.
- Another key area to watch will be in the face-off dots. Florida ranks 31st at just 46.6% win rate whereas as the center-heavy Hurricanes rank 3rd winning 53.9% of the time.
- Andrei Svechnikov is as hot as you can get having points in three straight and 18 points in his last 12 games.
- Nino Neiderreiter will play in his 200th game for the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.
- Derek Stepan needs one more point for 500 career points in the NHL.
- The Hurricanes are 43-17-3-4 all-time at home versus the Panthers.
Storm Advisory
- Four months in, Walt Ruff and Scott Burnside discuss the state of the Carolina Hurricanes. [Canes]
- Hurricanes goaltending prospect Pyotr Kochetkov has been let go of his contract in the KHL and has now joined the Chicago Wolves giving them a four-headed monster in net. [Hurricanes]
- Alex Nedeljkovic is at home with the Red Wings, and it’s been ‘smooth sailing’ as they plan for the future together. [The Athletic $]
- Unfortunate news out of Vancouver as former Hurricane Brandon Sutter is not expected back this year after missing the entire season due to long-term Covid complications. [The Score]
- The trades have begun as the Montreal Canadiens has shipped Tyler Toffoli to Calgary. [NHL]
- 32 Thoughts sizes up the trade market after the Canadiens kicked things off with the Toffoli deal. [Sportsnet]
- 50 stunning facts, stats, and stories to celebrate Jaromir Jagr’s 50th birthday. [NBC]
- Ontario has decided to relax some of their harsh Covid restrictions. Sporting venues can now go back to 50% capacity with a plan for 100% by March 1st. [Global]
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