The Carolina Hurricanes will welcome the Buffalo Sabres to Raleigh for their final matchup of the season. In their first meeting, the Hurricanes defeated the Sabres 6-3; the same game in which Charles-Alexis Legault notched his first career NHL points, with an assist and an empty-net goal. The second meeting wasn’t as fortuitous, as the Sabres handed them a 4-1 loss.
The Hurricanes have won two straight, and both the Hurricanes and Sabres have won three of their last five games. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:30 PM EST.
The Sabres, expected to remain without Josh Norris and Alex Lyon against Carolina, are anticipated to put forward Konsta Helenius into the lineup. A first-round selection in 2024, he has played 34 games in the AHL, where he picked up nine goals and 21 assists.
As for the goaltending matchup, Brandon Bussi is expected to take the crease for Carolina, per the alternating tandem. This season, he has notched a save percentage of .903 and a goals against average of 2.25 across a 17-3-1 record.
Meanwhile, the Sabres, who have also utilized an alternating tandem, are expected to start Colten Ellis. With a 6-4-0 record, he has registered a goals against average of 3.10 and a save percentage of .898.
Expected Carolina Hurricanes Lines
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
Eric Robinson – Mark Jankowski – Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Defense
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
Alexander Nikishin – Joel Nystrom
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi / Frederik Andersen
Expected Sabres Lines
Zach Benson – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Konsta Helenius – Noah Ostlund – Josh Doan
Peyton Krebs – Tyson Kozak – Beck Malenstyn
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram – Owen Power
Zach Mesta – Michael Kesselring
Goaltenders
Colten Ellis – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 21.5% (13th)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 79.4% (16th)
Buffalo Sabres power play: 19.6% (20th)
Buffalo Sabres penalty kill: 83.1% (6th)
Hurricanes Game Notes
William Carrier and Shayne Gostisbehere have missed several games due to injury, and it remains unknown if either will be in the lineup.
The Hurricanes’ power play has heated up significantly in the recent stretch, as it moved from ranked 17th to 13th following January 16th’s game against the Florida Panthers.
How to Watch
TV: TNT, TruTV
Streaming: HBO MAX
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
