Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators will face off yet again for the second time in just over a week. However, the upcoming game will be a special event as Raleigh honors its Olympians in the final home game before they depart for Milan-Cortina, Italy.
The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.
In the Hurricanes’ win against the Los Angeles Kings, they appeared to have gotten control of their game after several inconsistent outings riddled with poor puck management and defensive issues.
Behind Enemy Lines
On the opposite end of things, the Senators started a heater the day after their game with the Hurricanes on January 24th, winning four straight. A big piece of their roster arrived to the bench on January 25th, and to the crease on Saturday, as goaltender Linus Ullmark made his return after a 16-game leave of absence.
However, while Ullmark has been gone, James Reimer – one month shy of 38 years old – has been incredibly solid despite only joining the team in early January. His presence as a veteran goaltender alongside his skill has given the Senators a far different look since his signing.
With the Senators on a back-to-back set, and Ullmark having started against the Penguins on Monday, Reimer will likely start in the arena he once called home for two seasons. His save percentage this season is .873, with a goals against average of 3.05 across a 2-2-1 record.
Meanwhile, since their two remaining games before the Olympic break are not back-to-back, the Hurricanes will likely turn to Brandon Bussi for both, as Frederik Andersen will compete for Team Denmark. Bussi has posted fantastic numbers, with a save percentage of .905 and a goals against average of 2.21 across a 21-3-1 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricanes Lines
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Defense
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi / Frederik Andersen
Expected Senators Lines
Drake Batherson – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Stephen Halliday – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund
Defense
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence
Goaltenders
James Reimer / Linus Ullmark
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 21.6% (13th, dropped one spot from the previous game)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 81.3% (10th, moved up one spot from the previous game)
Ottawa Senators power play: 22.5% (11th)
Ottawa Senators penalty kill: 73.2% (30th)
Hurricanes Game Notes
The Hurricanes announced that rookie defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault had been activated from injured reserve and assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Going into Tuesday’s game, the Hurricanes are tied first in points (74) in the Eastern Conference standings with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Hurricanes players expected to attend the Olympics are Alternate Captain Jaccob Slavin (USA), Alternate Captain Sebastian Aho (Finland), Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark), and Frederik Andersen (Denmark). Meanwhile, Seth Jarvis is on the reserve list for Team Canada.
How To Watch
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
