Rachel Barkley
Finally…FINALLY! NHL Hockey returns to Raleigh!
The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday in their first game back from the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00PM EST.
Thursday’s match will begin a 25-game run in just 48 days for the Hurricanes; nearly a third of the season to be played in just under seven weeks.
It is expected that all three Olympic medalists – Jaccob Slavin (gold), Seth Jarvis (silver), and Sebastian Aho (bronze) – should be in the lineup, per Rod Brind’Amour. Additionally, Eric Robinson is anticipated to return to the lineup.
On the flipside, Lightning Olympic medalists Jake Guentzel (gold) and Brandon Hagel (silver) are also expected to be in the lineup. However, head coach Jon Cooper, who also coached Team Canada, is anticipated to miss time behind the bench due to the passing of his father.
Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
Meanwhile, in net, the Hurricanes will likely start the freshly re-signed Brandon Bussi, who was in the starter’s crease during practice on Wednesday. So far this season, he has a save percentage of .906 and a 2.16 goals against average across a 23-3-1 record.
As for the Lightning, Jonas Johansson is the likely starter, as Andrei Vasilevskiy took the crease on Wednesday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, as Tampa Bay began their back-to-back set. Johansson’s save percentage this season is .890, with a goals against average of 2.91 and a 10-7-1 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricanes Lines
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – Nikolaj Ehlers
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson
Defense
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi / Frederik Andersen
Expected Lightning Lines
Brandon Hagel – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel – Dominic James – Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons – Yanni Gourde – Pontus Holmberg
Scott Sabourin – Oliver Bjorkstrand
Defense
J.J. Moser – Darren Raddysh
Charle-Edouard D’Astous – Victor Hedman
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg
Goaltenders
Jonas Johansson / Andrei Vasilevskiy
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 21.6% (14th, dropped one spot from the previous game)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 80.6% (11th, up one spot from the previous game)
Tampa Bay Lighting power play: 22.4% (12th)
Tampa Bay Lightning penalty kill: 83.9% (4th)
Hurricanes Game Notes
Eric Robinson is expected to make his return to the ice after missing seven games due to an upper-body injury. Forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who has since played his position, will likely be the healthy scratch.
Though present for interviews with the media, Jaccob Slavin did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, with Mike Reilly filling his spot next to Jalen Chatfield. Nonetheless, Slavin is anticipated to play Thursday versus the Lightning.
During the Olympic break, goaltender Brandon Bussi signed a three-year extension worth an average annual value of $1.9M. CHN broke the signing down and also ran comparisons to other goaltender contracts in the NHL.
How To Watch
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
