Rachel Barkley
We’re headed for a stretch of late games; high levels of caffeine may be needed…and maybe some late-night snacks.
After completing a perfect February, the Carolina Hurricanes flip the calendar to a slew of road games. The first match of the four-game set will be against the Seattle Kraken, who are gripping the bottom Wild Card spot for the Western Conference.
The game is scheduled for Monday at 10:00 PM EST.
Both the Hurricanes and Kraken had some interesting events in their last games. For Carolina, they became the top dogs in the Eastern Conference after they dispatched the Detroit Red Wings. The game saw an outstanding performance from Frederik Andersen in his first game between the pipes since minding Denmark’s crease in the Olympics. …Oh, and Taylor Hall lost a tooth. You can read all about it (as in the game, not just the perished pearly) here!
Meanwhile, the Kraken’s last game was their first at home since January 29th – and they certainly came back with style. Vince Dunn scored in his 600th NHL game, Joey Daccord almost got a goalie goal, and Jordan Eberle was treated to a shower of hats as he found twine for the third time that night…except it was deflected into the empty net by Matty Benier. Whoops!
For Monday night’s game, Brandon Bussi will be Carolina’s likely starter. His save percentage is .904 with a goals against average of 2.23 across a 24-3-1 record.
Meanwhile, Seattle will likely turn to Philipp Grubauer, who has a save percentage of .914, a goals against average of 2.50, and an 11-7-3 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 – Eric Robinson
Defense
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi / Frederik Andersen
Expected Kraken Lines
Jared McCann – Matty Beniers – Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz – Chandler Stephenson – Eeli Tolvanen
Berkly Catton – Shane Wright – Kaapo Kakko
Ben Meyers – Frederick Gaudreau – Jacob Melanson
Defense
Vince Dunn – Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak – Brandon Montour
Cale Fleury – Ryker Evans
Goaltenders
Philipp Grubauer / Joey Daccord
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 22.0% (13th, up one spot from previous game)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 80.4% (11th, up one spot from the previous game)
Seattle Kraken power play: 22.4% (12th)
Seattle Kraken penalty kill: 71.8% (31st)
Hurricanes Game Notes
The Logan Stankoven line has come out of the gates buzzing since the end of the Olympic break. Between Stankoven, Hall, and Jackson Blake, they have had a combined 10 points over the past two games.
Versus the Red Wings, Shayne Gostisbehere posted his fifth three-point game this season.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi is expected to be a healthy scratch.
The Hurricanes will only have one more game after Monday before Friday’s trade deadline. Trade chatter remains relatively quiet for the Hurricanes, but if they choose to make moves, they are loaded with bait.
How To Watch
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
