Game Preview: Carolina Hurricanes @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3/26/2024 - Lines, how to watch

26/03/2024 13:00

Jake Guentzel makes his return to PPG Paints Arena as the Hurricanes look to climb closer to the top the Metro standings.

Who:Carolina Hurricanes (45-20-7, 97 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (30-30-10, 70 points, 7th place Metropolitan Division)

When: 7 p.m. ET

How to Watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Bally Sports South

Pens' Path Ahead: Next up is a home-and-home set against the division-basement Blue Jackets, in Pittsburgh on Thursday and in Columbus on Saturday. Next week starts out with more division games as the Penguins embark on a back-to-back against the Rangers and Devils on Monday and Tuesday.

Opponent Track: The Hurricanes' recent success has them within one win of clawing the No. 1 spot in the Metro out from under the division-leading New York Rangers. The Canes have won six of their last seven games, most recently a 2-1 regulation Sunday victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Season Series: After the Canes won 4-2 over the Penguins on Nov. 18, the last two games of the season series have gone to extra time. Sidney Crosby scored the lone shootout goal in a 2-1 win on Dec. 21, while Brett Pesce sealed a 3-2 Hurricanes win in overtime on Jan. 13.

Getting to know the Hurricanes

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Jake Guentzel - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis

Andrei Svechnikov - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Martin Necas

Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Teuvo Teravainen

Jack Drury - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Stefan Noesen

DEFENSEMEN

Jaccob Slavin / Brent Burns

Brady Skjei / Brett Pesce

Dmitry Orlov / Jalen Chatfield

Goalies: Frederik Andersen, Spencer Martin

Possible scratches: Brendan Lemieux, Jesper Fast, Anthony Deangelo, Pyotr Kochetkov

• Jesper Fast practiced Monday after missing the Canes' last three games due to injury, per team reporter Walt Ruff.

Player stats

(via hockeydb)

• Sebastian Aho reached 80 points in Sunday's win over the Maple Leafs, making him the third Hurricane in history to record three or more 80-point seasons, per NHL PR. (The other two are Ron Francis and Pat Verbeek.)
• Frederick Andersen has been a central part of the Hurricanes' recent climb to the top of the division. Since returning from a 50-game absence due to a blood-clotting issue, Andersen has a 6-0-0 record with a 1.34 GAA and .946 save percentage.

• Have you been missing seeing Jake Guentzel in black and gold? Then this information won't help. Guentzel has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his first eight games in Carolina as he's slotted seamlessly into the Canes' top line. The stats below are missing the Canes' win over the Leafs, but proves how dominant the top line has been since adding the ex-Penguins winger:

• We'll see if the Penguins give Guentzel the kind of warm welcome that fellow trade deadline acquisition Evgeny Kuznetsov received in his return to D.C.

• The Hurricanes have consistently had one of the best power plays in the NHL this season. Heading into Monday, they were one of only four teams scoring on more than 26% of chances. They've upped that to 28.6% over their current seven-game point streak.

And now for the Penguins

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Drew O'Connor - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell

Reilly Smith - Lars Eller - Valtteri Puustinen

Emil Bemstrom - Noel Acciari - Jesse Puljujarvi

DEFENSEMEN

P.O. Joseph / Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson / Erik Karlsson

John Ludvig / Jack St. Ivany

Goalies: Tristan Jarry or Alex Nedeljkovic

Potential Scratches: Jeff Carter, Ryan Graves

IR: Matt Nieto (knee surgery), Jansen Harkins (hand injury)

• Not many updates from the Penguins Monday following Sunday's historic collapse against the Colorado Avalanche.

• The Penguins are likely to provide updates on Jeff Carter and Ryan Graves today.