Gameday: Coyotes vs. Hurricanes

Celebrating the "Heart of the Hurricanes."
This is the gameday hub, where you can find all the latest news and information you need to know for tonight's Kids 'N Community Foundation Night match-up featuring the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes. Make Hurricanes.com a regular stop throughout the day, as we update this hub with notes, videos, photos and more as puck drop draws near.
The Hurricanes will hold an optional morning skate at 10:30 a.m., and we'll be posted up rinkside at PNC Arena to provide updates.
Last updated: 6:35 p.m.

CANES LINES: WARM-UPS
6:35 p.m.
Here's the lineup the Hurricanes will roll with tonight.
McGinn-Staal-Williams
Skinner-Lindholm-Di Giuseppe
Zykov-Aho-Teravainen
Nordstrom-Ryan-Stempniak
Slavin-Faulk
Fleury-van Riemsdyk
Dahlbeck-McKeown
Ward
Darling
The puck drops at PNC Arena in 30 minutes!

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA TOOLS TO VICTORY
6:20 p.m.
TV's Mike Maniscalco presents tonight's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina three Tools to Victory.

IN THE ROOM: McKEOWN & ZYKOV
5:50 p.m.
Hear from recently recalled Checkers Roland McKeown and Valentin Zykov as they preview tonight's game.

OPTIONAL SKATE NOTES & PETERS QUOTES
11:40 a.m.
Ten forwards and five defenseman participated in the Hurricanes' optional morning skate today, while Scott Darling and Jorge Alves manned the nets. Cam Ward is expected to start in net, while elsewhere, the Canes' lineup will look a little different with Victor Rask (shoulder), Brett Pesce (shoulder) and Noah Hanifin (concussion) sidelined.
"It affects things, for sure. Put some different line combinations together, and some guys get different opportunities," head coach Bill Peters said. "Definitely some changes, but some good opportunities for guys who are healthy."
Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan will play in the middle tonight, and the defensive pairs to begin the game will look like this:
Slavin-Faulk
Fleury-van Riemsdyk
Dahlbeck-McKeown

Here's more from the Hurricanes' bench boss.
On Rask's and Pesce's shoulder injuries: "Both guys have been playing with it for quite a while. … If it does come to surgery, it will be before the offseason."
On McKeown in the lineup: "He's fresh. … He's having a real good year. He's a big plus player down there and is a big part of what they do. He'll come in and get a real good opportunity."

CANES TO ICE DIFFERENT LOOK AGAINST COYOTES
12:00 a.m.
The Carolina Hurricanes will sport a bit of a different look when they face off with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.
The team announced on Wednesday that both forward Victor Rask and defenseman Brett Pesce will miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder injuries. Defenseman Noah Hanifin has already been out of the lineup due to a concussion and remains sidelined.
Enter Valentin Zykov, who had two shots on goal in 15:05 of ice time on Tuesday against Edmonton, and Roland McKeown, who was recalled from Charlotte on Wednesday evening - reinforcements, and a chance to get a read on each at the NHL level.
"I thought he did some good things. Hung on to a couple of pucks and did a good job net-front on the power play," head coach Bill Peters said of Zykov's season debut. "We'll get a good evaluation here over the next couple of weeks with him."
In addition to some new faces in the lineup, the Canes will also experiment with their line combinations. Sebastian Aho will be slotted back in at center, flanked by Zykov and Teuvo Teravainen on his wings.
"He's a dynamic player," Peters said of Aho. "It's a little different workload down low as a centerman, but he's capable of it."
Not only is Aho a dynamic player, but Aho and Teravainen together are a dynamic duo. The two are tied for the team lead in points with 59; Aho has a team-high 26 goals and 33 assists in 69 games, and Teravainen has 22 goals and a team-high 37 assists in 73 games. The Finns have combined for 36 points in their last 19 games (16g, 20a), and both are riding six-game point streaks.
"They play a similar style and think the game the same way offensively. Where Turbo is real good is he hangs on to pucks and draws duplication to open up people. He's very calm with that, and he'll make that play at the last second under pressure," Peters said. "Other guys try to rush that play; they see the same play, but they rush it. I think with Turbo, he's got a real long wick and has patience with the puck."
Zykov on the left side gives that trio a physical presence.
"You need somebody to go to the net and get pucks back," Peters said. "A big, heavy body, somebody different from them."
The Hurricanes and Coyotes first met this season in the first week of November. Jordan Staal scored in the final three minutes of regulation to tie the game and force overtime, and the Coyotes snagged the extra point in the shootout.
The Canes will be looking to rebound from a 7-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, while the Coyotes have won two in a row, including a 4-1 victory in Buffalo on Wednesday.
CANESPR NOTES: The Hurricanes have scored on the man advantage in five of their last seven games (6-for-21). The team ranks tied for second in the league with 25 power-play goals scored since Jan. 1. … Jeff Skinner has logged at least one shot on goal in each of his last 93 games, the second longest active stream in the league.
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