When: Sunday, February 20, 1 p.m. EST
Watch:Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App, NHL Network
Listen:99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes.com/Listen, Hurricanes App
Canes Record:33-11-4 (70 Points, T-1st - Metropolitan Division)
Canes Last Game:5-3 Win over the Nashville Predators on Friday, February 18.
Penguins Record:31-12-8 (70 Points, T-1st - Metropolitan Division)
Penguins Last Game:4-1 Loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, February 15.
THE QUICK HITS:
Last Time Out:Despite allowing two goals to Nashville with the extra attacker on Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes were the better team in a 5-3 victory over Nashville on Friday. Andrei Svechnikov paved the way with a three point performance, bringing his recent tear to 21 points in his last 14 games. Frederik Andersen made 28 stops along the way for Carolina, earning his 26th win of the year.
We Meet Again:The Canes are 48 games into their 82-game season and have yet to take on the Penguins, despite being in the same division. This means that the two sides will get together four times in the final 34 games, each with valuable points on the line for playoff positioning. Pittsburgh has made quite a nice year for themselves, especially given that both superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have missed time due to injuries. On top of those two being out for extended periods of time, several other key pieces missed time due to COVID-19.
Trocheck TBD: After departing Friday night's victory with an upper-body injury after one period of play, Vincent Trocheck's status remains up in the air for today's battle. A Pittsburgh native, the right-handed center was being evaluated yesterday morning as the team practiced at Wake Competition Center and following the skate Rod Brind'Amour said that he was unsure if Trocheck would be traveling with the team on the trip. The head coach is expected to speak with the media at 10:45 a.m. to share more info.
Next Man Up: When Trocheck came out the lineup Friday, Jesperi Kotkaniemi was offered perhaps his biggest opportunity as a member of the Canes, sliding up to center Steven Lorentz and Martin Necas on the second line. "KK" would go on to lead all Carolina forwards in ice time and received some strong compliments post-game from his head coach. Brind'Amour said that he thought 21-year-old did well in the spot and kept him in that same position at Saturday's practice. Derek Stepan slid into the fourth line, centering Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook.
Skjeisy Baby:After opening the scoring against Nashville Friday, Brady Skjei became the first defenseman to record six goals since the turn of the calendar year.
700 For Nino:Nino Niederreiter is expected to play in his 700th National Hockey League game today. It will be his 202nd as a Hurricane. The former first round pick has totaled 348 points in the league and is currently on pace for a career-high 28 goals this season.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Milestone Watch: Antti Raanta is one win shy of 100 in his NHL career. Derek Stepan is one point shy of 500 for his NHL career.
What Are We Wearing?:The team will be wearing their white sweaters today.
Worth A Click:
Mailbag #16: A Pennsylvania Presidents' Day Weekend
Writers Roundtable: Four Months In
Kochetkov's Arrival Another Exciting Development For Carolina's Goaltending Pipeline
Canes To Host Stadium Series Game At Carter-Finley In February 2023
Hurricanes February Schedule
