No Morning Skate:The Canes will not hold a morning skate prior to today's game. Rod Brind'Amour said Friday afternoon that the team had not yet decided who will start in net for the contest.
Aho, Andersen Ruled Out:Friday afternoon Rod Brind'Amour also confirmed that neither Sebastian Aho nor Frederik Andersen will play this weekend. Both are dealing with lower-body injuries. More info on all of the team's injuries can be found below.
Martinook, Svechnikov Expected To Be Available:Despite neither practicing on Friday, Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov are expected to be available for Carolina. Rod Brind'Amour said that Martinook was pulled by a concussion spotter during Thursday's third period. Svechnikov's absence was listed as a maintenance day.
Fast Return:On the healthier side of things, forward Jesper Fast returned in Thursday night's win after missing two games due to a lower-body injury. The trust winger returned on a line with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook, where he's spent most of this regular season.
Stacking Points:The team's win on Thursday now gives them points in nine games in a row, dating back to Friday, November 25. The team's .690 points percentage ranks fifth in the NHL.
Stastny's Big Role:With Aho out of the lineup, veteran Paul Stastny has stepped into his top line role. Centering Martin Necas and now Andrei Svechnikov, Stastny scored his first goal of the season last Saturday and then followed that with a season-high in minutes played in both of the next two contests.
Road Warriors:Although they will only play one road game the rest of the year (12/22 @ PIT), the Canes win in Detroit on Tuesday gives them at least one point in their last 10 road games. They are 6-0-4 dating back to November 14, now the second-longest streak in franchise history. The current run only trails the streak of points in 12 consecutive road games from 2004.
On The Other Side:Dallas comes to town for their fourth game in a five-game road trip, one that they've gone 2-1 on so far. Jake Oettinger faced a season-high 46 shots Thursday night in Washington and turned up season-high 45 saves. His .920 SV% this season ranks seventh among all qualified NHL goalies. In addition to his outstanding play, goal-scoring has been the bread and butter for the Stars. They've produced 112 goals this season, second only to Buffalo's 118. Their power play and penalty kill both rank inside the top ten of the league, with their PK standing second at 84.7%.
