Preview: January 7 at Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. - Fresh off a rousing OT win on home ice, the Carolina Hurricanes head south seeking their first win against the Tampa Bay Lightning this season.

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When: Tuesday, January 7

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET

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Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, via Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -115

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Canes Record: 24-14-2 (50 Points, 3rd - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 4-3 Win (OT) over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, Jan. 5

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Lightning Record: 20-15-2 (42 Points, 4th - Atlantic Division)

Lightning Last Game: 4-1 Loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, Jan. 5

Last Game...

• Carolina posted its third multi-goal comeback win of the season on Sunday, erasing a 2-0 deficit to complete a season sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-3 OT victory at Lenovo Center.
• Sebastian Aho posted three points and reached 600 career points with the OT winner, while Seth Jarvis also recorded three points and logged his 100th career assist in the win.
• Between the pipes, Dustin Tokarski stopped 16 of 19 shots to notch his third victory in four starts with the team.

Previous Meetings With Tampa Bay This Season...

• October 11: The Hurricanes struck first on Opening Night, but Nikita Kucherov (3G, 1A) and the Bolts' power play went to work in the final 40 to take a 4-1 win at Lenovo Center.

Aho Joins The 600 Club...

• With three points on Sunday, Sebastian Aho joined Ron Francis and Eric Staal as just the third player in franchise history to reach the 600-point milestone with the club. Aho did so in 638 games - 26 fewer than Staal, whose number is set to be retired to the Lenovo Center rafters later this week.
• Already the club's all-time leader in game-winning goals, Aho's 59th career GWG also helped the team move to 11-1-2 during games in which he has scored this season.
• Aho was held off the scoresheet in Carolina's first meeting with Tampa Bay this season, but owns a team-high 19 points in 30 career games against the Bolts.

I Am Iron Man...

• Brent Burns could tie Steve Larmer for the sixth-longest consecutive games played streak in NHL history tonight as he is expected to suit up for game #894 in a row.
• Burns' run is the longest active iron man streak in the NHL with nearly 400 more games than Ryan Suter in second (494).
• The Barrie, Ont. native leads all active defensemen with 894 points in 1,455 career games, which ranks 14th all-time among NHL blueliners - two points shy of matching Brad Park for 13th in league history.

In Net...

• Dustin Tokarski (3-1-0 | 2.49 GAA | .894 SV%) held down the fort on Sunday to lift Carolina to victory and has yet to start consecutive games for the Canes since signing with the club in December. Should Rod Brind'Amour elect to continue that trend, Pyotr Kochetkov (15-8-1 | 2.48 GAA | .901 SV%) would be in line for his 26th start of the campaign tonight.
• Kochetkov has appeared in three games against the Lightning in his career, going 1-2-0 with a 2.04 GAA and .908 SV%. Of note, his one victory came in shutout fashion as he blanked the Bolts with a 22-save effort at Amalie Arena on Nov. 11, 2023.
• Conversely, Tokarski would be making his first start against the team that drafted him in 2008 if he got the go-ahead this evening.

On The Other Side...

• The Lightning have lost four straight games entering tonight's contest, managing just a single goal in each of their last three outings.
• Despite their recent struggles, the Bolts rank fourth in the Atlantic Division, and their +32 goal differential is the second-highest in the Eastern Conference.
• As expected, Nikita Kucherov remains Tampa's biggest threat with 55 points in 35 games - good for fifth in the NHL.
• Brayden Point comes into the clash with points in 12 of his last 15 games and needs just two more to join Sebastian Aho with 600 career points.
• Jonas Johannson got the nod in net for Tampa Bay's 4-1 loss to Anaheim on Sunday, signaling the likelihood that Andrei Vasilevskiy will start against the Canes tonight. Vasilevsky is 16-12-1 through 29 starts in 2024-25, and he ranks among the top 10 NHL netminders in GAA (2.37 - 7th), save percentage (.914 - T-8th) and shutouts (2 - T-9th).

Injury Updates

• Forward William Carrier missed Sunday's game due to a lower-body injury. Rod Brind'Amour said the team would know more on Monday, but the team did not practice, so there was no update available.
• Forward Tyson Jost suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 31 which was labeled as "long-term" by Rod Brind'Amour ahead of the Jan. 2 contest in Florida.
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere suffered an upper-body injury on Friday, Dec. 27, and was placed on injured reserve on Jan. 5. Rod Brind'Amour said pregame on Dec. 31 that the blueliner is set to miss "a couple of weeks, maybe more."
• Goaltender Frederik Andersen suffered a knee injury in the team's win over Seattle on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Canes announced on Friday, Nov. 21 that the goaltender would undergo surgery and be out of action for 8-12 weeks.
• Forward Jesper Fast was ruled out for the 2024-25 season in August after having neck surgery.

What Are We Wearing?

• The team will be wearing their white uniforms. To view the team's full 2024-25 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will return to Raleigh immediately following tonight's game and are scheduled to practice on Wednesday before taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Lenovo Center on Thursday.
• Next Game: Thursday, Jan. 9 vs. Toronto | 7:30 pm | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights