EDMONTON, AB. - Starting a back-to-back set on Wednesday, the Carolina Hurricanes did not hold a morning skate to start the day, so it's a bit tough to predict how they'll line up against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Canes outshot Winnipeg 43-22 on Monday to start their six-game road trip but came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 score.
Does the output, result-aside, mean that the team will stick with that same lineup? Perhaps.
However, in-game Rod Brind'Amour and Jeff Daniels made a few changes to the team's forward group, notably swapping Jordan Martinook and Michael Bunting. The switch didn't last the entire contest, but from the early second period until the middle stages of the third, it was an attempted band-aid for the group.
In net, Antti Raanta made his first start in 10 days against the Jets, after Pyotr Kochetkov started the previous four games. Given the team's history in net, one would think that the team may lean toward #52 tonight, but anything is possible. If so, Kochetkov has faced Edmonton twice in his young career, including maybe the most electrifying save of his career last year with a diving poke check, and 40 minutes of relief two weeks ago.
Regardless of whoever gets the start tonight, the Canes will need both Kochetkov and Raanta within the next 24 hours, as they'll play again tomorrow night in Calgary.
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Tonight's Projected Lineup...
Forwards
Bunting - Aho - Jarvis
Svechnikov - Kotkaniemi - Teravainen
Martinook - Staal - Fast
Noesen - Drury - Necas
Defense
Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Orlov - Chatfield
Starting Goaltender
TBD
Injuries
Frederik Andersen (Blood Clotting Issue)
Healthy Scratches
Tony DeAngelo
Brendan Lemieux
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PP1: Aho, Jarvis, Svechnikov, and Teravainen with Burns
PP2: Bunting, Kotkaniemi, Necas, and Noesen with Slavin
