Who: Carolina Hurricanes (24-11-3, 51 points, 1st place Metropolitan Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (16-12-9, 41 points, 7th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Local broadcast
on SportsNet Pittsburgh and FanDuel Sports Network South, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins remain in Pittsburgh this week for a New Year’s Day matchup with the Detroit Red Wings before hitting the road for a back-to-back set in Detroit and Columbus.
Opponent Track: For the second straight game, the Pens are taking on an opponent coming in on the wrong latter of a back-to-back. The Canes claimed a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night in Raleigh.
Season Series: This is the first meeting of the season for these two Metropolitan Division teams. The Pens will get better acquainted with the Canes in March, when the two teams are set to meet three times in a 12-day span.
Getting to know the Hurricanes
Projected lines (from Monday night’s game against the Rangers)
FORWARDS
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Logan Stankoven
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Jackson Blake
William Carrier – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
Taylor Hall – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson
DEFENSEMEN
Alexander Nikishin / Sean Walker
K’Andre Miller / Jalen Chatfield
Mike Reilly / Joel Nystrom
Goalies: Frederick Andersen, Brandon Bussi
Potential scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere (groin), Noah Philp, Gavin Bayreuther
Injured Reserve: Pyotr Kotchetkov, Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jarvis
- Brandon Bussi is 13-1-1 in 15 NHL games, but he also started last night for an overtime win over the New York Rangers. That means the Pens might be tasked with taking on Frederik Andersen. It’s been a tough season for Andersen, who hasn’t recorded a win since Nov. 6, but the Canes will hope he can bounce back now that Pyotr Kotchetkov is expected to miss the rest of the season.
- The Canes have a big offensive presence missing from the lineup in Seth Jarvis, who had scored 19 goals in his first 34 games of the season on the top line. He’s week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury on a Dec. 19 collision involving former Penguin and currently Florida Panther Evan Rodrigues.
- Jaccob Slavin, who had recently returned from a 29-game injury absence, is also week-to-week after suffering an injury in that same game against the Panthers.
Season stats
via hockeydb
- Jackson Blake played hero for the Canes last night when he scored on an overtime power-play deflection.
- The Hurricanes are one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL this season, and it’s mostly because of their dominance at even strength. They’re the best team in the NHL at controlling puck possession at 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s a major part of the reason they’re averaging 3.29 goals per game (sixth in the NHL) despite scoring on just 17.8 percent of power-play opportunities (22nd in the league).
- The Canes won all three games in this season series in 2024-25. They’re once again going to be a tough matchup this season for the Penguins, who rank 22nd in the NHL in 5v5 goals scored so far this season.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines (from Saturday’s practice)
FORWARDS
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Jack St. Ivany
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs
Potential Scratches: Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Yegor Chinakhov?
IR: Evgeni Malkin, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones
- The Penguins gave up some draft capital and Danton Heinen in order to acquire Yegor Chinakhov from the Blue Jackets on Monday. Ryan Graves will be placed on waivers Tuesday in order to make room for Chinakhov on the roster, per Seth Rorabaugh.
- Chinakhov has just six points (three goals, three assists) in 29 games this season. The Pens will now to see if the 24-year-old can bounce back to contribute more in his final season under contract before hitting restricted free agency next summer.
- Erik Karlsson didn’t skate during Monday’s practice due to what the Penguins described as illness. Per team reporter Michelle Crechiolo, however, Dan Muse indicated Karlsson’s absence both from practice and from the end of Sunday’s blowout win over the Chicago Blackhawks were “precautionary.”
- Evgeni Malkin and Filip Hallander both skated before Monday’s practice.
