The Carolina Hurricanes are set to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, aiming for their third consecutive win. The game will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on FanDuel Sports Network South or listened to via 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App.
Currently, the Hurricanes hold a record of 25-11-3, leading the Metropolitan Division with 51 points. Their most recent game was a 3-2 overtime victory against the New York Rangers, where Jackson Blake scored his first NHL overtime goal. Sebastian Aho contributed one goal and one assist, while Nikolaj Ehlers provided two assists, supporting a power play that has scored 11 goals in its last 12 games. Goaltender Brandon Bussi made 17 saves out of 19 shots, improving his season record to 13-1-1 in his first 15 NHL appearances.
The team continues to deal with injuries. Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin remain sidelined with upper-body injuries sustained earlier in December and are considered “week-to-week.” Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to undergo hip surgery after being declared out by head coach Rod Brind’Amour on December 29. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere missed the previous game due to a lower-body injury, with no update available after the match. Charles Alexis Legault is also out following hand surgery in November.
Frederik Andersen is expected to start as goaltender against Pittsburgh, following Bussi’s appearance against New York and Kochetkov’s absence due to surgery. Andersen has not won in his last seven starts but remains optimistic about returning to form: “The way I look at it, I’ve played better hockey, and I’ve had worse numbers,” he said recently. “It doesn’t look good, obviously. We’re not getting the wins with me in the net lately, but I still feel like I’ve got my game. Maybe not perfectly where I want it, but like I’ve said, I’ve had worse stretches where things have looked better, and I’ve gotten more wins. That’s how I look at it. I try to be positive and move on.”
On the other side, Pittsburgh comes into this matchup after breaking an eight-game losing streak by winning two of their last three games. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with over 20 goals this season and has been key on a power play ranked first in the Eastern Conference at nearly 30 percent efficiency.
In net for Pittsburgh, Stuart Skinner was acquired earlier this month but has yet to secure a win for his new team (0-3). Arturs Silovs holds a .888 save percentage across his appearances this season.
Following Tuesday’s game in Pittsburgh, Carolina will return home for practice before facing Montreal at Lenovo Center on Thursday.
The Carolina Hurricanes are based in Raleigh, North Carolina and play their home games at Lenovo Center—a venue that accommodates up to 20,000 people and hosts more than 150 events annually according to official information. The organization contributes over $200 million each year to the local economy through its events and community involvement as reported by their arena website. Since moving from Hartford in 1997 and beginning operations as the Hurricanes, they have become recognized for achievements such as winning their first Stanley Cup in 2006 and honoring players like Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour through their Hall of Fame program.
