Hurricanes Close Out Road Trip in Tampa Bay

Despite making a stop in Raleigh following their matchup with Colorado on Saturday night, the Hurricanes had a short stay, as they travel to Tampa Bay to close out their road trip on Tuesday.

Carolina currently sits at 3-3-0 overall following the west coast swing and will look to snap a two-game skid against the Lightning.

Injuries have been a cause for concern in the early going, as Sebastian Aho, Freddie Andersen, and Brett Pesce all missed time out west. Aho and Andersen are questionable for tonight’s contest, while Pesce did not travel with the team.

Defenseman Dylan Coghlan was recalled from Springfield (AHL) to bolster the blue line and it is important to note that netminder Pyotr Kochetkov was recalled from Syracuse (AHL) ahead of tonight’s contest.

The Hurricanes currently sit tied for second in the Metropolitan Division with the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, one point below Philadelphia.

Seth Jarvis, Jaccob Slavin, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have each recorded a team-high seven points in six contests, while Martin Necas, Stefan Noesen, and Brady Skjei have each added in six points of their own.

Jarvis sits knotted with Teuvo Teravainen for the team-lead with four goals.

While the Hurricanes have tallied 28 goals, which ranks 2nd in the league, defense has been a major area of concern.

Carolina has allowed 30 goals, the most in the NHL and six more than Tampa Bay, who sits second.

Both the Hurricanes and Lightning have dealt with injuries in net, as Andrei Vasilevskiy is sidelined following back surgery, leaving Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins in goal.

Johansson and Tomkins have combined for a 2-2-2 record, with Johansson seeing action in five games in net.

Tampa Bay Beat Writer Chris Krenn reported that Johansson was the first goalie off of the ice during the morning skate, indicating that he will command the net tonight.

Nikita Kucherov leads all skaters with nine points and six goals, while the trio of Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, and Brandon Hagel have recorded six points apiece.

Tampa Bay has found success on the man-advantage on the young season, converting at a 35% clip, good for fourth in the league. Carolina’s 26.7% conversion rate is good for 10th in the NHL.

Unfortunately for Rod Brind’Amour’s squad, their 91 penalty minutes are the third-most in the league, potentially causing concern for their matchup with the Lightning.

Tampa Bay has spent far fewer minutes in the box than the Hurricanes, accruing just 42 penalty minutes in six contests, which ranks as the fifth-fewest in the NHL.

The Lightning are one of just three teams in the Atlantic Division to play in six contests, but they currently sit tied for fourth in the standings with Ottawa and Toronto.

Carolina will seek to snap a two-game losing streak when the two face-off in Amalie Arena, while Tampa Bay will look to avoid a losing streak after falling to the Maple Leafs in overtime on Saturday.

Puck drop is set for 7:00pm EST, as all 32 NHL teams are in action on Tuesday.