Dueling win streaks are on the line as the Pens clash with the Canes.
Heading into tonight's game the Hurricanes have a five-game win streak and 10 game point streak. The Penguins on the other hand have a seven-game win streak. Both teams are battling within the Metro Division for playoff position and one thing is for sure- there will finally be a streak snapped by the end of Sunday.
The Pens will luckily have Evgeni Malkin in the lines as they try to be the ones who preserve their winning record. He was not seriously injured after taking a puck to the knee in Florida and practiced in full yesterday. That's a big break for a team already dealing with major losses in Jason Zucker and Jeff Petry on both sides of the blue line.
And now the game deets...
Game Info:
Pens Game #31: Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes
Date: December 18, 2022
Time: 5 PM (ET)
Place: Raleigh, NC
Venue: PNC Arena
Broadcasts: Local- ATTSN, National- ESPN+
Social Media Hashtags #: #LetsGoPens #LetsGoCanes
Team Matchup:
Records- PIT: 18-8-4, CAR: 18-6-6
Last 10- PIT: 8-1-1, CAR: 8-0-2
Streaks- PIT: 7 Wins, CAR: 4 Wins
Standings- PIT: 9th, CAR: 6th
Points- PIT: 40, CAR: 42
Season Series- 1-0 CAR
Series Goals For- PIT: 2, CAR: 3
Team Stats Comparison:
Goalie Matchup:
Projected starting goalies-
-CASEY DESMITH- #1
[Pittsburgh Penguins]
Bio Info: 6' 0", 181 lbs. DOB: 8/13/1991 (31). From: Rochester, NH.
Drafted: Undrafted; Experience: 5th Season.
Record: 4-5-1, 2.80 GAA, .916 SV%
Career vs. CAR: 1-0-1, 1.95 GAA, .948 SV%
🆚
-PYOTR KOCHETKOV-
[Carolina Hurricanes]
Bio Info: 6' 3", 205 lbs. DOB: 6/25/1999 (23). From: Penza, Russia.
Drafted: 2019- Rd 2, Pk 36 (CAR). Experience: Rookie.
Record: 8-4-1, 2.01 GAA, .923 SV%
Career vs. PIT: 1-0-0, 1.93 GAA, .938 SV%
Penguins Update:
The Pens are looking to get some payback in this game. Their first meeting with the Hurricanes this season ended in a bitter overtime loss after Bryan Rust was boarded and Carolina's breakout, game-winning goal was sparked off of that missed call.
-Injury Report-
-Jeff Petry (D): IR, upper body, out until January.
-Jason Zucker (F): lower body, week-to-week.
-Pens Lines-
The projected Penguins lines for Sunday, December 18, 2022, at the Carolina Hurricanes:
(Forwards)
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn - Jeff Carter - Danton Heinen
Ryan Poehling - Teddy Blueger - Josh Archibald
(Defense)
Marcus Pettersson - Kris Letang
Brian Dumoulin - Jan Rutta
P. O. Joseph - Jeff Petry
(Special Teams)
PP1: Malkin, Crosby, Guentzel, Petry, Letang
PP2: Carter, Rust, Rakell, Zucker, Joseph
PK1: Blueger, McGinn, Dumoulin, Rutta
PK2: Poehling, Archibald, Petry, Pettersson
Hurricanes Update:
The Hurricanes will be without number goalie Frederick Andersen tonight, he's out week-to-week with a lower body injury. They're also missing a trio of impactful forwards with Teuvo Teravainen, Max Pacioretty, and Ondrej Kase all sidelined for several weeks. The health factor is in the Pens' favor in this game.
-Injury Report-
-Frederik Andersen (G): IR, lower body, out week-to-week.
-Jake Gardiner (D): LTIR, hip, out for 2022-23.
-Ondrej Kase (F): IR, concussion, out week-to-week.
-Max Pacioretty (F): IR, achilles, out until February.
-Teuvo Teravainen (F): IR, upper body, out week-to-week.
For The Penguins: Bryan Rust. Bryan is officially back, baby! Rusty is on a three-game point streak and has nine points in his last six games overall. That includes a big four-point outing against St. Louis.
For The Hurricanes: Brent Burns. Since the beginning of December, Burns has turned it up a notch. He has scored eight points in the last seven games and has only failed to score in two outings this month. He's recorded three multi-point games in that time too, including last night vs. the Stars when he posted two assists.
