When: Thursday, March 17, 7 p.m. EST
Watch:Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App
Listen:99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes.com/Listen, Hurricanes App
Canes Record:41-13-5 (87 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)
Canes Last Game:4-2 Loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, March 13.
Maple Leafs Record:38-17-5 (81 Points, 3rd - Atlantic Division)
Maple Leafs Last Game:4-0 Win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, March 15.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
THE QUICK HITS:
Last Time Out:The second half of a weekend back-to-back did not go the way of the Canes, as Pittsburgh earned their first victory over Carolina this season. Brett Pesce scored on his way to a career-high seven shots on goal and Sebastian Aho scored in the third period for a third straight game, but ultimately it was a pair of empty net goals that pushed the Penguins to the 4-2 final.
In The Crease:Frederik Andersen will start tonight against his former club. Rod Brind'Amour said that it was his turn when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, so not a whole lot of thought needed to go into the situation. This will be Andersen's first time playing in Toronto with more than a crowd of 500, which was the case back on February 7 when Carolina traveled to Scotiabank Arena for the first time. Opposite Andersen will be rookie Erik Källgren, who recorded a 35-save shutout in his first NHL start on Tuesday over Dallas.
100 For Stevie:Steven Lorentz is set to play in his 100th NHL game tonight. Lorentz has already played in a career-high 54 games at the highest level this season and is in his second season with the club.
At Home On The Road:Carolina's 18 (18-9-3) wins away from PNC Arena this season ranked tied for second in the NHL.
Go Fish:Sebastian Aho enters tonight with point in five straight games and goals in three straight games.
Good Through The End:The Canes have a +33 goal differential in third periods thus far this season. With that being the best in the NHL, Carolina has outscored their opponents 74-41 in the last 20 minutes of games.
#88 Against Toronto:Having played the Maple Leafs four times in his career, Martin Necas has earned seven points in those meetings. With three goals and four assists, the third-year pro picked up an assist in the February 7 get together.
Red On The Road:Toronto will be wearing their white St. Pats uniforms in honor of the St. Patrick's Day holiday tonight, so the Canes will be wearing red on the road for the first time this season.
A Look At The Other Side:Toronto is 6-3-1 in their last ten games. Their 21 wins on home ice rank fourth in the NHL. They'll be without leading scorer Auston Matthews tonight, who is serving the second game in his two-game suspension.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
More Milestones: Jordan Staal is three points shy of 600.
What Are We Wearing?:The team will be wearing their red sweaters tonight.
Worth A Click:
Practice Report: Getting Healthy On The Blue Line
Writers Roundtable: Approaching The Final Stretch
Stepan's Ride To Raleigh & Fit With The Canes
Hurricanes March Schedule
