Preview: February 26 vs. Tampa Bay

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes resume their regular-season schedule on Thursday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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When: Thursday, February 26

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network App | Learn More

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

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Canes Record: 36-15-6 (78 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 2-0 Win over the New York Rangers on Thursday, Feb. 5.

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Lightning Record: 38-14-4 (80 Points, 1st - Atlantic Division)

Lightning Last Game: 4-2 Win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, Feb. 26

Last Time Out...

• The Canes rolled into the Winter Olympics break following one of their most dominant performances of the season.
• Shutting out the Rangers 2-0 at Madison Square Garden, Rod Brind'Amour's group was in control from start to finish.  Outshooting the Blueshirts 43-16, an Andrei Svechnikov first-period goal put the group in front and a Jordan Staal empty-netter put a bow on things.
• It was an easy night at the office for Brandon Bussi, picking up his second NHL shutout.

Season Series vs. TBL...

• Dec. 20: The Canes led 3-0 after 20 minutes at Benchmark International Arena, but squandered their advantage and eventually lost, 6-4.

Picking Up Where We Left Off...

• Carolina went 8-0-2 in their last 10 games before the break and will look to keep that trend rolling tonight.
• Last losing in regulation on Jan. 13 in St. Louis, the 10-game point streak is a season-long for the Canes, who know that every point is valuable this time of year.

Let The Games Begin...

• Tonight's contest is the first of 25 in just 48 days for the team to finish out its regular season.
• With just 10 of those taking place in Raleigh, aside from a three-day gap at the end of March, the unit will play at least every other day until Apr. 14.

Medals On Display...

• As the Canes welcome back their Olympians, fans have the chance to see the gold, silver and bronze medals won by Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho at this year's Olympic Winter Games.
• Their medals will be on display outside section 306 from the time doors open until the end of the first intermission.

In Net...

• Both Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen are available options for tonight's contest.
• Bussi, who was in the day-before starter's crease at Wednesday's practice, inked a three-year contract extension during the break. A winner of his last seven starts, he'll look to keep his momentum going following the shutout effort in New York in the Canes' most recent outing.
• Andersen, meanwhile, has helped Carolina pick up a point in his last five starts (2-0-3). His last game in a Canes sweater was on Jan. 31, but he started three games for Denmark at the Olympics this month.

On The Other Side...

• Like the Canes, Tampa rolled into the break hot as well, going 8-1-1 in the 10 games leading up to it. The Bolts didn't miss a beat in last night's return to action, either, dropping the Maple Leafs 4-2.
• Especially impressive given the injuries to Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov has ensured there's been no lack of offense, currently sitting second among all NHL skaters with a ridiculous 94 points in 52 games.
• Behind him, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been just as good, leading NHL starters in both GAA (2.11) and save percentage (.921). With Vasilevskiy getting the nod against Toronto last night, though, it's likely that Tampa will turn to Jonas Johansson between the pipes this evening.

Injury Updates...

• Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (hip surgery) was declared "probably out for the year" by Rod Brind'Amour on Dec. 29.

What Are We Wearing?

• The Canes will wear their BLACK uniforms for the contest. To view the team's full 2025-26 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Friday.  They'll return to game action on Saturday at home against Detroit.
• Next Game: Saturday, Feb. 28 vs. Detroit | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking