Preview: March 18 vs. Pittsburgh

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes will look for a bounce-back effort on Wednesday as they go toe-to-toe with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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When: Wednesday, March 18

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: 42-19-6 (90 Points, 1st - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 5-1 Loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, March 17

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Penguins Record: 34-18-15 (83 Points, 2nd - Metropolitan Division)

Penguins Last Game: 7-2 Win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, March 16

Last Time Out...

• The Canes "never got going" in Columbus last night, paving the way to a 5-1 loss.
• Andrei Svechnikov scored for the second straight game to make it a 2-1 Blue Jackets lead in the second period, but three unanswered goals allowed Columbus to run away with the win.
• Brandon Bussi made 25 saves but saw his first career losing streak swell to three games.

Season Series vs. PIT...

• December 30: The Canes fell behind early and couldn't recover en route to a 5-1 defeat in Pittsburgh.
• March 10: Carolina evened the season series with a 5-4. shootout victory at Lenovo Center.

Solve The Mystery...

• As fans enter tonight's game, everyone in attendance will receive one of four mystery bobbleheads, courtesy of UNC Health!
• Each mystery box contains a surprise bobblehead of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers OR Andrei Svechnikov.
• Bobbleheads will be distributed at random — specific player items cannot be selected or exchanged upon reception.

Streaking Svech...

• Andrei Svechnikov arrives at tonight's contest with goals in back-to-back games and having scored in the shootout against Pittsburgh last week.
• Now with 25 on the season and 16 games to go, he'll try to chase down his single-season best of 30, which came during the 2021-22 campaign.

In Net...

• With Brandon Bussi starting last night in Columbus, Frederik Andersen will almost certainly get the nod this evening.
• The Danish netminder has won three in a row and four out of five since returning from the Winter Olympics, most recently backstopping Saturday's tense win in Tampa.

On The Other Side...

• Coming to town to close out a five-game road trip, which also started in Raleigh, the Penguins are riding high after back-to-back victories over Utah and Colorado.
• Evgeni Malkin returned from his five-game suspension on Tuesday, contributing two goals and an assist in a 7-2 thrashing of the league-leading Avalanche.
• Impressively keeping pace in the Metro, even with Sidney Crosby still injured, Pittsburgh's 38 goals since the Olympic break are tied for the most among all NHL teams.

Injury Updates...

• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (lower-body injury) left during the team's Mar. 6 win in Edmonton and did not return. Rod Brind'Amour said on Mar. 10 that he would likely miss a couple of games.
• 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 RED uniforms for the contest. To view the team's full 2025-26 uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will fly to Toronto on Thursday ahead of a Friday night duel against the Maple Leafs.
• Next Game: Friday, March 20 at Toronto | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO
• Next Home Game: Saturday, March 28 vs. New Jersey | 5:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking