Preview: October 24 at Tampa Bay

TAMPA, FL - The Carolina Hurricanes are hoping to get back in the win column as their six-game road stint concludes against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

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When: Tuesday, October 24

Puck Drop: 7 p.m. ET

Watch: Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

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Canes Record: 3-3-0 (6 Points, T-2nd, Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 6-4 Loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, October 21

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Lightning Record: 2-2-2 (6 Points, T-3rd, Atlantic Division)

Lightning Last Game: 4-3 Loss (OT) to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, October 21

Last Time Out

• A shorthanded Canes bunch had a second-period lead over the Avalanche on Saturday night, but four goals in 7:14 twisted their fate and put the nail in their coffin. It was the second consecutive contest in which special teams goals did the group in, allowing three to Seattle last Thursday, and four to Colorado in the eventual 6-4 defeat.

What's Wrong?

• Post-game Saturday Rod Brind'Amour admitted that his group is "in one", citing penalties and the penalty kill as two main causes for concern. Those two items and the team having over $24M combined in injuries at the moment (more on that below) have played big roles in the team's .500 start.

Discipline

• Entering Tuesday's play, the Canes' 36 penalties taken are tied for the most in the NHL with Anaheim.

Penalty Kill

• Carolina has become synonymous with having a superb penalty kill. In fact, since the start of the 2018-19 season, they have the best penalty kill in the NHL (84.3%). They also rank tied for second with 44 shorthanded goals. This year though, it's been a different story. The units have killed just a combined 67.9%, sitting 29th in the NHL.

Injuries

• Sebastian Aho (upper-body), Frederik Andersen (upper-body), Brett Pesce (lower-body), and Andrei Svechnikov (knee) are all banged up, but there is hope that at least one may play tonight. The only one that has been ruled out is Svechnikov, who just graduated from his yellow no-contact jersey yesterday.

In Net

• Pyotr Kochetkov made his first start of the 2023-24 NHL season on Saturday, suffering the loss after allowing six goals on 27 shots. Antti Raanta will be in search of a bounce back whenever he gets back in the cage next, after being pulled from his most recent start, last Thursday in Seattle. Frederik Andersen (2-0) could also be an option if ruled healthy enough.

On The Other Side

• While Carolina's start hasn't been what they'd hoped, it feels safe to say the same for the Lightning. The Canes (30) have allowed the most goals in the league, but Tampa is right behind them with 24. With that being said though, the Bolts still have the same suspects as usual that can score. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman are all averaging a point per game or better through six contests, and the team's power play ranks fourth in the NHL at a 35% success rate. Tampa is pushing forward without Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will miss the first two months of the season due to back surgery.

Injury Updates

• Forward Vasily Ponomarev, who suffered a knee injury on the first day of training camp (9/22), is skating and "getting closer" to returning, per Brind'Amour on October 13.
• Forward Ryan Suzuki suffered a "not serious" shoulder injury versus Nashville (exhibition) on Thursday, October 5. As of October 13, he is still "a ways away" from game action, per Brind'Amour.
• Forward Andrei Svechnikov, who is working his way back from ACL surgery in March, skated in a regular practice jersey for the first time on Monday (10/23). He is "a couple of practices away" from game action.
• Forward Sebastian Aho is dealing with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the past three games. He has taken part in morning skates and practices but has yet to return to the lineup after being hurt on Sunday, October 15.
• Goaltender Frederik Andersen was removed from last Tuesday's game just 5:27 in after taking a shot to his mask. The hope was that he would have been able to return Saturday in Colorado, but that did not come to fruition. He has also taken part in practices and morning skates and is considered day-to-day.
• Defenseman Brett Pesce suffered a lower-body injury on Thursday in Seattle. He was being re-evaluated on Monday and the injury is not considered to be long-term, per Brind'Amour.

What Are We Wearing?

• Carolina will be wearing their white uniforms. A complete uniform schedule for the season can be found here.

What's Next After Tonight?

• The Canes will fly back to Raleigh immediately post-game. They are scheduled to practice on Wednesday, before jumping back into game action with a back-to-back set against Seattle and San Jose on Thursday and Friday at PNC Arena.

Worth A Click

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