DETROIT, MI. - The Carolina Hurricanes are not expected to have many, if any, changes to their lineup on Thursday as they take on the Detroit Red Wings.
An 11-7 setup, including Tony DeAngelo's first game since November 18, was successful on Tuesday in Ottawa as the team earned a 4-1 victory. Brendan Lemieux wound up being the odd man out, and while it feels more likely than not that the Canes will go with that same cast again, some of the complications that come with running seven defensemen may lead the team back to 12 forwards and six blueliners.
Rod Brind'Amour has said several times this season that playing 11-7 is not ideal, however, he's also expressed interest in keeping every skater in the flow of playing games.
Forcing mixed combinations on the back end, the team did take a too many men minor during the second period of their most recent game, but special teams were fantastic on the evening as a whole. Carolina went 2-for-2 on the power play and held the Senators scoreless with a 4-for-4 effort on the penalty kill.
The only other question for the team is whether they'll go back to Pyotr Kochetkov for a second straight game, or if Antti Raanta will keep the every-other game rotation going.
Kochetkov was very good in Canada's capital, stopping 31, a season-high for any Canes netminder. The only puck that got by him all night was a redirection in front during the first period.
Whichever goalie does not start tonight is expected to get the nod tomorrow at home against Nashville.
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Tonight's Projected Lineup...
Forwards
Noesen - Aho - Jarvis
Teravainen - Kotkaniemi - Necas
Martinook - Staal - Fast
Bunting - Drury - Lemieux*
Defense
Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Orlov - Chatfield
DeAngelo*
Starting Goaltender
TBD
Injuries
Frederik Andersen (Blood Clotting Issue)
Andrei Svechnikov (Upper-Body Injury)
Healthy Scratches
One of either DeAngelo or Lemieux
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PP1: Aho, Bunting, Jarvis, and Teravainen with DeAngelo
PP2: Drury, Necas, and Noesen with Burns and Skjei
