Devils at Hurricanes preview
New Jersey 4-1-3 in past eight games; Aho eyes goal in seventh straight for Carolina
by Kurt Dusterberg / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
DEVILS (21-25-10) at HURRICANES (32-21-3)
7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, MSG+, NHL.TV
The Game
Sebastian Aho can score a goal in his seventh straight game and equal the Carolina Hurricanes' longest streak when they play the New Jersey Devils at PNC Arena on Friday.
The center, who has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak, can match the Carolina goal streak record of seven games set by Ray Sheppard from Nov. 14-25, 1998. The Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers record for longest goal streak was set by Pierre Larouche, who scored in nine straight from Jan. 25-Feb. 13, 1982.
The Hurricanes, who are four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, are 5-3-0 in their past eight games after going 3-4-1 in their previous eight.
The Devils are 4-1-3 in their past eight games after going 2-5-1 in their previous eight. Goalie Louie Domingue will start; he's 3-0-1 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in four games against Carolina.
Players to watch
Devils defenseman Damon Severson has nine points (two goals, seven assists) during an NHL career-long eight-game point streak.
Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a five-game point streak.
They said it
"We've been playing the right way and [doing] all the little things. For a group like us, we need to play simple hockey, direct hockey, north/south hockey. When we do that, we skate really well, we tend to be a very effective team. When we don't, we're not very good." -- Devils captain Andy Greene
"You watch them play, and they seem to have figured it out. In the last eight games they've lost one in regulation, so it's going to be a tough matchup, obviously. But it's about us getting contributions from everybody. That's what I'm hoping to see." -- Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour
Devils projected lineup
Jesper Bratt -- Jack Hughes -- Kyle Palmieri
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Nikita Gusev
Miles Wood -- Pavel Zacha -- Wayne Simmonds
John Hayden -- Kevin Rooney -- Joey Anderson
Andy Greene -- P.K. Subban
Will Butcher -- Damon Severson
Mirco Mueller -- Connor Carrick
Louis Domingue
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scratched: Colton White, Nicholas Merkley
Injured: Sami Vatanen (lower body), Nico Hischier (lower body)
Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Teuvo Teravainen
Brock McGinn -- Jordan Staal -- Warren Foegele
Nino Niederreiter -- Erik Haula -- -- Martin Necas
Ryan Dzingel -- Lucas Wallmark -- Justin Williams
Jaccob Slavin -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Jake Gardiner -- Brett Pesce
Haydn Fleury -- Joel Edmundson
Petr Mrazek
James Reimer
Scratched: None
Injured: Dougie Hamilton (fractured leg), Jordan Martinook (upper body)
Status report
The Devils did not hold a morning skate. ... Martinook will miss his fourth straight game. Brind'Amour said the forward's recovery is taking longer than expected.
Stat pack
Palmieri has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak. Hischier, who is questionable to play Friday, has nine points (three goals, six assists) in eight games against the Hurricanes. … Teravainen has nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past seven games. Mrazek, expected to start, is 5-2-0 with a 2.03 GAA, .922 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games against New Jersey.