Penguins at Hurricanes preview

PENGUINS (35-22-4) at HURRICANES (27-23-10)
7:30 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, FS-CR, TVAS, NHL.TV

The Penguins, 10-1-1 in their past 12 games, seek their longest run of consecutive victories since a seven-game winning streak from Dec. 1-14, 2016.
Forward Patric Hornqvist will be a game-time decision for Pittsburgh; he took part in an optional morning skate Friday after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. The Penguins are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers and trail the Washington Capitals by one point for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Goaltender Matt Murray will start for Pittsburgh, which has scored four goals or more in eight of its past 11 games.
Goaltender Cam Ward will start for the Hurricanes, who have lost three straight (0-2-1) after going 6-2-1 in their previous nine games. Carolina trails the Columbus Blue Jackets by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Players to watch

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has seven points (three goals, four assists) in a four-game point streak, and 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists) in his past 19 games.
Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner has six points (five goals, one assist) in his past six games.

They said it

"[The Hurricanes] can skate. They've got a lot of balance. They have as mobile a defense corps as there is in the League, and they play a fast game. We have a lot of respect for Carolina. We've had some hard-fought battles against them, and we're going to have another one tonight." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"[Pittsburgh] is actually easier to prepare for because there's a ton of respect from our guys. When you're showing them [video], they're dialed in because [the Penguins] can hurt you. Obviously they've got Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel on three lines. So, dig in." -- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters

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Penguins projected lineup

Zach Aston-Reese -- Sidney Crosby -- Conor Sheary
Carl Hagelin -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Jake Guentzel -- Riley Sheahan -- Phil Kessel
Dominik Simon -- Carter Rowney -- Ryan Reaves
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Olli Maatta -- Justin Schultz
Ian Cole -- Jamie Oleksiak
Matt Murray
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Chad Ruhwedel, Matt Hunwick
Injured:Patric Hornqvist (lower body), Tom Kuhnhackl (lower body)

Hurricanes projected lineup

Sebastian Aho -- Jordan Staal -- Teuvo Teravainen
Jeff Skinner -- Elias Lindholm -- Lee Stempniak
Brock McGinn -- Victor Rask -- Justin Williams
Joakim Nordstrom -- Derek Ryan -- Phillip Di Giuseppe
Jaccob Slavin -- Brett Pesce
Haydn Fleury -- Justin Faulk
Noah Hanifin -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cam Ward
Scott Darling
Scratched: Klas Dahlbeck, Josh Jooris
Injured: None

Status report

Kuhnhackl took part in Pittsburgh's skate, but will not play Friday. … The Hurricanes recalled Jooris from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Thursday.

Stat pack

Letang needs one assist to tie Paul Coffey (332) for most by a defenseman in Penguins history. … The Hurricanes are the least penalized team in the NHL (6:16 per game).