Lightning at Hurricanes: Projected lines, injuries, storylines

After taking seven of a possible eight points last week, the Lightning hit the road to take on the Hurricanes for the first time this season.

Lines from morning skate. Subject to change.
Forwards
Vladislav Namestnikov - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat - Brayden Point - Yanni Gourde
Alex Killorn - Tyler Johnson - Gabriel Dumont
Chris Kunitz - JT Brown - Ryan Callahan
Defense
Victor Hedman - Jake Dotchin
Mikhail Sergachev - Anton Stralman
Braydon Coburn - Dan Girardi
Slater Koekkoek - Andrej Sustr
Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy expected to start
TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Hurricanes are playing their first of three meetings during the regular season and first of two at PNC Arena...Tampa Bay dropped a 1-0 overtime decision in its last trip to Raleigh Dec. 4, 2016, Phillip Di Giuseppe netting the gamewinner 1:26 into the extra session...The Lightning are 7-1-1 in their last nine trips to Raleigh and 12-3-1 in their last 16...Tampa Bay owns a record of 23-26-5 with seven ties all-time at Carolina...Over the last five seasons, the Lightning have compiled a 14-2-1 record overall against the Hurricanes...The Bolts are 57-45-6 with 10 ties all-time overall vs. Carolina...Nikita Kucherov has recorded multiple points (1-4--5) in his last two meetings and four of his last five with Carolina (1-8--9) and has tallied 5-8--13 in 10 games all-time against the Canes...Victor Hedman netted two goals, including the game-winner :46 seconds into overtime, in the last regular season matchup
between the Bolts and Canes, a 4-3 Lightning OT win on March 1, 2017...Hedman has multiple points (2-2--4) in his last two games vs. Carolina... Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has never lost to Carolina, going 3-0-0 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 save percentage (7 goals allowed on 93 shots) in three games.
TUESDAY'S STORYLINES
The Lightning have collected points in seven-straight games, their longest point streak since going 5-0-2 Feb. 4-21, 2017 (last time Bolts went on an eight-game point streak was Feb. 18-March 5, 2016 when they won nine game in a row)...Tampa Bay matched a franchise record for points through nine games (15) set previously by the Stanley Cup-winning 2003-04 squad (Lightning record for points through 10 games is 16, set in 2002-03)...Tampa Bay has more wins (7) and points (15) in 2017-18 than any other NHL team...The Lightning own the second-best goal differential in the NHL at +12 (first: Los Angeles, +13).
INJURIES
2017-18 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 3
Current injuries:
Cedric Paquette -- Upper body (DAY-TO-DAY) 2 Games
TRANSACTIONS
Oct. 9 -- Assigned F Michael Bournival to AHL Syracuse
WHAT'S MY LINE?
Tampa Bay's top line of Vladislav Namestnikov, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov accounted for nine of the Bolts' 20 points Oct. 21 vs. PIT...For the season, the trio has accounted for 44 of Tampa Bay's 100 total points...All three players are averaging over a point a game for the season (Namestnikov 3-7--10, Stamkos 3-15--18 and Kucherov 10-6--16)...All three rank among the top 20 in the NHL for scoring... Namestnikov extended his point streak to six games, a career high (previous high: 4 games from Jan. 8-15, 2016), and has a goal and six assists over that stretch...Kucherov and Stamkos extended their season-opening point streak to nine games on Saturday (nobody on the Bolts had longer than a six-game point streak last season), becoming just the second pair of NHL teammates to begin a season with simulataneous nine-game point streaks per the Elias Sports Bureau, joining Doug Weight (4-9--13 in 9 GP) and Pavol Demitra (7-5--12 in 9 GP) in 2001-02 with STL...Kucherov and Stamkos own the longest point streak in the NHL this season, and each sits two games shy of tying the Lightning franchise record for longest point streak to start a season.
STAMMER TIME
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos tallied a goal and three assists Oct. 21 vs. PIT to match his career high for points in a single game (4) set eight times previously (last: 10/25/16 at TOR, 2G-2A)...Stamkos netted a power-play goal Oct. 21 vs. PIT for his 113th career power-play goal to pass Vincent Lecavalier (112) and become the Bolts' all-time leader for power-play goals...Stamkos recorded his 600th career NHL point with his assist on Mikhail Sergachev's third period power-play goal Oct. 21 vs. PIT...Stamkos leads the NHL for scoring and assists.