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Carolina Hurricanes @ Washington Capitals: Lineups, Game Preview and How to Watch

ryan henkel
·3 min read

What - Game 32 (20-10-1)
When - 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 20
Where - Capital One Arena; Washington, DC
How to Watch - FanDuel Sports Network South

The Carolina Hurricanes have seemingly found their game again just at the right time as they prepare to take on the Washington Capitals (21-8-2) who sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina is coming off of a 4-0 shutout win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday and look a lot like we've come to expect.

Over their past four games, the team is playing more like they need to on both sides of the puck and their 3-1-0 record in that span reflects that.

The Canes still need to work a bit more on limiting the high-dancer chances they're conceding, but if Pyotr Kochetkov can continue playing like he did Tuesday, they'll be just fine.

Washington is coming off of a tough 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, a game win which they had a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame.

(The Hawks were led to victory thanks to a three-point night of former Hurricane Teuvo Teravainen in that game too).

The Capitals, who are on a two-game slide, will also be without captain Alex Ovechkin for a few more games as he recovers from a broken leg.

However, Washington has proven just how deep of a team they are in his absence with strong play at all position groups.

It should be a good one tonight between two top teams.

Related: Rod Brind'Amour Awarded North Carolina's Highest Civilian Honor

Streaks

  • Sebastian Aho (2g, 1a) and Jordan Martinook (2g, 1a) have scored in back-to-back games.

  • Jordan Staal (3a) has assists in back-to-back games.

Milestone Watch

  • Jordan Staal is one assist away from 400 career assists.

  • Andrei Svechnikov is two assists away from 200 career assists.

Game Notes

  • Carolina is 1-0-0 against Washington this season, having won 4-2 at Lenovo Center on Nov. 3.

  • Martin Necas (6g, 17 points in 15 games) is a point-per-game player against the Caps.

  • The two teams will faceoff two more times after tonight (April 2 in Raleigh and April 10 back in DC).

Key Matchups

Starting Goalies

  • Pyotr Kochetkov: 13-5-0; 0.902 Sv%; 2.47 GAA

  • Logan Thompson: 12-2-2; 0.911 Sv%; 2.48 GAA

Leading Scorers

  • Goals - Martin Necas (14) / Connor McMichael (15)

  • Points - Martin Necas (44) / Dylan Strome (38)

Power Play

  • Carolina - 27.3% (5th)

  • Washington - 20.8% (18th)

Penalty Kill

  • Carolina - 85.3% (3rd)

  • Washington - 83.8% (6th)

Related: Pyotr Kochetkov Sends Stick Flying In Hilarious Clip

Hurricanes Projected Lineup

Eric Robinson - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - William Carrier
Jackson Blake - Tyson Jost - Jack Roslovic

Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burn
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere - Sean Walker

Pyotr Kochetkov
Dustin Tokarski

Injuries and Scratches: Jack Drury (hand), Frederik Andersen (LBI), Jesper Fast (neck)

Related: 'I know I'm A Good Player': Tyson Jost Hoping To Make Most Of Opportunity With Carolina

Capitals Projected Lineup

Andrew Mangiapane - Dylan Strome - Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Aliaksei Protas
Jakub Vrana - Hendrix Lapierre - Taylor Raddysh
Brandon Duhaime - Nic Dowd - Ivan Miroshnichenko

Rasmus Sandin - John Carlson
Martin Fehervary - Matt Roy
Jakob Chychrun - Trevor van Riemsdyk

Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

Injuries and Scratches: Alexander Alexeyev, Dylan McIlrath, Lars Eller (illness), Alex Ovechkin (leg), Nicklas Backstrom (hip), T.J. Oshie (back), Sonny Milano (UBI)