On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes will continue their drive west to face the Utah Mammoth – their final Western Conference matchup of the regular season.
The game is scheduled for 5:00 pm EDT.
In the Hurricanes' last game against the Chicago Blackhawks, he received assists from four Chicago Wolves players in Josiah Slavin, Skyler Brind'Amour, Bradley Nadeau and Charles-Alexis Legault.
Not only did the Hurricanes defeat the Blackhawks with half their usual roster, but they did so in style as they achieved more than a half-dozen milestones in the 7-2 victory. You can read all about it here!
Meanwhile, in the Mammoth's last game, they shocked the Nashville Predators with a 4–1 win in their quest for a Wild Card spot. Not only did they cause a bit of havoc for their Central Division rivals, but along with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the San Jose Sharks, the Mammoth were able to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in franchise history.
Due to both teams' current status as playoff-bound teams, their lineups gradually remain vague, as practices move toward optionality and final gameday choices only come into focus moments before puck drop.
in the crease
For the Hurricanes, the starting goaltender is likely to be Brandon Bussey, due to the alternate tandem. Bussey had previously faced them during the Hurricanes' historic comeback during Whalers Night in January, overcoming a two-goal deficit as they scored three goals in the final two minutes to win the game in regulation – making them only the third team in NHL history to accomplish this feat. Bussey has a .890 save percentage this season with a 30-6-1 record and a goals-against average of 2.52.
As for the Mammoth, Karel Vejmelka has made 75 percent of the starts for Utah this season, including the last four in a row. For this reason, I believe the Mammoth will likely turn to Vitek Vanecek for the start against Carolina. He has a save percentage of .885 this season, with a goals-against average of 2.87 with a 5-11-3 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricane Lines
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jespri Kotkaniemi - Bradley Nadeau
William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Nicolas Deslauriers
Josiah Slavin - Skylar Brind'Amour - Eric Robinson
protect
K'Andre Miller - Shayne Gostisbeer
Alexander Nikishin - Shawn Walker
Mike Reilly - Charles-Alexis Legault
goaltender
Brandon Bussey/Frederick Anderson
Expected Utah Mammoth Lines
Clayton Keller - Nick Schmaltz - Lawson Crouse
Kailer Yamamoto - Logan Cooley - Dylan Guenther
JJ Peterka - Alex Kerfoot - Michael Carcon
Liam O'Brien – Kevin Stenlund – Brandon Tanev
protect
Mikhail Sergachev - Mackenzie Weegar
Nate Schmidt - John Marino
Ian Cole - Shawn Darzee
goaltender
Karel Vejmelka / Vitek Venecek
special teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 24.6% (6th, down one spot from last game)
Carolina Hurricanes Penalty Kill: 80.6% (11th, up one spot from last game)
Utah Mammoth Power Play: 19.8% (20th)
Utah Mammoth Penalty Kill: 78.4% (18th)
storm game notes
This season, it appears the Hurricanes are out of the running for the President's Trophy this season. Following the Colorado Avalanche's 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, the West's best players lifted the trophy as they secured their 114th point in the standings. Considering the curse that seems to be behind the trophy, this is a good thing for Carolina.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour spoke to the media regarding the status of players who were taken out of the lineup in the previous game against the Blackhawks. He said some of them had been 'evacuated' but could leave if needed.
how to see
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
