2023-24 Regular Season, Game 73: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins (Pregame)

The Hurricanes recovered nicely from their weird 7-6 shootout loss on Friday night by handling business against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night at PNC Arena. All of the Canes' scoring came in the first period. Brady Skjei snapped one past Joseph Woll 66 seconds into the contest, and Sebastian Aho got a friendly bounce off Jake McCabe's skate to extend the lead on the power play. From there, the game was in Frederik Andersen's hands. Against his former team, Andersen put up 32 saves, allowing just one goal in the third period of a 2-1 win for the Hurricanes. Sebastian Aho extended his point streak to six games, and Jake Guentzel added another assist, giving him ten since being acquired at the trade deadline. The Canes, whose win streak was snapped at five games in the Washington loss, extended their point streak to seven games as they earned the season sweep over Toronto.

The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (30-30-10 70 Points- 7th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting- I'll be honest, I couldn't remember the last time these two met. Then, I looked at the box score and remembered exactly what happened. The Penguins visited Raleigh in mid-January. After Tristan Jarry made some unbelievable stops, the Canes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Brett Pesce and Jordan Martinook. The 2-0 lead stood until the third period. Jake Guentzel broke Antti Raanta's shutout early in the period, and Bryan Rust scored with less than a minute left to tie it and force overtime. Pesce would be the hero, scoring his second of the game 1:41 into the extra session to help prevent the Canes from a complete collapse. Raanta finished the game with 38 saves.

Since We Last Met- Things have really fallen apart for the Penguins over the last two months. They're just 10-15-4 since losing in Raleigh and 3-9-2 in their last 14, sitting at .500 near the bottom of the division. While the door hasn't completely closed on them mathematically in the Wild Card race, this season has officially become a lost cause. It's a shame, too. Sidney Crosby has returned to a pre-COVID goal pace, leading the team with 34 this season. His 73 points are 20 more than the closest Penguin, Evgeni Malkin. Despite being traded to the Canes at the deadline, Jake Guentzel still has the third-most points on the team and is tied for second in goals with Bryan Rust. Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic have been solid in the net. They're in the middle of the league in goals allowed per game, and they boast a respectable .900 save percentage as a team. Their offense is a big reason for their struggles and is why they won't be competing for the Stanley Cup this season.

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. Guentzel's Homecoming

Much like with Evgeny Kuznetsov returning to D.C. on Friday night, Jake Guentzel is going to be the star of the show tonight. Drafted by the Penguins in the third round in 2013, Guentzel proved to be an excellent Penguin on Sidney Crosby's wing. He won a Stanley Cup during his rooking campaign in 2017, leading the postseason with 13 goals. While he was excellent in the regular season, scoring 40 goals twice and ranking 8th in Penguins history in goals, it was in the playoffs when Guentzel shone the brightest. In 58 games, Guentzel led the Penguins with 34 goals and was second to Crosby with 58 points. The news that he was traded to the Hurricanes was met with some shock in Pittsburgh, especially by Crosby. He had nothing but great things to say about Guentzel, and we've been able to see that firsthand in his short time in Raleigh. He's certain to be met with hearty applause tonight.

2. Who is the Starting Goalie for Carolina?

This question applies to this game and the beginning of the postseason. Based on the rotation, Pyotr Kochetkov is set to get the start, but there is no denying how phenomenal Frederik Andersen has been. They may double-dip and let Andersen take the net against the Penguins. They could also work to get Kochetkov's confidence back up after his rough performance against Washington on Friday. Once the playoffs begin, I'm very interested to see who Rod Brind'Amour turns to. Andersen was excellent once he took the net last April, but Kochetkov has been very strong while assuming the starting duties with Andersen on the shelf and Antti Raanta struggling. There's a strong case for either goalie. It'd be a little funny if the team opted to start Spencer Martin after having him serve as the backup for so many games in a row.

3. Can Someone Other Than Crosby Score?

Before Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust scored in the last meeting, no other player on the Penguins had scored a goal against the Canes other than Sidney Crosby. He scored both of Pittsburgh's goals in their first trip to PNC Arena and then added the only regulation goal and the shootout winner when the Canes visited Pittsburgh. In the season series, the Penguins' roster has combined for 15 points. Five of them belong to Crosby, and the owner of three more now plays for the Canes. That accounts for over half of their total points and four of their five goals in the series. This issue is very indicative of Pittsburgh's season overall. Their depth hasn't been scoring, putting all of the pressure on the top line. It hasn't proven to be a successful tactic.