2025-26 Regular Season, Game 64 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes finished their road trip in Calgary on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back. The top line got them off to a quick start, with the forward trio combining to strike 44 seconds in, courtesy of Seth Jarvis. However, the Canes failed to continue this momentum into the second. A Brandon Bussi miscue allowed Ryan Strome to score in his Flames debut 19 seconds into the second. Not long after, Joel Farabee was on the spot to deposit a rebound, giving the Flames the lead. On the power play, Morgan Frost made it three in a row, as the game turned on its head in just 7:06. Another Bussi puck handling mistake gave Blake Coleman an easy goal early in the third, seemingly putting it out of reach. The Canes showed some signs of life after that goal. Sean Walker extended his point streak to five games, and Alexander Nikishin blasted a 98.5 MPH clapper on the power play, putting the Canes within a goal with plenty of time left. However, a Jackson Blake turnover in the offensive zone allowed Farabee to get in on a breakaway late, and he made no mistakes. Andrei Svechnikov scored with 11.9 seconds left, but it was too late for the Canes, who ended the trip with a 5-4 loss. Sebastian Aho (3A), Jarvis (1G, 2A), and Svechnikov (1G, 1A) combined for eight points in defeat. 

Injury Report

Shayne Gostisbehere: He wasn't on the ice for Monday's practice, bringing doubt to whether he'll be available for tonight's contests.

The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (32-17-14, 78 Points; 2nd in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: The Canes were in Pittsburgh for their final game of 2025. The Penguins took early advantage of a K'Andre Miller turnover, resulting in a goal for Sidney Crosby. They blew the game open late in the opening frame. Justin Brazeau put in an incredible individual effort to fork a chance past Frederik Andersen as he fell to the ice, and Anthony Mantha scored on the power play 65 seconds later, making it 3-0 by the end of the first. Late in the second, they pushed it even further. Tommy Novak scored from the slot, and Mantha added his second of the game to make it 5-0. Mark Jankowski broke the shutout 17 seconds after Mantha's second, but that's all the Hurricanes could muster. Andersen played better in the third. It just wasn't good enough. Five Penguins had multi-point games, and Skinner stopped 27 shots in the victory.

Since We Last Met: The Penguins will be without two of their cornerstone players on Tuesday, for very different reasons. Sidney Crosby was injured in Milan, exiting Canada's quarterfinals win and missing both the semifinals and the Gold Medal Game. It was announced that he'd miss four weeks of action, though it appears that he might return before the four weeks are up. Evgeni Malkin has no one to blame but himself for his absence. He slashed Rasmus Dahlin last week and got a five-game ban for it. Without both of them in the lineup, they've lost in a shootout to the Flyers and beaten the Bruins in overtime. The Penguins sit eight points behind the Hurricanes as they begin a five-game road trip that begins and ends in Raleigh. It's the first of three meetings between now and March 22 to conclude the season series. Pittsburgh is enjoying a resurgence that few in the hockey community expected, let alone anticipated them to maintain this long. They're still locked into a tense battle for a spot in the Top 3 of the Metro, but they've showcased an incredible level of depth, both offensively and defensively. Like the Canes, they have 10 players with at least 10 goals, and eight players have at least 30 points. They could run into some issues between the pipes, with neither Arturs Silovs nor Stuart Skinner north of .900 in save percentage. 

Stories to Watch

1. Friendly confines bring great comfort

It should come as no surprise that the Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the league on home ice. The Canes trail only the Bruins for the most home wins this season, with 23, tied with Colorado for the second most. Their stay in Raleigh will be short, facing Pittsburgh tonight and St. Louis on Thursday. Against the second-place team in the division, this game is especially important for the Canes to draw the emotion from the crowd and earn two points to restore their double-digit margin for the Metro crown.

2. Will we see the new guy tonight?

The deadline came and went without much of a splash for a few teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes. They might've tried to complete a few more deals, but the only one completed saw them acquire Nicolas Deslauriers from the Flyers for a conditional pick in next year's draft. While not much of a scorer, he brings a level of grit that the Canes haven't had much of in recent years. I think it's more likely that he'll play on Thursday after a few more days of practice are under his belt, though I would like to see him in the lineup soon.