OTTAWA – The Carolina Hurricanes are not expected to make any changes to their lineup for Thursday’s Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators.
Although Frederik Andersen did not take the ice this morning for the team’s optional skate at Canadian Tire Centre, Rod Brind’Amour implied it will be the veteran’s net again tonight. “It’s all based on how he’s feeling. He’s playing well, and he feels good. It’s a pretty easy decision,” the head coach said.
Registering a shutout in Game 1 and allowing just two goals in nearly 100 minutes of Game 2 play, Andersen’s .967 save percentage and 0.78 goals against average are both tops among all netminders in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In front of him, the same group of 18 skaters who took the ice for Games 1 and 2 in Raleigh are expected to go again this evening.
Logan Stankoven will look to become the second player in franchise history to score in three straight games to open a postseason, while his linemates Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall also aim to extend their point streaks to three games.
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Tonight’s Projected Lineup…
Forwards
Svechnikov – Aho – Jarvis
Hall – Stankoven – Blake
Ehlers – Staal – Martinook
Carrier – Jankowski – Robinson
Defense
Slavin – Chatfield
Miller – Walker
Gostisbehere – Nikishin
Starting Goaltender
Andersen
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Injuries
N/A
Scratches
Nicolas Deslauriers
Pyotr Kochetkov
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Mike Reilly
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PP1: Aho, Ehlers (Staal), Jarvis, and Svechnikov with Gostisbehere
PP2: Blake, Hall, Jankowski, and Stankoven with Nikishin
Jordan Staal has been taking the faceoffs to start most power plays. If he wins it, he’ll stay on the ice. When the puck comes out of the zone, he jumps off, and Nikolaj Ehlers jumps on with the first unit. If he wins it for the second unit, Mark Jankowski jumps on when Staal goes off.
