RALEIGH, NC. – Rod Brind’Amour is hopeful he won’t have to make any lineup changes on Sunday as the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Minnesota Wild.
The head coach shared pre-game that there are a few guys who aren’t 100% but wouldn’t specify who. The only player who was absent at yesterday’s practice was Andrei Svechnikov.
If #37 can go, the team is expected to go with the same unit that earned them a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
Martin Necas made his return to the lineup in a major way in that game, recording two points after missing five contests due to an upper-body injury. Arguably the most impactful player on the ice, he registered a game-high six shots on goal, exactly half of what Detroit’s entire team produced.
One thing that Brind’Amour did confirm pre-game was that Antti Raanta will start in net.
The netminder earned his 10th win of the season on Friday, stopping 10 of the Red Wings’ aforementioned 12 shots. 4-1-1 since the holiday break, Raanta has backstopped wins over Montreal, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and Detroit during that time.
It is anticipated that newcomer Spencer Martin will back up Raanta after Yaniv Perets was reassigned to Norfolk (ECHL) yesterday. Pyotr Kochetkov took part in half of yesterday’s practice, but given that he was not a full participant, it would be a surprise if he were available today.
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Tonight’s Projected Lineup…
Forwards
Svechnikov – Aho – Teravainen
Noesen – Drury – Necas
Martinook – Staal – Jarvis
Bunting – Kotkaniemi – Fast
Lemieux*
Defense
Slavin – Burns
Skjei – Pesce
Orlov – Chatfield
Goaltenders
Raanta
Martin
Injuries
Frederik Andersen (Blood Clotting Issue)
Pyotr Kochetkov (Concussion)
Healthy Scratches
Tony DeAngelo
TBD
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PP1: Aho, Bunting, Jarvis, and Svechnikov with Burns
PP2: Drury, Necas, Noesen, and Teravainen with Skjei
