The Tampa Bay Lightning (37-20-5) and their dynamic offense head to take on the Carolina Hurricanes (40-12-8) and their stifling defense at PNC Arena on Sunday. Tampa Bay is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a high-scoring 5-3 loss against the Sabres yesterday, their fourth defeat in a row.
The Lightning committed seven penalties in the game, conceding two power play goals. Alex Killorn was the top goalscorer for the Lightning with two goals. Brian Elliott only had 29 saves on 34 shots against (.852%) in the loss. Carolina beat the Coyotes 6-1 on Friday.
Sebastian Aho was the leading goal scorer for the Hurricanes, netting twice. Brent Burns had four assists to lead the team in scoring. Antti Raanta saved 17 of 18 shots in the win (.944%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Hurricanes won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-3 (SO) victory in November. Brady Skjei, Martin Necas, and Seth Jarvis were on the scoresheet for Carolina. Nicholas Paul, Nikita Kucherov, and Ross Colton were on the scoresheet for Tampa Bay. Frederik Andersen got the win despite saving only 23 of 26 shots (.884%).
FACING OFF
Tampa Bay is averaging 3.52 goals per game for the season, fifth in the NHL. The visitors will face a difficult test against a Hurricanes team that is allowing only 2.55 goals a game (2nd).
Meanwhile, Carolina has found the net 3.38 times a game on average, eighth in the league, and the Lightning are allowing opponents to score 3.03 goals per game (14th).
Carolina averages more shots (35.2) than most teams in the league, ranking third, though the team’s 9.8% shooting percentage is 19th. With an average of 32.3 attempts, Tampa Bay ranks 13th. Don’t be surprised to see multiple power play opportunities for the Hurricanes, as the Lightning are averaging 4.44 penalties per game, fifth-most in the NHL.
The visitors’ 11.16 penalty minutes a game ranks sixth-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.75 times a game (18th-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.92 minutes (4th-fewest).
The Lightning’s second-ranked power play offense (25.81%) will face a tough test against the Hurricanes, who are the league’s fourth-best penalty killing team (83.08%).
Carolina, meanwhile, has scored on 20.51% of their power play opportunities (19th), which the hosts will be aiming to build on against Tampa Bay’s 13th-ranked 81.31% penalty killing rate.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 88 points this season, Kucherov is the top skater for the Lightning. He has 23 goals and 65 assists in 62 games. In the net, Andrei Vasilevskiy (28-15-3) is Tampa Bay’s top goaltender. He has a 2.61 GAA and a .917% save percentage.
Necas (56 points), Aho (55), and Andrei Svechnikov (53) lead the Hurricanes in scoring. Necas has 25 goals and 31 assists, while Aho has 27 goals and 28 assists. Svechnikov has 21 goals and 32 assists. Raanta (15-2-3) has the best goals against average for Carolina at 2.32, fifth-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .908%.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 15-15-1 on the road this season. Carolina is 21-7-2 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Lightning are 3-8 without a day off and 3-7 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Hurricanes are 4-2 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Carolina Hurricanes (-150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
