Carolina still has a sliver of hope to participate in the 2017 NHL postseason, but they'll need to hold off a Detroit squad that's been good as of late despite being out of the picture for a while. The Hurricanes saw their three-game winning streak snap against the Red Wings last night, but they were still able to get a point after forcing overtime.
Detroit has won five of their last seven games, and they've been in four straight contests that have been decided in overtime. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM Eastern time on Tuesday night and it will be broadcast on FSN Detroit+ and FSN Carolinas.
Red Wings (31-32-12, 74 points, 8th Atlantic)
It's an eerie stat, but Detroit has won all 12 overtime games they've been in this season. When it comes to good things to say about this squad for 2016-17, that's about it. Although they were out of postseason contention for a while, the team certainly didn't quit on the season. They've gone 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and have won two consecutive, including knocking off the Hurricanes just last night.
Right wing Anthony Mantha (36 pts) had two goals in the recent 4-3 victory, both scored in consecutive minutes during the second period.
Hurricanes (33-27-14, 80 points, 6th Metropolitan)
Carolina will be moving on without their goalie, Eddie Lack (7-5-3).
He suffered a neck injury in the overtime period last night that will keep him out for an undisclosed time. Losing a backup goalie is a significant blow to a team that's hoping to get into the playoffs, so they'll have to rely on Cam Ward (24-20-11) to elevate his game from a mediocre regular season.
Left wing Jeff Skinner (55 pts) landed the first goal of the game last night, making it a sixth consecutive game where he scored one or more goals.
He's recorded 10 points in the last seven games. Defender Justin Faulk (33 pts) had two goals in that same contest against the Red Wings.
Both Detroit and Carolina have split the last four meetings 2-2. The Hurricanes are a -185 favorite at home, but they have lost seven of their past eight home games against teams with a losing road record.
