RALEIGH, N.C. – Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller will make their Carolina Hurricanes regular-season debuts on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.
This summer’s splash acquisitions, signed for six and eight years, respectively, are expected to feature in prominent roles tonight, with Ehlers working alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis at five-on-five. Additionally, that trio has operated in unison on the team’s first power play unit, while Miller has served as one of the two defensemen on the team’s second power play unit.
Behind the cast of skaters, Frederik Andersen is expected to be in net this evening. Andersen, 36, begins his 13th NHL season and his fifth with the Canes.
Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, he has gone 82-35-5 with the team, carrying a 2.27 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. Respectively, those rank first and tied for sixth among all NHL goaltenders who have played at least 100 games during that time.
Newcomer Brandon Bussi, who was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Sunday and joined the team on Wednesday, will back up Andersen. Rod Brind’Amour shared pre-game that Pyotr Kochetkov is unavailable tonight due to injury and will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
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Tonight’s Projected Lineup…
Forwards
Ehlers – Aho – Jarvis
Svechnikov – Stankoven – Blake
Martinook – Staal – Carrier
Robinson – Kotkaniemi – Hall
Defense
Slavin – Walker
Miller – Chatfield
Nikishin – Gostisbehere
Goaltenders
Andersen
[Backup: Bussi]–
Injuries
Pyotr Kochetkov (Undisclosed Injury | No Timetable)
Scratches
Mark Jankowski
Mike Reilly
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PP1: Aho, Ehlers, Jarvis, and Svechnikov with Gostisbehere
PP2: Blake, Hall, and Stankoven with Miller and Walker
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