Tampa Bay hosts Carolina in conference battle
Carolina Hurricanes (15-10-1, fifth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (12-8-3, fifth in the Atlantic Division)
Tampa, Florida; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Tampa Bay faces Carolina in Eastern Conference play.
The Lightning are 10-4-2 in Eastern Conference games. Tampa Bay averages 10.3 points per game to lead the NHL, recording 3.7 goals and 6.6 assists per game.
The Hurricanes are 2-6-1 against opponents from the Metropolitan Division. Carolina has allowed 14 power-play goals, killing 84.4% of opponent chances.
In their last meeting on Oct. 6, Carolina won 4-3. Dougie Hamilton recorded a team-high 2 points for the Hurricanes.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with nine goals and has recorded 27 points. Brayden Point has five goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
Andrei Svechnikov has recorded 28 total points while scoring 11 goals and totaling 17 assists for the Hurricanes. Teuvo Teravainen has collected 13 points over the last 10 games for Carolina.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 6-4-0, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.8 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.8 penalty minutes while allowing 2.7 goals per game with a .902 save percentage.
Lightning: 6-3-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.7 assists, 4.3 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .915 save percentage.
Lightning Injuries: Braydon Coburn: day to day (lower body).
Hurricanes Injuries: None listed.
