Not only will it be a return to action for the Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, but it will also be a reunion of sorts, as the Canucks have added a player to their roster with Carolina ties.
Vancouver acquired forward Elias Lindholm in last Wednesday’s trade with the Calgary Flames. He’ll make his Canucks debut on Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
The Canucks sent forward Andrei Kuzmenko to Calgary, along with two draft picks and a pair of prospects.
Both Carolina and Vancouver had been rolling prior to the All-Star break, so they’ll want to continue that trend. The Hurricanes won six of their last eight and have at least one point in 18 of their last 21 outings.
“We pushed to this point and what they really needed was a mental break,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said of his players. “We need to pick up where we left off.”
The Canucks haven’t lost in regulation in more than a month. They own an 11-game point streak, winning four of their last five games.
Lindholm could be a key piece for the Canucks’ postseason push.
Lindholm has nine goals and 23 assists in 49 games this season. He began his career with the Hurricanes, playing five seasons after the team selected him with the No. 5 pick of the 2013 draft.
“We’ve got a guy who can do a lot of different things for us,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “He comes in, there’s competition. There’s no guarantees who’s playing where, and I like that. You’ve got to have that competition in the last 30 games. We’ve got a guy who can do a lot of different things for us.”
During the All-Star break, the Hurricanes announced that goalie Frederik Andersen has returned to on-ice conditioning. While he won’t be available right away, it was a step for a player who had been diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolisms.
“I am thrilled that I’m a step closer to joining my teammates and competing on the ice,” Andersen said in a statement.
Meanwhile, goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who hasn’t played for the Hurricanes since Jan. 11, has been at practice at the start of this week after missing time prior to the break. That gives Brind’Amour options along with Antti Raanta and Spencer Martin.
Goaltending has been crucial for the Hurricanes, who’ve been solid at that end of the ice.
There are still some questions about Carolina’s lineup. Forward Andrei Svechnikov was out prior to the break with an upper-body injury. His status will be monitored, though he remained in a no-contact practice jersey Monday.
The Hurricanes are spending the first three games after the break at home, where they have excelled (15-5-4 this season).
“We’ve taken advantage of it,” Brind’Amour said.
This matchup opens Vancouver’s five-game road trip, and Tocchet said the team needs to pace itself coming out of the layoff.
“It’s not cramming things in,” Tocchet said. “We’re looking for the long haul.”
The Canucks defeated the Hurricanes 4-3 on Dec. 9 at home.
–Field Level Media
