The Carolina Hurricanes are set to keep their lineup unchanged for Thursday’s Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators. Frederik Andersen is also expected to return in net after handling the first two games of the series with strong results.
Andersen did not take the ice at the team’s optional morning skate at Canadian Tire Centre, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated the veteran has earned the start again. “It’s all based on how he’s feeling. He’s playing well, and he feels good. It’s a pretty easy decision,” Brind’Amour said.
Andersen’s early playoff form has set the standard
The numbers through the opening games have been hard to ignore. Andersen posted a shutout in Game 1 and then allowed only two goals across nearly 100 minutes in Game 2, giving him a .967 save percentage and a 0.78 goals-against average.
Both marks rank among the best for any goaltender in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving Carolina a stable backbone heading into another road test. That level of consistency has also allowed the Hurricanes to maintain their structure without needing to adjust the skaters in front of him.
Same skaters, same approach
The expected 18 skaters are the same group that opened the series in Raleigh for Games 1 and 2. Carolina appears ready to rely on continuity rather than search for a new look, with the lineup built around speed, depth, and a balanced attack.
Logan Stankoven remains a player to watch after scoring in each of the first two games. He now has a chance to become only the second player in franchise history to score in three straight games to begin a postseason, while Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall also enter the night with point streaks of two games and an opportunity to extend them.
Projected forwards
The top six is expected to stay intact, with Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis on the first line. Hall, Stankoven, and Blake are projected together on the second line, giving Carolina a group that has already shown chemistry early in the playoffs.
Nikolaj Ehlers is listed with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook on the third line, while Eric Robinson, Mark Jankowski, and William Carrier are expected to form the fourth unit. That setup gives the Hurricanes a mix of scoring ability, checking depth, and forechecking pressure across all four lines.
Defense and special teams roles
On the blue line, the projected pairs are Jaccob Slavin with Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere with Nikishin, and K’Andre Miller with Brent Walker. The defensive structure remains aligned with the team’s recent playoff usage, where Carolina has leaned on puck movement and quick transitions.
The power play groups also appear unchanged. PP1 is expected to feature Aho, Ehlers, Jarvis, Svechnikov, and Gostisbehere, while PP2 includes Blake, Hall, Jankowski, and Stankoven with Nikishin.
Jordan Staal has been taking most of the faceoffs to open the power play. If he wins it, he stays on the ice, but if the puck moves out of the zone, Ehlers jumps in for the first unit, while Jankowski takes over for the second group when Staal comes off.
Expected Carolina lineup for Game 3
Forwards: Svechnikov – Aho – Jarvis; Hall – Stankoven – Blake; Ehlers – Staal – Martinook; Carrier – Jankowski – Robinson. Defense: Slavin – Chatfield; Miller – Walker; Gostisbehere – Nikishin. Starting goaltender: Andersen.
Carolina’s scratches are expected to remain Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Mike Reilly, with no injury changes listed for the game.