Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes

Game Time: 7:00pm/ET
From: RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Penguins Record: 14-6-4 (4th in Eastern Conference)
Hurricanes Record: 12-11-2 (8th in Eastern Conference)
Last Meeting: October 23rd, 2008 @ Pittsburgh (4-1 Pens)

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS LINE COMBINATIONS:
Max Talbot - Sidney Crosby - Miroslav Satan
Ruslan Fedotenko - Evgeni Malkin - Petr Sykora
Matt Cooke - Jordan Staal - Pascal Dupuis
Janne Pesonen - Chris Minard - Eric Godard

Brooks Opik - Kris Letang
Hal Gill - Rob Scuderi
Mark Eaton - Alex Goligoski

PENGUINS PROBABLE GOALTENDER:
Dany Sabourin (5-2-2 / 1.85GAA / .929 SV%)

CAROLINA HURRICANES LINE COMBINATIONS:
Sergei Samsonov - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Ray Whitney - Rod Brind'Amour - Chad LaRose
Ryan Bayda - Matt Cullen - Patrick Eaves
Wade Brookbank - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer

Joni Pitkanen - Niclas Walin
Joe Corvo - Frantisek Kaberle
Anton Babchuk - Josef Melichar

HURRICANES PROBABLE GOALTENDER:
Michael Leighton (4-4-0 / 2.99GAA / .898 SV%)

PENGUINS LEADERS:
GOALS: Crosby (13)
ASSISTS: Malkin (29)
POINTS: Malkin (39)
+/-: Malkin (+12)

HURRICANES LEADERS:
GOALS: Staal (8)
ASSISTS: Seidenberg (11)
POINTS: Whitney (17)
+/-: Staal (+7)


This will be the Hurricanes first game under returning head coach Paul Maurice. It will also be Dany Sabourin's second game in as many nights. It will be the first time Sabourin will play back-to-back games this season.

Janne Pesonen and Chris Minard have been called up from the WBS Penguins to replace Tyler Kennedy and Mike Zigomanis who left last night's game against the Rangers. Both are listed as day-to-day.

Typically when a coach is replaced the team takes some responsibility and works harder for the first game under the new coach. This, combined with the injuries the Penguins have and the fact that Sabourin played last night, could mean a long night for the Penguins who typically have had trouble playing in Carolina.

Former Penguin Ron Francis will spend his first game behind the Hurricanes bench as their new assistant coach.