Hurricanes’ Gostisbehere to return to lineup against Mammoth
The Carolina Hurricanes are set to get a key contributor back into their lineup on Thursday night.
After the morning skate earlier Thursday, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told the media, including team reporter Walt Ruff, that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere will draw back in after missing each of the team’s past five games.
Rod Brind'Amour says he anticipates Shayne Gostisbehere will play tonight for the #Canes against the Mammoth. He's missed the last five games, and 17 total this season, with a lower-body injury.
Gostisbehere has now missed 17 games total this season with the lower-body issue, which has lingered. When he has been on the ice for Carolina this season, he has been playing some of the best hockey of his career.
In 35 games, he’s racked up 32 points on 6 goals and 26 assists while skating to a plus-10 rating on an average of 20:08 per night. He has served as the quarterback of the top power play unit, putting up 10 points while a man up to help the Hurricanes’ power play rise from the basement of the NHL to around league average.
Beyond his strong power play production, Gostisbehere leads all NHL defensemen in both five-on-five assists per 60 minutes and primary assists per 60 minutes. At exactly 2.00 5-on-5 points per 60, he stands second among all defensemen behind only Columbus’ Zach Werenski, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Carolina is in the midst of another strong season as they look to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth year in a row. The Canes sit atop the Metropolitan Division standings with a six-point cushion over Pittsburgh with a record of 32-15-5.
Carolina has put together a 7-1-2 stretch over its past two games to further cement its status in the playoff picture, and the Hurricanes will have a chance to add more points on Thursday night when the Utah Mammoth visit the Lenovo Center.
They’ll then play a back-to-back this weekend when they visit Washington on Saturday and host Los Angeles on Sunday.