Florida will dress a new-look top six against Carolina at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN, with Jacob Markstrom and Brandon Bussi listed first among the projected goaltenders. Uvis Balinskis is expected to be the Panthers’ healthy scratch, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Mike Reilly and Cayden Primeau are projected out for the Hurricanes.
Panthers projected lineup
| Line | Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brady Tkachuk | Aleksander Barkov | Sam Reinhart |
| 2 | Carter Verhaeghe | Sam Bennett | Matthew Tkachuk |
| 3 | Eetu Luostarinen | Anton Lundell | Sandis Vilmanis |
| 4 | Bokondji Imama | Lars Eller | Garnet Hathaway |
| Pair | Defense |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad |
| 2 | Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones |
| 3 | Dmitry Kulikov — Radko Gudas |
Markstrom is listed ahead of Akira Schmid in Florida’s projected crease.
Balinskis is the projected scratch. Brad Marchand will miss roughly the opening month after August surgery, despite skating through training camp. Jonah Gadjovich is sidelined indefinitely following surgery.
Hurricanes projected lineup
| Line | Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrei Svechnikov | Sebastian Aho | Eric Robinson |
| 2 | Taylor Hall | Logan Stankoven | Jackson Blake |
| 3 | Nikolaj Ehlers | Jordan Staal | Jordan Martinook |
| 4 | Nicolas Deslauriers | Mark Jankowski | William Carrier |
| Pair | Defense |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jaccob Slavin — Jalen Chatfield |
| 2 | K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker |
| 3 | Shayne Gostisbehere — Charles Alexis Legault |
Bussi is listed first in the Carolina goaltending group, with Pyotr Kochetkov behind him.
Kotkaniemi, Reilly and Primeau are expected to sit. Seth Jarvis remains out while recovering from June shoulder surgery. He joined the club on the ice during camp, but his return is not expected before late October.
