And it came at the right time — we needed a goal and that one went in. Tampa Bay took the lead for the first time early in the third as Victor Hedman hit Gourde with a stretch pass just outside the Carolina blue line. Gourde skated to the top of the right circle before ripping a slap shot to the far post for his fifth of the season at 6:22.
Carolina Hurricanes (12-6-1, fourth in the Central Division) vs. Florida Panthers (13-4-2, first in the Central Division) Sunrise, Florida; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Carolina looks to break its three-game losing streak when the Hurricanes take on Florida. The Panthers are 13-4-2 against division opponents.
The Carolina Hurricanes (12-5-1) play the Tampa Bay Lightning (12-4-1) on the road for the second day in a row with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop at Amalie Arena Thursday. Below, we analyze the Hurricanes-Lightning odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.