Tampa Bay Lightning v Carolina Hurricanes Live

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Without any doubts, the Hurricanes have failed to prove their self-proclaimed contender status thus far. Unable to score a goal in the first game of the season, the pressure on the team around Eric Staal is constantly rising. On Tuesday at 11 p.m. GMT, the ‘Canes will be in Florida to face the Lightning in front of their home crowd at St Pete Times forum.

Although the rejuvenated defense of the Tampa Bay Lightning’ is expected to perform significantly better than last year, Mattias Ohlund and company will most likely have a very busy night versus the Hurricanes. While one might argue that Carolina overachieved last season when they made it to the Conference Finals, there is no question about their offensive capabilities. Most importantly, the Hurricanes’ offense around Ray Whitney and Eric Staal will be highly motivated after remaining scoreless in their 0-2 loss at home versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

In contrast, the Lightning will benefit from the lack of pressure on their young squad that barely anyone expects to be in the playoff race. Nonetheless, Tampa might be able to hang around until late in the game if their overhauled defense clicks and manages to stay focused throughout the game. Obviously, the Hurricanes are the favorites in this match-up, but their disappointing preseason and season opening loss suggests that coach Paul Maurice’s team is a bit out of shape. Even though it appears to be rather unlikely that Tampa will be able to take advantage of the ‘Canes slump, the audience might get to see a hard-fought battle between two teams eager to clinch their first victory in 2009-10.

You can watch all games of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.