Pesce will be a game-time decision Friday since he's dealing with an undisclosed issue. "Just a little wonky, wasn't quite right this morning," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said of the defenseman. "He'll come back in here this evening. I think he'll play."

Assuming Pesce plays, he'll form the second defensive pair with booming second-year man Jaccob Slavin. There's a lot to like about Pesce as a shutdown guy -- he's picked up 33 hits and 75 blocked shots in just 41 games this season -- and he's also blooming offensively by averaging roughly one point every four games; not too shabby for the young rearguard.