Hurricanes at Devils
The Carolina Hurricanes capitalized on an eight-game homestand in their push for a playoff slot and hope to keep rolling when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in the first of two meetings between the teams in four days. The Devils are holding down the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Carolina.
The Hurricanes scored only eight times in the first five games of their homestand but closed it with a flourish, pumping in 14 goals in winning the final three games, capped by a 7-3 drubbing of Los Angeles. “We’ve done a good job getting ourselves in this position and now we have to keep our foot on the gas,” forward Jeff Skinner said after Carolina completed a 5-2-1 homestand. New Jersey snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 shootout win over Philadelphia -- only its sixth victory in the past 20 games (6-11-3). The Devils are trying to stay in the race despite the absence of No. 1 goaltender Cory Schneider, who has been sidelined since Jan. 23 and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolina, MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (27-21-9): Defenseman Justin Faulk has struggled offensively this season, managing only four goals in his first 56 games after amassing 48 in the previous three campaigns. That changed in a hurry Tuesday as Faulk became the 10th different defenseman in league history to register a natural hat trick and first since November 2007. "It's not something I ever really thought about, getting a hat trick," Faulk said. "I know I've had plenty of two-goal games. It's pretty cool."
ABOUT THE DEVILS (28-20-8): Leading scorer Taylor Hall absorbed a jarring hit in the second period Tuesday and had to be assisted to the dressing room to go through the concussion protocol. However, Hall returned in the third and netted the tying goal -- his second of the game -- with 81 seconds to play. "He was our emotional leader again," teammate Ben Lovejoy said. "He is a guy that is such a unique weapon. He has so many ways that can beat you and he’s skating a million miles an hour while he’s doing it."
OVERTIME
1. Skinner has three goals in the last two games after scoring once in the previous 11.
2. Hall has amassed 11 goals and 12 assists during his 15-game point streak.
3. Carolina has killed off 18 of 19 short-handed situations over the past eight games.