Hurricanes at Red Wings
Despite their current four-game slide (0-3-1), the Carolina Hurricanes are in a tight battle for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They hope to climb into the second spot when they begin a three-game road trip Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, who still have playoff aspirations of their own.
The Hurricanes remained one point behind Columbus for the final postseason berth in the East after suffering a 6-1 home setback against Metropolitan Division-rival Pittsburgh on Friday. Teuvo Teravainen netted the lone tally and has scored in back-to-back contests after enduring a 10-game drought. Detroit is wrapping up a four-game homestand during which it has earned one point over the first three contests (0-2-1). The Red Wings, who went 3-1-1 in their previous five contests, trail the Blue Jackets by seven points as they look to avoid missing the playoffs for the second straight campaign following a 25-season appearance streak.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolinas, FS Detroit
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (27-24-10): Sebastian Aho leads the team with 21 goals and is tied with fellow Finn Teravainen for first on the club with 47 points after notching an assist against the Penguins. The 20-year-old Aho had been kept off the scoresheet in three straight contests following a three-game streak during which he recorded six points and is four shy of 100 for his career. Carolina, which posted a 3-1 victory in Detroit on Jan. 20, will be playing the second of only three road games in February as 10 of its first 11 contests this month were at home.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (24-26-10): Detroit survived a scare on Thursday as Anthony Mantha temporarily left the overtime loss to Buffalo after being hit in the face with a puck. The 23-year-old right wing, who leads the team with a career-high 20 goals, returned wearing a full face shield and does not expect to miss any time. "(Tests) revealed a small fracture," coach Jeff Blashill told the team's website on Friday. "He'll get the CT scan, which is a better image but similar to Justin Abdelkader, who was able to play with (a broken cheekbone) as long as he had a full shield on. Anthony Mantha would be in the same boat."
OVERTIME
1. Red Wings D Mike Green (upper body), who has missed four contests, practiced on Friday and will be a game-time decision.
2. Carolina C Jordan Staal's status is unknown after he missed Friday's game for personal reasons.
3. Abdelkader ended his five-game goal-scoring drought Thursday and is three tallies shy of 100 for his career.