Canadiens at Hurricanes
THE STORY: The Carolina Hurricanes go for their third straight victory Wednesday when they take on the Montreal Canadiens at the RBC Center. After losing three games in a row and seven of eight, Carolina has posted a pair of wins, including a 4-2 triumph over the Flyers in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Hurricanes have struggled at home of late, dropping four of their last six matches in Raleigh. Montreal is coming off its second loss in three games, a 1-0 setback to the defending Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins at home on Tuesday. It was the first time the Canadiens had been blanked since their season opener in Toronto on Oct. 6. Erik Cole will be making his first visit to Carolina since signing a four-year contract with Montreal over the summer.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RDS (Montreal), FSN (Carolina)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (9-9-3): Montreal posted a 4-0 victory at home last Wednesday in its first meeting with Carolina this season. Carey Price made 25 saves en route to the first of his two straight shutouts while defenseman P.K. Subban recorded a goal and an assist. Hal Gill is expected back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 12. Gill, who has missed five games, initially was reported to have a virus but spent some time in the hospital with a skin infection caused by a cut, according to TSN. Fellow defenseman Andrei Markov, who has been out since tearing both his ACL and MCL against Carolina more than a year ago, was cleared for contact in practice but is still at least a week away.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (8-11-3): Tuesday's triumph was Carolina's first in Philadelphia since Nov. 28, 2008. Brett Sutter recorded three hits against the Flyers a day after being recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League. Sutter notched one assist and nine penalty minutes in four contests with the Hurricanes in October. Cam Ward is 12-7-2 lifetime against the Canadiens but has lost four of his last five starts in the all-time series.
OVERTIME:
1. The home team has won five of the last six matchups between the clubs, while the Canadiens have captured four of five overall meetings.
2. Montreal is 5-4-0 on the road this season but has won four of its last six away from home.