Penguins at Hurricanes
THE STORY: The picture is starting to become clear for Kirk Muller. The new coach of the Carolina Hurricanes has seen his struggling team battle, but a hiccup here or there has ultimately proved to be its undoing. "It's a little bit of a fragile team," Muller said after Friday's practice. "Their attitude has been great. They're working hard, but a little bad break here or there is going to kind of get them down." Carolina certainly has had its fair share of bad breaks this season, which ultimately led to Muller replacing Paul Maurice at the helm in Raleigh, N.C. The Hurricanes will look to snap a season-high five-game losing skid (0-4-1) on Saturday when they host the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins. For its part, Pittsburgh has won three of its last four and will look to finish off its four-game road trip in style. The Penguins kept new coach Dale Hunter winless with a 2-1 triumph over the Washington Capitals on Thursday. On Saturday, they'll look to do the same with Muller.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ROOT, FSCR
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (15-7-4): Although its high-octane offense traditionally grabs the headlines, Pittsburgh's defense was on display during Thursday's victory. After Chris Kunitz gave his team the lead, the Penguins held the Capitals to just two shots to preserve the win. "The defense was so awesome in front of me. It's been awesome all year, but it was really great," G Marc-Andre Fleury said. "The guys in front of me did the job."
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (8-15-4): Jeff Skinner is doing his best to impress Muller, scoring in both games with the new coach at the helm. The reigning Calder Trophy winner will look to continue his good fortune against the Penguins, against whom he collected a goal and two assists on Nov. 12. Tuomo Ruutu scored twice in that contest, but has just one goal since then. G Cam Ward has fared well versus Pittsburgh, posting an 11-5-2 career mark with a 2.41 goals-against average.
OVERTIME:
1. Penguins rookie D Simon Despres recorded an assist and was a plus-2 in his NHL debut.
2. The Hurricanes have converted just 11.6 percent of their power plays, which is the second worst in the league. Their task will be a tough one Saturday as Pittsburgh boasts the second-best penalty kill (89.8 percent).