Lightning at Hurricanes
THE STORY: The Tampa Bay Lightning continue their improbable march toward a playoff position when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. They have won six of their last eight games since general manager Steve Yzerman made the first of eight trades. Tampa Bay beat the New York Rangers in overtime Friday for its third straight victory, moving within four points of eighth-place Winnipeg in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand on the Jets. Carolina is 6-2-4 since Feb. 1 and nine points behind Winnipeg.
TV: 7 p.m. ET; SunSports (Tampa), FS-Car (Carolina).
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (30-28-6): The Lightning have been the comeback kids. They recorded their seventh victory after trailing going into the third against the Rangers, tying Boston for the most in the league. Teddy Purcell has been a leading man, with 17 points during his career-high, eight-game point streak. He has three points in four of his last six games. Steven Stamkos also has eight goals and eight assists in eight games, pulling within one point of Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin for the league lead with 78. Newly acquired defenseman Brian Lee has two assists and is plus-2 in his first two games.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (24-27-13): Carolina has taken six of a possible 10 points with one contest left on a six-game homestand after losing to the Rangers Thursday. Eric Staal has been a big part of the show of late, with 18 points during a 10-game point streak. Staal is one away from matching his career-high streak of 11 and has at least one assist in nine straight games. Jeff Skinner keeps producing as well with 35 points in 48 games, second to Staal’s 56. Skinner, 19, is two points shy of 100 for his career. Cam Ward is expected to make his third straight start in goal after returning from an upper-body injury.
OVERTIME:
1. The teams have split four games this season and Tampa Bay has won four of the last six overall.
2. Carolina is 9 for 29 on the power play the last eight contests.
3. Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon is 11-3-2 in his last 16 starts.