Senators at Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon in a battle between two Eastern Conference teams fighting for wild-card playoff spots. The Hurricanes posted a 4-1 victory on Nov. 24, extending their home dominance over the Senators to 10-0-1 in the last 11 meetings. Carolina is returning home after sweeping a brief two-game road trip but is just 11-10-5 at PNC Arena.
Ottawa has one regulation loss in its last 11 games (7-1-3), six of which have been on the road. Craig Anderson has started eight of nine games this month, but Robin Lehner will get the nod Saturday after recording a 27-save shutout in his only start of 2014. Anton Khudobin is expected to start for the Hurricanes, which would mark his 11th consecutive appearance since returning from an ankle injury.
TV: 12 p.m. ET, RSN East (Ottawa), FSN (Carolina)
ABOUT THE SENATORS (22-19-10): Defenseman Erik Karlsson has 11 points in nine games in January, while Clarke MacArthur leads the team with six goals this month. Blue-liner Marc Methot, who is second on the team in average ice time behind Karlsson, has been scratched for the last two games despite saying he feels well enough to play. Methot’s absence might be explained by an increase in ice time for Jared Cowen, who is averaging 23:45 in January.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (22-19-9): Cam Ward could return soon from a lower-body injury that has kept him out since the end of 2013. Khudobin has fared much better than Ward this season, with a .930 save percentage to Ward’s .895. Alexander Semin has been red-hot of late, tallying six times during his four-game goal-scoring streak.
OVERTIME
1. Ottawa F Chris Neil scored his 100th career goal Thursday in his 824th game. He has 2,109 career penalty minutes.
2. Hurricanes captain Eric Staal has recorded 36 points in 36 career games against Ottawa.
3. The Senators have the best road power play in the league, converting 24-of-85 opportunities.