Hurricanes at Flyers
The Carolina Hurricanes will try to avoid a fifth straight loss when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for a Saturday matinee. The Hurricanes are struggling on the road with a 3-10-2 record and have fallen to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with two wins in their last 10 games. The Flyers haven’t fared much better but have points in their last four games (2-0-2) and are 7-4-2 at home.
Scoring remains Carolina’s biggest problem as the team has produced a division-low 60 goals. Philadelphia’s power play is in a roll with a man-advantage goal in each of the last six contests. The Hurricanes began their three-game road trip with a 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday, while Philadelphia is on the second contest of a four-game homestand after posting a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Carolinas, CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (8-17-3): Jordan Staal is practicing in a limited capacity as he continues to recover from a fractured fibula. Defenseman Justin Faulk scored the team’s lone goal in each of the last two games and leads Carolina with 17 points. Cam Ward is expected to make his fourth consecutive start as Anton Khudobin has yet to record a victory in eight appearances.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (10-13-5): Steve Mason is expected back in the crease for Philadelphia after Ray Emery earned the victory against the Devils. Vincent Lecavalier missed practice with a lower-body injury Friday after being a healthy scratch for five straight games. Sean Couturier is on a five-game point streak, while Jakub Voracek has points in three of his last four contests as he challenges for the league scoring lead.
OVERTIME
1. Carolina failed to record a win in October, but the franchise has not yet lost more than four regulation games in a row this season.
2. Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux has 19 points in 19 career games against Carolina.
3. The Flyers and Hurricanes will meet four more times after Saturday, including twice in April.