Oilers at Hurricanes
The Edmonton Oilers begin a stretch of seven games against Eastern Conference opponents when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. The Oilers have a winning record against the East (13-11-1) despite their basement-dwelling status in the Western Conference. Carolina is at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division after dropping its first two games in March.
The Oilers posted a 6-3 home victory over the Hurricanes on Oct. 24 for their third straight win in the series. Edmonton has the second-worst record in the league, while Carolina is only eight points ahead, so neither team could be blamed for playing Sunday’s game with potential top overall pick Connor McDavid on their minds. Richard Bachman is confirmed as Edmonton’s starting goaltender, while Carolina will go with Cam Ward.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), Fox Sports Carolinas
ABOUT THE OILERS (18-36-11): Jordan Eberle led all players with two goals and an assist in the previous meeting with Carolina. Derek Roy skipped practice Saturday for a maintenance day but is expected to be in the lineup versus the Hurricanes, which is good news for Nail Yakupov, who has 10 points in his last 14 games while playing alongside Roy. Iiro Pakarinen has missed the last two games with a leg injury and is questionable for Sunday.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (24-32-7): Ryan Murphy is expected to play after missing a month due to a lower-body injury, while fellow defenseman Jack Hillen will miss Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury. Captain Eric Staal and his brother Jordan appear to be playing on separate lines after being split up at practice. Blue-liner Michal Jordan should be back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Friday.
OVERTIME
1. Edmonton has struggled mightily on the road, posting an 8-16-9 mark.
2. Carolina plays 11 of its 15 games in March at home.
3. Ward is 3-3-1 with a 2.87 GAA and an .886 save percentage in his regular-season career against the team that he and the Hurricanes defeated in the 2006 Stanley Cup final.