Flames at Hurricanes
Two teams trying to stay in striking distance of a playoff spot after some inconsistent performances of late meet when the Calgary Flames visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Carolina has taken a step back at 1-2-1 in its last four games after winning four in a row, while the Flames have been average of late (2-3-1) after capturing 11 of their previous 15 contests.
The Hurricanes have gone cold offensively with just four goals in as many contests as most of their top scorers are in slumps - including captain Eric Staal, who is mired in a five-game point drought. Carolina coach Bill Peters told reporters after the 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday, “They capitalized on our mistakes and decision-making. We didn’t make many plays for 60 minutes.” Calgary knocked off Columbus 4-2 on Thursday as Sam Bennett remained hot with two goals. The 19-year-old has collected eight tallies in his last five contests after managing just five in the first 40 games of his career.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Calgary), FSN Carolinas
ABOUT THE FLAMES (21-21-3): Leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau is warming up again with three goals and four assists in his last six games to top the team with 46 points. Captain Mark Giordano has tied Sean Monahan (29 points) for second on the club in scoring and has notched at least one point in 12 of his last 14 games, recording a total of 17 in that stretch. Michael Ferland, who leads the team with 118 hits in 37 games, suffered an upper-body injury on Friday and is questionable.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (21-20-8): Jeff Skinner has gone four games without a point while Kris Versteeg and Victor Rask have been blanked in three straight contests. Defenseman Justin Faulk, who will be headed to the All-Star Game next week, has posted one point in his last five games and tops the team with 33. Eddie Lack is 1-2-0 since taking over the No. 1 goaltending job from the injured Cam Ward (concussion) and brings solid numbers against Calgary into the contest (3-1-0, 1.49 goals-against average, .940 save percentage).
OVERTIME
1. Carolina C Elias Lindholm has not registered a point in five contests after posting six in a three-game span.
2. Calgary G Karri Ramo has allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last five games.
3. The home team has won seven of the last eight meetings, including both last season.