Hurricanes at Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three in a row to strengthen their bid for a 10th consecutive postseason appearance while the Carolina Hurricanes are precariously close to yet another campaign that ends before the playoffs. Pittsburgh will look to continue its good fortune at Carolina's expense on Thursday when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet at Consol Energy Center.
Three points shy of third place in the Metropolitan, the Penguins have made up ground by posting a 4-1-0 mark during their nine-game stretch against division opponents. Marc-Andre Fleury denied all three attempts in the shootout of Tuesday's 2-1 triumph over the New York Islanders and stopped 50 of 51 shots to win Pittsburgh's last two encounters with Carolina this season. While the Penguins hold the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes reside five points behind Philadelphia for the final playoff berth. Carolina ventured at least into overtime for a franchise-high fifth straight game, with Tuesday's 2-1 setback to league-leading Washington dropping the club to 2-0-3 in that stretch.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Carolinas, ROOT (Pittsburgh), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (31-26-13): Jordan Staal scored on Tuesday for just his second point in his last nine games overall and netted his lone goal versus his former team in a 2-1 victory over the Penguins on Dec. 19. "We’re going to keep playing like we can," Staal told the team's website. "We’re going to keep trying to get points every night and try to find a way to keep climbing the ladder." Veteran goaltender Cam Ward, who is expected to get the nod on Thursday, is 2-0-1 versus Pittsburgh this season and 16-7-4 against the club in his career.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (37-24-8): Captain Sidney Crosby tallied twice in Pittsburgh's 5-0 win over Carolina on Jan. 17 and has scored four goals and set up 10 others during his current nine game-point streak. Crosby received the secondary assist on Tuesday's deflection goal by veteran Chris Kunitz, who recorded his ninth tally and 21st point in the last 26 contests while improving his team-best rating to plus-28. Kunitz has two goals in his last three games overall and tallied in the Penguins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes on Jan. 12.
OVERTIME
1. Carolina D Ron Hainsey returned to practice on Wednesday after missing his first game of the season with an illness.
2. Fleury is one win shy of tying fellow G Evgeni Nabokov (353) for 19th place all-time in victories.
3. The Hurricanes have scored at least one power-play goal in five of their last eight games and have gone 16-for-17 on the penalty kill in that same stretch.