Stars at Hurricanes
Their postseason hopes left for dead four weeks ago, the resurgent Carolina Hurricanes will attempt to continue their improbable run for a playoff berth when they host the Dallas Stars on Saturday night in the finale of a four-game homestand. The Hurricanes, riding a 13-game point streak, trail Boston by four points for the second wild card with a game in hand.
Carolina muddled through a seven-week stretch in which it won four of 18 games to drop into last place in the Eastern Conference, but a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers on March 9 ignited the current franchise-record point streak. The Hurricanes are 5-0-1 in their last six after knocking off Metropolitan Division power Columbus 2-1 on Thursday to stay in the chase. "We absolutely have a shot here to do this," defenseman Noah Hanifin said. "We just beat one of the best teams in the league. There's no reason we can't finish out really strong." Dallas, which earned the top seed in the Western Conference last season, is lurching to the finish line as it makes the fourth stop of a five-game road trip.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Carolina)
ABOUT THE STARS (31-35-11): Dallas has been ravaged by injuries all season and received a huge scare when Curtis McKenzie was gashed around his eye on a high stick from Boston's Kevan Miller. McKenzie was sent to the hospital to close the wound and then flew back to Dallas to be further evaluated. McKenzie will not be allowed to have any activity for five days and general manager Jim Nill said doctors are encouraged by the early signs but will have to wait until the swelling goes down.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (35-27-14): Jeff Skinner is spurring Carolina's furious finishing kick, scoring nine goals in the past eight games and getting a bit of good fortune to buffer his Midas touch. Skinner forced overtime against Columbus by scoring with just over four minutes left in regulation on a shot he "kind of fanned on" and earned the assist on Hanifin's after his spin move was thwarted. “Sometimes, you’re going to get a bounce when you’re working hard,” Skinner acknowledged.
OVERTIME
1. Skinner is one goal shy of matching his career high (2013-14) but has two tallies and three points in 10 games versus Dallas.
2. The Stars poured in 20 goals in winning four in a row against the Hurricanes, including a 5-2 victory at Carolina on Feb. 11
3. Carolina signed LW Warren Foegele and RW Spencer Smallman to three-year, entry-level contracts.