Hurricanes at Flyers: Preview

Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers
November 23, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
Wells Fargo Center - Raleigh, NC
Fox Sports Carolinas - 99.9 FM - WRALSportsFan app
SB Nation Rivals - Broad Street Hockey

Vital Statistics

*Stats from NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• Perhaps it's fitting that both the Hurricanes and the Flyers come into tonight's matchup with 17 points, since all eyes will be on the number 17. As if he wasn't already revered enough for what he has accomplished as a member of the Hurricanes organization, tonight Rod Brind'Amour will be honored into the Flyers Hall of Fame in a special pre-game ceremony. Brind'Amour played in 633 games for the Flyers between 1991 and 2000 and is still beloved by the organization and the fans, much like he is here. The ceremony will begin at 7:00 pm and will be aired on the Canes pre-game broadcast; the game is scheduled to start around 8:00 pm. Definitely take the time to read the linked articles below for a terrific retrospective on Brind'Amour's career as a member of the Flyers.
• If you think the Canes are struggling on offense... After the Canes GAVE AWAY the game on November 14th by allowing the Flyers back in from a two-goal deficit for an eventual 3-2 overtime win, the Flyers lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Kings and were next shut out by both San Jose and Ottawa. Dave Hakstol shuffled lines today in hopes of kick-starting their offense, moving Jakub Voracek to the third line and moving Brayden Schenn to the top line with Claude Giroux. Scott Laughton left the Senators game after taking a hard hit along the boards but is expected to be in the lineup tonight.
• Michal Neuvirth is expected to get the start in goal for the Flyers tonight, his first in six games. Neuvirth missed a few games recently with an upper body issue, but has been healthy enough to back up Steve Mason. Neuvirth is 4-2-1 with a 2.62 GAA and one shutout in eight career games against the Canes.
• On the flip side of a back-to-back, and coming off a huge win against the Kings yesterday, the Hurricanes held an optional skate this morning prior to tonight's game. Chris Terry will reenter tonight's lineup on the fourth line, a spot occupied yesterday by Nathan Gerbe until he left the game with an apparent lower-body injury. Eddie Lack will get the start in net. Lack is 1-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA in two career games against the Flyers.
• American hero Justin Faulk is now in sole possession of the NHL's top spot in power play goals (8) and is riding a five-game points streak (3g, 3a).

Projected Lineups

Hurricanes (from morning skate report)

Eric Staal - Victor Rask - Elias Lindholm
Joakim Nordstrom - Jordan Staal - Andrej Nestrasil
Jeff Skinner - Riley Nash - Kris Versteeg
Chris Terry - Jay McClement - Brad Malone

Ron Hainsey - Justin Faulk 
John-Michael Liles - Brett Pesce
Noah Hanifin - Jaccob Slavin

Eddie Lack
Cam Ward

Injuries and scratches: James Wisniewski (IR ACL), Ryan Murphy (concussion), Nathan Gerbe (lower body), Michal Jordan (healthy)

Flyers (from morning skate)

Michael Raffl - Claude Giroux - Brayden Schenn
Matt Read - Sean Couturier - Wayne Simmonds
Chris VandeVelde - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Jakub Voracek
Taylor Leier - Scott Laughton - Sam Gagner

Michael Del Zotto - Radko Gudas
Nick Schultz - Luke Schenn
Brandon Manning - Shayne Gostisbehere

Michal Neuvirth
Steve Mason

Injuries and Scratches: R.J. Umberger (IR foot injury), Mark Streit (LTIR groin), Ryan White (shoulder), Vincent Lecavalier (healthy), Evgeny Medvedev (healthy)

Storm Debris

• Game-day updates from the Canes [CH.com] and Flyers [Flyers.com].
• Paying tribute to Rod Brind'Amour from a Flyers perspective (must-reads) [CH.com] [Flyers.com].
• Who robs a bank...with a skate. If you've never seen it, this vintage Nike commercial is a must. [YouTube].