Game Day: Canes vs Stars

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Dallas Stars
March 12, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Defending Big D

Fancy Stats

	Hurricanes	Stars
Record	25-32-8	30-27-10
Points	58	70
Division Rank	8th Metro	7th Central
Conference Rank	15th EC	12th WC
Streak	OT 1	Won 1
Power Play %	20.1%	17.9%
Penalty Kill %	85.8%	80.4%
Goals/Game	2.32	3.08
Goals Against/Game	2.65	3.25
Shots/Game	30.6	31.3
Shots Against/Game	27.4	30.7
ES Goals For %	43.2%	49.1%
ES Corsi For %	51.9%	51.4%
ES PDO	97.1	99.3
PIM/Game	7.1	10.2
Goaltender	Ward	Lehtonen
Record	18-20-5	27-13-10
ES Save Percentage	.912	.911
GAA	2.47	2.94
Goaltender	Khudobin	Enroth
Record	7-12-3	1-5-0
ES Save Percentage	.903	.872
GAA	2.63	3.35

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• The Canes and Stars square off tonight for the second and final time this season.
• On November 18th, the Canes arrived at American Airlines Center on a three-game losing streak and having never won in Dallas since they were the Hartford Whalers. Four unanswered second period goals, and two more in the third period from captain Eric Staal, propelled them to a 6-4 win. While they haven't been overly successful in Dallas, the Canes are 7-3-0 lifetime against the Stars at PNC Arena.
• The Canes come into tonight's game off a disappointing 4-3 shootout loss against the Blue Jackets after they scored three first period goals but then allowed the Jackets to dictate the rest of the game.
• There was no team practice yesterday, so no updates to the roster until after the morning skate. Bill Peters addressed the media briefly, mostly regarding special teams. The good news is that the power play continues to improve, currently clipping at a pace above 28% since the All-Star break. The bad news is that not only have the number of penalties started to rise (Canes still have the league-fewest PIMs/game but the number is increasing), but the penalty kill has given up five power play goals in the last two games, bumping the Canes from best in the league. This is not surprising given that the Canes traded two penalty killers at the deadline, but maintaining team discipline and developing chemistry will be a priority over the next several games.
• Justin Faulk (13g, 31a, 44 pts) and Eric Staal (19g, 24a, 43 pts) continue to waffle back and forth at the top of the Canes scoring leader board. Faulk's three points (1g, 2a) during the first period of Tuesday's game marked the first time a Hurricanes defenseman scored three points in the first period since the team located to Raleigh. Moving into third spot in team scoring is Elias Lindholm, with 33 points (14g, 19a) in his sophomore season. His five points (3g, 2a) against the Oilers on Sunday were a single-game best performance by any Canes player this season.
• Tonight marks the fourth game in a five-game east coast road trip for the Stars, and so far they are 2-1-0. They come into Raleigh off a 2-1 road win against the Flyers Tuesday night. Kari Lehtonen made 25 saves for his first win against the Flyers in 14 tries. Rookie Brett Ritchie lit the lamp for the Stars (his second in the last three games), as did veteran Vernon Fiddler for his fourth in the last four games.
• The Stars have a tough hill to climb for any hopes of a playoff spot; eight points out of the last wild card spot and four teams to jump to get there (for those keeping track, the Canes' tragic number is now 15).
• Jamie Benn leads the Stars in points with 62 (23g, 39a). Tyler Seguin is just behind Benn with 61 points and leads the team with 31 goals, despite having played ten fewer games. Seguin will be playing in his third game since returning from a 10-game absence for a sprained MCL, and he announced his comeback with a two-goal performance against the Lightning Saturday night.
• Defensemen John Klingberg (upper body) and Jason Demers (illness) are questionable for tonight's game as is forward Cody Eakin (disciplinary action).
• Canes fans will see a familiar face in the Stars line-up tonight: Patrick Eaves, who played two seasons for the Canes including the 2008-09 season and playoff run.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Tuesday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Jack Hillen (upper body), Chris Terry, John-Michael Liles

Stars (from Tuesday's game):

Injuries and Scratches: Trevor Daley (knee), Travis Moen (upper body), Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Jason Demers (illness), Cody Eakin