{coyotes} COYOTES (3-5-1) at HURRICANES (0-6-2)

Friday, 31 October 2014

{coyotes} COYOTES (3-5-1) at HURRICANES (0-6-2)

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Saturday, November 1, 2014

7:00 PM ET

COYOTES (3-5-1) at HURRICANES (0-6-2)

TV: FS-A+, FS-CR

Season series: This is the first of two games between the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes this season. They split two games in 2013-14, with each winning in the other's arena. Eric Staal had two goals and two assists to lead the Hurricanes, and Rob Klinkhammer (two goals) and Shane Doan (one goal, one assist) each had two points for the Coyotes.

Coyotes team scope: Arizona finished October in last place in the Western Conference with seven points, but coach Dave Tippett feels there is reason for optimism. "It's early in the year. I think there's lots of upside in this group," he said Friday, according to AZCentral.com." You've got to recognize if you're doing things right, playing the way we can as a team, eventually your bounces or your wins will come along. If you look at [goalie Mike Smith], that's three of the last four games he's played very well. Our power play continues to find opportunities for us." Smith allowed two goals in a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday, two days after the Tampa Bay Lightning scored six on him in the Coyotes' 7-3 loss to open their four-game road trip. Arizona's power play was second in the NHL at 26.5 percent entering Friday.

Hurricanes team scope: Forward Alexander Semin could be a healthy scratch; he did not participate on line rushes with any of the top four lines at practice Friday. "Right now, he's not in the lineup," coach Bill Peters said, according to the Hurricanes website. "We've got a couple guys back from injury so we've got the ability to take some guys out." Carolina lists forwards Nathan Gerbe, who has missed the past four games, and Patrick Dwyer, who has missed the past six, as probable for the game Saturday. Each has been out with a lower-body injury. Semin, who has not scored and is minus-7 in eight games, was benched in the third period of a 4-1 road loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. The Hurricanes have been struggling at both ends of the ice during their eight-game losing streak to open the season. They are 28th in the NHL in goals (1.88 per game) and last in goals against (3.88 per game), but should get help in both categories from Staal, who had an assist in the loss to the Canucks, his first game since he sustained an upper-body injury Oct. 11 vs. the New York Islanders.

Team Stats