Gotta love the scheduling wizards in the NHL offices...
The same guys that gave the Rangers a headstart on the season, one that has them still sitting at four more games-played than the rest of the division, also arranged the Flyers and Hurricanes playing each other four times in the next eight games. The Flyers are in Raleigh tonight, off tomorrow, and hosting the Canes again on Black Friday. Then, the two teams play another pair of games in the first two weeks of December, and that's the last we'll see of them all season.
Fortunately, the Flyers have fared pretty well against Carolina recently. ESPN reports that the Flyers are 9-2-3 in 14 contests with the Hurricanes since November 2003, including three out of four last season.
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Opposing Players to Watch: Who else? Rod Brind'Amour. He's 38 years old, but he's still producing at a respectable clip, with seven goals and seven assists. However, he's also sitting at a stunning -14 already. Superstaar Eric Staal has struggled somewhat this season, also tallying just 14 points so far, but he rung up a hattrick against Phoenix on Friday. Cam Ward has backstopped the Canes' struggling offense well, maintaining a 2.77 GAA. Let's see how he handles the Flyers attack tonight.