Carolina plays Florida, looks for 5th straight victory

Florida Panthers (15-4-4, second in the Central Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (16-6-1, third in the Central Division)

Raleigh, North Carolina; Sunday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Carolina will attempt to keep its four-game win streak going when the Hurricanes take on Florida.

The Hurricanes are 16-6-1 against opponents in the Central Division. Carolina is third in the NHL recording 9.4 points per game, averaging 3.4 goals and 6.0 assists.

The Panthers are 15-4-4 against the rest of their division. Florida has scored 77 goals and ranks fifth in the league averaging 3.4 goals per game. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 10.

In their last meeting on March 1, Carolina won 3-2.

TOP PERFORMERS: Vincent Trocheck has 21 total points for the Hurricanes, 12 goals and nine assists. Martin Necas has three goals and seven assists over the last 10 games for Carolina.

Huberdeau has 28 total points while scoring 10 goals and totaling 18 assists for the Panthers. Aaron Ekblad has five goals and three assists over the last 10 games for Florida.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 6-3-1, averaging three goals, 5.5 assists, 3.6 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game with a .928 save percentage.

Panthers: 6-2-2, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.4 assists, three penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .923 save percentage.

INJURIES: Hurricanes: Jake Gardiner: day to day (upper body), Petr Mrazek: out (thumb).

Panthers: Anthony Duclair: out (lower body), Anton Stralman: day to day (lower body).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by