Carolina takes on Florida on 3-game slide

Carolina Hurricanes (12-6-1, fourth in the Central Division) vs. Florida Panthers (13-4-2, first in the Central Division)

Sunrise, Florida; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Carolina looks to break its three-game losing streak when the Hurricanes take on Florida.

The Panthers are 13-4-2 against division opponents. Florida is first in the Nhl with 5.4 assists per game, led by Jonathan Huberdeau averaging 0.8.

The Hurricanes are 12-6-1 against Central Division teams. Carolina ranks eighth in the Nhl averaging 3.3 goals per game, led by Vincent Trocheck with nine.

Florida beat Carolina 4-3 in the last meeting between these teams on Feb. 17. Huberdeau scored two goals for the Panthers in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Aleksander Barkov Jr. leads the Panthers with eight goals, adding 12 assists and collecting 20 points. Huberdeau has three goals and eight assists over the last 10 games for Florida.

Nino Niederreiter leads the Hurricanes with a plus-11 in 19 games this season. Jordan Staal has five goals over the last 10 games for Carolina.

LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-3-0, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.3 assists, 3.9 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .915 save percentage.

Hurricanes: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .912 save percentage.

INJURIES: Panthers: Noel Acciari: out (upper body), Radko Gudas: day to day (upper body).

Hurricanes: Teuvo Teravainen: out (upper body), Petr Mrazek: out (thumb).

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