CAROLINA HURRICANES (22-38-11-6, 61 pts.)
vs.
BUFFALO SABRES (24-35-9-8, 65 pts.)*
Saturday, March 29, 2003, 7 p.m. at the RBC Center
* All Buffalo statistics prior to Friday’s game against Montreal *

GAME NIGHT

The Carolina Hurricanes conclude their four-game season series with Buffalo on Saturday as the Sabres visit the RBC Center. This is the final game of the Hurricanes’ 10-game high-definition television schedule. Play-by-play Announcer John Forslund’s and Analyst Tripp Tracy’s call can be seen and heard in the Triangle on cable channel 251, or in true high definition on channel 250.

PRACTICE TIMES

Mar. 28	Friday	RecZone	11 a.m.
Mar. 29	Saturday	RBC Center	10:30 a.m.
Mar. 30	Sunday	RBC Center	noon
Mar. 31	Monday	RBC Center	10:30 a.m.
Apr. 1	Tuesday	RBC Center	11 a.m.
Apr. 2	Wednesday	Mellon Arena	11:30 a.m.

ON THE AIR
Television: Fox-DT
Radio: WKIX 102.3 FM (Goldsboro); WKXU 101.1 FM (Raleigh); WDTF 570-AM (Raleigh); WMFD 630-AM (Wilmington); WDLZ 98.3-FM (Murfreesboro); WSJS 600-AM (Winston-Salem); WRUP 97.9-FM (New Bern/Morehead City); WSTK 910-AM (Jacksonville); WNMX 106.1 (Charlotte); WCNC 1240-AM (Elizabeth City); WZBO 1260-AM (Edenton)
Internet: www.nhl.com

CAROLINA NOTES
With Mike Watt's Hurricanes debut on March 22 at Montreal, a total of 40 players now have played (or served as back-up goaltender) for Carolina this season. From the Hurricanes' 20-man, opening-game lineup, just 11 players played in Carolina's last game. ... Hurricanes forward Jeff O’Neill ranks first among Carolina goal scorers with 30 markers and first among all Hurricanes in scoring with 60 points (30g, 30a) this season. O’Neill has tallied 18 points in the last 20 games (Feb. 14-March 26: 10g, 8a).

CAROLINA AT HOME: 12-14-9-3
CAROLINA ON THE ROAD: 10-24-2-3
CAROLINA ON THE POWER PLAY: 58-of-398 (14.6%)
CAROLINA SHORTHANDED: 306-of-373 (82.0%)

CAROLINA INJURY UPDATE
Right wing Radim Vrbata, flu, day-to-day, missed two games (March 25-26)
Center Kevyn Adams, abdominal strain, day-to-day, missed two games (March 25-26)
Goaltender Patrick DesRochers, broken elbow, indefinite, missed three games (March 22-26)
Left wing Jan Hlavac, broken finger, indefinite, missed 12 games (March 2-26)
Right wing Pavel Brendl, arthroscopic knee surgery, injured reserve, missed 14 games (Feb. 26-March 26)
Left wing Jaroslav Svoboda, dislocated shoulder, injured reserve, missed 20 games (Feb. 14-March 26)
Right wing Jesse Boulerice, concussion, injured reserve, missed 20 games (Feb. 14-March 26)
Right wing Jeff Heerema, broken wrist, injured reserve, missed 22 games (Feb. 9-March 26)
Left wing Erik Cole, broken leg, injured reserve, missed 24 games (Feb. 5-March 26)
Center Rod Brind’Amour, hand surgery, injured reserve, missed 28 games (Jan. 22-March 26)

CAROLINA / BUFFALO NOTES
The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres meet tonight in the fourth of four regular-season matchups. Kevin Weekes made 26 saves to shut out the Sabres in the teams’ first meeting on Nov. 7 at RBC Center, but Buffalo returned the favor by notching six against the Hurricanes in a 6-3 win at HSBC Arena on Jan. 3. Radim Vrbata scored an extra-attacker goal to force overtime and Craig Adams notched the game-winner as the Hurricanes downed the Sabres 3-2 on March 12. Carolina went 1-1-1-1 (4 points) in four games against Buffalo last season and scored a win and an overtime loss at HSBC Arena in 2001-02. The Hurricanes own a 55-76-18-1 all-time record against the Sabres including a 31-33-11-0 home record and 24-43-7-1 road mark.

SCORING LEADERS AND GOALTENDERS

HURRICANES
	GP	G	A	TP
92 O'Neill	77	30	30	60
10 Francis	77	22	33	55
17 Brind'Amour	48	14	23	37
19 Vrbata	71	16	19	35
Goalies	GP	GAA	W-L-T	SV%
1 Irbe	31	3.20	7-21-2	.878
80 Weekes	49	2.51	14-22-9	.915
SABRES
	GP	G	A	TP
81 Satan	73	24	43	67
48 Briere	76	21	29	50
12 Kotalik	65	19	13	32
37 Brown	73	15	16	31
17 Dumont	70	14	17	31
Goalies	GP	GAA	W-L-T	SV%
43 Biron	51	2.49	16-26-6	.910
35 Noronen	13	2.55	2-9-2	.906
30 Miller	15	2.63	6-8-1	.902