GAME NIGHT
The Carolina Hurricanes return to the RBC Center for the first of two weekend home games to face the New York Islanders on Friday at 7 p.m. The Hurricanes will play host to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday in a 1:30 p.m. matinee. Friday’s game will mark Hurricanes captain Ron Francis’ 1,700th NHL game, as he becomes just the third player in NHL history to achieve that milestone.

Right wing Jeff O’Neill currently leads the Hurricanes in points (27) and assists (17). O’Neill passed Pat Verbeek (192) and took sole possession of fifth on the franchise’s all-time goal-scoring list with his power-play goal against Ottawa on Jan. 20. On Jan. 11, O’Neill passed Verbeek (403) and took sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time points list with an assist on Eric Staal’s goal. Forward Josef Vasicek leads the team in goals (13), power-play goals (5) and ranks third with 23 points... Defenseman Sean Hill has assists in four of the last six games (1/11-1/21: 0g, 5a).

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); WSJS 600 AM (Winston-Salem); WNMX 106.1 FM (Charlotte)
Internet: www.nhl.com

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

CAROLINA NOTES
Hurricanes captain Ron Francis will play in his 1,700th NHL game with his next game played… Francis is one goal shy of Maurice Richard (544) on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list… Jeff O’Neill has recently led an upswing in the Carolina’s offensive production, scoring six goals in the last seven games (1/9-1/21: 6g, 1a). During O’Neill’s hot streak, the Hurricanes have averaged 2.29 goals per game, up from their season average of 1.85. Similarly, captain Ron Francis has notched seven points (1g, 6a) in the last eight games, center Eric Staal has five points (2g, 3a) in the last seven games, defenseman Sean Hill has five assists in the last six games, winger Pavel Brendl has four points (1g, 3a) in the last five games, winger Erik Cole has four points (2g, 2a) in the last six games and Josef Vasicek has five points (2g, 3a) in the last five games.

CAROLINA AT HOME: 10-9-6-1
CAROLINA ON THE ROAD: 6-12-3-1
CAROLINA ON THE POWER PLAY: 24-of-219 (11.0%)
CAROLINA SHORTHANDED: 165-of-201 (82.1%)

CAROLINA INJURY UPDATE
Defenseman Aaron Ward, left wrist, surgery 1/21, out approx. six weeks, missed one game (1/21)
Center Kevyn Adams, knee infection, day-to-day, missed one game (1/21)

CAROLINA / ISLANDERS NOTES
The Hurricanes and the Islanders meet for the second of four match ups during the 2003-04 season, and the first of two at the RBC Center. The Hurricanes downed the Islanders 2-0 on Nov. 26 in the team’s first meeting this season behind Kevin Weekes’ 28-save shutout performance. Bret Hedican (1g, 1a) led the Hurricanes with two points in that game. Carolina and the Islanders meet again on March 27 at Nassau Coliseum and wrap the four-game season series on April 2 in Raleigh.

The Hurricanes and Islanders split last season’s four-game set with each team winning once and losing once on home ice. Carolina scored victories against the Islanders on Oct. 30 (4-2 at RBC Center) and Dec. 28 (3-0 at Nassau Coliseum), and New York won on Oct. 22 (4-1 at Nassau Coliseum) and April 6 (2-1 at RBC Center) last season. Rod Brind’Amour (2g, 2a) and Sami Kapanen (3g, 1a) led the Hurricanes in last season’s four-game set. Carolina posts a 40-35-9-2 all-time record against the Islanders, including a 21-16-5-1 mark at home and a 19-19-4-1 record at Nassau Coliseum.

2003-04 SCORING LEADERS AND GOALTENDERS