CAROLINA HURRICANES (13-11-4-3, 33 pts.)
at
MINNESOTA WILD (16-7-6-1, 39 pts., through Dec. 12)
Sunday, December 15 at 6:00 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center

GAME NIGHT

The defending Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild at Xcel Energy Center for the final game of a four-game road trip. Carolina defeated Calgary 4-3 on Thursday night at Pengrowth Saddledome. Carolina completed four consecutive sets of back-to-back games. The Hurricanes are 8-6-0-0 in back-to-back games with a 5-2-0-0 record in the front half and a 3-4-0-0 record in the back half of back-to-back games. Carolina plays a total of 19 sets of back-to-back games this season. Carolina has lost just eight times in regulation in its last 26 games. All but ten of the Hurricanes' last 26 opponents participated in the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Carolina captain Ron Francis, playing in his 1,600th NHL game, scored his 525th career NHL goal at Calgary on Thursday, moving him past Bryan Trottier for 22nd on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Francis also scored the game-winner and has tallied nine points (4g, 5a) in the last nine games. Second-year forward Erik Cole has 14 points (9g, 5a) in the last 13 games. The BBC line of Rod Brind’Amour, Bates Battaglia, and Cole continues to drive the Hurricanes’ offense with 31 points (15g, 16a) in 13 games. Battaglia netted his second career shorthanded goal at Calgary.

PRACTICE TIMES

Dec. 14	Saturday	Xcel Energy Centre	TBA
Dec. 15	Sunday	Xcel Energy Center	TBA
Dec. 16	Monday	RecZone	12 noon
Dec. 17	Tuesday	RBC Center	TBA
Dec. 18	Wednesday	RBC Center	10:30 a.m.
Dec. 19	Thursday	RBC Center	TBA
Dec. 20	Friday	Phillips Arena	11:30 a.m.

ON THE AIR
Television: Fox Sports Net (NC & SC)
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
Center Rod Brind’Amour was honored in Calgary Thursday night with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his support of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Society. Linemates Ron Francis, Jeff O’Neill, and Jan Hlavac combined for eight of Carolina’s ten scoring points in the Hurricanes victory over the Flames. Together, Francis, O’Neill, and Hlavac have notched 24 points (10g, 14a) in the past nine games.

CAROLINA AT HOME: 7-4-4-2
CAROLINA ON THE ROAD: 6-7-0-1
CAROLINA ON THE POWER PLAY: 34-of-184 (18.5%)
CAROLINA SHORTHANDED: 149-of-174 (85.6%)

CAROLINA INJURY UPDATE
Kevin Weekes missed the game at Calgary (12/12) due to a concussion. He was placed on Injured Reserve on Nov. 29. Sami Kapanen missed the game at Calgary (12/12) with a groin injury. He is day-to-day.

CAROLINA / MINNESOTA NOTES
The Hurricanes and the Wild meet for the first of two matchups this season. Carolina won last season’s series 2-0. Captain Ron Francis and Jeff O’Neill led Carolina in scoring in last season’s series with four points each. Francis and O’Neill tallied two goals and two assists apiece. The Hurricanes downed the Wild, 7-3 in Minnesota on Oct. 24, 2001. Carolina won the rematch 2-0 in Raleigh on Jan. 15, 2002. Carolina leads the series with Minnesota 2-0-1-0. The Hurricanes are 1-0-0-0 in Raleigh and 1-0-1-0 at Minnesota against the Wild.

WILD NOTES
Minnesota travels to Nashville on Saturday, Dec. 14 for a matchup with the Predators, before returning to Xcel Energy Center to host the Hurricanes on Sunday. The Wild have won three straight, with their last loss coming at Calgary on Dec. 5 and are tied for first in the Western Conference with 39 points. Winger Marian Gaborik leads the Wild with 29 points (19g, 10a). He is tied for first in the league in goals scored through games of Dec. 12. Gaborik has netted three hat tricks since Nov. 4.

SCORING LEADERS AND GOALTENDERS

HURRICANES
	GP	G	A	TP
17 Brind'Amour	31	11	15	26
92 O'Neill	31	9	16	25
10 Francis	31	12	10	22
26 Cole	31	11	9	20
20 Hlavac	27	6	9	15
Goalies	GP	GAA	W-L-T	SV%
1 Irbe	13	3.17	5-7-0	.888
80 Weekes	20	2.07	8-6-4	.931
WILD
	GP	G	A	TP
10 Gaborik	30	19	10	29
7 Ronning	30	5	18	23
11 Dupuis	29	8	13	21
15 Brunette	30	11	9	20
33 Zholtok	30	5	15	20
Goalies	GP	GAA	W-L-T	SV%
30 Roloson	16	2.05	8-2-5	.927
35 Fernandez	15	2.21	8-6-1	.926