• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

East-leading Flyers welcome 'Canes

Feb 10, 2011 - 4:17 PM (Sports Network) - The Flyers have looked like a team capable of winning the Presidents' Trophy for the majority of the season, especially in two games against the Hurricanes.

Philadelphia takes aim at a ninth straight victory over Carolina this evening in the continuation of a four-game homestand at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are tops in the Eastern Conference with 75 points, three ahead of the division-rival Penguins and four up on the Southeast Division-leading Lightning. Philadelphia still trails Vancouver by four points for the most in the NHL despite going 12-3 so far in 2011.

The Hurricanes certainly know what the Flyers are capable of. Philadelphia recorded an 8-1 rout in Carolina when the teams last met on Nov. 11, getting a hat trick from Jeff Carter, two goals and an assist by Danny Briere and 35 saves from rookie Sergei Bobrovsky. The win also came just 10 days after the Flyers edged out a 3-2 home win over the Hurricanes.

Philadelphia hasn't lost in regulation to Carolina since Dec. 19, 2006, going 14-0-3 in the last 17 meetings while winning four straight and six of the last eight in Philly. The 'Canes have just four wins in their last 20 trips to the city of Brotherly Love.

Carter scored his 25th goal of the season in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Dallas, while Andrej Meszaros added his fourth goal of the year and Darroll Powe tallied his first since Nov. 15, a short-handed marker. The Flyers have taken the first two contests of its homestand and six of their last seven as the host while winning for the eighth time in 10 games overall.

Brian Boucher got the start over Bobrovsky and made 30 saves for his first victory since Jan. 16.

"He looked really good tonight, in control of everything it seemed to me," said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette of Boucher.

Neither Boucher nor Bobrovsky has seized hold of the starting role and that is okay with Laviolette.

"I think there is a lot of, not only confidence from me, but confidence from our team, in both goaltenders," he said. "They've both had very strong years from start to this point ... but certainly they both deserve a lot of credit.

"Both goalies are playing well and we'll continue to keep them both active."

Bobrovsky has stopped 61-of-64 shots in both victories over Carolina this year, while Boucher is 5-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average versus the franchise lifetime.

Carolina will look to get back on track this evening after suffering a 3-2 overtime setback in New Jersey on Tuesday, its third loss in four games.

Jeff Skinner scored a pair of power-play goals and leads all rookies with 43 points off 20 goals and 23 assists.

Cam Ward made 31 saves, but allowed the game-tying goal with 2:54 left in regulation.

"We have a one-goal lead with a few minutes left to play, we are supposed to win the game," said Skinner. "Unfortunately we weren't able to close it out. They kept putting pressure on us and finally got [the tying goal]."

Carolina lost the opener of a five-game road trip and is just one point ahead of Atlanta for the eighth spot in the East. It has lost five of its last six on the road overall.

Ward is 3-7-2 with a 3.35 GAA in his career versus the Flyers and did not make it out of the second period after yielding four goals on 13 shots in the most recent meeting.