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Hurricanes look to stay hot in Pittsburgh

Oct 19, 2007 - 1:55 PM Carolina (4-1-1) at Pittsburgh (2-3-0) 7:30 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Despite being in the midst of a six-game road trip, the Carolina Hurricanes have won three consecutive games. They will try to keep rolling when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

After dropping the first game of the road-trip to the Washington Capitals, the Hurricanes stormed through Canada with consecutive wins against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, outscoring those teams 15-5 along the way.

Carolina is trying to regain its championship form after missing the playoffs last season, just one year after winning the Stanley Cup.

Goaltender Cam Ward, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his part in the Hurricanes Stanley Cup run, struggled last season, posting a 30-21-6 record with a 2.93 goals-against average.

However, Ward dropped more than 20 pounds this offseason and seems to be back to his previous form, with a 4-0-1 record and 1.79 goals-against average. He suffered his only loss in overtime after allowing three goals to the Canadiens in the season opener on October 3.

Penguins star Sydney Crosby is still trying to find the level of consistency that won him the Hart Trophy last season. The 20-year-old captain has just two goals and four assists as the Penguins have alternated wins and losses in their first five games.