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Hurricanes set sights on Southeast Division title

Apr 4, 2008 - 1:13 PM Florida (37-34-9) at Carolina (43-32-6) 7:00 pm EDT

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - With a playoff spot resting in the balance, the Carolina Hurricanes are no doubt glad their final game is on home ice.

The Hurricanes try to win their second Southeast Division title in the last three seasons on Friday when they host the Florida Panthers.

Carolina (43-32-6) is in third place in the Eastern Conference standings by virtue of its share of the lead with the Washington Capitals (41-31-8) atop the division.

The Hurricanes can clinch the division title and the third seed heading into the postseason with a win on Friday.

A regulation loss could be devastating as the Hurricanes would run the risk of missing the playoffs if Washington picked up a point in their final game Saturday.

Carolina improved to 13-1-2 during its last 16 games at the RBC Center on Wednesday, claiming a decisive 6-2 victory over the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chad LaRose, who was activated on Friday after missing nearly two months with a broken leg, logged his first career hat trick to lead the Hurricanes.

The Panthers bounced back from three straight losses in regulation with a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday, setting a franchise record with their 19th road win of the season.

Olli Jokinen, the team's leading scorer, notched his 34th goal of the season on a power play in the first period while Jay Bouwmeester and David Booth both added tallies in the third en route to the win.