January 10, 2012; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal (12) puts a shot on Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (35) during the 2nd period at the RBC center. The Flyers defeated the Hurricanes 2-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes are running on momentum from last night’s victory against the Ottawa Senators, hoping it will carry them through as they face the Philadelphia Flyers on their ice tonight at 7.

Despite overcoming a win-less streak last night in beating the Ottawa Senators 1-0, the Hurricanes had to hop on their private charter and head to Philly to take on the Flyers in their first meeting of the season.  Last season the Canes went 1-3 against the Flyers, their only victory being November 21 in Philly, winning 4-2.

The Canes will be without Tuomo Ruutu who is still recovering from surgery and is expected to be sidelined until at least April, perhaps the entire season. The Flyers could potentially be without key forward Wayne Simmonds after he was the recipient of a high hit against the Washington Capitals last night and did not return to the game after the first period hit.

The Flyers are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Capitals last night, playing a majority of the game without Zach Rinaldo who got ejected after his fight with Hendricks and Simmonds who sustained an undisclosed injury at the time this article was written. The Flyers have given up the fewest goals against when playing 5-on-5 hockey and look to keep that streak alive.

Eye on the Storm: The main focus for Carolina tonight should be to keep a close watch on Claude Giroux.  Giroux has gone scoreless in the last three games, meaning he is way past due for some sort of action. Last season Giroux only went three straight games without a point twice on the entire season, and just four times in the last two seasons over the span of 136 games.

The Hurricanes currently have two key goal scorers for the club, one in their captain Eric Staal and the other in Jeff Skinner. Each leads the team with 5 goals, Staal having the upper hand with 2 assists as well.

Between the Pipes: 

After earning his second start in the past three games and his second victory on the season, Dan Ellis is expected to sit out against the Flyers, with Cam Ward getting the nod. Ward is 1-3 on the season and sports a 4.5 goals against average and .861 save percentage.

For Philadelphia Ilya Bryzgalov got the nod last night against the Capitals and is expected in net again against Carolina.  He sports a 2.31 goals against average and .918 save percentage.

The puck is set to drop at 7pm and can be seen or heard on NHL Game Center Live.

February 1, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Dan Ellis (31) is congratulated by teammate center Jiri Tlusty (19) after shutting out the Ottawa Senators at the PNC center. The Hurricanes defeated the Senators 1-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight Dan Ellis provided the Carolina Hurricanes with a much needed home victory as he shutout the Ottawa Senators through the sixty minutes of play. Ellis, performing in his second start in three games, turned away all 33 shots he faced.

The Hurricanes were able to open up the scoring in the first period at the 15:45 marker as Eric Staal re-directed a shot from Alexandre Semin.  The Canes dominated the shots the entire period and killed off a penalty to Drayson Bowman early on that helped instill some confidence in the team.  After twenty minutes the Hurricanes held a 15-11 edge in shots and had a 1-0 lead.

The second period proved to be a consistent line of opportunities.  They found themselves on the power play early on as Methot went to the box for hooking Eric Staal.  Jeff Skinner provided the Canes with the best opportunity of the period when ohe rand the puck off of the crossbar having it bounce straight down.  After trading man advantages through the entire twenty minute period, the two teams were deadlocked at 24 shots on net heading into the final frame, the Canes still up 1-0.

Through the final twenty minutes the Senators appeared to be easily rattled as they tried to fight their way onto the score board, with Ellis making spectacular saves to preserve the one-goal lead. His best play came midway through the final frame when he was able to stop a sharp-angle shot and then make a quick save on the rebound attempt. The Senators called Anderson to the bench for the extra attacker, but to no avail as Dan Ellis stood tall between the pipes preserving the win for Carolina.

In making the 33 saves Ellis earned himself his 13th career shutout, his first since 2010 against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he was a part of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization.  Craig Anderson saved 34 shots on the evening earning the loss for the Senators who fell to 5-2-1 on the season.

The Hurricanes next game is tomorrow against the Philadelphia Flyers with a start time of 7PM. The Canes looking to instill a win streak to start the month of February.

Apr 3, 2012; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes centre Eric Stall (12) and Ottawa Senators right wing Daniel Alfredsson (11) fight for the puck in the third period at Scotiabank Place. The Hurricanes defeated the Senators 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Ottawa Senators on home ice before packing it up and heading on the road for a six game road trip. The Canes are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, while the Senators are looking for their third straight win. This is the first of three meetings between the Canes and Senators this season. They are coming off a last season record of 1-2-1 on the series against Ottawa.

The Canes will be looking to capitalize on the injury plagued Senators. The Senators will be without their leading goal scorer Jason Spezza. Spezza is scheduled for back surgery and will be out for at least two months. The Senators will also be without several other key players, such as Jared Cowen (hip surgery), Mike Lunin (broken finger), Sergei Gonchar (lower body injury).  For the Canes, Tuomo Ruutu remains sidelined and Justin Faulk is questionable with an upper body injury. [UPDATE: Faulk will be in the line up tonight.]

The Canes will be looking to improve their home ice record which is currently 1-2-0 while the Senators are 2-1-0 on the road.  This will be their fourth home game this season. The Canes have had an unusual 3 day break and used it to their advantage to practice their special teams.  Their power play is currently 3 for 26 good enough for last place in the Eastern Conference and 25th in the league. Carolina will need to bring their best game in order to beat the Senators, who currently have 13 different players on the scoresheet already this season, putting them in first place in the NorthEast Division.  “We’ve got to get in the groove” says Head Coach Kirk Muller. “ We’re excited to start tonight. Hopefully finish on a good note at home and then take it onto the road and have a big road trip”.

Dan Ellis  will get the start in the net tonight for Carolina playing in his first home game of the season. This will be his second start in three games. Ellis has a .963 save percentage and a 1-0 record on the season. He will be up against netminder  Craig Anderson (Ottawa)  who has a .99 save percentage  and a 5-1-1 record.

Face off is set for 7PM at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.