Carolina Hurricanes (8-5, second in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Florida Panthers (7-4-1, third in the Atlantic Division)
Sunrise, Florida; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Florida Panthers host the Carolina Hurricanes after the Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in overtime.
Florida has a 7-4-1 record overall and a 4-1-0 record in home games. The Panthers have a 6-2-0 record in games they score three or more goals.
Carolina is 8-5 overall and 4-5-0 in road games. The Hurricanes are 8-3-0 in games they score three or more goals.
The matchup Friday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sam Reinhart has scored nine goals with six assists for the Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk has two goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
Martin Necas has five goals and six assists for the Hurricanes. Jesperi Kotkaniemi has four goals and six assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-2-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Hurricanes: 6-4-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.6 assists, 4.6 penalties and 12.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
INJURIES: Panthers: Sam Bennett: out (lower body), Aaron Ekblad: out (shoulder), Brandon Montour: out (shoulder).
Hurricanes: Ryan Suzuki: out (upper body), Brett Pesce: out (lower body), Frederik Andersen: out (blood clotting).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
