Big game for Canes in Philly

PHILADELPHIA -- It won't be the biggest game in town, by any means, but for the Carolina Hurricanes it's by far the most important.

The Canes will play the Philadelphia Flyers today at the Wachovia Center, with the puck dropping a little after 1 p.m. About seven hours later, across the street at Citizens Bank Park, will come the first pitch in Game 3 of the World Series between the Phillies and New York Yankees.

But Canes coach Paul Maurice doesn't mind being the afternoon matinee, so to speak.

"We'd like to be the main show in town, but we're just not yet," he said. "Not a bad way to go. We're coming in undercover."

For the Hurricanes, it's not a matter of exposure. It's simply a matter of trying to win a game. They're 2-5-3 overall - their worst start to season since 1997-98, their first year in North Carolina - and are winless in their last seven games. On the road, they're 0-4-2.

"It's not going to be a pretty road win, whenever we get one," goaltender Cam Ward said Friday. "It's going to be one of those grinding games, and that's the game we have to play. And we have to be willing to play like that, too."

In their first six road games, the Canes have encountered a Boston Bruins team seething about last year's playoff series loss to Carolina. The same was true when they played the New Jersey Devils.

The Tampa Bay Lightning was after a first win of the season when the Canes came to town. So were the New York Islanders last week.

The Colorado Avalanche had been away from home much of the early season when the Canes arrived in Denver. It was much the same the next night for the Minnesota Wild.

The Flyers (5-4-1) may not be desperate but figure to be in a foul mood. After losses to San Jose and Washington, Flyers coach John Stevens canceled a scheduled off day Wednesday and put his team through a long, tough workout, then another Thursday.

The Flyers were muttering many of the same things after their 4-2 loss to the Capitals that the Canes did after a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. Philadelphia had a season-high 43 shots; the Canes outshot the Blues 36-18.

The Flyers' Jeff Carter, who had 46 goals last season, has gone the last six games without one. Carolina's Eric Staal, a 40-goal scorer a year ago, has one goal in the Canes' last six games.

Against the Flyers, Maurice said, the Canes must be able to handle the puck cleanly and get it out of their zone. If not, the Flyers can make them pay with quick-strike goals, a common malady for Carolina this season.

But Philadelphia's speed down the middle of the ice also is a big concern.

"If you turn pucks over or are not stopping the rush, you really have a real problem," Maurice said. "The odd-man rushes are going to be very, very dangerous... On that 'freeway,' as we call it, we have to be moving in the right direction."

That's what the Hurricanes hope to be doing after today's game -- moving in the right direction again. But they can't just talk about it.

"When things are going bad and you're on a losing streak, you find ways to lose," forward Jussi Jokinen said. "It feels like we're finding different ways to lose a game. We have to find a way to win a game -- shootout, overtime, with five goals, 1-0."

Ward is expected to start his 12th consecutive game today, and backup Michael Leighton may get his first start Sunday against the San Jose Sharks at the RBC Center. Leighton did not practice Friday after his wife, Jennifer, gave birth to a baby girl.

Ward said the Hurricanes can't let the frustration level continue to build. It's a veteran team with players who know how to win, who know how to grind.

"I think you've just got to do whatever you can to keep the confidence," Ward said. "As a team, we dug ourselves into this hole. It wasn't done individually, and that won't get us out of it. It's something we have to do together.

"You can get to the point where you're almost pushing too hard. You're gripping the sticks a little too tight, you're trying to do a little too much. Less is better."