Eye on the Hurricanes

CAROLINA AT NEW YORK RANGERS, 7 P.M. TODAY

WHERE: Madison Square Garden, New York TV: FSCAR RADIO: WCMC-99.9 TICKETS: 919-834-4000 or www.ticketmaster.com

BURNING QUESTION

Will injured defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Tim Gleason be able to play for the Canes? Both practiced Friday in Philadelphia.

HURRICANES

Ward may go against Rangers

Goaltender Cam Ward looked sharp in practice Friday at the Wachovia Center and may be able to play tonight against the Rangers, coach Paul Maurice said. Ward has been out with a groin injury.

Maurice said if strength and conditioning director Pete Friesen "green lights" Ward, and the goalie feels good about it, there was a good chance Ward would be in net. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said Friday he would play tonight, but Maurice noted that he also expected Seidenberg to play against the Flyers and he wasn't able to go.

RANGERS

Special teams good and bad

One good, one not so good. While the Rangers were ranked first in the NHL on the penalty kill going into Friday's games, the power play has been a lingering problem. The Rangers, who faced the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, had scored just once on the power play in their last six games, which Chris Drury calls "unacceptable." Conversely, they were 13-for-13 on the penalty kill in the last five games.

The Rangers will be playing the second of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights. Will their energy level be high enough?

PLAYERS TO WATCH

ERIC STAAL, C

With three goals in the past two games, Staal may be ready to break loose offensively, and the Canes could use a scoring binge by the center. Staal had two goals and an assist against the Flyers on Thursday. Before the Flyers game, Staal had scored goals in just two of the previous 17 games, including the hat trick against Phoenix.

SCOTT GOMEZ, C

Gomez scored the winner early in overtime Wednesday as the Rangers ended a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Atlanta. Gomez also went after the Thrashers' Ilya Kovalchuk after Kovalchuk took a poke at Rangers goalie Stephen Valiquette. Gomez later joked that he didn't know what he was doing, saying, "Stuff happens in hockey."