Eye on the Hurricanes

SENATORS AT HURRICANES, 7 P.M. TODAY

WHERE: RBC Center, Raleigh RADIO: WCMC-99.9

TICKETS: 919-834-4000

BURNING QUESTION

Will the Hurricanes take advantage of this three-game home set? This month, they play 11 of their 16 games at the RBC Center.

CAROLINA

Hurricanes show strength on road

Considering that the Hurricanes played eight of the first dozen games on the road, they didn't have a bad start at7-3-2 for 16 points. The franchise's best start was the 2005-06 team that won the Stanley Cup. That team had 19 points in the same number of games. ... Heading into Thursday's game with the Washington Capitals, the Canes had the second-best road record in the league at 5-1-2.

OTTAWA

Sens and Canes will meet 4 times

This is the first of a four-game series with the Hurricanes, with games scheduled in Ontario in January and February before the series finale in Raleigh near the end March. ... Last season, the teams split the four-games series. ... Former Hurricanes Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman, traded in February for Joe Corvo and Patrick Eaves, are no longer with the Senators.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

JOE CORVO, D

The defenseman has two goals and two assists this season. This past March, in his first game against his former team, he had a hat trick against the Senators about a month after he was traded to the Hurricanes. The hat trick was only the third in franchise history for a defenseman.

DANY HEATLEY, LW

Heading into Ottawa's Thursday game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Heatley had 14 points -- eight goals and six assists -- in 12 games. Five of those goals came on power plays. Ottawa has been successful during the power play, scoring 22.8 percent of the time.