Carolina @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2018 ) Philadelphia 1, Carolina 3

The Philadelphia Flyers brought in the new year in much the same manner as they ushered out the old: with a loss. After concluding a five-game road trip with four straight setbacks, the floundering Flyers bid to regain their footing on Thursday when they open a three-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes.

"We hit two posts -- lot of frustration. We're going to keep working and the power play is going to get back untracked," captain Claude Giroux said after Philadelphia was shut out for the fifth time this season in a 4-0 loss to Nashville on New Year's Day. The Flyers' NHL-worst power play was blanked for the fourth straight game and is a woeful 9-for-93 (9.7 percent) since Oct. 13. While Philadelphia has mustered just two goals in its last three games overall, Carolina had netted seven in its previous five before its 3-1 triumph over the Flyers on Monday. "We're just trying to get points and get back into the mix here. It doesn't matter how we win or how many goals we score, if we win that game 1-0, we're happy," said Jordan Martinook, who scored the franchise's fastest goal to start a period when he tallied six seconds into the middle session versus Philadelphia.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Carolina), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (16-17-5): Curtis McElhinney, who sports an NHL second-best 2.22 goals-against average, has yielded two goals or fewer in seven of his last nine outings (5-3-1, .941 save percentage). The 35-year-old turned aside 22 of 23 shots versus Philadelphia earlier this week to up his record to 6-3-0 in nine career outings against the club. First-time All-Star Sebastian Aho, who leads the team in goals (15), assists (24) and points (39), was held off the scoresheet in the first meeting with the Flyers after erupting for 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his previous nine encounters.

ABOUT THE FLYERS (15-19-5): Rookie Carter Hart is undaunted after answering a sterling start to his NHL career in which he turned aside 100 of 109 shots in his first four starts by yielding three goals on 10 attempts before receiving the early gate against Carolina. "I think I've always bounced back from tough games. You put it in the archives and learn from it," said the 20-year-old, who has permitted just a pair of first-period goals through five starts. Jakub Voracek scored Philadelphia's lone goal in the third period versus the Hurricanes, giving him 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 33 meetings with the club.

OVERTIME

1. Like Philadelphia, Carolina's 28th-ranked power play has struggled mightily as it failed on both opportunities Monday to fall to 0-for-25 in its past seven games.

2. The Flyers recorded the second-fewest points at home this season (16) entering play on Wednesday.

3. Hurricanes LW Teuvo Teravainen's 29 points rank second on the team behind Aho, with only eight coming on the road.

PREDICTION: Flyers 3, Hurricanes 1