Game #15 - at Carolina Hurricanes

Pittsburgh Penguins (7-5-2, 16 pts) at Carolina Hurricanes (8-6-3, 19 pts)

First up, this is the first time Brooks Orpik will see the Hurricanes since his hit on Erik Cole last season. The Hurricanes will try to go after him, I'd guess, especially if the game gets out of hand in either direction. They may also try to go after Army, but his hit earlier this year on Letowski wasn't really viewed as dirty, so maybe they'll lay off on him while they're distracted by Brooks.

Cam Ward continues to be a winning goalie that just isn't all that great. I know he had a great playoff run, but his regular season numbers continue to be average to slightly above average. He's been worse than Fleury this season in both save % and goals against. He does just enough to win the games, it would seem.

Helping out Ward is the Hurricanes defense, which except for their Atlanta game, has done an excellent job recently. This does not bode well for the Penguins, whose offense is currently in the remedial training portion of Michel Therrien's School for the Offensively Challenged.

I'll be frank - the way the Penguins have been playing, I don't see much chance for a victory tonight. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe going on the road will help pull this team out of whatever funk it's in. Let's hope so.

I'm still waiting for a goal from Army.

Let's Go Pens!