THE SERIES: This is the first of six meetings. The Lightning trails 16-23-7-1.
KEY INJURIES: Carolina - Aaron Ward (infected rear muscle, out); Sean Hill (groin, probable). Tampa Bay - None.
THE LOWDOWN: In an attempt to improve the Lightning's five-on-five offense (12 of 22 goals have been scored that way) Fredrik Modin was elevated during Friday's practice to Vinny Lecavalier's line. Andre Roy took Modin's place on Martin Cibak's line. ... Ward was hit in the rear by a slap shot against the Rangers on Oct. 18 and an infection developed in the muscle tissue. ... Hurricanes G Kevin Weekes saw his shutout streak of 183:16 ended in Thursday's loss to the Rangers. ... The loss snapped Carolina's six-game unbeaten streak (2-0-4). ... The Lightning is unbeaten in seven to start the season. ... Entering Friday, Lightning C Tim Taylor was tied for the league lead with two short-handed assists. ... RW Martin St. Louis was tied for the lead with two winners. ... Carolina had the league's second-worst power play at 7.7 percent. ... Tampa Bay was 3-0-2 against the Hurricanes last season. ... The first 5,000 fans receive a Cory Stillman super-hero action figure.
