Philadelphia Flyers v Carolina Hurricanes Live

Even though most will remember last year as the season where Philly experienced a first-round playoff exit and the Hurricanes made it to the Conference Finals, things may look differently now. After a blockbuster trade on draft night, the Flyers will be heading into this year’s NHL season with their defense being strengthened by Chris Pronger and the hope to elevate their game to the next level. Thus, the team will head to North Carolina to open the season versus the Hurricanes at RBC Center on Friday at midnight GMT.

While other teams were busy blowing up their roster and going into rebuilding mode over the summer, there was very little motivation for the Hurricanes to do anything drastic. After two years in the lottery following their Stanley Cup win in 2006, the team around Eric Staal and Ray Whitney finally made it to the post-season again last year and eventually finished the season with a Conference Finals appearance. Thus, GM Jim Rutherford wrapped up the off-season by resigning no less than twelve restricted free agents to keep the successful 2008-09 squad intact.

Philadelphia on the other hand, was willing to make a significant move when the opportunity presented itself at the NHL Entry Draft in June. More specifically, the Flyers traded their 2009 and 2010 first round pick to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for five-time All-Star Chris Pronger. Even though Pronger will immediately improve the team, one has to wonder if it really was a smart business decision to sign a 31-year old player to a lengthy seven year contract.

Even though on paper the odds may favor the ‘Canes, one has to take into consideration that the Flyers’ first-round playoff exit last year happened versus the eventual Stanley Cup champions from Pittsburgh. Likewise, both teams seemed to be around the same level of play in 2008-09 and will most likely compete for home ice advantage this year. Neither team performed particularly well during the preseason at 0-2 and 1-3 respectively. Therefore, fans around the league can expect sixty minutes of hard-fought NHL hockey on Friday at midnight GMT.

You can watch all games of the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.