After a 35-game absence, Jordan Staal will be back in the Carolina lineup this evening when the ‘Canes host the Habs at PNC Arena.
Staal, who suffered a broken fibula during the preseason, was activated off IR earlier today and will center the club’s top line next to his brother, Eric Staal, who’ll play right wing, while Nathan Gerbe will play the left side.
The hope for Carolina and head coach Bill Peters is that Staal can inject some life into the offense. The ‘Canes scored one or no goals in nine of their games in December, and currently sit 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.0).