The Penguins beat Carolina at Mellon Arena in the first two games of the Eastern Conference final this spring.

Turns out those games did more than just give the Penguins command of the series; they established a trend the Hurricanes still haven't been able to end.

Carolina, which will visit Mellon Arena at 7:38 tonight, is 0-10-3 on the road, making it the only NHL club that hasn't won an away game this season.

That 13-game run is the longest such drought in franchise history, surpassing the mark set in 1981, when the team -- then based in Hartford -- failed to win in its first 11 outside of Connecticut.

Mind you, the Hurricanes haven't exactly thrived at the RBC Center in Raleigh in 2009-10, either. Their 5-3 victory against Vancouver there Saturday, which ended a five-game losing streak, raised their home-ice record to a modest 6-7-2.

Tonight's game is the first on a trip that also includes visits to New Jersey, Washington and Ottawa.

"I'm just glad we got a win here at home before going out," Carolina winger Erik Cole said Saturday. "This road trip is going to be a tough week for us and we're going to have to play really well to be successful."

The Penguins, whose five-game winning streak at Mellon Arena ended Saturday with a 2-1 overtime loss to Chicago, won't make it easy for Carolina, but they can't afford to take two points for granted, either.

"We've seen what they can do," winger Pascal Dupuis said.

"They're a good team. ... The fact that we played them in the playoffs last year and beat them bad, maybe they'll try to use this game as revenge."

For the record, the fewest road victories by an NHL club is one. That mark is shared by a couple of expansion teams, the 1974-75 Washington Capitals and 1992-93 Ottawa Senators.

The worst road mark for a Hartford/Carolina team is 6-32-2, set in 1982-83.

Left winger Chris Kunitz has missed the Penguins' past 11 games because of an undisclosed injury, and there isn't much evidence to suggest that his return to the lineup is imminent.

"I'm feeling better and better so ... when they let me go out and do different things and start practicing with the team, we'll know from there," Kunitz said. "Until we get to that point, I don't really have an idea.

"I've just been practicing on my own, on a different program with Mark [Mortland, the Penguins' physical therapist], just trying to feel good enough to go out there, make sure you don't have any setbacks."

Carolina goalie Cam Ward, who hasn't played since suffering a severe cut on his right leg Nov. 7 in a game against Columbus, resumed practicing with the Hurricanes a few days ago and is penciled in to start Wednesday against New Jersey.

"There's not too many movements in my game where I'm limited because of motion because of my knee," Ward told the Raleigh News & Observer.

"There's still a little bit of slight pain, but that should be going away in no time."

Coach Paul Maurice said yesterday that Ward is unlikely to back up Manny Legace tonight because "if he's ready to back up, he's ready to play.

"There's something to be said for talent," Maurice added. "He still gets in front of it. He's technically so good, so quick, that even when he's not moving on one leg, he's good."

Coach Dan Bylsma gave the Penguins yesterday off. ... Before tonight's game, Col. Mark Van Kooten, 171st Maintenance Group commander of the 171st Air Refueling Wing, will present Penguins general manager Ray Shero with a United States flag flown in Iraq during the Stanley Cup final.

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.