(My Sportsbook) - The Vancouver Canucks get another chance to break out of a long winless drought at home when the badly-slumping club hosts the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at GM Place.

The Canucks are mired in an eight-game losing streak, their longest since a franchise-worst 10-game slide from October 23-November 11, 1998, and haven't notched a victory at home in over a month. Vancouver has dropped nine in a row (0-6-3) at GM Place since a 3-0 shutout of Ottawa on December 28.

Vancouver has at least been able to pick up some points lately, as three of the team's last four defeats have come either in overtime or by shootout. The Canucks were last in action on Saturday and came up just short in a 4-3 overtime decision against Minnesota.

Ryan Kesler had two of Vancouver's three goals on the night, with Alexander Edler also lighting the lamp for the Canucks. All-Star goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 23-of-27 shots.

Vancouver will be playing the third test of a four-game homestand this evening and faces a Carolina squad that's on a roll at the moment. The Hurricanes have won four of their last five games and moved past division-rival Florida for eighth place in the Eastern Conference after Saturday's 2-0 victory over Atlanta at the RBC Center.

Carolina netminder Cam Ward needed to make only 19 saves to record his third shutout of the season, while Matt Cullen and Ray Whitney registered the game's only goals.

Ward has been essential to the Hurricanes' recent hot streak, as the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has yielded just six goals and turned back 147-of-153 shots over the past five games. He's also posted a pair of shutouts over that stretch.

Luongo, on the other hand, has yet to regain his usual form since returning from a groin injury that sidelined the standout netminder for nearly two months. In five starts since coming back, he is just 0-2-3 with a 3.70 GAA.

In other team injury news, Canucks center Pavol Demitra is expected to rejoin the lineup tonight after sitting out the last three games with a groin problem. The veteran sniper has 13 goals and 12 assists in 37 games this season.

The Canucks had won six straight meetings between these teams before Carolina's 3-1 victory in Raleigh last season. The Hurricanes have lost in each of their last three visits to Vancouver.