Hurricanes' Semin 'very close' to returning; will not play Saturday

Alexander Semin will miss his sixth consecutive contest due to a lower-body injury Saturday, but the Carolina Hurricanes forward is very close to returning, according to coach Bill Peters.

Semin was in the midst of a disastrous season prior to the injury. The one-time 40-goal scorer recorded his first of the season on Dec. 4 and has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions due to his lackluster performance.