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Hurricanes Cut Roster to 35

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The Carolina Hurricanes reduced their roster size to 35 players late this afternoon and sent several players to Charlotte while Brock McGinn will be returned to his junior club.

The team's press release follows:

CANES TRIM TRAINING CAMP ROSTER TO 35 PLAYERS

11 players to join Charlotte Checkers’ training camp; McGinn returned to junior club

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has trimmed its training camp roster to 35 players. Defensemen Danny Biega, Mark Flood, Austin Levi, Keegan Lowe, Rasmus Rissanen and Beau Schmitz; forwards Victor Rask, Justin Shugg, Brody Sutter and Brendan Woods; and goaltender Mike Murphy will join the Charlotte Checkers’ training camp, while forward Brock McGinn will return to his junior club (Guelph – OHL).

An updated training camp roster is attached to this release.

The Carolina Hurricanes open their 2013-14 season on Oct. 4 at PNC Arena against the Detroit Red Wings. Individual game tickets for all Carolina Hurricanes exhibition and regular-season games are on sale at the PNC Arena Box Office and via Ticketmaster. For information on 2013-14 Hurricanes ticket packages, please visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com, or call 1-866-NHL-CANES.


Canes Drop Preseason Opener To Blue Jackets, 5-4

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The Carolina Hurricanes had some good and some bad to their game as they dropped a high scoring affair to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-4 on Wednesday night at the PNC Arena.

Alexander Semin scored twice for the home team while Jeremy Welsh and Eric Staal added one goal apiece in the losing effort.

Head coach Kirk Muller said after the game that he was hoping for a bit more intensity from some of his players, but for the most part seemed happy with the overall effort.

"Early on I thought we were okay, playing smart and steady, but it kind of got away from us.  So, intensity level overall as a game, it wasn't an intense first game," the coach said.

Cam Ward went the distance for the Canes, but was not on his "A" game.  When asked about Ward's performance the coach just said that it had been a long time since the goalie had been in a game.  They plan on him getting plenty of work this preseason.

Semin opened the scoring on a powerplay chance with a nice sniper type shot from the circle area.  Michal Jordan got the assist.

Columbus came right back though with two straight goals.  The first one by Boone Jenner was a wide open rebound attempt at Ward's doorstep.  The next was similar to the first as Marian Gaborik knocked in an open shot from in close.

The Canes went into the dressing room at the end of the first period outshooting the visitors 15-7 while losing on the scoreboard 2-1, but they came out with jump in the second and scored twice within 1:10.

Jeremy Welsh roofed a nice backhand shot in the net after being set up nicely by Chris Terry.  Then Semin skated the puck into the Jackets' zone and rifled a shot topshelf into the net.

Eric Staal would make it 4-2 just 7:23 into the second when he knocked in a rebound from a Jay Harrison shot.

But Columbus scored three straight goals to take the lead and the game with one goal later in the second and two in the third.

The Hurricanes took too many penalties in this one and were called for seven minors, including one for too many men on the ice as well as a delay of game call on Semin for having his jersey tucked in.  They went 1-4 while on the powerplay and allowed 1-7 while shorthanded.

The team left for Buffalo as soon as the game was over and will play the next three nights in a row on the road.

The team will leave for Buffalo after the two groups skate in the morning.

Game Notes:

  • Ryan Murphy led all Hurricanes with 22:51 of ice time.  He finished at +1. Jack Johnson had 28:02 of ice time for the Jackets.
  • The team had 34 shots on goal with several players at three each.  While being outshot 26-15 after two periods, the Jackets poured it on in the third and ended up at just a 34-31 disadvantage.
  • Carolina was credited with 22 hits led by Tim Gleason with seven and Drayson Bowman with five.
  • The Canes only had nine blocked shots compared to 24 for Columbus.
  • Elias Lindholm was impressive in the circle and won a team high 67% of his faceoffs. (8 of 12)
  • The coach said he was still looking for certain guys to "stand out".





Hurricanes vs. Sabres Recap: Guys That Stood Out In Victory

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While getting a victory is always nice, the preseason is more about taking a look at the guys who have a shot at making the team. In Thursday night's game against Carolina, there were a handful of guys that stood out.

Johan Larsson


Johan Larsson

Buffalo Sabres

5-10

200

Jul 25, 1992


Larsson stood out as the best player of the game where there were a handful of veterans mixed in with a lot of young guys. One of the key pieces in the Jason Pominville deal, Larsson showed why he should be on the opening night roster with a stat line of two goals, seven shots on net, and 71% faceoff winning percentage on 17 opportunities. When Larsson was asked about his chances of making the team, he seemed real nonchalant about it. "We'll see after this camp what's going on and what they think about me. I still have to improve in some areas and the staff is really good here in helping me out with that." Head coach Ron Rolston was more adamant in his praise of Larsson's game:

I thought he was arguably our best forward tonight. He's just fiesty out there. He strong and he's got quick hands. The one penalty kill when we needed one, he got down ice, disrupted things, and got a chance in that little span. He was on tonight. He was good in the circle, both he and Cody were good in the circle tonight. Those are things that we are looking for out of centermen in the faceoff circle, but he's got a lot of grit to his game too and he showed that tonight.

Nikita Zadorov

Zadarov has all of the looks to be an imposing defenseman in the NHL but is probably going to need more seasoning before making the Sabres roster. He made some impressive plays at both ends of the ice, but also had some defensive lapses that led to chances. His final stat line on the night was 22:35 of ice time, three shots on goal, two hits, two blocked shots, and +1.

For Zadarov to make the roster, he has to make an impression. For him, making an impression may just be as simple as playing his game. "I feel good right now and I think that I can play in the NHL. I just play my game and listen to the coach and what he says and just do my job with how they want me playing and just play like that."

Joel Armia

Armia has been a highly touted player ever since he was drafted in the first round of the 2011 Draft. The 20 year old has been playing for three years in the Finnish league and is now trying to make it in the NHL. He likes to try and get out on the break and be the first one in the offensive zone, which can cause some issues on a defensively responsible team. On Armia's lone goal on the night, he worked a Zadorov pass into the offensive zone which was mishandled by Carolina goaltender Anton Khudobin and finished the play. Armia may very well have a bright future in the NHL, but his chances of making the roster on opening night seem slim at the moment.

2013-14 Preseason Game 3 - Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes

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After a four day break, the Canadiens will faceoff against the Carolina Hurricanes and Kirk Muller.

After three days off from preseason play, the Canadiens resume their quest for a preseason victory at Quebec City's Colisee Pepsi. With two different contingents of players taking the ice, the Canadiens were unsuccessful against the Sabres and Bruins. Now, with a third different configuration penciled in on the lineup card, the Canadiens will seek to build some chemistry and momentum with a victory.

The Habs have been active over the past couple of days, announcing fourteen cuts following the Bruins game. Notably, Louis Leblanc was relegated to Hamilton, accompanied by Sven Andrighetto and Joonas Nattinen, among others. CHLers Charles Hudon, Zach Fucale, and Martin Reway will return to their respective junior teams for another year of point-per-game scoring or the opposite of point-per-game scoring, as the case may be.

Absent from the Canadiens roster will be also be a number of newly-injured veterans, including depth defensemen Francis Bouillon, Douglas Murray, and Davis Drewiske. With the Canadiens erstwhile fifth, sixth, and seventh defencemen at least temporarily out of the picture, the door now opens for some of the Canadiens younger guns to prove themselves. Jarred Tinordi and Greg Pateryn, each the proud owner of an impressive training camp to this point, will receive greater ice time, and Darren Dietz has been un-cut to return to competition for a roster spot. With vets Subban, Markov, Gorges, and Diaz already assured of their place on the roster, some combination of the two may sit to allow the coaching staff an extended viewing of those who are less-known quantities.

The Canadiens younger D corps will face a Hurricanes roster that remains similar to last year. With puck-mover Joni Pitkanen gone for the year, Carolina has added former Hab draft pick Ron Hainsey to shore up their defence. The Hurricanes may also be ready to integrate top prospect Elias Lindholm, who will likely get a chance to play centre behind Eric and Jordan Staal. In fact, Lindholm is one of a relatively small group of prospects who will get a chance to move forward with the Canes, as Carolina opted to make their first big cut (fourteen players) before participating in even a single preseason game. Up-and-coming defenseman Ryan Murphy, the offensively-oriented blueliner formerly of the Kitchener Rangers and the Canadian World Junior squad, is another prospect worth watching.

As per usual, keep an eye out here for lineups as we get closer to game-time.

Canadiens at Hurricanes - Preseason Game Preview

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After three days off from preseason play, the Canadiens resume their quest for a preseason victory at Quebec City's Colisee Pepsi. With two different contingents of players taking the ice, the Canadiens were unsuccessful against the Sabres and Bruins. Now, with a third different configuration penciled in on the lineup card, the Canadiens will seek to build some chemistry and momentum with a victory.

The Habs have been active over the past couple of days, announcing fourteen cuts following the Bruins game. Notably, Louis Leblanc was relegated to Hamilton, accompanied by Sven Andrighetto and Joonas Nattinen, among others. CHLers Charles Hudon, Zach Fucale, and Martin Reway will return to their respective junior teams for another year of point-per-game scoring or the opposite of point-per-game scoring, as the case may be.

Absent from the Canadiens roster will be also be a number of newly-injured veterans, including depth defensemen Francis Bouillon, Douglas Murray, and Davis Drewiske. With the Canadiens erstwhile fifth, sixth, and seventh defencemen at least temporarily out of the picture, the door now opens for some of the Canadiens younger guns to prove themselves. Jarred Tinordi and Greg Pateryn, each the proud owner of an impressive training camp to this point, will receive greater ice time, and Darren Dietz has been un-cut to return to competition for a roster spot. With vets Subban, Markov, Gorges, and Diaz already assured of their place on the roster, some combination of the two may sit to allow the coaching staff an extended viewing of those who are less-known quantities.

The Canadiens younger D corps will face a Hurricanes roster that remains similar to last year. With puck-mover Joni Pitkanen gone for the year, Carolina has added former Hab draft pick Ron Hainsey to shore up their defence. The Hurricanes may also be ready to integrate top prospect Elias Lindholm, who will likely get a chance to play centre behind Eric and Jordan Staal. In fact, Lindholm is one of a relatively small group of prospects who will get a chance to move forward with the Canes, as Carolina opted to make their first big cut (fourteen players) before participating in even a single preseason game. Up-and-coming defenseman Ryan Murphy, the offensively-oriented blueliner formerly of the Kitchener Rangers and the Canadian World Junior squad, is another prospect worth watching.

As per usual, keep an eye out here for lineups as we get closer to game-time.

And here they are, up front:

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Collberg

Prust - Galchenyuk - Thomas

Bournival - Holland - McCarron

Tarnasky - Dumont - Blunden

And on the blue line:

Gorges - Subban

Tinordi - Pateryn

Dietz - Nygren

Budaj

Tokarski

  1. back end vs. Canes: Gorges - Subban; Tinordi - Pateryn; Deitz - Nygren Budaj Tokarski

  2. lines vs. Canes: Pacioretty/Desharnais/Collberg; Prust/Galchenyuk/Thomas; Bournival/Holland/McCarron; Tarnasky/Dumont/Blunden

Canadiens At Hurricanes, (Quebec City) Game Preview, 9-20-2013

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Montreal Canadiens at  Carolina Hurricanes (Quebec City)
Friday, September 20, 2013 - 7:30 pm EDT
Colisee' Pepsi Arena - Quebec City, QC
Radio - 99.9 The Fan  TV -RDS

SB Nation Rival Blog: Habs Eyes On The Prize

In an interesting twist, tonight the Carolina Hurricanes will be "hosting" the Montreal Canadiens at Colisee' Pepsi Arena in Quebec City, Quebec.

This is the third game in four consecutive nights that the Canes will be playing preseason hockey.  After two straight losses in which they gave up five goals in each game, the club will be looking to get on track with a win against the Habs, while the coaching staff continues to evaluate personnel.

The Hurricanes lineup posted on Twitter earlier includes Tuomo Ruutu and Riley Nash, two players who have yet to see preseason action.  Ruutu has been healthy so far but is coming off hip surgery during the offseason while Nash suffered a bad cut early during training camp and has been held out of scrimmages and games so far.

I believe this will also be the first game action for Aaron Palushaj and Matt Corrente.

Andrej Sekera, Mike Komisarek, Tim Gleason, Justin Faulk, Matthew Corrente, and Jay Harrison will tend the blueline.

Joining Nash and Ruutu on the forward lines are, Kevin Westgarth, Eric Staal, Drayson Bowman, Zac Dalpe,  Jeremy Welsh, Alexander Semin, Zach Boychuk, Aaron Palushaj, Brett Sutter, and Nicolas Blanchard.

Cam Ward and Justin Peters will tend net.

The Canadiens will be playing Brandon Prust, Jarred Tinordi, Michael McCarron, Josh Gorges,  Alex Galchenyuk, Peter Budaj, Dustin Tokarski, Magnus Nygren, Gabriel Dumont, Sebastian Collberg, Michael Blunden, Michael Bournival, David Desharnais,  Christian Thomas, Greg Pateryn, Max Pacioretty, Nick Tarnasky, P.K. Subban, Patrick Holland, and Darren Dietz.

Can Kirk Muller get enough out of this crew to get a win and still evaluate as he needs to?  Will Cam Ward begin to round into form?  Will some of the youngsters step up and claim a job?

The puck drops at 7:30 and the open game thread will be ready at 7!

Speechless: Canadiens 6, Hurricanes 0

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The Carolina Hurricanes might be evaluating talent, but so far there has not been much to evaluate as they dropped yet another preseason game, this time to the Montreal Canadiens, 6-0 in Quebec City.

The Habs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening period and cruised the rest of the way for the easy win.

Cam Ward was the goalie of record and played the entire night.  He allowed four goals on 10 shots in the opening period, including two in just 26 seconds.  (Total stats are not available as of this writing.)

There is plenty of blame to go around in this one but Ward also allowed one goal scored from behind the net and again was not at his best.

Muller was asked about his goalie in the post-game presser and mentioned that he has not played much in the past 16 months.  Listen for yourself here.  Kirk Muller post-game.

The Canes will give it another shot against this same team tomorrow night in Montreal.

I cannot find the stat sheet but here is a listing of "Numbers" from the Montreal site.

QUEBEC CITY - Here's a numerical look at the Canadiens-Hurricanes matchup on Friday night at the Colisée Pepsi.

26– Number of seconds that elapsed between goals from Greg Pateryn and Alex Galchenyuk in the first period.

50 – The Canadiens’ shooting percentage against Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward to start the game after Michel Therrien’s squad beat him twice on four shots during the opening minutes of the tilt.

98– Number of additional fights Brandon Prust (104) has participated in over the course of his NHL career than Hurricanes defenseman Matt Corrente (6), his opponent during a first-period tussle on Friday night.

1– Number of times Michael Bournival has likely been applauded at Quebec City’s Colisée Pepsi. A former enemy of the Quebec Remparts during his days as a member of the Shawinigan Cataractes, Bournival tallied the Canadiens’ fourth goal of the game on Friday night, much to the crowd's enjoyment.

11– Number of saves registered by goaltender Peter Budaj during his stint in goal on Friday night before being replaced by Dustin Tokarski during the second period.

14:24– Time that elapsed during the second period of Friday night's game before a Hurricanes player managed to register a shot on goal against the Habs.

100– Max Pacioretty's career penalty shot conversion percentage. Unfortunately, his tally on Friday night against Ward will not figure into his official NHL statistics since his goal came during the preseason.

720
– Number of days that elapsed since the Canadiens last registered a preseason victory and the squad’s 6-0 win over the Hurricanes. Prior to Friday night’s win, the Habs last posted a preseason win on October 1, 2011 – a 5-1 victory over the Lightning Quebec City’s Colisée Pepsi.

Game Recap - Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes

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It's been a long time.

The last time I wrote a game recap about a Montreal Canadiens win, was April 28th. That too, was a blowout win, although it meant a lot more. That win saw the Canadiens clinch the Northeast title, the last one that will ever be rewarded. But even without real significance, we can have fun watching the preseason.

After two losses to begin the preseason, fans seemed a bit edgy about the odds of winning this one, especially with the tandem of Peter Budaj and Dustin Tokarski in net. However it always seems like when you're nervous about Budaj, he pulls out all the stops. The two goaltenders shared a shutout, and though Budaj looked his usual spazztic self, on this night the shots were stopped.

After news of late that Greg Pateryn may be Therrien's choice to begin the season with the Canadiens while Drewiske is out, he didn't wait long to show that the trust placed in him was well deserved. The game was mere moments old when he intercepted a clearing attempt and got it down to Max Pacioretty in the slot, who fed Desharnais on the half-boards. Desharnais waited for Pateryn to get in perfect position and set up a perfect one-timer that went post and in on Cam Ward.

Under four minutes into the game, and 26 seconds after the first goal, Magnus Nygren put a beautiful pass onto the stick of a streaking Brandon Prust for a breakaway. Prust couldn't quite finish, but Alex Galchenyuk was there to take care of business, 2-0.

From there on the game kind of became the David Desharnais show. Not to say that others didn't play well, but you could tell that Davey wanted to put on a show for his hometown crowd, scoring the 3rd goal of the game on a great heads up play, as Cam Ward was caught out of position and Desharnais banked the puck off of him and in from behind the net.

Michael Bournival was the next to capitalize, which added to the positive impression he's given at during the preseason. Bournival has endless hustle and may work himself ahead of Gabriel Dumont on the call-up list this year, and his three goals in two games sure doesn't hurt. Then again, playing with Michael McCarron and Patrick Holland is a tad easier to work with than Michael Blunden and Nick Tarnasky.

The game was already over by this point, but for some reason Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller kept Cam Ward in goal, and he really wasn't rewarded for that decision when P.K. Subban blasted a slapper through traffic and into the net. I'm pretty sure that Subban won't score at the same high pace as last season, but his two goals in two games thus far sure seems to say that Subban doesn't agree with me.

The cherry on top was Pacioretty being taken down on a break, and being rewarded a penalty shot. Pacioretty has been pretty awful in shootouts in his career, usually going for the fivehole and failing. This time though, he did what every sniper should do. He went wide, and and picked the far side corner as he cut in front of the net. Ward really had no chance.

Multiple point nights: P.K. Subban (1G, 2A, 3P), David Desharnais (1G, 1A, 2P),Michael Bournival (1G, 1A, 2P), Max Pacioretty (1G, 1A), Magnus Nygren (2A, 2P).

It's kind of amazing when you think about it that Subban can have a three point night, be dominant defensively, and you come away thinking "Yeah that was an average game". Not that he puts up three points on an average night, but the level of performance was average Subban. Average Subban is better than like... Everyone.

Sebastian Collberg's big audition on a real scoring line ended with one assist, but he had some impressive assists. The instincts are there, the talent is there, the awareness is there, he just needs to get stronger.



2013-14 Preseason Game 4 - Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes

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After thoroughly trouncing the Hurricanes last night, the Canadiens are back in business at the Bell Centre this evening.

Well, that was refreshing.

After a blowout preseason victory that was way more exciting that it perhaps should have been, the Habs are home and ready to take on the Hurricanes for the second straight day.

While the Canadiens did a lot of their damage last night courtesy of players who will still be on their roster in October, the team will be further bolstered by the likes of Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov, and Rene Bourque, who will each participate in a live game for first time in 2013-14. Expect this trend to continue, as the Canadiens roster rounds into form ahead of a regular season opener that is but nine days away.

As two thirds of the Canadiens top line, and their power-play quarterback, take to the ice and shake off the cobwebs, some of the Canadiens skaters will begin to feel increasing pressure. For some contributors, such Mike McCarron and Charles Hudon, their return to the CHL is almost a foregone conclusion. For others, like Michael Bournival, Sebastian Collberg, and any of the Canadiens young defencemen, the clocking is ticking on their chance to make an impression and earn one of a limited number of roster spots.

With an underwhelming performance against the Bruins on Monday, Carey Price and the rest of his teammates looked totally unlike the group that overwhelmed Carolina last night. While Price did not participate yesterday, looking on while Peter Budaj and Dustin Tokarski shared a Quebec City shutout, he will be back between the pipes this evening. The Canadiens organizational depth chart, at the goaltending position, is as permanent as P.K. Subban's name on the dressing room wall at the Bell Centre, so Dustin Tokarski will dress fully aware that his destiny lies in Hamilton.

The Hurricanes will once again dress a strong semblance of their regular season roster, with only the absence of Alexander Semin being particularly noticeable. All three of the Carolina Staals will be in the lineup tonight, with Eric looking to build on his performance in Quebec City. Eric Staal was one of few bright spots for Carolina last night, using his skill and strength to take all sixteen shots recorded by the Hurricanes, according to this preseason box score. After being shelled to the tune of .666 save percentage, Cam Ward gets the night off tonight, with the 'canes deploying the duo of Anton Khudobin and Justin Peters.

Stay tuned for starting lineups and a game thread as we near 7:00 PM ET.


Hurricanes at Canadiens: Preseason Game Preview 9-21-13

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Carolina Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens
Saturday, September 21, 2013 - 7:00 pm EDT
Bell Centre - Montreal, Que
Radio - 99.9 The Fan (TV RDS only in Canada)

SB Nation Rival Blog: Eyes on the Prize (twitter @HabsEOTP)

Hurricanes Preseason Record: 0-3-0
Canadiens Preseason Record: 1-1-1

The first leg of the Hurricanes preseason schedule comes to a close tonight in Montreal, and judging by the results thus far, not a moment too soon. The Hurricanes have played and lost three games in the last three nights (in glorious fashion), and will attempt to reverse that trend tonight before heading back to Raleigh to analyze and regroup for next week's games.

Head coach Kirk Muller contends that this week's games have been about evaluating talent, and he has certainly given all the non-roster regulars a fair shot at a role on the squad between line combinations and minutes played. But he also remarked that the team wasn't ready to play last night, and the door will be closed quickly on those opportunities (audio). Another round of roster cuts is expected after tonight's game.

The Canes have just released tonight's roster:

Forwards - Jordan Staal, Eric Staal, Jared Staal, Nathan Gerbe, Tuomo Ruutu, Radek Dvorak, Jiri Tlusty, Riley Nash, Drayson Bowman, Patrick Dwyer, Jeff Skinner, Chris Terry

Defense - Tim Gleason, Ryan Murphy, Matt Corrente, Jay Harrison, Ron Hainsey, Brett Bellemore

Anton Khudobin is in net as expected, with Justin Peters backing up.

Notable absences - Alexander Semin, Andrej Sekera, Justin Faulk (Faulk and Sekera have both played the previous two nights). Elias Lindholm is also not in the lineup. We'll provide updates and post-skate audio as more information becomes available.

[Here] is the lineup for the Canadiens tonight. Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec, and Rene Bourque all make their preseason debuts.

The game thread will open at 6:30 pm. See you there. Don't forget to untuck your jersey.

Canadiens vs Hurricanes - Preseason Game Preview

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Well, that was refreshing.

After a blowout preseason victory that was way more exciting that it perhaps should have been, the Habs are home and ready to take on the Hurricanes for the second straight day.

While the Canadiens did a lot of their damage last night courtesy of players who will still be on their roster in October, the team will be further bolstered by the likes of Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov, and Rene Bourque, who will each participate in a live game for first time in 2013-14. Expect this trend to continue, as the Canadiens roster rounds into form ahead of a regular season opener that is but nine days away.

As two thirds of the Canadiens top line, and their power-play quarterback, take to the ice and shake off the cobwebs, some of the Canadiens skaters will begin to feel increasing pressure. For some contributors, such Mike McCarron and Charles Hudon, their return to the CHL is almost a foregone conclusion. For others, like Michael Bournival, Sebastian Collberg, and any of the Canadiens young defencemen, the clocking is ticking on their chance to make an impression and earn one of a limited number of roster spots.

With an underwhelming performance against the Bruins on Monday, Carey Price and the rest of his teammates looked totally unlike the group that overwhelmed Carolina last night. While Price did not participate yesterday, looking on while Peter Budaj and Dustin Tokarski shared a Quebec City shutout, he will be back between the pipes this evening. The Canadiens organizational depth chart, at the goaltending position, is as permanent as P.K. Subban's name on the dressing room wall at the Bell Centre, so Dustin Tokarski will dress fully aware that his destiny lies in Hamilton.

The Hurricanes will once again dress a strong semblance of their regular season roster, with only the absence of Alexander Semin being particularly noticeable. All three of the Carolina Staals will be in the lineup tonight, with Eric looking to build on his performance in Quebec City. Eric Staal was one of few bright spots for Carolina last night, using his skill and strength to take all sixteen shots recorded by the Hurricanes, according to this preseason box score. After being shelled to the tune of .666 save percentage, Cam Ward gets the night off tonight, with the 'canes deploying the duo of Anton Khudobin and Justin Peters.

Stay tuned for starting lineups and a game thread as we near 7:00 PM ET.


Chronique d'avant match: Hurricanes vs Canadiens

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Alors que Rene Bourque, Tomas Plekanec et Andrei Markov effectuerons leur début respectif du calendrier préparatoire, Michael McCarron, Michael Bournival, Sebastian Collberg et Christian Thomas disputerons un deuxième match en autant de soir.

Bournival s'est une fois de plus illustré hier, avec une performance d'un but et une mention d'aide. Pour l'instant du moins, il semble s'être démarqué des autres prospects de l'équipe en attaque. On risque de le voir à l'œuvre avec McCarron et Martin St-Pierre, eux qui avaient connu du succès ensemble dimanche dernier face aux Sabres.

Daniel Brière, Brendan Gallagher, Lars Eller et Ryan White seront eux aussi de la partie.

En défensive, la compétition entre Jarred Tinordi et Greg Pateryn se poursuivra, alors que tous les deux seront en uniforme, tous comme Magnus Nygren et Darren Dietz. Pateryn à connu un fort match hier et comme lui et Tinordi sont pressentit pour faire partie de la formation lors du début de la saison régulière, parions que Michel Therrien n'hésiteras pas à mettre leurs talent à l'épreuve. Raphael Diaz complètera l'unité défensive.

Les Hurricanes voudront sans doute se reprendre pour leur contre-performance d'hier, eux qui composait avec une formation pratiquement complète. Ce sera sensiblement le même alignement ce soir.

Carey Price partagera le filet avec Dustin Tokarski. Price voudra sûrement offrir une meilleure performance que lundi dernier. D’autant plus que Tokarski et Peter Budaj ont réussi un blanchissage hier. Anton Kudobin et Justin Peters seront les gardiens des Hurricanes.

Le match d’hier à aussi été théâtre de quelques combats. Attendons-nous à du jeu robuste encore une fois.


Carolina Gets Feisty: Canes 3, Habs 1

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The Carolina Hurricanes rebounded from a lackluster loss the previous night and picked up their physical game as they won their first preseason contest of the year in a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, at the Bell Centre.

Anton Khudobin made 41 saves with a strong effort in net.

The Canes had an uncharacteristic three fights in the first period alone as Matthew Corrente, Tim Gleason, and Nathan Gerbe all dropped the gloves, most likely in an attempt to show that they were not going to be an easy team to play against.

The team got the scoring started as captain Eric Staal found Drayson Bowman in front of the net and Bowman made no mistake as he gave Carolina a 1-0 lead.  The first period ended up that way, even as the Habs outshot the visitors 16-7.

Overall, the Habs outshot the Canes 42-27 for the game.

Jeff Skinner made it 2-0 early in the second off of a feed by Riley Nash.  Later in the period, Gerbe would score a powerplay tally as Eric Staal and Ryan Murphy earned the assists.

Montreal finally broke up the shutout bid with 4:16 left in the game on a shot by Michael Bournival.

Tim Gleason left the game early with an upper body injury and Alexander Semin was reportedly held out of this game because of a wrist injury.

After four games in four nights the Hurricanes will take Sunday off and get back to practice on Monday morning.

To check out the box score, skip to this link:

Canes/Habs box score

Post game pressers follow:

Kirk Muller 9 21 13

Anton Khudobin 9 21 13

Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes - Game Recap

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The picture pretty much sums it up. The Montreal Canadiens dominated the game for two of three periods, but Anton Khudobin was nearly unbeatable, and the Hurricanes capitalized on nearly every mistake made by the Habs, specifically Greg Pateryn.

After an impressive training camp and preseason, Pateryn kind of imploded last night. Though he was the one out of position on the first goal, it wasn't entirely his fault since Jared Staal very clearly interfered with him, but the second and third goals against were clearly on him.

In sharp contrast, his partner Jarred Tinordi was all over the place making an impact. Devastating body checks, a vicious beatdown of Tim Gleason, smart defending... I really can't imagine how this team could justify Tinordi not making the team at this point. He already looks better at 21 than I ever expected him to be when he was drafted.

Speaking of young players who deserve a continued look, Michael Bournival was the only player who managed to score a goal for the Habs, his fourth goal of the preseason. He also lead the team in shots with six, and shot attempts with nine. Bournival is doing more than just scoring, he's playing well in all three zones. According to Christopher Boucher, Bournival has been the best Habs forward on the bubble during preseason. Travis Moen's injury may be day-to-day, but after last season, it sure looks like Bournival could do his job for much cheaper, and better.

Though the game ended in a loss, there were a ton of encouraging signs. The score didn't signify the flow of play, and although I'm sure many are ready to jump on Carey Price already, none of the three goals that went in were bad ones, and to be honest he looked pretty solid, even though the save percentage looks ugly.

It's worthwhile to remember as well, that Carolina iced almost their full NHL lineup, especially at forward. Clearly upset by the route 24 hours before, the Hurricanes acted like punks for most of the game, but when it came down to it they lost the physical battles.

Once again Michael McCarron looked good. He played physical and continues to flash skill above the level many expected of him. The amount of battles he wins against NHL players as an 18 year old is very impressive.

Lars Eller was also all over the ice during the game, but the viking wasn't quite able to bring Ragnarok down on Carolina. It was a weird game for Eller, he did seemingly all the right things, won 91% of his faceoffs, but the puck wouldn't behave for him.

I could go on about other players who played well, but really the only negatives were Pateryn and Michael Blunden. The next three preseason games should be very interesting.


Canes Trim Roster Over Weekend

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The Carolina Hurricanes placed six players on waivers on Sunday as they trimmed their roster a bit further.

Zach Boychuk, Aaron Palushaj, Jared Staal, Justin Peters, Michal Jordan, and Nicolas Blanchard were all reassigned to the Charlotte Checkers.  (If anyone does not clear waivers, we will post that information here as soon as we know.)

Boychuk had the most noteworthy training camp of the bunch, but apparently it was not good enough for a longer look this preseason.

That leaves Zac Dalpe, Nathan Gerbe, Elias Lindholm, Chris Terry, Brett Sutter, Jeremy Welsh, Riley Nash, Radek Dvorak, and Drayson Bowman as borderline forwards still fighting for one of the open, bottom six spots.

Let's just say that the top six forwards, (not necessarily going to play in the top six spots) are, Eric Staal, Alexander Semin, Jiri Tlusty, Tuomo Ruutu, Jordan Staal, and Jeff Skinner.

Patrick Dwyer will certainly have a place somewhere and the team seems set to keep Kevin Westgarth in some capacity.

Bowman, Lindholm, and Nash seem to have an inside track so far and while Gerbe has a two-way contract, he would also seem to be high in the mix.

That most likely leaves one spot open for either Dvorak, Sutter, Dalpe, Terry, or Welsh to claim.  And Welsh is the only one of them with a one-way deal, which will pay him $850,000 whether he plays in the AHL or NHL, so we will see what happens.

On the injury front, Gleason, Ruutu, Lindholm, and Semin reportedly all missed practice today due to "day-to-day" minor issues.


Canes Top League In Goals Against

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The results of the preseason do not count in the standings, but individual performance is used to determine who makes a team and who does not.  And while the overall results do not necessarily mean much, if anything, the tone of preseason can have an effect on how the regular season will start.

Like most teams in the NHL, the Hurricanes are primarily evaluating talent right now and have not placed major emphasis on winning or losing, but wins and losses aside, there are a few things that probably concern the coaching staff.

One thing that sticks out is the number of goals the team has allowed so far this preseason, which is the worst average per game in the league.

Below is a chart showing the number of preseason games played and goals allowed so far for each team in the league.

2013 Preseason 9/24/13
EastGamesGoalsAverage
PlayedAllowedGoals/G
Carolina4174.25
Boston5163.20
Buffalo5153.00
Columbus6172.83
Detroit5112.20
Florida4143.50
Montreal5173.40
New Jersey492.25
Islanders5173.40
Rangers382.67
Ottawa362.00
Philadelphia4133.25
Pittsburgh5193.80
Tampa Bay4112.75
Toronto4133.25
Washington5173.40
WestGamesGoalsAverage
PlayedAllowedGoals/G
Anaheim5132.60
Calgary6183.00
Chicago5142.80
Colorado362.00
Dallas4123.00
Edmonton6152.50
Los Angeles4133.25
Minnesota482.00
Nashville382.67
Phoenix5183.60
San Jose372.33
St. Louis4153.75
Vancouver4133.25
Winnipeg6193.17

Of course this is a very small sampling, but after allowing the second most goals in the league last season, this has been a point of emphasis for improvement.

Kirk Muller pointed out that the team only allowed eight (even strength) scoring chances in the latest win against Montreal.  While the team only allowed one goal, Anton Khudobin made 41 saves in that game.

Can the Hurricanes continue to improve in this area?  They will need to if they wish to be competitive in the new Metropolitan Division.

Prospect Profile #2 - Brian Dumoulin

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Who is this guy?

Brian Dumoulin is a 6'4" 219lbs Defenseman from Biddeford, Maine who was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2009 NHL Draft. The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired him as part of the Jordan Staal trade in 2012 which included center Brandon Sutter and the 8th overall pick Derrick Pouliot.

What are they saying about him?

Despite persistent rumours that he was just a "throw-in," at the time of the trade Dumoulin was widely considered to the the Hurricanes #2 D prospect and their #3 overall prospect. At the time of the trade TSN even commented that Dumoulin was the highlight of the deal. He is considered to be an all around defenseman, good at all aspects of his game, capable of playing in all three zones and in any situation. Throughout his career, first at college, then the AHL, and now in NHL training camp he has been given the opportunity to man the point on the top PP unit as well as being effective on the PK. He has been favorably compared to other all around D such as Duncan Keith, Christian Ehrhoff, and Filip Kuba. As far as the Pens go, he would be like a slightly more offensively talented version of Paul Martin.

Dumoulin receives almost all positive reviews of his overall performance, with The Hockey News saying he "Has great size, mobility and puck-moving qualities from the back end. Can also produce a fair amount of offense. Also owns the ability to play a shutdown role" and Jesse Marshall of Faceoff Factor said:

"The first thing you’ll notice about Dumoulin is his skating. Despite his large stature, Dumoulin is extremely fluid and is a technician in all three zones. Dumoulin plays a very safe and cerebral style of hockey. As we previously mentioned, he’s capable of pretty much anything on the blueline. He can chip in offensively, distribute the puck, and take care of his own end with a decent sense of physicality and positioning."

Hockey's Future's Ian Altenbaugh says of him:

"A big, talented defensemen and a proven winner at the NCAA level, Brian Dumoulin possesses the smooth skating stride of a player much smaller than 6'4, 219 pounds. Though not known as an overly physical player, Dumoulin possesses the strength, size, and balance to keep the front of the net clear of traffic. The defensemen is also an adept puck-mover with a hard point shot. Conducting himself with great confidence on and off the ice, Dumoulin possesses numerous traits which suggest he could develop into a reliable top-four defenseman in the NHL, most notably his ability to quickly retrieve the puck and move it up ice."

Even his teammates have nothing but good things to say about his performance, as former Boston College Captain Tommy Cross states "He does everything well. He's our top shutdown guy and he's our top offensive D-man, too. He does so much right and he's found a way to get better every year." Of course if there is one complaint, it seems that most feel that he does not play physically enough for a player of his size and would like to see him throw his weight around more. There has also been some suggestion that while he is effective offensively when it comes to dishing the puck, his own shot could use some work.

Where has he been?

Dumoulin started off playing High School hockey in Maine and then played a single season of Tier III Junior hockey for the Eastern Junior Hockey League's New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs. He then went on to play for the NCAA's Boston College Eagles, playing with Pens prospects Brian Gibbons and Philip Samuelsson, as well as former Pens prospect Carl Sneep. In his Freshman season he was the 2nd highest scoring D and led the entire NCAA in Plus/Minus, he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and BC won both the Hockey East Championship and the National Championship in the Frozen Four.

The following season as a Sophomore Dumoulin continued to improve, finishing as the highest scoring D on his team and the #6 D in Points in the entire NCAA, falling to #2 in Plus/Minus on the team behind Gibbons but still amongst the Top 20 in the NCAA. He was named to both the NCAA East and entire NCAA First Team All-American as well as the Hockey East First Team All-Star, the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman,and  the New England Best Defenseman. BC once again won the Hockey East Championship, but lost in the first round of the National playoffs. He also represented Team USA at the World Juniors U20, bringing home a Bronze medal and finishing with a team high Plus/Minus rating.

In his Junior season, Dumoulin once again led the team D in scoring, and was #2 in the entire NCAA in Plus/Minus rating. BC once again walked away with the Hockey East Championship and the National Title in the Frozen Four. Dumoulin improved on the previous season by bringing home even more hardware, being named a Hobey Baker Finalist as well a member of the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and named to the New England D1 All-Stars. In addition to that, for the 2nd year in a row he was named an NCAA East All-American and Hockey East First Team All-Star, as well as the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman and the New England Bes Defenseman.

Rather than going back for his Senior year, Dumoulin chose to turn pro and joined the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He had a little bit of a rough start, stuck under some big names in the lockout logjam on the blue line, and he had his ups and down as rookie tend to do, but by the end of the season he was one of the top 2 D on the team, fishing just behind veteran Dylan Reese in both Goals and Points. During the playoffs he stepped up to become the #1 D, tied for 4th overall on the team in Points.

When can we expect to see him?

Before getting injured in the first game of the pre-season it looked as if there could be a very real chance that we would see Dumoulin make his NHL debut at the start of the season. All he had to do was beat out Simon Despres, and he looked like he was well on his way to surpassing him on the depth chart. However, with the uncertainty in the Cap it is possible they don't keep either of them on the opening night roster unless they trade off one of their higher paid D such as the highly speculated Matt Niskanen. With the Cap and roster depth situation the way it is, it will be difficult for Dumoulin to crack the NHL roster this year, but sources indicate that he is the first name on the list if they need a D called up during the season. However, it seems almost certain that he will be playing in the NHL next year and the only thing that can stop him from being a regular D in Pittsburgh within 2 years is if we trade him away.

Why is he #2?

Dumoulin received 2 votes for 1st, 1 vote for 2nd, 4 votes for 3rd, and 2 votes for 4th.

How can he climb the list?

At this point climbing the list would involve Pouliot either being traded or turning out to be a bust, both of which seem incredibly unlikely at this time. However, Dumoulin is poised to remain the dominant #2 choice and can further solidify his standing by cracking the NHL roster and proving he can perform against the big boys. Also, as mentioned above it wouldn't hurt for him to throw his weight around more.

Hurricanes at Blue Jackets: Game Preview 9-26-2013

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Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets
Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: The Cannon

Hurricanes Preseason Record: 1-3-0
Blue Jackets Preseason Record: 4-1-1

The Hurricanes started out slow in the preseason, losing their first three games before finally getting in to the win column Saturday night with a 3-1 victory over the Canadiens. Since then the Canes have trimmed the roster to something more close to what we will see in the regular season. Tonight's game against the Blue Jackets should be more indicative of the team in the regular season than anything we've seen to date.

Tonight's game also provides a measuring stick of sorts. The Canes kicked off their preseason slate with a game last Wednesday night against these same Blue Jackets. That game saw the Canes take the lead in the second period only to give up goals late and ultimately lose. This game should shed some light on what areas the Canes have been able to work on over the last week.

The roster for tonight's game looks like this:

Tlusty - E. Staal - C. Terry

Gebre - J. Staal - Dwyer

Skinner - Nash - Dvorak (Semin is used as a placeholder online as Dvorak isn't under contract)

Bowman - Brett Sutter - Westgarth

Sekera - Faulk

Murphy - Hainsey

Harrison - Bellemore

Ward and Khudobin for the goaltenders

Lindholm is once again not in the lineup due to an injury. With only one game left before the start of the regular season it is time to start wondering what the lack of playing time in the pre-season means for the chances of Lindholm sticking with the big league squad this year. The talent and the desire may be there but are the Canes willing for burn a year of his entry level contract based on a limited sample size?

Of particular interest in tonight's game will be the amount of ice time goaltender Cam Ward sees and how he looks on the ice. Kirk Muller noted early on in the pre-season that Ward would see action in 4 games. If he plays tonight that will mark Ward's fourth appearance in the pre-season. Will this be all the ice-time Ward sees prior to the start of the regular season next Friday? Further will Ward look closer to his mid-season form tonight?

Puck drops at 7 PM tonight and the game thread will be open at 6:30. Go Canes!

Carolina Prevails: Hurricanes 2, Avs 1

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Jordan Staal, Nathan Gerbe, and Patrick Dwyer do the damage and Justin Peters along with the Carolina defense hand Avs their first road loss of season.

The Carolina Hurricanes jumped out to a 2-0 lead against one of the best teams in the NHL this young season and they were able to hang on as they defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1 in front of 13,278 at the PNC Arena on Tuesday night.

It was the first road loss of the season for the Avs, (6-1-0) while the Canes have now earned seven points out of a possible eight in their last four games, (3-0-1).

Justin Peters made 33 saves, some of them sparkling, but his defense collapsed around him and cleared away numerous rebounds to help the goalie to an amazing .965 save percentage in his last four games, (110 saves of 114 shots faced).

Peters was named the game's first star.

Jordan Staal got the scoring started 12:47 into the game when he backhanded a Nathan Gerbe rebound past Semyon VarlamovPatrick Dwyer started the play when he stole the puck behind the net and fed it to Gerbe.

The Hurricanes are now 4-0-1 when scoring first in a game.  The Avs are 12-0-0 when scoring first, so the initial goal was huge in this one.

The Carolina second line would strike again early in the second.  Staal would start this play and knock a puck along the boards to Gerbe, who saucered a perfect pass to Dwyer, who was attacking the net.

The Canes took the 2-0 lead just 26 seconds into the period and almost made it 3-0 when Jiri Tlusty just missed on a shot a few seconds later, but the Avs would come roaring back.

At 13:54 into the second period, the game's first penalty was called on Carolina and Colorado's deadly powerplay went to work.  Less than a minute later, Paul Stastny scored on a rebound to make the score, 2-1.

The Avs found their mojo after that and poured it on, but Peters and the defense fought back.  Carolina was called for another penalty before the end of the period, but they were able to kill it off and keep the slim lead going into the third.

The teams started off battling evenly in the final period, but once again Colorado gathered steam and put the pressure on.  The Canes were able to keep the puck out of their net though and finally earned their first powerplay of the game when Eric Staal was held up while going for an empty net goal with just 32 seconds left.

The Hurricanes will now go for four wins out of five games in this homestand when they take on the Ducks Friday night.

Game Notes:

  • The Avs outshot the Canes 34-28 for the game and had 19 shots in the second period alone.  The Canes outshot them 11-5 in the opening period. The first pick in this year's draft, Nathan MacKinnon, had nine shots on goal, missed the net four times, and had three shots blocked for a total of 16 shots attempted.  Carolina was led by Gerbe with five shots on goal. 
  • Gerbe also had two primary assists and had a very good night overall.  He now is tied with Eric Staal and leads the team with nine points. 
  • Once again Manny Malhotra had a team high 75% faceoff win percentage, (15 of 20).  The team was at 58%. 
  • Ron Hainsey had a team high 23:50 of ice time.  Eric Staal had a team high four takeaways. 
  • Tuomo Ruutu, Jay Harrison, and Brett Bellemore had four hits each to lead the Canes.  The team had 23 hits to 38 for the Avs.








Game Analysis: Avalanche At Hurricanes

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The Carolina Hurricanes earned their third win in four games, knocking off one of the NHL’s top teams in beating Colorado, 2-1, at PNC Arena Tuesday. Jordan Staal and Patrick Dwyer scored for the Canes, and Justin Peters tied a season-best with 33 saves.

The Carolina Hurricanes have bounced back from a five-game losing streak, getting their third win in four games Tuesday by topping the Central Division-leading Colorado Avalanche, 2-1. The win pushed the Canes to 7-7-4, good for 18 points and a tie for third in the Metropolitan Division.

Three Observations

1. Justin Peters continues to do enough to get by in net for the Canes. Peters was again not guilty of allowing any bad goals, and his teammates in front of him cleared countless rebounds that prevented the Avalanche from converting on second chances. It sounds like a broken record, but Peters is great at making the first stop but has a tendency to spit out lots of rebounds. With the defense focusing on boxing out the opposition and clearing loose pucks, the Hurricanes have compensated for Peters' biggest weakness and adjusted beautifully.

2. Was there a stranger sequence this season than the video review in the second period? Gabriel Landeskog beat Peters with a slap shot that grazed the outside of the goalpost and deflected into the mesh. The linesman then dropped the puck, resuming play, but the game was quickly stopped when the arena goal horn went off. The referees consulted the NHL’s video review office in Toronto to see if the puck had gone in through the net before eventually determining it had not. First off, this was the first time I've seen a play reviewed after the puck was dropped. Secondly, since when is the goal horn an alert for the on-ice officials? And finally, how could Toronto possibly think a puck could go through the net, hit the post, and deflect out of play? I'm no physics expert, but it reminds me of The Magic Loogie.

3. While Patrick Dwyer isn't your normal second line player, he has great chemistry with Jordan Staal and seems to be growing more with Nathan Gerbe. Carolina's shutdown line stole the show Tuesday, proving to be the best offensive and defensive line for either team all night. While Gerbe has generated nearly as many shots this season (59) and Staal (33) and Dwyer (34) combined, it was the latter two who were rewarded with goals against the Avs. For Dwyer, it was his first goal of the year and first game-winner since Dec. 28, 2010, against Toronto.

Number To Know

18-3 — Takeaway advantage for the Hurricanes over the Avalanche, led by four by Eric Staal. Staal ranks tied for sixth in the NHL with 21 takeways this season, while Andrej Sekera, who was credited with three of his own Tuesday, is fourth in the league and tops among defensemen with 22. Pavel Datsyuk leads the NHL with 30.

Plus

Jordan Staal — Carolina’s alternate captain, along with his two linemates, carried the load for the Hurricanes Tuesday night. Not only did Staal & Co. help neutralize the Avs' high-powered attack, but the trio all finished with two points by factoring in on both Canes goals. It was arguably the best effort of the season from both Staal and Dwyer, while Gerbe continues to be a difference maker for coach Kirk Muller.

Minus

Andrej Sekera — While Sekera and partner Justin Faulk finished plus-2 for the game, it was an off night for the former. Sekera was guilty of several turnovers, and he was bailed out by his teammates after he took a penalty late in the second period.

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