Hurricanes announce the signing of Trevor Carrick to an entry level deal and Elias Lindholm is officially released to play for Team Sweden in the World Junior Championship

To catch up briefly on a variety of news:

The Hurricanes sent out two press releases yesterday, one of them announcing that rookie Elias Lindholm had been assigned to Team Sweden so he could participate in the World Junior Championship to be held in Sweden.  This news is pretty much just confirming previous released reports by other hockey outlets.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Dec. 6, 2013

LINDHOLM TO BE ASSIGNED TO SWEDEN’S WJC TEAM

Forward will represent host country at tournament

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team will assign forward Elias Lindholm to Sweden’s World Junior Championship team.

Lindholm, 19, has totaled seven points (3g, 4a) in 21 games during his rookie NHL season with the Hurricanes. This will mark the second consecutive year the Boden, Sweden, native has represented his country at the IIHF World Junior Championship, as he captured silver with Sweden at the tournament last year. Lindholm (6’1", 192 lbs.) also won silver with Sweden at the 2012 U-18 World Junior Championship. The 2014 World Junior Championship will be held in Malmo, Sweden from Dec. 26, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014.

The Hurricanes host the Washington Capitalson Friday night at PNC Arena (7 p.m., FOX Sports Carolinas, Hurricanes Radio Network). Individual-game tickets for all Hurricanes regular-season games are on sale at the PNC Arena Box Office and via Ticketmaster. For information on Hurricanes ticket packages, please call 1-866-NHL-CANES, or visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com.

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In the other press release, the Hurricanes announced the signing of defenseman, Trevor Carrick.  The 2012 fourth round selection was well known for his toughness, but he has found his offensive side this season and leads all OHL defensemen with 14 goals so far.

‘CANES AGREE TO TERMS WITH TREVOR CARRICK

Defenseman leads all Mississauga skaters in points this season

RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Vice President of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Trevor Carrick on a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Carrick $550,000 at the NHL level or $65,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level in the first year, $625,000 in the NHL or $65,000 in the AHL in the second year, and $700,000 in the NHL or $65,000 in the AHL in the third year. He will also receive a signing bonus of $225,000.

"Trevor had a strong training camp with the Hurricanes and has excelled in the OHL this season," said Francis. "He has good size and toughness and has developed the offensive side of his game."

Carrick, 19, currently ranks first among Ontario Hockey League (OHL) defensemen in goals (14) and tied for third in points (27) in 35 games played for the Mississauga Steelheads. The Stouffville, Ont., native is first among Mississauga skaters in points (27), second in goals (14), second in power-play goals (5) and third in penalty minutes (57). Carolina’s fourth-round selection, 115^th overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Carrick (6’2", 180 lbs.) has totaled 30 goals, 47 assists (77 points) and 177 penalty minutes in 159 career OHL games with Mississauga.   

The Hurricanes host the Washington Capitals on Friday night at PNC Arena (7 p.m. FOX Sports Carolinas, Hurricanes Radio Network). Individual-game tickets for all Hurricanes regular-season games are on sale at the PNC Arena Box Office and via Ticketmaster. For information on Hurricanes ticket packages, please call 1-866-NHL-CANES, or visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com.

TREVOR CARRICK’S CAREER STATISTICS

REGULAR SEASON                         PLAYOFFS

YEAR                     Team                           LGE                            GP               G                  A                  TP                PIM                           GP               G               A               TP             PIM

2010-11              Stouffville                    OHL                            40               6                  13               19               44                             19               2               11            13            10

2011-12              Mississauga                   OHL                            68               6                  13               19               64                             6                  1               0               1               7

2012-13              Mississauga                   OHL                            56               10               21               31               56                             6                  0               2               2               11

2013-14              Mississauga                   OHL                            35               14               13               27               57                             -                    -                 -                 -                 -

OHL Totals (3 seasons)                       159            30               47               77               177                           12               1               2               3               18

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In other news, former Hurricane Brandon Sutter scored the game-winner during a shootout for the Penguins last night.  Remember when he scored a couple of shorthanded goals on breakaways for Carolina, but Paul Maurice did not use him on the shootout?

I remember the coach being asked about that during one press scrum and he replied that there was a difference in being chased during a game, then taking your time during a shootout.  Sutter was the fifth shooter for the Pens so he is not the go-to guy by any stretch, but maybe he will earn more chances since he is showing skill in that area.

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Some of the Canes made the rounds and visited local hospitals on December 17th.

Eric Staal, Kevin Westgarth, Anton Khudobin, Manny Malhotra, Jay Harrison, Radek Dvorak, and Mike Komisarek were at Wake Med.  (Nice photo shoot in this link)

Canes visit Wake Med

Cam Ward, Ron Hainsey, Alexander Semin, Tim Gleason, Tuomo Ruutu, and Patrick Dwyer went to Rex, and Riley Nash, Brett Bellemore, Drayson Bowman, Justin Peters, Andrej Sekera, and Nathan Gerbe went to UNC Children's Hospital.

(Canes Community Day)

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: Previews of tonight’s divisional showdown in Raleigh, Tom Wilson is off the hook, Ovi goes for #400 and more.

Your savory breakfast links:

• Previews of tonight’s clash with the Canes from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, Peerless and Puck Buddys, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partners over at Canes Country for the other side of tonight's matchup.
  • As the Caps look to get back in the win column against those pesky Hurricanes, Alex Ovechkin has his sights set on a pretty amazing milestone. [WaPo
• Tom Wilson will not be suspended for his hit on Brayden Schenn in Tuesday’s loss to the Flyers, so sayeth the NHL Department of Player Safety. [NHL.com, Puck Daddy, CP, WaPo, PHT, RMNB, SportsXchange, BSH]
  • Not everyone's happy, but (in part thanks to a very well-done and thorough video by the NHL) it appears to be the right call... [Yahoo!, Caps Outsider]
  • ...which both George McPhee and Adam Oates have been saying all along... [WaPo, CSNW, NBC4, PHT]
  • ...even if some people might think they went too far in their support of Wilson. Eh. [Sporting News]
  • And while it ended up not being a suspension for Wilson according to the letter of the law, perhaps the NHL should change the law. [DSP]
  • Both players bear a little responsibility for just how devastating the hit ended up being. [CSNW]
  • Sure, not remembering the hit at all is totally a sign of perfect health and is absolutely good enough to clear someone to play two nights later. Good call, Flyers. [BSH]
• He may have avoided his first Shanaban, but the learning curve continues for 19-year-old Wilson in his rookie season. [WashTimes]
• Your Capitals Minute for today. [Capitals Voice]
• News and notes from yesterday's practice:
  • In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Rinkside Update/Fehr), CSNW]
  • Mikhail Grabovski appears to be just about rid of that flu bug and should be in the lineup tonight... [WaPo]
  • ...while Brooks Laich skated for the fourth straight day and appears to be on the mend. And is really, really excited about it. [Monumental video (Laich)]
  • Dmitry Orlov continues to impress and earn more responsibility on the Caps' blueline. [WaPo]
  • So many goalies!! [Pressbox DC]
• A few leftover thoughts on the loss to Philly Tuesday night. [WaPo]
• Often overshadowed by the huge personality of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom is DC’s quiet superstar. [WaPo]
• An eye towards next summer's possible compliance buyout targets, including Brooks Lai-...wait WHAT?? [ESPN]
• Not exactly about the Caps, but an interesting look at where a couple of guys are shooting from on the ice (and check out this year's chart at the bottom for some Caps' relevance). [SBNation]
• The fact that the Martin Erat / Filip Forsberg trade is one of the more shocking NHL transactions in 2013 is anything but shocking. [Puck Daddy]
• Chatting with former Hershey Bears' bench boss Mark French on his work in the AHL and his new role in the KHL. [THW]
• The Caps are one of the League's more watchable teams... er, off the ice, of course. Their 24/7 closeup is just a year away, kids! [Grantland]
• Backstrom and Ovechkin are among a small group of NHLers testing out some lighter Bauer gear. By Odin's beard! [Yahoo]
• A look at Team USA's roster - which includes a few Caps' prospects, at least for now - as they make their way over to Sweden for next week's World Junior Championships. [SBN College Hockey]
• Jay Beagle: Olympian. I love it. [GM on a Couch]
• Visualizing the Caps' possession and ice time. Ooh, pretty colors. [RMNB]
• Alex Ovechkin’s resurgence, the Caps’ amazing comeback season and more pop up in the best of DC Sports in 2013... [WaPo
• ...and some great Caps’ pics make the cut in a year captured on film. Or memory card, whatever. [WaPo]
• Finally, happy 23rd birthday to Alexander Urbom and happy 63rd to Bill Clement.

More from Japers' Rink

Follow @JapersRinkFollow @SBNationNHL

• The Noon Number: Renaissance Fehr
• Thursday Caps Clips: Wilson Waiting By The Phone
• The Noon Number: One "Season" Under the Belt
• Sittin' at the End of the (Capitals) Bar
• Wednesday Caps Clips: Wilson's Costly Mistake

Welcome back to PNC Arena, Canes fans, where your Carolina Hurricanes make their first appearance in two weeks as they take on the Washington Capitals tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals
December 20, 2013 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Japers' Rink (twitter @JapersRink)

Hurricanes Record: 14-13-7 (35 pts.)
Capitals Record: 18-13-3 (39 pts.)

After a long western conference road trip and a five-day game break, the Carolina Hurricanes return to PNC Arena tonight to take on a familiar foe, the Washington Capitals. The Canes and Caps have met twice so far this season in the nation's capital, with the Hurricanes bringing home wins in both. Elias Lindholm scored his first NHL goal, Nathan Gerbe scored the game-winner, and Anton Khudobin made 30 saves in a 3-2 win on October 10, and Jeff Skinner stole the show with two goals and Justin Peters was perfect through 2-1/2 periods in a 4-1 win on December 3.

The Canes have been off since last Saturday, when they defeated the Coyotes 3-1 in Phoenix to remain in third place in the Metro division. The Capitals have been firmly entrenched in second place in the division, but with a 5-4 shootout win against the Flyers on Sunday, followed by a 5-2 loss to the Flyers on Tuesday, the Flyers have passed the Canes in the division standings.

Hurricanes Notes

The Hurricanes' December schedule is a bit of an anomaly. Seven out of the first eight games were played against the Western Conference, now after the brief schedule break they will play eight games against the Eastern Conference to wrap up the month.

With the five-day break between games, the Canes followed a couple of rest days by keeping busy with three days of uptempo practices, holiday community service days, and the annual Skate with the Canes event for the Kids 'n Community Foundation.

The Canes enter the second half of the month with a healthy roster. 25 players have been practicing this week, leaving many to speculate that GM Jim Rutherford may be busy with trade activity before the holiday roster freeze. However, midnight passed quietly with no changes. Rookie forward Elias Lindholm was officially loaned to Sweden's World Junior Championship team, and defenseman Mike Komisarek and goaltender Anton Khudobin remain on injured reserve, which allows the roster to at least temporarily remain below the 23-player limit.

Khudobin has been given a clean bill of health, but according to head coach Kirk Muller, after missing 28 games he needs more practice time before returning to the nets. The team has considered a conditioning stint in Charlotte, but no decision has been made in that regard, and Khudobin would be required to approve a conditioning assignment.

Brett Bellemore has missed six games with an upper body issue but should be cleared to play and could return tonight.

Muller hasn't declared a starting goaltender. Justin Peters, whose recent stellar net performance has earned him a 2.98 career GAA, is 4-3-0 with a 1.67 GAA and two shutouts against the Capitals. Cam Ward is 16-11-4 with a 2.54 GAA and four shutouts in 32 career games.

Jeff Skinner is on a three-game goal scoring streak and is red hot in December with 8 goals and 10 points in eight games. Eric Staal has 10 points (3g, 7a) in his last eight games.

Projected line-ups based on this week's practices:

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Nathan Gerbe - Jordan Staal - Alexander Semin
Jiri Tlusty - Riley Nash - Patrick Dwyer
Drayson Bowman - Manny Malhotra - Radek Dvorak/Kevin Westgarth
Elias Lindholm

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk
Jay Harrison - Tim Gleason
Ron Hainsey - Ryan Murphy
Brett Bellemore

Justin Peters
Cam Ward

Capitals Notes

The Capitals' record has to be one of the most unusual in the NHL. Through 34 games they have 8 regulation wins, 13 regulation losses, 2 overtime wins, 8 shootout wins, and 3 shootout losses. They have more extra inning wins than regulation wins, and over a third of their games have required more than 60 minutes to decide.

The Capitals are lethal on the power play, which is ranked second in the league behind Pittsburgh. 12 out of Alexander Ovechkin's league-leading 28 goals have been scored with a man advantage. Ovechkin enters tonight's game in search of his 400th career NHL goal.

In Tuesday's game against the Flyers, rookie forward Tom Wilson was issued a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for charging Brayden Schenn during the second period. The Department of Player Safety held a hearing with Wilson yesterday but no supplemental discipline was assessed, so he will be eligible to play tonight. Wilson was the guilty party in a hard open ice hit on Brett Bellemore on December 3 than caused his upper body injury (concussion/whiplash symptoms). Bellemore has missed all games since although he could return tonight, making for an interesting side story.

Mikhail Grabovski missed the last two games with illness but practiced yesterday and is expected back tonight. If he is not able to play, forward Casey Wellman was recalled from Hershey Tuesday and could enter the lineup.

Brooks Laich has been practicing with the team this week but he remains on long term IR (groin injury) through at least December 22. Defenseman Jack Hillen (broken tibia) and forward Michael Latta (lower body) remain on injured reserve.

Mike Green broke his goalless streak against the Canes on December 3. Current Caps players without a goal this season include Martin Erat, John Erskine, and Jay Beagle.

With Michal Neuvirth's recent return from injury and a conditioning stint in Hersey, the Capitals are carrying three goaltenders on their roster, and all three made the trip to Raleigh. Head coach Adam Oates has not tipped his hand in terms of tonight's starter.

Projected lineups from yesterday's practice:

Marcus Johansson - Nicklas Backstrom - Alex Ovechkin

Eric Fehr - Mikhail Grabovski - Troy Brouwer

Jason Chimera - Martin Erat - Joel Ward

Aaron Volpatti - Jay Beagle - Tom Wilson
Wellman

Karl Alzner - John Carlson

Dmitry Orlov - Mike Green

John Erskine - Steve Oleksy
Alexander Urbom

Braden Holtby
Philipp Grubauer
Michal Neuvirth

UPDATE 2:00 PM:

Hey folks, sorry about all the outages today, the SB Nation network had some major issues they've been trying to recover from.  Thanks for your patience.

If you missed it (updates from today via the twitter):

Cam Ward is in net tonight.

Brett Bellemore will be in the lineup (paired with Hainsey at morning skate).

Ryan Murphy will sit out, Mike Komisarek has been activated from IR (don't believe he's in tonight though unless someone is sick).

For the Caps, Philipp Grubauer is getting the start in net.  Grubauer came into the game on 12/3 after Holtby was pulled at 4-0, and went 9-for-9 down the stretch that night.

Canes are in their black third jerseys tonight.

Bring unwrapped toys or pajamas to any PNC entrance tonight for a chance to win tickets to an upcoming game, and pick up a holiday puck to support the Kids 'n Community at their kiosk outside Section 129. We'll have the game thread ready to roll at 6:30 pm. See you at the rink.

The Capitals' power play stormed the Hurricanes at home in the second period, Washington taking the Metropolitan Matchup 4-2 while getting to celebrate Alex Ovechkin's 400th career goal.

Tonight's probable netminders:

Keep up with the latest Caps-related Tweets right here:

Tweets from @JapersRink/tweet-tweeters

Look for updates in this story stream throughout the evening, including tonight's lines, new open threads for each period, and more.

And of course... have at it, people.

The Lightning welcome back Victor Hedman and maybe a little bit of their offensive prowess as well in a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Nashville Predators 4-2 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum Thursday night.
With the recent run of injuries that depleted their defensive corps and robbed them of their best overall player in Steven Stamkos, coupled with an annoying scoring slump, the team has actually done pretty well while hunkered down in survival mode. They remain in the thick of the playoff hunt despite all the adversity, while waiting impatiently to get back some of the things they've lost. Those days of waiting might be nearing an end.

"The last few games I think we might have struggled a little bit to score but not for lack of trying. It was a nice night to kind of get a few for some guys. For us to get the lead and take them out of their comfort zone was nice." - Lightning forward Alex Killorn

"It was great to get a power play goal, it was great to get the lead and to have different guys chipping in, we are going to need that. FIf you want to win in this league you can't just be a one trick pony." - Lightning head coach Jon Cooper

Tonight, saw a veritable explosion of offense from the Bolts as they scored more than three goals (four, and all in the first two periods) for only the third time in their last eleven games. a stretch that has seen them get shut out three times.

The Lightning defense corps was bolstered by the return of Victor Hedman who returned to the lineup after missing the last six games with a lower body injury. Also, Jean-Philippe Cote made his first appearance with the Lightning, having been called up from Syracuse on Wednesday.

Hedman and Cote celebrated the occasion by assisting on the first goal of the night, scored by Killorn at 2:25.

At 19:06, the Bolts increased the lead to two on the power play when Sami Salo and Killorn found Martin St. Louis between the circles. The one-timer was ST. Louis' 350th goal as a member of the Lightning.

The score at the end of one was 2-0, Tampa Bay.

The Predators halved that lead at 6:36 of the second when Craig Smith scored just after a power play expired, assisted by Matt Cullen and Shea Weber.

Just under two minutes later, Valtteri Filppula came down the right boards and fed a trailing Teddy Purcell coming down the left side at 8:27. MAt Carle was credited with the secondary assist.

Nashville cut into the lead at 13:02 when Smith struck again, this time on the power play, assisted by Cullen and Ryan Ellis.

Less than a minute later, the Lightning answered with Richard Panik deflecting Eric Brewer's shot at 13:51. Andrej Sustr chipped in with the secondary assist.

At that point, starter Carter Hutton was relieved in the Nashville net by Marek Mazanec. Hutton allowed four goals on 14 shots for the night while Mazanec was perfect against the 19 shots he faced.

It was too little too late, as both teams traded zeroes in the third.

For his part, Lightning goalie Anders Lindback stopped 28 of 30 to get the win, in spite of frequently being left in difficult situations by his defense. Two turnovers right in front of the net in the first period, another in the third and a shorthanded breakaway in the second all could have been converted by the Predators, any of which could have drastically affected the outcome.

"He's deserved better from us, for us to get four for him and for him to shut the door like he did, he's deserved this. He was on today, he's played extremely well." - Cooper

The Lightning will be in action again on Saturday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Game notes:

• The Lightning now have a three-game winning streak, their longest since a four-game streak ended with a loss to Boston on November 11.
• Cote earned his first NHL point with his assist on Killorn's goal.
• This was the Lightning's first win at home against Nashville since November 21, 2008.
• Radko Gudas came into the game leading all rookies in the NHL with 117 hits.
• St. Louis has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his last eight games.
• Since the disastrous west coast road trip in November (0-3-1), the Lightning have posted a record of 7-3-2.
• The Lightning honored Cindy Ross as the 17th Lightning Community Hero of the year during the first period of tonight's game. Ross, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, will donate the money to Starting Right, Now. Ross directly serves and empowers others through acquiring funding to help the Florida Community Loan Fund. As the Community Development Loan Officer, she has been able to obtain loan capital for a charter school serving farmworker children, a private school serving disabled children, a community health center for low income residents and affordable housing for low-income families. Ross restores faith in humanity by helping others who have been neglected by people they used to trust. A girl scout for 12 years, Ross is a true believer in helping as many people that she possibly can. She was a foster parent for many years to four children. She likes to listen and encourage others to create a harmonious life for themselves in their mind, body and spirit. Ross believes a life of faith and love of service is the antidote to a life of doubt, fear and pain.

Alex Ovechkin scored career goal No. 400 on Friday night. It wasn't his prettiest goal, but it gets the job done.

It wasn't the prettiest goal he's ever scored, but Alex Ovechkin became the sixth-fasted player in NHL history to record 400 goals when he scored in the final minute of Washington's 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Many of the previous 399 were highlight reel plays and incredible individual efforts. The milestone goal was scored in most anti-climactic way possible: Into an empty net.

It took Ovechkin just 634 games to reach the milestone and he did it before his 29th birthday. He is just the 89th player in league history to score 400 goals.

Along with the career milestone, the goal was also his league-leading 29th goal of the season as he remains on a pace that could net him 70 goals this season.

His career-high is 65 which he did during the 2007-08 season.

He also assisted on Washington's first two goals during the win on Friday.

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The Capitals' power play stormed the Hurricanes at home in the second period, Washington taking the Metropolitan Matchup 4-2 while getting to celebrate Alex Ovechkin's 400th career goal.

[GameCenter - Ice Tracker - Game Summary - Event Summary - Shot Summary - Faceoff Summary - Play-by-Play - Home TOI - Visitor TOI - Advanced Stats at Extra Skater]

A Friday night Metropolitan Matchup pitted the Capitals against Carolina on home ice, the Hurricanes having points in their last three straight and having won both previous contests this season in Washington, DC. There was also the  week's build-up of Alex Ovechkin and his 399 career goals, having hit the last mark before four hundred Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The Capitals and their Captain would not disappoint, taking two points in regulation from the Hurricanes and Ovechkin hitting the personal milestone in the game's final minute.

Strong special teams play from Washington on both sides of the equation was the difference tonight, along with a spectacular outing from rookie netminder Philipp Grubauer (First Star) - 39 saves. Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, and Ovechkin paced the good guys with five shots each, John Carlson putting three of his own on from the back end. A balanced attack and timely defensive play send the Capitals home to face the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night brimming with confidence.

Ten more notes on the game:

• Ovechkin would tally the four hundredth goal of his career with 25 seconds left into a wide open Hurricanes net, closing the Metropolitan Matchup in Washington's favor. With pressure on in the Capitals' zone it would be Backstrom and Ovechkin working the puck out into neutral ice before the Russian star took the puck and hit the benchmark. By scoring in tonight's game Ovechkin's 400 beats out fellow countryman Pavel Bure's own 400th, the Capitals' star doing so in one fewer game played (634).

• A fast and loose Carolina team would occupy Washington’s defensive zone in the first period, the Hurricanes making the Capitals defense look porous with smart stretch passes and good foot speed. Both Jeff Skinner and Jordan Staal found themselves on breakaways within a minute of each other - you’d have to expect Assistant Coach Calle Johansson to start stapling butts to the bench if not for Grubauer early (and late too).

• The Hurricanes had an ideal start on home ice, the hosts taking it to the Capitals early and converting by the game's seventeenth minute - Jordan Staal scored his eighth on the year on a nice snap shot from the right wing side. A one touch pass from Alexander Semin at the offensive blue line enabled Staal to gain the zone with speed and allowed him to put an uncontested shot past Grubauer's blocker side.

• Early on the power play in the second period Marcus Johansson stickhandled the puck around Cam Ward’s left leg, knotting the score less than a minute into the middle frame. A strong shot from Backstrom at the top of the slot created the rebound that Johansson jumped on and capitalized with, Ward unable to corral the original snapshot through traffic.

• Carlson would keep the power play hot in the second frame with a slap shot from the blue line that found its way through Troy Brouwer and past Ward’s glove hand. A excellent backhanded saucer pass from Backstrom gave the defenseman a chance to step into the puck, the heavy shot Carlson’s 30th of his career.

• The power play wouldn't be done after Carlson, the extra man unit with just enough luck to get the puck to Brouwer after Mike Green broke his stick on a slap shot from the point. A deft deflection to the upper half of the net put the Capitals up one and gave the visitors some life heading into the second intermission.

• Grubauer saved his best breakaway performance of the game for Eric Staal in the third period, the swift skating power forward trying to score on his forehand after getting in behind Tom Wilson and John Erskine. A full split save with the right pad from Grubauer sent the Hurricanes' Captain skating the other way and boosted the road team's confidence with their one goal lead - a second good, late, save on (classic) Alexander Semin sealed the deal.

• A strong penalty killing effort from Washington to end the third period kept Carolina fans on their hands and out of the game's equation in the final frame. The penalty killers also killed an early Troy Brouwer minor to start the third, the less glamorized special teams group taking the spotlight in the third. Washington would end the night having killed off four of five Carolina power plays, the home team's inability to do so the cause of their demise.

• Washington's power play (ranked second in the NHL entering Friday's game) would end the night with three goals on four chances. While much was being made about Ovechkin's lack of success against Kirk Muller's penalty killing units it was his comrades providing the finish with the man advantage. The second period tirade would be all they need, the power play unit scorching hot heading into the holiday break.

• Johansson would not skate in the third period, the winger not returning to the Capitals' bench after departing with the team at the end of the second period. The Swede would finish his night with one goal and two shots in 10:58 of ice time. Here's to hoping the ailment is nothing serious, Marcus with six points in his last five games.

With a quick turnaround tonight the Capitals will need to get to sleep and rest after traveling home from Raleigh. The big division win keeps Washington above the teams nipping at their heels in the Metropolitan - tonight's opponent, the Flyers, and the Devils. With New Jersey in town tomorrow evening the Capitals could create a good gap of standings space between them and the third place team(s) within their division. I wouldn't be surprised to see Braden Holtby in net Saturday night, despite Grubauer's excellent effort on the road.

A strong outing on the road should inspire an involved effort from the get go tomorrow night, but we know how those prognostications go in the hockey world. Tonight's two points were well earned from the entire lineup, the shaky start notwithstanding. One more game before the holiday break.

Game highlights:

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• Friday Caps Clips: Caps @ ‘Canes Game Day

Philipp Grubauer steals two points as the Washington powerplay defeats Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes played one of their best five-on-five hockey games of the year but still came up short as the Washington Capitals defeated them, 4-2 in front of 17,737 at the PNC Arena on Friday night.

Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer made 39 saves to steal the win for the visitors.

After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first period on a beautiful goal by Jordan Staal, the Canes were dominating play while out-shooting the Caps, 13-10.  They were able to kill off the first penalty by Eric Staal in the opening period, but another call on the captain which carried forward into the second period cost his team.

Cam Ward had trouble handling a puck near the post and Marcus Johansson pounded it in past the goalie to tie things up just 41 seconds into the second.  Ward stopped the puck initially but did not have the leg strength to hold the post and Johansson pushed it in.

The Caps would take the lead on another powerplay goal eight minutes later when Tuomo Ruutu was called for holding.   John Carlson beat Ward from the blueline on a puck the goalie did not get in front of.

The Hurricanes would tie things up shortly later on a powerplay goal of their own when Andrej Sekera got a shot through to Grubauer.  The goalie allowed a rare rebound, and Riley Nash jumped all over it to make it 2-2.

But the Caps were not done yet and scored a third powerplay goal in the period when Troy Brouwer tipped in a slow shot by Mike Green.  Green broke his stick on the play and did not get all he wanted on the puck, but it didn't matter as the goal turned out to be the game winner.

Try as they might in the third, the Canes could not light the lamp again on the rookie goaltender, who improved his record to 4-0-1.  Alexander Semin did get one puck under Grubauer, but it rolled to the post and trickled out, instead of in.

Alex Ovechkin scored an empty-netter at the end of the game, his 400th career goal, to finish things off.

The win evens Carolina's record to 14-14-7 and keeps them in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind second place Washington, but just three points out of seventh place.

Some will question Kirk Muller's decision to go with Ward in this game, as Justin Peters has been the hotter goalie and has done well against this opponent in the past.  Washington coach Adam Oates went the opposite way, going with his hot rookie instead of regular, Braden Holtby.

The Canes will fly right after the game to Tampa for a match against the Lightning Saturday night.

Game notes:

• At one time Cam Ward had allowed three goals on 20 shots, but he played a solid third period and kept his team in the game.  He was badly outplayed by Grubauer though, who was making saves on breakaways by Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal, and Eric Staal, as well as holding steady while being pressured in the crease.
• The Canes finished with 41 shots on goal, but also missed the net 22 times and had 23 shots blocked for a total of 86 attempted shots.  The Caps had a total of 42 attempted shots.  (29, 7, and 6).   E. Staal, Semin, and Skinner had six shots on goal each. J. Staal had five.
• The team was credited with 34 hits and were led by Jay Harrison with seven and J. Staal with six.
• Eric Staal won 67% of his faceoffs and Manny Malhotra won 57%.  The team was at 55% for the game.

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: Ovechkin nets #400 in last night's win, looking ahead to tonight's visit from the Devils and more.

Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps of last night's victory over the Hurricanes from us (and the night in GIFs), Vogs, Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Brouwer, Grubauer), NHL.com, AP, WaPo, Peerless, Frankovic, DSP and RMNB.

  Must Read

  Joining the 400 Club

  Becca H

  Alex Ovechkin picked up his 400th career goal, another step on the road to all-time greatness.

  Must Read

  Joining the 400 Club
  • Alex Ovechkin didn't linger too long on #399, and his empty-netter against the 'Canes made him the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to hit the 400-goal mark. Congrats! [Rink, Caps, Caps Today, NHL.com, WaPo, CSNW (and again), RMNB]
• Previews of tonight's dance with the Devils from Vogs, NHL.com, NJ.com, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at In Lou We Trust for the other side of tonight's matchup.
• Witness the past week in GIFs, and then make sure to pick for your favorite. Backstrom's shootout tally? Ovechkin's jog of joy? Vote now! [Rink]
• Climbing into this week's Super 16, but with a caveat...the combination of all those shootout wins and the lackluster even-strength play aren't a recipe for success. [NHL.com]

Must Read

Avoiding a Shanaban

Becca H

The NHL decided not to suspend Tom Wilson for his hit on Brayden Schenn Tuesday night - a look at why it was the wrong call, and why it was the right one.

Must Read

Avoiding a Shanaban
• Wrapping up the Tom Wilson situation:
  • A look at both sides of the NHL's decision not to suspend Tom Wilson for his hit on Brayden Schenn... [Rink]
  • ...and more talk about the ruling by the Department of Player Safety. [Hockey Night Online, MvsW]
  • For his part, Wilson is aware that he screwed up - and that he likely cost his team the game. [WaPo]
• News and notes from yesterday's pregame:
  • In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Rinkside Update / Grabovski)]
  • With 82 games under Adam Oates's careful watch, a look at where the Caps are and where they hope to be. [Dump 'n Chase]
  • After missing nine games with a recurring groin injury, Brooks Laich is finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. [CSNW]
• Everything you ever wanted to know about the holiday roster freeze, but were afraid to ask. [WaPo]
• It's almost WJC time!
  • Get to know Team USA (although a few of those names should look pretty familiar). [NHL.com, ESPN ($)]
  • Speaking of Team USA, Caps' prospect and member of last year's gold medal-winning squad Riley Barber does a little Q&A about camp so far. [MURedHawks]
  • Andre Burakovsky is feeling pretty chatty - and pretty confident - about Team Sweden's chances against the rest of the field. And one maple leaf-wearing contingent in particular. [Skanskan.se, Slam]
• That other big international competition is just around the corner, too, and John Carlson is starting to look pretty good as a member of Team USA. Well, he is RAHJC... [ESPN]
• Nicklas Backstrom continues to be the driver for the Caps. Just another four-assist night for him last night, too, ho hum. [The Hockey Report]
• Interesting look at two players' paths to the NHL, one through the NCAA and the other via the OHL. [Globe and Mail]
• Dmitry Orlov continues to develop in his growing role on the Caps' blue line. [Talk the Red]
• ...which is good, because upgrading that particular position is not an easy thing to do, no matter how much the Caps might need to do it. [ESPN ($)]
• Dispatches from Chocolatetown:
  • Garrett Mitchell is on the mend but out indefinitely after a lengthy surgery on his shoulder. [Patriot-News]
  • Bobbleheads are yesterday's news... introducing the Joel Rechlicz BobbleFIST, baby! [Patriot-News]
• Reminder: fighting does not make one manly. Just check out the line brawl that broke out last night between the US and Canadian women... in an exhibition game, no less. [Puck Daddy, ESPN]
• Miss a meme or 12 in 2013? Familiarize yourself with the year's best ("best") and never again be confused by someone talking about Ovechkin's broken controller! [SI.com]
• Do shootout wins mean early outs in the postseason? We'll just leave this here. [WaPo]
• Don't hate on Ovechkin. "Just enjoy one of the greatest offensive players the league’s ever known, in his prime, doing what he does best." Hell yeah. [Grantland]
• Why winning a lot of games via the shootout makes the Caps unmanly and one step away from applying makeup at intermission. So there's that. [Canada.com]
• Crunching the numbers of the year in DC sports. [WaPo]
• Finally, happy 35th birthday to Petr Sykora.

More from Japers' Rink

Follow @JapersRinkFollow @SBNationNHL

• Capitals vs. Hurricanes Recap: Ovechkin's 400th and the Caps' Two
• Joining the 400 Club
• Capitals in Motion: Shootouts, Saves and Sneaky Swedes
• The Afternoon Number: Multiplication Mastery
• Capitals vs. Hurricanes: Game 35 of 82

The Hurricanes wrap up a back-to-back series with a visit to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning
Saturday, December 21, 2013 - 7:00 pm ET
Tampa Bay Times Forum - Tampa, FL
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Raw Charge (twitter @RawCharge)

Hurricanes Record: 14-14-7 (35 pts.)
Lightning Record: 21-11-3 (45 pts.)

Fresh off a stinging 4-2 home loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals' power play, the Carolina Hurricanes travel to Tampa Bay to wrap up a back-to-back series tonight. The Lightning are coming off a 4-2 home win against the Nashville Predators Thursday night. This is the second time the Canes and Lightning have faced off this season; Tampa Bay won the first game in Raleigh in a 3-0 shutout on November 1.

Despite the loss of multiple players due to injuries, the most devastating of course being the loss of all star Steven Stamkos to a broken leg, the Lightning have been able to find a way to just keep winning. They enter tonight's game having won three straight and in a tie for second place in the Atlantic Division and third place in the Eastern Conference. 35 games into the season, they have won more games than they won in last year's 48-game season (18). They are opportunistic in winning close games, going 8-3 in overtime, 5-1 in shootouts, and 9-3-3 in one-goal games.

The Lightning are led by the ageless Martin St. Louis who has 33 points (14g, 19a) on the season, followed by Valtteri Filppula with 24 points (12g, 12a) and four points in his last three games. Both St. Louis and Filppula are averaging over a point-per-game when they face the Canes.

Victor Hedman rejoined the line-up Thursday night after missing six games with a lower body injury. There is a chance Tom Pyatt could return tonight; he has been out since breaking his collarbone on October 8.

The Lightning added additional grit and goaltender support in the form of Jean-Philippe Cote, a tough defenseman who was under a contract with the Syracuse Crunch and signed a two-year contract with the Lightning on Wednesday.

Ben Bishop is likely to get the start in net tonight. Bishop is tied for second in the league in wins (18) and has a 1.96 GAA and .934 save percentage, and in two previous starts against the Canes he's been perfect with two shutouts.

The Lightning are 13-3-1 at home.

The Canes aren't holding a morning skate today but Kirk Muller will have media availability around noon so we'll report any news that becomes available. Expect today's lineup to be mostly the same as was iced at last night's game. Kevin Westgarth, Mike Komisarek, and Ryan Murphy were all healthy scratches and any could see action tonight, most likely Murphy, and with the back-to-back scenario, Justin Peters could get the start in net over Cam Ward. Peters has only faced the Lightning three times in the past and has gone winless against them so far.

Jordan Staal was easily the best player on the ice last night for the Canes, scoring the first goal in the losing effort and bringing a very physical presence with six hits. Jordan has goals in three of his last six games and points in three of four. His new line mate Alexander Semin, who contributed the primary assist on Jordan's goal, has been a point-per-game career player against the Lightning. So has Eric Staal, who leads the team in points (28) and has 63 points in 59 career games versus the Lightning.

Depth chart coming out of last night's game:

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Nathan Gerbe - Jordan Staal - Alexander Semin
Jiri Tlusty - Riley Nash - Patrick Dwyer
Drayson Bowman - Manny Malhotra - Radek Dvorak/Kevin Westgarth

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk
Jay Harrison - Tim Gleason
Ron Hainsey - Brett Bellemore
Mike Komisarek - Ryan Murphy

Justin Peters
Cam Ward

We'll have the game thread open at 6:30 pm. See you there.

The driving force behind the Bolts continued successes while lacking its injured leading goal scorer has been goaltender Ben Bishop.

Where:  Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
When:  7 PM EST | Tickets: Check availability
Media: Sun Sports (cable) | 970 AM WFLA (radio)
Opponent Coverage: Canes Country, Shutdown Line

The Lightning are currently in 2^nd place in the Atlantic Division, tied with the Montreal Canadiens in points (45) but with two games in hand on Les Habs... That puts them ahead of them in the standings.  That's a scant 3 points behind the Boston Bruins for the division lead. That's not too shabby for a team who's (formerly) leading goal scorer has been out for more than a month.

The efforts of cap'n Martin St. Louis, Valtteri Filppula and the larger roster have helped Tampa Bay continue to tread water and make waves in the wake of the loss of Steven Stamkos.  Going 13-3-1 at home and a slightly-under-.500 8-8-2 on the road isn't working against them either.

Yet the efforts of Ben Bishop and his value to the team this season cannot be brushed off or passed over in how and why the Lightning remain a force in the Atlantic or in the larger Eastern Conference.  Ben, in his first full season with the Lightning and his first real shot as a starting netminder, has been the most formidable and consistent netminder with the Lightning since Nikolai Khabibulin's debut season with Tampa Bay. Nik played in 70(!) games for a still-weak Lightning team and went 24-32 with 10 ties during that season, posting a 2.36 GAA and a .920 save percentage.  Those numbers would have been lower but Khabibulin didn't just play in 70 NHL games that season, he also played in another six games during the 2002 Winter Olympics for Team Russia, posting a 2.34 GAA.

There's been talk for a few days now about how Bishop is (or damn well should be) a candidate for Team USA and their 2014 Sochi Olympic roster.  The talk started on Twitter with Hockey Buzz's Mike Stuart repeatedly beating the drum for Bishop to be named to the US Olympic team.  Jason Haas over at Lightning Shout followed up with a post, and today we see the Tampa Tribune continue beating the drum for Bishop and the Olympics.

While Martin St. Louis is the heart and soul of the Bolts (and where Marty goes, so goes the Lightning) right now Ben Bishop is the lungs.  He's why this team is breathing, he's why this team is competing; he's what gives Tampa Bay a chance. He stops shots he has to, he stops shots that others haven't been effective in doing over the past several season or the Lightning.  He currently stands at 18-5-2 with a .934 save percentage and a 1.96 GAA.

And he's starting tonight against Carolina.

I'm not thrilled with the idea of Bishop playing on the US Olympic Team in Russia, but that's not because I don't think he should be honored with being named to Team USA.  It's more a selfish decision on my part and worry about wear and tear; after Sochi, there's still a month in the NHL season to be played... and the playoffs.  An overworked Bishop is not what Tampa Bay needs for that final push.  But if the fates so deem that Ben is an Olympian, so be it.  We'll deal with it... And we may deal with it with Steven Stamkos back in the lineup too.

Tom Pyatt is being activated off injured reserve and will be back in the lineup per Erik Erlendsson.  Tom has not played a full game this season; he was injured in his season debut in Buffalo where he broke his collarbone.  He's been recuperating and rehabilitating since then. Defenseman Mark Barberio and forwards B.J. Crombeen, Pierre-Cedric Labrie will be scratched... So, while it lets us all know that the Bolts now have another center available to them on the roster through Pyatt, on the more immediate scale, it lets us know that Tampa Bay will employ the 11-7 roster split again, with Pyatt and Richard Panik likely the spare forwards / 4^th liners.

As for Carolina, they sit 7 games below .500 (they're 14-14 in regulation, but the loser-point column throws off our perception. They have 7 overtime losses / shoot out loses.)  They're tied with the Philadelphia Flyers in the Metro Division standings, far below the division leading Pittsburgh Penguins.  That even-but-not record extends to their home and road records - 7-7-4 at PNC Arena, 7-7-3 on the road.

The usual suspects - Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner - lead the Hurricanes offensively with 21 goals and 28 assists between them.  Alexander Semin has had injury issues this season and has played in only 23 games for the Canes at this point (3 goals and 7 assists when healthy). He should be in the lineup tonight for Carolina.

The Hurricanes and the Lightning tend to get a little physical, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the officials and special teams play a role in this one.  Tampa Bay's power play has lost its effectiveness as the season has progressed; it currently is ranked 22^nd in the NHL with a 15.7% efficiency.  Carolina, on the other hand, is worse: a 12.7% power play which ranks them 28^th in the league.  The Hurricanes penalty kill is almost equally lowly ranked - 23^rd in the league with a 79.5% efficiency; Tampa Bay is ranked 11^th in the league with an 83.6 kill-rate.

If the Bolts want to jump-start their power play, this is as good a game as any to try to do it.

Other Game Coverage:

• Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview
• Bolts by the Bay
• Full coverage on SB Nation

The Carolina Hurricanes made a concerted effort to not let Alex Ovechkin beat them on the Caps' Power Play and in doing so won the battle... but lost the war

The Washington Capitals' power play has been deadly for almost the entire Adam Oates tenure, with the Caps currently sitting second in the league in efficiency. The worst kept secret is that Alex Ovechkin is the tip of the power play's proverbial spear, and teams have struggled to find a way to neutralize his shot, with limited success. Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes essentially committed one penalty killer to shadow Ovechkin, leaving three defenders to cover the other four Caps attackers. Ovechkin was limited to one power-play assist on the night, but three Caps goals with the extra man says it wasn't exactly a successful approach for the host 'Canes. Let's take a look at how it all went down.

First, with Eric Staal in the box and Jordan Staal shadowing Ovechkin, Marcus Johansson picks up a loose rebound down low without a defender in site and jams the puck past Cam Ward:

After a brief foray to the crease, Ovechkin skates J. Staal out to the circle to Ward's right. Patrick Dwyer is covering the passing lane between Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson, Tim Gleason and Justin Falk are both, for some reason covering Troy Brouwer in the slot. The 'Canes take Ovechkin away, take Brouwer away, and take the one-time point shot away. Backstrom steps into the open ice and fires a shot Ward can't control. Johansson is left uncovered, with no defender close, and scores. Gleason should have been closer to stop the second and third efforts, but by using one guy to shadow Ovechkin, Carolina had to leave more open ice for the rest of the Caps:

Next time around, Carolina cleaned up their defensive spacing, but the result was the same:

This time Gleason and Faulk were a little further from Brouwer, and separated so that Faulk could slide to Backstrom and Gleason could slide to Johansson, if needed. Radek Dvorak is covering the passing lane to the point, but as soon as Backstrom begins to cut to the top of the circle, as he did on the prior power play, Dvorak moves towards him. Backstrom flips a backhand pass to Carlson, who nicely one-times a bouncing puck through the traffic and past Ward. Brouwer was free in the slot to attempt to deflect the puck and/or screen Ward:

Carolina went shorthanded one more time in the game, and the Caps took advantage for the game-winning goal. Similar to the prior goal, Backstrom was able to set up the one-time point shot:

J. Staal has the responsibility for the pass from Backstrom to Mike Green, but as Backstrom drives towards the faceoff circle he pulls Staal over (and he pulls Ron Hainsey up away from Johansson, leaving the latter alone in front of Ward). Backstrom probably could have hit Brouwer for a one-timer, but Staal's stick playing that passing lane, Nick sends home backhand sauce through the unguarded option. Green breaks his stick on the shot (it's been that kind of season for him, hasn't it?), but gets enough on it to make it to the net. Brouwer, unmolested in the slot, is able to deflect the puck and the Johansson screen provides just enough chaos to get the puck past Ward.

The Caps were able to take advantage of three power plays opportunities in the second period, giving them just enough offense to win. Alex Ovechkin played the role of the decoy, but the supporting cast made Carolina pay. Teams will undoubtedly continue to try to take Ovechkin away, sometimes employing a shadow as Carolina did. If Backstrom and company can continue to score on de facto four-on-three power plays, teams won't be able to take away Ovechkin, making him - and the team - all the more dangerous.

More from Japers' Rink

Follow @RobParker_JRFollow @capitalshill

• Saturday Caps Clips: Milestone Moment; Caps vs. Devils Game Day
• Capitals vs. Hurricanes Recap: Ovechkin's 400th and the Caps' Two
• Joining the 400 Club
• Capitals-Hurricanes: Complete Coverage

The Lightning overcome a spectacular effort from Carolina goaltender Justin Peters to pick up an overtime winner and extend their winning streak to four games.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Sometimes it really is a matter of quality over quantity. For example, much has been made of the Tampa Bay Lightning's inability to generate offensive opportunities, illustrated by their propensity to be outshot by opponents. However, tonight the Lightning took 50 shots between regulation and overtime and needed every last one of them to notch three goals. Meanwhile, the visiting Carolina Hurricanes scored two goals on 27 shots, cashing in on their first shot of the game and again on their first shot of the second period.

All of this is just to point out that hockey can be a weird game.

"That is less frustrating to me than getting twenty shots, I would rather get the fifty and the goalie flat out beat us instead of saying we just beat ourselves." - Lightning head coach Jon Cooper

The story of this one really comes down to the Lightning hanging around long enough to solve Hurricanes netminder Justin Peters. His counterpart, Ben Bishop was rock-solid and dependable but Peters was simply spectacular tonight.

Carolina didn't register their first shot at the 4:35 mark when Jiri Tlusty took advantage of a totally screened Bishop and unleashed a wrist shot from outside the right face-off circle to give them a 1-0 lead. Patrick Dwyer and Riley Nash were credited with assists.

In spite of the early deficit, the Lightning were doing a good job controlling play and limiting Carolina's offensive opportunities. They didn't get their second shot until about nine minutes in and their third came right around fifteen minutes.

At 16:12, the Lightning tied it up on a goal by Victor Hedman who was assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn.

The period ended with the teams tied at one, with the Lightning holding advantages of 19-8 in shots, 3-1 in takeaways and 5-1 in blocked shots.

The Hurricanes employed an aggressive penalty kill throughout the game, attacking Lightning puck carriers with two and sometimes three defenders. At 10:11, that tactic yielded a short-handed breakaway goal by Tlusty, assisted by Eric Staal and Ron Hainsey. It was the first shot recorded by Carolina in the period.

The Lightning thought they had tied the game on the power play at 18:56 when Filppula's shot looked like it had been caught by Peters inside the net but after a brief review, the NHL situation room in Toronto ruled the puck "did not completely cross the goal line".

As a result, Tampa Bay trailed 2-1 after two periods.

The Bolts tied the game again at 7:56 on the power play when Martin St. Louis tipped in a shot by Victor Hedman. Filppula got the secondary helper.

Regulation time expired with the teams tied at two.

At 2:16 in overtime, Radko Gudas took it upon himself to end the affair. First, he separated Carolina's Jeff Skinner from the puck with a jarring hit along the boards in the Lightning's end. Then, after getting the puck back from Nate Thompson, he unleashed a snapshot from the right circle that simply beat Peters to end it.

"He's got a rocket for a shot, that's why he gets some power play time. I'll be honest though, we get the two on one and all I'm thinking is "please hit the net"." - Cooper

The Lightning will attempt to increase the winning streak to five games when they travel to Sunrise on Monday to face the Florida Panthers. They return home next Saturday when they host the Montreal Canadiens.

Game notes:

• This is the only game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum between the former Southeast Division mates
• The four-game winning streak is the second of the season, matching the streak that ran between November 1-9 for longest of the season to date.
• Tom Pyatt returned to the line-up after missing 31 games with a broken collar bone, recording 8:32 of ice time.
• Jean-Philippe Cote has changed his number from 60 to 22.
• Eric Brewer suffered an upper body injury in the third period and did not return.
• St. Louis now trails Chris Chelios by two points for 90th on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
• Filppula has a three-game points-scored streak (two goals, two assists)
• Tonight's 50 shots was a season high for the Lightning.
• The Lightning honored Patricia McGuigan as the 18th Lightning Community Hero of the year, and the 100th Hero since the program began three seasons ago, during the first period of tonight's game. McGuigan, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, will donate the money to The Spring and LifePath Hospice. McGuigan began volunteering as a receptionist at The Spring of Tampa Bay, a program that prevents domestic violence, protects victims and promotes strong life choices. After serving as a receptionist, McGuigan invested her own time and money to take the programs intensive 30-hour volunteer training program so that she could become a direct service volunteer. She is one of their top volunteers and provides countless hours each week to helping the patients. This past summer McGuigan took complete responsibility for The Spring's new Shelter Boutique Clothing Closet in their emergency unit. She moved clothes out of an old utility closet, organized clothing in the revamped area and developed a labeling system so it could be better organized. McGuigan always takes the extra time to communicate and visit with the clients, showing her compassion with people as they go through difficult times.

Carolina allows 50 shots on goal but still gets a point as Justin Peters continues to shine

The Carolina Hurricanes played nearly the opposite game as they did the previous night against Washington and were dominated on Saturday night in Tampa Bay as the Lightning put 50 shots on goal while skating to a 3-2 overtime win.

Justin Peters kept his team in the thick of things as he made 47 saves, some of them outstanding.

Jiri Tlusty scored both goals for the Canes, one a shorthanded tally that gave the Hurricanes a league leading seven shorthanded goals for the season so far.

The Hurricanes were outshot in each and every period and spent a lot of time in their own zone chasing a quicker Lightning team.   Peters was equal to the task though and was riding a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Jordan Staal was called for tripping 6:49 into the period and the Lightning patiently worked the puck around until Victor Hedman fired a shot toward the net that Martin St. Louis tipped past Peters to tie things up.

The Bolts continued to overpower the Hurricanes and hem them in their own end, but Peters made several stops to keep things tied and the game went to overtime.

A couple of minutes into the extra period, Jeff Skinner was slammed into the boards by Radko Gudas, who then skated the puck into the Carolina zone with a two-on-one advantage.  He wound up and blasted the puck past Peters, who looked to be in pretty good position on the perfect shot.

Jiri Tlusty gave the Canes the lead on one of Carolina's few chances in the first on a perfect shot that rang the post and went in.

Tampa Bay tied the game on a Hedman shot as the big blueliner skated behind the Hurricanes defense to put one by Peters at 16:12 into the opening period.

The game was tied until midway through the second when Eric Staal fed Tlusty a sweet pass at the blueline as the winger was breaking in alone during a penalty kill.  Ron Hainsey started the play with a nice set up pass to Staal.

Peters then put on a clinic making save after save to keep his team in the lead.  One stop was a high glove save that needed to be reviewed because it looked like it might have been under the crossbar, but it counted as a save because there was no conclusive evidence to reverse the on-ice call.

The Hurricanes returned home after the game and will next take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night at the PNC.

Game Notes:

• The Canes were outshot 50-27 for the game.  The Canes could take some notes from this game on shooting accuracy. The Bolts only missed the net on eight shots.  The Canes missed the net 12 times on fewer chances. Justin Faulk and Tlusty led the way for Carolina with four shots each.
• Jay Harrison left the game early with an upper body concern.  There was no update on his condition.
• Down a defenseman, Faulk played a team high 29:23 of ice time.  Andrej Sekera played 28:39.
• The Hurricanes were called for five infractions in this game while the Lightning only went to the box twice.  The Canes went 0-2 while the Bolts went 1-5 with their powerplays.
• Listen to post game interviews as always at Canes PR.

John Gibson has allowed twice as many goals in December than he did in October-November combined. Perhaps the Christmas break is just what the doctor ordered to cure his recent slump.

[Ed. Note: Due to scheduling issues, this post is running a day late, all stats are valid as of Saturday morning -CK]

1 Norfolk is 1-for-27 on the PP over the last 5 games.

2 Antoine Laganiere (5G, 2A) scored two goals against the Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) Thursday in Charlotte.

3 Zack Stortini (3G, 3A) scored his third goal of the season Friday against the Adirondack Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers).

4 Goaltender John Gibson is 1-3 in December. In four games he has given up 18 goals and has a 4.54 GAA, and a .825 save percentage this month. His only win has come in a shootout.

5 Norfolk has won only five games at home this season and is 5-7-0-2 at Scope.

6 Rookie Max Friberg leads the team in plus/minus with plus-6. He netted two goals, an assist and was plus-3 versus the Phantoms Friday night, had one goal in Charlotte Thursday, one goal against Charlotte Saturday, and is currently on a three game goal streak with four goals in three games.

7 Through seven games played in December, Norfolk is 3-3-1-0. Following their goals for / goals against season trend, Norfolk has scored 25 goals and allowed 27.

8 The Admirals managed to pot eight goals in their last two games (four and four) but were unable to keep the puck out of their own net and ended up losing both games.

9 Captain Garnet Exelby picked up his ninth assist and ninth point of the season Thursday vs Charlotte.

10 John Gibson allowed ten goals combined in back-to-back games Thursday and Friday, losing both contests 5-4 versus Charlotte and Adirondack.

--John Gibson. Prior to the start of the season, he was seen as the future in Anaheim's net. He brought with him an impressive resume including a Gold Medal in the World Junior Championships and a Bronze in the Men's World Championships. He started the season in Norfolk on a high note, going 3-1-0-2 in six games in Oct and 5-4-0-1 in November. His 1.44GAA and .953 save percentage in October and 2.64GAA and .922 in November were good enough to keep him at or near the top of the league.

He was a target in a shooting galery, seeing shot totals over 35 seven times in those two months, and two games of 50 shots against in November. He carried the team on his shoulders when Frederik Andersen was called up to Anaheim due to injuries, and only got a small amount of relief after Brad Thiessen was signed a few weeks ago. There was everything to like about him, high hopes, and an almost god-like perception from fans. Those "golden months" seem like an eternity ago.

Gibson hasn't had a game with a save percentage over .900 since November 27. His only win in December has been in a shootout, allowing four goals. He's lost the other three games, being scored on 14 times in those losses and 18 times in December. In fact, between October and November Gibson played in 18 games and gave up 38 goals (2.21 GAA). So far in December he has started five games and given up 21 goals (4.54 GAA).

I asked Coach Yawney if Gibson was 100%, if there could be something tangible affecting his game. His response was simply that Gibson has to fight through this, he has to figure out how to battle through this low point. I asked about starting him on back-to-back nights, could that have affected his play on Friday, and the response was simply "He's done it before and been successful."

Yawney also made it a point to say that "Gibson will lose confidence in himself long before the coaches and the players lose confidence in him." Friday night's game saw Gibson give up two soft goals including a long shot from the point he kicked in to his own net after it squeeked through him, with the worst part about the goal being that it happened 20 seconds after Norfolk took a 3-2 lead.

So is it a loss of confidence that's causing Gibson to play so poorly? Could it still be lingering effects from an injury that saw him removed from a game in Syracuse (Tampa Bay Lightning) at the end of November? Is he just tired? We'll never know the answer, as neither players nor coaches will ever admit to any of the possibilities.

Captain Garnet Exelby said that Gibson stole some games for the Admirals that maybe they didn't deserve to win, and now it's finally caught up with the team. It's clear that Norfolk's lack of offense, spotting opposing teams leads, and giving up 30+ shots per night puts most of the burden of winning on the goaltenders. I'm more inclined to believe however that John Gibson, for all the talent he has, is finally seeing his reputation and fans' expectations outgrow his ability.

He most certainly has a future in the NHL, but I believe we are seeing the real John Gibson right now, the kid who needs to grow in to his future. Gibson is strong and skilled, and there's no doubt he'll work himself through this rough patch. Fans however need to finally take off the rose-colored glasses and dump all those accolades he accumulated before he started playing with grown men. Instead, Admirals and Ducks fans need to let him do what the AHL is so well known for doing: develop.

Follow me on Twitter: @VAPuckhead

With a win over Carolina, the Capitals became the second team in the division to reach the 40-point plateau and have distanced themselves a bit in second place. The Penguins continue to add to their lead with a six game win streak. The Islanders notched their 10th win of the year this week and the middle of the division is as crowded as ever.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (26-10-1)

The Penguins enter a Saturday matinee with the Flames in hot fashion having won six-straight and nine of their last ten.

Rookie defenseman Olli Maatta has seen his role on the ice increase with injuries to key defensemen and a suspension for Deryk Engelland.

In a 5-2 win over the Wild on Thursday, Maatta became the first rookie defenseman to score on a penalty shot since 1942 when Bob Goldham put one home for the Maple Leafs.

The 19-year old has scored two of his three goals and four of his 11 points in the last four games for the Penguins.

"In the last 15 games (his role has) gotten bigger," coach Dan Bylsma said in an interview with NHL.com. "The last five games it's gone to a point where he's been the top pair and getting the top minutes on the back end with (Matt) Niskanen."

Against the Wild, Chris Kunitz notched a pair of goals while Niskanen buried the game winner on the powerplay.

Kunitz has three goals in his last two games.

Brandon Sutter has a goal in three-straight for Pittsburgh.

Sidney Crosby is riding a nine-game point streak. During that stretch, he has six goals and nine assists.

Evgeni Malkin will miss Saturday's game against the Flames. It will be his fourth-straight game missed.

Jayson Megna is expected to miss six weeks with a lower body injury.

Tomas Vokoun, Rob Scuderi, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, Beau Bennett, Tanner Glass and Andrew Ebbett are on injured reserve for PIttsburgh.

Puck drop for Saturday's matchup between the Penguins and Flames is set for 1:00 p.m. in Pittsburgh.

After that game, Pittsburgh begins a four-game road trip with trips to Ottawa and Carolina this week.

Check out Maatta's penalty shot against the Wild courtesy of NHL.

Penalty Shot: Maatta vs Backstrom (via NHL)

2. Washington Capitals (19-13-3)

The Capitals are 7-2-1 in their last 10 going into their first matchup of the season with the Devils on Saturday.

Led by a hot Nicklas Backstrom, the Capitals will look to pick up more points in a three-game homestand that starts with the Devils and brings in the Ducks and Rangers this week.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 400th career goal on Friday night against the Hurricanes with a late empty net tally. Ovechkin, who scored number 400 in his 634th game, is the 6th fastest player in NHL history to reach the 400 goal mark behind Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemiuex, Brett Hull and Jari Kurri.

Backstrom has assisted on 130 of Ovechkin's 302 goals since the two became teammates in 2007-08.

Backstrom has had two four-assist games in the last 10 days. He has 14 points in his past five games.

Ovechkin has seven goals in his past five.

Goaltender Phillipp Grubauer, who made his season debut on Dec. 3, is 4-0-1 on the season.

Marcus Johansson was shaken up on Friday and may not play on Saturday.

Jack Hillen, Brooks Laich and Michael Latta are on injured reserve.

Forward Tom Wilson remains in the lineup after the NHL opted not to suspend him for a hit on Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn that resulted in a game misconduct for charging.

Puck drop for Saturday's game in Washington against the Devils is set for 7:00 p.m.

Tom Wilson Hit on Brayden Schenn (12/17/13) (via SomeHockeyVideos)

3. Philadelphia Flyers (16-15-4)

The Flyers, with points in four straight games (3-0-1), have climbed into third place in the division going into a Saturday night trip to Columbus.

Since starting the season 1-7, the Flyers have gone 15-8-4 in their last 27 to get into playoff position.

Goaltender Steve Mason has been an important part of the winning ways. He is one of 12 goaltenders to appear in 27 or more games this season. In that group, he ranks seventh with a 2.40 GAA and fifth with a .922 SP.

After facing Columbus, the Flyers return home to host the Wild before embarking on a Western Conference trip.

Philadelphia has won eight-straight at home, with their last home loss coming in a 3-0 loss to the Devils on Nov. 7.

The Flyers have not won nine-straight at home since the beginning of the 2005-06 season.

Claude Giroux is riding a five-game point streak with four goals and six assists during that time.

The Flyers and Blue Jackets will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Vincent Lecavalier is out with a back injury.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (14-14-7)

Following a long break since a 3-1 win over the Coyotes on Dec. 14, the Hurricanes were unable to win in the front half of a weekend back to back with the Capitals, who visited Raleigh and used three powerplay tallies to power over Carolina.

Friday night marked the first time this season that the Hurricanes have allowed three powerplay goals in a game.

After visiting Tampa Bay in the second half of the back-to-back scenario on Saturday, Carolina will play three of its next four at home.

Jordan Staal has goals in three of his past six games and at least a point in three of four.

Joni PItkanen and Anton Khudobin make up the injured reserve list. Mike Komisarek was activated from IR on Friday after suffering a lower body injury, but was a healthy scratch against the Capitals.

The Lightning and Hurricanes drop the puck in Florida at 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

5. New Jersey Devils (14-15-7)

The Devils took five of six points during a three-game homestand, most recently grabbing a point on Friday night in an overtime loss to the Ducks.

Thanks to the extra points, New Jersey sits one point behind third-place Philadelphia.

The Devils will travel to Washington on Saturday night to close out a back-to-back. New Jersey is 3-5-2 this season in the first game of back-to-backs, but they are 5-1-3 in the second games.

Ryan Clowe, who has missed 30 games with a concussion, could return as early as Saturday.

Captain Bryce Salvador is also close to returning. He has missed 27 games with a non-displaced stress fracture in his foot.

Jaromir Jagr is on a six-game point streak. He has eight points during that streak.

Damien Brunner was helped off the ice in the first period on Friday night and did not return. There was no update during the post game.

Peter Harrold, Adam Larsson and Ryan Carter are out.

The Capitals and Devils will begin at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. It is the first meeting of the season between the two division rivals.

6. New York Rangers (16-18-2)

New York, who has gone 3-5-2 over their last 10 and boasts the second-worst goal differential in the division at -18, has lost some ground after a shootout loss to the Penguins and a regulation loss at the hands of the Islanders.

The Rangers have back-to-back home games this week as they host the Wild and Maple Leafs on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

New York will look to improve on their home record which is 6-10-2.

After the back-to-back scenario in New York, the Rangers will play five-straight on the road after Christmas, starting on Dec. 27 with a trip to Washington.

The Wild and Rangers will drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

7. Columbus Blue Jackets (14-17-4)

The Blue Jackets lost their second-straight game in regulation by one goal when they fell 5-4 to the Flyers on the road on Thursday.

Going into a Saturday night rematch with Philadelphia on Saturday, however, the Blue Jackets will have a boost as Marian Gaborik and James Wisniewski return to the lineup.

All five of the Flyers goals on Thursday came in third period, as Columbus blew a 3-0 lead going into the final frame.

A home game might be exactly what the Blue Jackets need. They are 5-2-2 in their past nine home games.

Cam Atkinson has three goals and three assists in his past five games.

Jack Skille is questionable for Saturday night with a hand injury.

Nathan Horton, Cody Bass, Jared Boll, Derek MacKenzie Dalton Prout and Sergei Bobrovsky are also injured.

After Saturday's home game against the Flyers, Columbus continues matchups with division rivals as they travel to Carolina and New Jersey next week.

Puck drop for Saturday night is set for 7:00 p.m.

8. New York Islanders (10-19-7)

A 5-3 win over the Rangers on Friday night was the Islanders' second win in the month of December.

Prior to that, however, the Islanders suffered an overtime and shootout loss at home, which means the team has picked up points in three-straight - the first time they have done that since October.

The win over the Rangers was the first regulation win for the Islanders since Nov. 12.

Things don't get easier for New York, however, as Saturday night brings the NHL's hottest team to town- the Ducks.

The Ducks will be playing their league-high 23rd road game and have won seven-straight after an overtime win over the Devils on Friday.

Kyle Okposo has a five-game point streak.

Lubomir Visnovsky and Radek Martinek are on injured reserve.

The Islanders begin against the Ducks on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Team Canada lost 3-0 to Team Sweden today, but Mathew Dumba was given a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing.

In the second period of the game between Canada and Sweden. Minnesota Wild prospect Mathew Dumba hit Carolina Hurricanes prospect Erik Karlsson. Dumba was given a major and a game misconduct for kneeing.

Karlsson didn't return after the incident. You can see the hit here via HockeyWebCast. TSN has also a video of the hit, but I'm not sure if people in the US can view it.

Dumba could face supplementary discipline. If he's suspended, it's going to be a tricky situation for Team Canada. They might start the tournament, which is starting on December 26th, with 5 defensemen. That really seems to be an unlikely scenario to happen though. They've until Christmas to officially finalize their roster.

For the record, Alexander Edler was suspended 2 games during the 2013 IIHF World Championship for a knee hit on Eric Staal. The IIHF then added 2 additional games to Edler, but it doesn't matter in this case.

If Dumba is suspended, it's fair to think that he'd probably get 1 or 2 games. It's definitely not something we like to see, but we'll find out later.

More from Hockey Wilderness

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It took 37 games into the season, but tonight the Carolina Hurricanes finally face new Metro Division rival Columbus Blue Jackets.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets
December 23, 2013 - 7:00 pm EST
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: The Cannon (@cbjcannon)

Hurricanes Record: 14-14-8 (36 pts.)
Blue Jackets Record: 15-17-4 (34 pts.)

The Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets finally get a chance tonight to begin a Metro Division rivalry. The teams will meet five times this season; three times at PNC and twice in Columbus. The Canes are coming into tonight's game off a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. The Blue Jackets picked up two important points with a 6-3 home win against divisional opponent Philadelphia Flyers, also on Saturday.

The Canes and Jackets met twice in the preseason: the first a 5-4 loss in Raleigh (featuring the famous "jersey tuck" incident), and the second a 2-1 Canes win in Columbus (featuring close to an opening night roster). As far as regular seasons go, the Canes haven't beaten Columbus since 2005, the Blue Jackets have won the last five straight, the most recent an R.J. Umberger hat trick in Columbus for a 5-1 win on March 23, 2012.

Both teams are middling in the Metro Division, outside a playoff spot, but only three points separate New Jersey in third from Columbus in seventh, so division wins, especially in regulation, are critical for both teams at this juncture.

The Blue Jackets have suffered severely on the injury front this year. Off-season acquisition Nathan Horton has yet to suit up for the Jackets after shoulder surgery, but is traveling with the team to assimilate into the group. 2013 Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky remains on IR recovering from a groin strain, as does Jared Boll, who is recovering from a torn ankle tendon. The hapless Marion Gaborik just returned Saturday from a 17-game absence due to a knee sprain, only to suffer a broken collarbone which puts him back out of the lineup indefinitely. Matt Calvert also left Saturday's game with an upper body injury and did not travel to Raleigh.

A few positive rosters changes as James Wisniewski returned Saturday after missing six games with an upper body injury, and Derek MacKenzie and Jack Skille will return tonight.

Ryan Johansen leads the Jackets with 29 points (14g, 15a), followed by Brandon Dubinsky with 22 points (6g, 16a). Johansen has 16 points in his last 13 games. Umberger is on a hot streak with three goals in his last 3 games.

Curtis McElhinney will make his third consecutive start in net; he is 0-for-2 career against the Canes.

Projected line-up from Jackets official web site (note, does not reflect Calvert out and MacKenzie in):

Nick Foligno - Ryan Johansen - RJ Umberger
Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Blake Comeau
Boone Jenner - Artem Anisimov - Cam Atkinson
Jack Skille - Mark Letestu - Corey Trapp

Fedor Tyutin - Jack Johnson
Ryan Murray - James Wisniewski
Nikita Nikitin - Dalton Prout
David Savard

Curtis McElhinney
Mike McKenna

The Canes didn't practice Sunday after arriving home from Tampa, and they won't skate today either, although Kirk Muller will hold a media scrum around 11:00 am.

Jay Harrison left the game early Saturday after suffering an upper body injury, his status for tonight is unknown. With Ryan Murphy and Mike Komisarek sitting out as healthy extras, perhaps at least one will be back in the lineup tonight.

Although the ultimate outcome was a loss, with his 47-save performance Saturday night, many of the highlight reel variety, it's likely Justin Peters will get the start in net again tonight. Peters has never faced Columbus; Cam Ward is 0-for-4.

Projected lines based on Saturday's game:

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Nathan Gerbe - Jordan Staal - Alexander Semin
Jiri Tlusty - Riley Nash - Patrick Dwyer
Drayson Bowman - Manny Malhotra - Radek Dvorak/Kevin Westgarth

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk
Ron Hainsey - Brett Bellemore
Jay Harrison - Tim Gleason
Mike Komisarek - Ryan Murphy

Justin Peters
Cam Ward

For those watching the broadcast, Fox Sports Carolinas will be rocking the Phantom Cam tomorrow night. We'll have the open game thread ready to roll at 6:30 pm. See you at the rink.

The Jackets righted the ship on Saturday, but if they want to continue to be taken seriously for the playoffs, another division win is needed against the Hurricanes.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes

December 23, 2013 - 7:00 pm EST
RBC Center - Raleigh, North Carolina
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country
SBN's Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes coverage

First and foremost, for those of you who celebrate Christmas (no judgments here!), we hope you have a safe, happy, and stress-free holiday. We apologize that we weren't able to recap the Philly game from Saturday, but sometimes the holidays and work and family pre-empt our abilities to sit in front of the computer. Suffice it to say, it was pretty awesome to see the Jackets come out in the third period and lay all kinds of funk down on the Flyers.

That said, the game wasn't without trepidations. The Jackets lost Marian Gaborik again after just a few shifts to a broken collarbone. Matt Calvert left the game as well, and won't be in the lineup tonight. Philly also managed another crazy flurry in which they scored twice in under 30 seconds to tie the game late in the second period. Ugh to all of it.

But, the Jackets came out in the third period, and scored three strong goals to knock Philly's you-know-what in the dirt. And, even when Philly pulled their goalie and managed to cut it to 5-3, all credit to R.J. Umberger for creating an empty-net goal to completely seal it with nothing but effort and hustle.

So, that's where tonight comes in. This game has some importance, as a regulation win would push the Jackets into a tie (in which they hold the tie-breaker) with these Hurricanes (and could put them ahead of the Rags, pending their game tonight). The Jackets do get some guys back in the form of Derek MacKenzie and Jack Skille, so the loss of Calvert is mitigated a bit (I don't really think of Gaborik as a "loss" at this point because they've been playing without him for over a month anyway). If the Jackets, honestly, can play like they did in the third period--and most of Thursday's road effort in Philadelphia--I really like their chances tonight. And, here's why.

Carolina is getting it done with smoke and mirrors this year. They can't score with any regularity, and they're only slightly better defensively than the Jackets and middle of the pack for the league. They're not strong on special teams at all, including a pretty atrocious Power Play. They do a few things well: they stay out of the penalty box (fourth best in the league in PIM/game), they manage shots on goal (almost 30 a game), and they have been good at getting to overtime and earning those extra points. Columbus has more wins than this team, but Carolina has four more OT points, hence the standings. There's something to be said for that. To that point, they've lost five of six games, but they've managed to grab five points in that span (1-2-3). When the Jackets have had losing streaks, they don't steal those points.

So, that's where this game will be won in my opinion. The Hurricanes don't score at home (just 36 goals in 18 games). They don't score on the Power Play. They don't kill penalties with total efficiency. They do, however, play good defense at home, with just 44 goals allowed in those same games. The Jackets need to get ahead early, and impose their will with forechecking and strong defense. They need to watch the top line of Carolina, with Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal driving the bus.

But, most of all, if they have a lead in the third period again, they need to slam the freaking door. This Canes team can hang around and steal those OT points, and the Jackets have shown that they can falter a bit with a lead on the road.

If the third period from Saturday is to have meant anything, the Jackets will need to not let that happen tonight.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(15-17-4, 34 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Carolina Hurricanes
(14-14-8, 36 Points; 5th division, 10th conference)

Season Series

12/23/13 - Columbus at Carolina
01/10/14 - Carolina at Columbus
01/27/14 - Columbus at Carolina
03/18/14 - Carolina at Columbus
03/29/14 - Columbus at Carolina

Head to Head Stats

Carolina		Columbus
2.28 (27)	GPG	2.67 (13)
2.72 (16)	GAPG	2.83 (20)
12.5% (27)	PP%	19.0% (14)
79.5% (23)	PK%	82.5% (15)
Jeff Skinner, 12	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 14
Eric Staal, 20	A leader	James Wisniewski, 17
Eric Staal, 29	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 29
Eric Staal, 38	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 68
7-7-4	Home/Road	6-9-2
12/21 @ Tampa Bay, L 3-2 (OT)	Last Game	12/21 vs. Philadelphia, W 6-3
4-3-3	Last 10	5-4-1

The Jackets righted the ship on Saturday, but if they want to continue to be taken seriously for the playoffs, another division win is needed against the Hurricanes.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes

December 23, 2013 - 7:00 pm EST
RBC Center - Raleigh, North Carolina
Radio - WWCD 102.5 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country
SBN's Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes coverage

First and foremost, for those of you who celebrate Christmas (no judgments here!), we hope you have a safe, happy, and stress-free holiday. We apologize that we weren't able to recap the Philly game from Saturday, but sometimes the holidays and work and family pre-empt our abilities to sit in front of the computer. Suffice it to say, it was pretty awesome to see the Jackets come out in the third period and lay all kinds of funk down on the Flyers.

That said, the game wasn't without trepidations. The Jackets lost Marian Gaborik again after just a few shifts to a broken collarbone. Matt Calvert left the game as well, and won't be in the lineup tonight. Philly also managed another crazy flurry in which they scored twice in under 30 seconds to tie the game late in the second period. Ugh to all of it.

But, the Jackets came out in the third period, and scored three strong goals to knock Philly's you-know-what in the dirt. And, even when Philly pulled their goalie and managed to cut it to 5-3, all credit to R.J. Umberger for creating an empty-net goal to completely seal it with nothing but effort and hustle.

So, that's where tonight comes in. This game has some importance, as a regulation win would push the Jackets into a tie (in which they hold the tie-breaker) with these Hurricanes (and could put them ahead of the Rags, pending their game tonight). The Jackets do get some guys back in the form of Derek MacKenzie and Jack Skille, so the loss of Calvert is mitigated a bit (I don't really think of Gaborik as a "loss" at this point because they've been playing without him for over a month anyway). If the Jackets, honestly, can play like they did in the third period--and most of Thursday's road effort in Philadelphia--I really like their chances tonight. And, here's why.

Carolina is getting it done with smoke and mirrors this year. They can't score with any regularity, and they're only slightly better defensively than the Jackets and middle of the pack for the league. They're not strong on special teams at all, including a pretty atrocious Power Play. They do a few things well: they stay out of the penalty box (fourth best in the league in PIM/game), they manage shots on goal (almost 30 a game), and they have been good at getting to overtime and earning those extra points. Columbus has more wins than this team, but Carolina has four more OT points, hence the standings. There's something to be said for that. To that point, they've lost five of six games, but they've managed to grab five points in that span (1-2-3). When the Jackets have had losing streaks, they don't steal those points.

So, that's where this game will be won in my opinion. The Hurricanes don't score at home (just 36 goals in 18 games). They don't score on the Power Play. They don't kill penalties with total efficiency. They do, however, play good defense at home, with just 44 goals allowed in those same games. The Jackets need to get ahead early, and impose their will with forechecking and strong defense. They need to watch the top line of Carolina, with Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal driving the bus.

But, most of all, if they have a lead in the third period again, they need to slam the freaking door. This Canes team can hang around and steal those OT points, and the Jackets have shown that they can falter a bit with a lead on the road.

If the third period from Saturday is to have meant anything, the Jackets will need to not let that happen tonight.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(15-17-4, 34 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Carolina Hurricanes
(14-14-8, 36 Points; 5th division, 10th conference)

Season Series

12/23/13 - Columbus at Carolina
01/10/14 - Carolina at Columbus
01/27/14 - Columbus at Carolina
03/18/14 - Carolina at Columbus
03/29/14 - Columbus at Carolina

Head to Head Stats

Carolina		Columbus
2.28 (27)	GPG	2.67 (13)
2.72 (16)	GAPG	2.83 (20)
12.5% (27)	PP%	19.0% (14)
79.5% (23)	PK%	82.5% (15)
Jeff Skinner, 12	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 14
Eric Staal, 20	A leader	James Wisniewski, 17
Eric Staal, 29	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 29
Eric Staal, 38	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 68
7-7-4	Home/Road	6-9-2
12/21 @ Tampa Bay, L 3-2 (OT)	Last Game	12/21 vs. Philadelphia, W 6-3
4-3-3	Last 10	5-4-1