The Hurricanes wrap up a home back-to-back series against the Sunshine State as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Sunday, January 19, 2014 - 5:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

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

Hurricanes Record: 20-18-9 (49 pts.)
Lightning Record: 28-16-5 (61 pts.)

The Canes and Lightning wrap up their three-game season series tonight, and their second back-to-back. Both teams played yesterday. The Canes played later and at home and in a 3-2 victory over the Panthers. The Lightning played earlier in the day but were defeated by the San Jose Sharks 5-4.

The Lightning are currently second in the Atlantic Division and third overall in the Eastern Conference, firmly entrenched in a playoff spot. They own the series against Carolina this season with two wins, one in regulation (3-0 on November 1) and one in overtime (3-2 on December 21). In fact, the Lightning have owned the series with the Canes for several years now. They won the 2012-13 season series 4-1-0, they've won six out of the last seven meetings, and eight of the last nine at PNC Arena.

Martin St. Louis scored all four goals for the Lightning yesterday, a personal best, and he's been lighting up the scoreboard since his Team Canada snub with 8 goals and 11 points in the last 7 games. He has 86 points in 75 career games against the Hurricanes.

Victor Hedman left yesterday's game after blocking a shot off his leg. He was later seen on crutches but was reported to just be suffering from a bruise. He did travel with the team to Raleigh but his status for tonight's game is uncertain.

Big Ben Bishop was in net for the Lightning in yesterday's loss and made 27 saves on 32 shots, but his past performance against the Canes could lead to a back-to-back opportunity in net. Bishop is 3-0-0 with a .66 GAA and two shutouts in net against the Canes. Backup netminder Anders Lindback is 1-2-0 with a 3.02 GAA in three career games. Previous indications have been that the goaltenders would split the weekend's games, but nothing has been confirmed.

The Hurricanes won't practice today and with last night's success there will likely be little roster shuffling unless there are unknown maladies coming out of last night or a need for fresh legs. Brett Bellemore and Ryan Murphy were both healthy extras yesterday and could draw in tonight. Drayson Bowman has missed two games with a lower body injury but may be well enough for the lineup if needed. It is expected that Justin Peters will get starts in net between now and the Olympic break (with 11 games in 22 days), but with Anton Khudobin's sustained impressive performance, Kirk Muller could decide to continue to ride the hot hand again tonight.

Note the early start time. If you're going, get thee to the arena early to pick up your Jordan Staal bobblehead. We'll have the open game thread ready by 4:30 pm. The Canes are in their black third jerseys today. See you at the rink.

Ben Bishop makes 48 saves to remain perfect against Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes finished up their homestand with a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of 16,760 on Sunday night at the PNC Arena.

The Canes came out on fire and put eight shots on goal early, compared to just one for the Bolts, but Riley Nash was called for hooking 4:42 into the game and the Lightning took advantage and went on to score four consecutive goals as they built a 4-0 lead before the home team could light the lamp.

Justin Peters started the game in net but was pulled after the first three goals.  It's hard to blame the rusty goalie too much, as he was left out to dry, but he left the game having allowed three goals on just seven shots.

The Lightning scored on Anton Khudobin just 24 seconds into the second period.  The goalie allowed a total of two goals on 17 shots for the game.

Ben Bishop made 48 saves, as the Hurricanes took a season high 51 shots on goal and made the saves he needed to make and stayed perfect against the Hurricanes, as he has yet to lose to the Carolina franchise.

With the score 4-0, Alexander Semin got the Canes on the board when he skated the puck end-to-end and beat Bishop with a perfect shot during a powerplay chance, 1:26 into the second period.

Just under four minutes later, Eric Staal stole the puck, skated it alone, and made the score 4-2, but the Canes could not get any closer.

Tampa Bay would make it 5-2 just two minutes and change later as a Mark Barberio shot was deflected past Khudobin.  It was the rookie's second goal of the night, and the second of his NHL career.

Both teams went into the third period with the 5-2 score, but the Canes did not give up.  Ron Hainsey knocked in the rebound of a John-Michael Liles shot to make it 5-3 and Carolina fans were hoping for another big three goal comeback.

Semin would get close again with a shot that hit the crossbar, but the score ended up at 5-3 and the Lightning succeeded in sweeping Carolina this season.

Next up will be the red hot Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

Game Notes:

• Worth repeating, it was a season high 51 shots on goal for the Canes.  Jeff Skinner led the team with seven and Liles was next with six.  In all, they sent 97 shots toward the Tampa net, the second most this season.  (They had 28 shots blocked and missed the net 18 times).  The Lightning had 24 shots on goal, had 11 blocked, and missed the net just five times for a total of 40 shots.
• Tuomo Ruutu was benched in this game and played a team low 6:48.  Liles played a team high 23:53.
• Liles played an excellent game.  To go with his six shots on goal, he had a team high five blocked shots, and finished at +2.  Both Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera had a -4.
• The Canes did not give up in this game as they had an equal 17 shots on goal in each period.  But there was uneven effort again at both ends of the rink and Tampa Bay was good enough to take full advantage of any lull.
• Post game interviews are at Canes PR.com.

The Carolina Hurricanes split back-to-back home games against former Southeast Division rivals this weekend, topping Florida 3-2, then falling to Tampa Bay 5-3.

Alexander Semin snapped his scoring slump, notching three goals in two games to help Carolina split their two games at home. The Hurricanes are now 20-19-9 with 49 points, seventh in the Metropolitan Division and three points out of a wild card spot.

Three Observations

1. Semin seems to have taken the criticism levied by GM Jim Rutherford prior to the back-to-back home games to heart, scoring both nights to ignite Carolina’s top line. Semin, Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty combined for eight points over the weekend, factoring in all but one of the Hurricanes’ six goals.

2. The addition of John-Michael Liles has given Carolina’s power play new-found confidence. Carolina scored with the man-advantage in both games, but even when the power play didn't convert the Canes were showing off improved puck movement. Liles has not only done a great job at keeping pucks in the offensive zone, but he has a knack for knowing when to shoot and when to pass.

3. Carolina’s top pairing of Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera struggled against the Lightning and were on the ice for all five Tampa Bay goals. The duo's point output has also dried up of late: Sekera has gone six games without a point after registering 24 points in his first 40 games, while Faulk is pointless in four with just one point in his last nine outings.

Number To Know

26 — shot attempts for Semin in the two games. He totaled 13 shots on goal, eight attempts blocked and five missed shots over two nights in Raleigh.

Plus

Alexander Semin — See everything above. He was the dominant player he was last season in the two-game set, something Carolina needs if they want to make a run at a playoff spot.

Minus

Justin Peters— Peters can't be blamed for his poor numbers Sunday (three goals allowed on seven shots), but his chance of becoming an NHL starter via trade have seemingly slipped away. He is now 1-3-2 (he got a no decision Sunday, since Carolina managed to score three times) in his last seven and the Canes will surely run with the red-hot Anton Khudobin for as long as they can.

The Hurricanes arrive in soon-to-be-snowy Philadelphia to take on the Flyers tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Broad Street Hockey (twitter @BroadStHockey)

Hurricanes Record: 20-19-9 (49 pts.)
Flyers Record: 25-19-6 (56 pts.)

The Hurricanes caught a bit of a break from the hockey scheduling gods when they were given two early season home games against the Flyers, who struggled out of the gate. By the end of the evening of November 5th, the Hurricanes had defeated the Flyers twice (a feat they had not previously accomplished since 2006-07), and the Flyers record was a dismal 4-9-1. But since that night, they've rattled off an impressive 21-10-6 record, and their 56 points is good enough for third in the Metro Division.

The Canes may be catching a bit of a schedule break today as well, arriving in town the more rested team. After playing back-to-back home games over the weekend, they had a scheduled day off the ice yesterday before traveling to Philly. Meanwhile, the Flyers were on the road at Nassau for an afternoon game against the Islanders, which they eventually lost 4-3 in a four-round shootout.

Both teams are led in stats by their respective captains and Olympic snubs from Team Canada. Claude Giroux leads the Flyers with 44 points (13g, 31a), and Eric Staal leads the Canes with 39 points (11g, 28a) including 30 points in his last 27 games. Other noted Olympic snub Alexander Semin has three goals in his last two games.

Wayne Simmonds is second on the Flyers in scoring with 37 points and has 7 points in his last five games. Matt Read scored two goals against the Islanders yesterday.

On Saturday, the Flyers signed goaltender Steve Mason to a three-year, $12.3 million contract extension, then pulled him later that evening after he gave up four goals in a game against the Islanders. Ray Emery was solid in relief to preserve a win, and was also in net yesterday for the shootout loss, so Mason will likely be back in tonight. He is 5-1-1 career to date versus the Canes with a 1.85 GAA. Emery is 5-0-0 with a .73 GAA and one shutout in five career games.

Jakub Voracek left yesterday's game yesterday after suffering a hand injury. He will undergo further evaluation today and his status for tonight's game is unknown.

The Flyers rank in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories, but despite giving up two power play goals yesterday, they have been solid on the penalty kill where they rank eighth in the league. This comes in handy because they lead the league in penalty minutes, taking nine penalties for six shorthanded situations yesterday.

Without a practice yesterday, there are no updates to the Hurricanes roster, and it's expected that the lineup will be similar to Sunday's game. The team is scheduled to practice this morning at 11:30 am.

Both Ryan Murphy and Brett Bellemore were healthy scratches and could draw in for tonight's game. Drayson Bowman is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury. Cam Ward is still on injured reserve (lower body) and listed as week-to-week but did travel with the team.

Anton Khudobin will likely get tonight's start in net. Dobby is 2-1-0 with a 1.89 GAA and Justin Peters is 1-2-0 with a 3.66 GAA in their respective career appearances against the Flyers.

A player whose name hasn't been discussed much lately is Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen, who was drafted by the Flyers and played 206 games for them between 2003 and 2007. Pitkanen has been on long term injured reserve after suffering a devastating heel fracture last season, and not only has his NHL career been in question but also his long term prognosis for returning to full health off the ice. Canes fans got a brief update yesterday about Pitkanen, who is rehabbing in Raleigh and making progress albeit slowly.

Let's hope the teams catch a break from the weather gods. Forecasts are calling for six to ten inches of snow in the Philadelphia area, starting around mid-day. We'll have the game thread open by 6:30 pm. See you there.

Alex Semin is headed to Sochi after he was named as an injury replacement for Team Russia.

Alexander Semin is Sochi bound. After initially being left off the men's ice hockey roster for the 2014 Olympic Games, Semin has been added to the team as an injury replacement, according to Igor Eronko on Tuesday morning.

Semin will be replacing Sergei Soin, who injured his knee while playing for Dynamo Moscow of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. The 31-year-old forward was put on the team for his defensive play, but team president Vladimir Tretiak said that didn't mean Russia would look to fill the void with the same type of player. The decision to pick Semin as his replacement is evidence of that.

Semin's absence from the initial roster announcement drew surprise, as he has proven his ability to be a top-tier talent. However, coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov expressed that he wasn't impressed by Semin's play, via R-Sport:

"We knew that this decision will surprise a lot of people," Bilyaletdinov said. "But we watched a lot of games. I saw him several times. We came to the opinion that for now he doesn't make it onto the roster. He didn't play as we expected, that's why we made this decision."

In addition, Bilyaletdinov didn't even speak with Semin after attending a Hurricanes game earlier this year, via Puck Daddy:

The biggest surprise is the exclusion of Alexander Semin. It is quite difficult to understand exactly what led to him not making the team. He is picking up his game lately, but, quite interestingly, Bilyaletdinov didn't even speak with Semin when visiting one of the recent Hurricanes' games.

Is there something personal there?

As if that wasn't enough, Carolina manager Jim Rutherford recently expressed disappointment in Semin's play this season:

He came off a great year, and we are all very disappointed with his production at this time. He's a guy who is paid to score goals and put up points, and he hasn't done that. He's trying to play an east-west game when the rest of the team is playing a north-south game, and he needs to get his act going pretty soon... I do think it's the focus and the will to do well. The same will to do well that he had in his contract year. He is probably the most skilled player on this team, and when he wants to play, he can do it. He needs to start."

Semin responded favorably, as he scored two goals later that night and added another the following evening. Now, he's on Team Russia. Maybe things are starting to turn in the right direction for the Carolina forward.

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Winger "very happy to represent my country in the Olympics."

Team Russia announced today that Carolina Hurricanes winger Alexander Semin has been added to the roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Though a previous participant in the Olympics and other international tournaments, Semin was excluded from the initial roster when it was announced on January 7. An injury to fellow countryman Sergei Soin (Dynamo Moscow) opened up the opportunity for Sasha to represent in his home country.

Through Tripp Tracy (via twitter), Semin had this to say in response to today's announcement: " I am very happy to represent my country in the Olympics. My focus before and after Sochi is and will continue to be helping my team, the Hurricanes, make the playoffs."

Semin joins fellow Hurricanes teammates Justin Faulk (USA), Tuomo Ruutu (Finland), and Andrej Sekera (Slovakia).

The press release from the team follows:

RALEIGH, NC - Alexander Semin was today named to the roster of Russia's men's ice hockey team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Justin Faulk (USA), Andrej Sekera (Slovakia) and Tuomo Ruutu (Finland) will also represent their countries in the tournament, which begins Feb. 12.

Semin, 29, has nine goals and 12 assists (21 points) in 36 games for Carolina this season, including three goals in his last two games. A native of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, he has represented his country in nine major international tournaments, including the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. He helped Russia win gold at the 2008 and 2012 IIHF World Championships and also won medals at the 2002 U-18 World Junior Championship (silver), 2005 IIHF World Championship (bronze) and 2010 IIHF World Championship (silver).

The NHL has postponed the Flyers-Hurricanes game on Tuesday night due to weather.

For the second time this month, inclement weather has pushed back a Carolina Hurricanes game.

The NHL announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Hurricanes-Flyers game scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET faceoff has been postponed due a snowstorm that has buried much of the Northeast. The city of Philadelphia is currently under a "snow emergency."

The game will now be played on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. ET faceoff.

Earlier this month, the Hurricanes had a Jan. 7 game in Buffalo postponed due to a blizzard. That game has been rescheduled for Feb. 25.

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The NHL has postponed Carolina’s game Tuesday at Philadelphia. No make-up date has been announced.

For the second time this season, the Carolina Hurricanes have had a road game postponed due to winter weather.

The NHL opted to postpone Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game between the Flyers and Hurricanes in Philadelphia. It's the second time this season the Hurricanes have had a game postponed: Carolina’s game on Jan. 7 in Buffalo was rescheduled to Feb. 25 — infringing on the last day of the Olympic break — because of bad weather in Western New York.

As for rescheduling this game, it's as sticky as fitting in a game in Buffalo. The best chance to play the game might be March 10, which would force Carolina to play in Philadelphia a day before they host the Rangers in Raleigh. The issue there is Carolina would be playing four games in five nights and bump up the Hurricanes’ total games in March to 17, including 14 from March 7 to the end of the month.

Here is the release from the team:

NHL Postpones Tonight's Hurricanes-Flyers Game
Winter storm in Philadelphia will force teams to reschedule

RALEIGH, NC – The National Hockey League today announced that tonight’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia has been postponed. The date on which the game will be made up has yet to be determined. The Hurricanes will remain in Philadelphia tonight, and travel to Buffalo on Wednesday. The Hurricanes face the Sabres on Thursday at 7 p.m. (SportSouth, Hurricanes Radio Network).

The Flyers and Hurricanes finally hit the ice -- at 6 p.m., oddly, in this postponed makeup game.

The Flyers wanted the game postponed. The Hurricanes wanted to play. The Flyers are getting their way.

The NHL has postponed Tuesday night's game between the Flyers and Hurricanes, and the game will be played Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Tickets for January 21 will be honored on Wednesday night.

Both teams are off on Wednesday night, and the Sixers are in New York, so theoretically the teams could play then. The NHL's CBA, however, prevents teams from playing games on three straight nights, and Carolina has games scheduled on both Thursday and Friday. One would think that this could happen regardless if Carolina's players sign off on it and the league gets the NHLPA's blessing, but there's no guarantee of that happening. but Carolina's game Friday against Ottawa is likely to be pushed back to Saturday to avoid this little problem.

Carolina has already had one game rescheduled this season due to snow, and the league's Olympic break will end one day early to accommodate that game in Buffalo. It's certainly a raw deal for the Hurricanes, who obviously wanted to play tonight because it's not their fans they need to worry about and they don't want to make another trip to Philly, but whatever. They'll live. Safety is more important.

This is the right call. It's too dangerous for everybody who has to travel to the game -- fans, team employees, Wells Fargo Center employees, etc. The teams are already in the building, but the teams and the league can afford to eat whatever expense they've already made for this one.

More from Broad Street Hockey

Follow @BroadStHockeyFollow @SBNationNHL

• Why the NHL should postpone Tuesday's game
• A game preview for a game that's not happening
• A few more thoughts on Steve Mason's contract extension
• Marc-Andre Bourdon injury: Flyers defenseman cleared to return

Steve Mason couldn't stop this between-the-legs shot from Nathan Gerbe.

The number of between-the-legs goals in the NHL this season seems to have skyrocketed, and we were treated to yet another one on Wednesday night when Carolina Hurricanes forward Nathan Gerbe added to his team's lead in the second period when he beat Flyers goalie Steve Mason.

The goal was Gerbe's 10th of the season, and it was awesome. You can also add it to the highlight reel along withTomas Hertl and Nick Folignofor this season.

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Semin, Gerbe, and Tlusty score to lead Carolina to win in Philadelphia

The Carolina Hurricanes wasted a day in Philadelphia while waiting out a snowstorm but made it count as they beat the Flyers, 3-2 on the make up date of Tuesday night's postponed game, on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Hurricanes scored a goal in each period and Anton Khudobin stopped 22 of 24 shots in a solid effort for the win.

Alexander Semin kept his scoring streak alive as he lit the lamp about midway through the first period, to make the score 1-0.  Eric Staal found his linemate with the primary assist, but the Russian fired in a beautiful shot that froze goalie Steve Mason.

That was the 10th goal of the season for Semin, and his fourth in the last three games.

Then 13:38 into the second period, Nathan Gerbe put the Canes up 2-0 on about the prettiest goal you will see.  The puck bounced past the Philadelphia defenseman at the blueline and Gerbe showed off his speed and raced to it.

Gerbe then took the puck in alone and went between his legs before zipping the puck past Mason, who was fooled on the play.

You knew that the Flyers were not going away though and sure enough Claude Giroux made it 2-1 with less than 30 seconds left in the period as he backhanded a shot past Khudobin.

The home team would tie it up during a powerplay after Riley Nash was called for high-sticking.  Scott Hartnell knocked in a rebound and the score was 2-2, but the Canes had an answer.

With 6:10 left in the game, Jiri Tlusty flicked in the rebound of a Andrej Sekera shot for the game-winner.

The Canes will travel immediately after the contest to Buffalo for a game against the Sabres on Thursday night.

Game Notes:

• Tuomo Ruutu had a better game this time around and was involved in a lot of action.  He ended up with a game high seven hits, along with four shots on goal in 11:12 of ice time.
• The Canes outshot the Flyers 34-24 and were led by Ruutu and Gerbe with four shots each.
• Gerbe's goal will be one that is watched over and over.  He said after the game that it was the first time he tried that in the NHL.  Watch it in the video below.
• Manny Malhotra won 73% of his faceoffs, a game high.
• Justin Faulk played a game high 25:10 and looked to be back to normal.  The defenseman had three shots on goal, hit the post once on another shot, had three hits, and finished with a +2.
• Patrick Dwyer left the game early with an upper body concern.  There was no update after the game.
• Listen to post game interviews here Canes PR.com.

The Little Ball of Hate is baaaack, and ain't it grand?

The Bruins remain at leisure until the Saturday matinee in Philadelphia against the Flyers, 1pm.

• The Brad Marchand we saw perplexing the Kings to score a shorthanded goal had been MIA on the scoreboard for a while. He is now making his own luck. [MilfordDailyNews]
• Marchand seems to have found his game again, which should be entertaining. (Video, 1:49) [NESN]
• Now leading the Bruins in goals, Marchand hopefully can kiss the long drought goodbye just as he mockingly kissed his Stanley Cup ring in Vancouver. [BruinsDaily]
• Since the loss of Dennis Seidenberg, other Bruins defensemen have fallen to injury. To shore up the blueline, here's who might be trade bait and which veteran defensemen might be good targets. [TheBostonGlobe]
• This morning, and for the third time this season, Zach Trotman has been called up from Providence. [WEEI]
• Kevan Miller has earned confidence and has been rewarded with ice time, and says the final minutes of the game are "(his) power play." [PatriotLedger]
• Miller's good news may well mean ch-ch-ch-changes for a teammate. [Hockeybuzz]
• This NHL power ranking asserts that the Bruins' recent performance demonstrates no need for desperation or sudden roster moves. [TheHockeyNews]

Elsewhere around the rink: 

• Bob Miller, the announcer's voice of the Mighty Ducks movies, talks about his Hollywood experience, the hatching of the Anaheim Ducks, and concocting a fictitious Bruins play-by-play for "Cheers" character Eddie LeBec. [ProHockeyTalk]
• Why the Hartford Whalers left Connecticut, and might an NHL team be interested in a return to the Nutmeg State? [FarmingtonValleyTimes]
• Nathan Gerbe potted a Tomas Hertl-esque goal (and Anton Khudobin got the win in goal) as the Carolina Hurricanes dropped the Philadelphia Flyers last night. [PuckDaddy]
• Here are the likely Stanley Cup contenders, organized as current Oscar-nominated movies for your amusement. [TheHockeyNews]
• Sochi raises some unique security concerns and risks. So far, about 30% of event tickets are still available. [CNN]
• Will the "November 1st" rule of thumb apply to this year's NHL standings? What factors may make this year different? [TheStarPhoenix]
• And you thought Nike's Olympic hockey jerseys were remarkable... get a load of Team Norway's curling uniforms! [WallStreetJournal]
• Sportsmanship. At a Minnesota Bantam tournament, a defenseman was pressed into service as an emergency goalie.  Equipment was loaned, and the opposing team's netminder offered quick tutorials to help. [MinnesotaHockeyMag]

After a rescheduled game the Hurricanes travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres

Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres
Thursday, January 23, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
First Niagra Center - Buffalo, NY
TV - SportsSouth
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Die by the Blade (twitter @diebytheblade)

Hurricanes Record: 21-19-9 (51 pts.)
Sabres Record: 13-28-7 (33 pts.)

After playing the Flyers last night in a rescheduled game the Canes move on to Buffalo to play the Sabres, where just last week these two teams were forced to reschedule a game due to snow. The Canes are coming off a big 3-2 win last night over the Flyers.  Jiri Tlusty, who has not had the greatest season and has had to deal with an appendectomy, scored the game winner late in the third period, and Anton Khudobin stopped 22 of 24 shots to pick up the victory.

Tonight is the first of three games against the Sabres this season.  It's also a homecoming for two current Hurricanes.  Andrej Sekera and Nathan Gerbe both played for the Sabres last season.  Sekera was acquired for Jamie McBain and a second round pick (J.T. Compher).  That's a trade that I think most Caniacs would say has worked out quite well.  Nathan Gerbe was signed as a free agent after being bough out by the Sabres.

Both players are having strong seasons for the Canes compared to their career averages.  Gerbe is on pace to come close to his career high 16 goals and surpass his previous career high point total of 31.  Gerbe scored one of the prettiest goals you will ever see last night, streaking in off the wing and shooting between his legs to beat Steve Mason.  Sekera, whose 7 goals so far this season has already eclipsed his previous best of 4 set in 2009-10, is on pace for 42 points.  On top of his statistical output Sekera has settled in to a top role, often times paired with Justin Faulk on the Canes top defensive pairing.

Buffalo comes in to the game in last place in the league.  To say it's been a trying season is an understatement.  The Sabres traded Tomas Vanek early in the season to the Islanders for picks and prospects.  The Sabres offense is sputtering along with a league low 89 goals on the season, 22 below the next closest team prior to last nights games.

Alexander Semin scored an early goal for the Canes last night to give him 10 on the season.  Semin has been hot since Jim Rutherford made some public comments about the player, scoring four goals in the last three games.  There's no doubt that the Canes need Semin to score.  Hopefully Semin can continue on his recent success and inclusion on the Russian Olympic hockey team and help lead the team back in to a playoff spot.

The reconstituted Eric Staal, Alexander Semin, Jiri Tlusty is putting up points like it was last season, putting up 4 points and 2 goals last night.  Head Coach Kirk Muller reformed that line in the Calgary Flames game last week and it has been paying dividends since.

The Canes came out of last nights game a little banged up.  Patrick Dwyer left the game early.  Drayson Bowman, who is on the trip, may find himself reinserted in to the lineup.  No word yet on if we will see any lineup swaps or line shuffling.  While the top line is going gang busters Jeff Skinner has cooled off some in the last week.  Perhaps Muller will make some moves on the second and third lines in response.  Justin Peters got the start a few nights back against Tampa Bay and was quickly pulled.  Is it possible he could see another start against the Sabres to keep Khudobin fresh for the Senators on Saturday?

The Hurricanes' up-and-down season continues. Will the Olympic break work in their favor?

Signs of optimism that the Carolina Hurricanes might continue their winning streak came in a 6-1 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs.However, the following night their five game winning streak ceased as they fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 and then lost 2-0 at home to the Calgary Flames.

After a few days break, the Hurricanes hit the ice again at home against the Florida Panthers.Alex Semin had a breakout performance as he scored two goals, which helped edge the Hurricanes over the Panthers.It was soon back to the losing column though in a 5-3 bout versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.With that loss the Canes are still in the Wild Card race, but are now under .500.

Semin, whose play had been questioned by General Manager Jim Rutherford, was named to the Russian Olympic team Tuesday as a replacement due to injury after being initially left off the primary roster.“[Semin] came off a great year, and we are all very disappointed with his production at this time. He’s a guy who is paid to score goals and put up points, and he hasn’t done that,” Rutherford told ABC 11.“He’s trying to play an east-west game when the rest of the team is playing a north-south game, and he needs to get his act going pretty soon.I do think it’s the focus and the will to do well. The same will to do well that he had in his contract year. He is probably the most skilled player on this team, and when he wants to play, he can do it. He needs to start.”  Semin's recent performance has shown improvement seeing that he has four goals in three consecutive games.

A few key factors have caused the Hurricanes’ performance as of late and one of those is their inability to play a complete 60-minute game.The team is either off to a slow start, like their game against Calgary, or they don’t record enough chances in the third period.Their power play has been anemic since the beginning of the season, but they have somewhat made up for it with their short-handed goals, leading the league with nine. Although their penalty kill has been effective in the scoring category, they are ranked 25 in the league.  If only they could be effective on both sides of special teams.

As of now, the Carolina Hurricanes have about the same record at home (11-10-5) as they do on the road (9-9-4).Although attendance at the PNC Arena continues to increase, it doesn’t seem to spark a fire for the ‘Canes on the ice.In last year's condensed season, the Hurricanes had a worse home record than they do at this point of the season.The Triangle continues to be loyal and support the mediocre professional sports team inside the PNC, but they deserve better.

Another factor that has been absolutely necessary to a team, since the NHL commenced, is a smash-mouth, hard-nosed agitator.The Hurricanes used to have guys like Gary Roberts, Mike Commodore, Jesse Boulerice, Craig Adams, Sean Hill, Bryan Allen, Tom Kostopolus, Tim Conboy, and Wade Brookbank.Whether or not the Hurricanes used the aforementioned players as agitators or fighters specifically, they played much better hockey because intimidation wasn’t as much of a factor.Most recently, agitators for Carolina have been Nathan Gerbe and Chad LaRose who are both under six feet tall.Tuomo Ruutu was brought in to help with size on the aggressive side for the Hurricanes, but he hasn’t produced hits this season like he used to.Size and toughness and a player that can ignite the bench when needed are key components to having a well-rounded team that can not only produce, but make teams cringe when they see them on the schedule.

Jeff Skinner has had an incredible season so far, but he can’t be the only player to get the job done.Since his return from injury, he has been a great deal of help to the team in the goals column.Typically on the nights that Skinner strikes, the team is then able to get pucks in the net.  However, in their last few games Skinner didn’t produce and neither did the team.However, Skinner isn’t the player that the Hurricanes should be looking towards to provide the fire to get the team going.Although Skinner is indeed a franchise player, producers like Eric Staal and Alex Semin who have top-notch resumes of lighting up the lamp, should be the ones the team looks to in these situations.Not to mention Staal is the captain of the team.Staal has produced in the assist column but he isn’t doing what he should be doing as far as goals go.Semin, as mentioned before, was brought in to score goals and we’ve yet to see him at his full potential.

The Hurricanes are a team that has a skillful roster with players who are fully capable of setting up plays and making crisp passes.Unfortunately, when nothing is working they revert to the simple dump-and-chase method.When they do get ahold of the puck in the neutral zone, they unnecessarily try to dance around players and make pretty plays rather than simply playing the game and getting pucks on net.Their history shows that this is a formula that they have continually reverted to and it does not get the job done.

If the Hurricanes can get rid of players who are not adding the value they were expected to and replace them with players that can provide points, score goals, and get in opponents' faces when necessary they will be much better off. Maybe try and get some bigger bodies to help clog up the neutral zone at the trade deadline. Sure, a five game winning streak was a start, but they need to get their rear in gear because things are going south quickly.Maybe the Olympic break will be what they need to get into the mindset that is essential to qualify for the playoffs.As committed as Rutherford is to his team right now, that could be altered in the near future.“I’m committed to [the team] at this point in time, but certainly we have to win games and win at the pace that I feel we can win at. If that doesn’t happen, that commitment can go away at the end of the season.”

Jeff Skinner added another highlight reel goal to the collection for the Carolina Hurricanes. He didn't even need to face the net.

Jeff Skinner is on his way to a career year for the Carolina Hurricanes and he added his 22nd goal of the season on Thursday night when he scored this pretty one against the Buffalo Sabres.

After he steals the puck from defenseman Alexander Sulzer in the neutral zone, Skinner gets himself into a position to unleash a ridiculous backhand shot with his back to the net, beating Jhonas Enroth.

Skinner now has 19 goals in his past 25 games.

That's also two highlight reel goals for the Hurricanes in as many night as Skinnerfollowed up the beauty Nathan Gerbe scored in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

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Semin scores twice and Sekera notches game-winner against former team

Don't look now, but Carolina's dominating first line of last season seems to be back as the Hurricanes got two goals from red hot Alexander Semin and another one from Jiri Tlusty, while the Canes came from behind three times to defeat the Buffalo Sabres, 5-3 on Thursday night at First Niagara Center.

The line of Eric Staal, Tlusty, and Semin was one of the league's most productive last season, but they got off to a slow start this year and were quickly broken up.  They seem to have found their collective mojo now though as Semin has a four game goal streak, (six goals), and Staal has a four game assist streak.

The Hurricanes have now won three of their last four games and eight of their last 11.  This win gives the team a 22-19-9 record, good enough for fifth place in the Metro Division.  They jumped the Caps and Devils with the victory.

The game did not start out well though as the home team seemed to have more jump and got several open chances against Anton Khudobin.  Cody Hodgson got behind Jay Harrison for Buffalo's first goal midway through the first period, but Jeff Skinner would answer two minutes later with a tricky backhander which fooled Sabres goalie, Jhonas Enroth.

The Sabres made it 2-1 early in the second when Harrison and Khudobin both went for a loose puck in the crease but neither got it.  Semin had an answer though during a delayed penalty call against the Sabres as once again, the Russian skated from end-to-end and beat the goalie from just beyond the slot area with a wicked wrister to tie the score, 2-2.

For the third time this night, the Sabres jumped into the lead when Tyler Ennis beat Khudobin just 48 seconds into the third period.

Carolina's first line went to work though and Tlusty won a battle and got the puck to Staal behind the net.  The captain sent the puck to the front of the net where Semin was skating and "Sasha" tipped it past Enroth to tie up the score once again.

Just 2:25 later, Andrej Sekera made a very pretty play and skated from side to side along the blueline, (East - West for those keeping track), and found an opening as he beat Enroth for the eventual game-winner.  It was the defenseman's eighth goal of the season, extending his previous career high.

Both teams battled the rest of the way until Tlusty skated down a puck while being hacked with the Buffalo net empty.  The Czech  was able to get the puck into the net with less than a second left on the clock to close out the game.

The Canes will return home to prepare for the match against Ottawa on Saturday at noon, (which was moved from the originally scheduled time of Friday night.)

Game Notes:

• Drayson Bowman returned to action and skated for the injured Patrick Dwyer in this one.  He played 13:12 but did not register anything on the scoresheet.
• The Canes outshot the Sabres 33-29.  "Dobby" made 26 saves and was put to the test several times, including a couple of breakaways.  Jordan Staal led the team with seven shots and Skinner was next with five.
• Sekera had two assists to go with his goal and finished with a +4.  The blueliner also had a team high two blocked shots.
• Ruutu, Tlusty, and Komisarek each had three hits, which led the Canes.
• Postgame interviews can be found here - Canes PR.com.

A former old friend scored the game winning goal for the Hurricanes in their 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

The Buffalo Sabres had a hard time scoring goals for the first half of the season. They still are on a historically low pace for goal scoring. But, as of late, the team has been able to find the back of the net a few times and yet they still can't find a way to win games. They were on their way to their fifth straight 4-3 loss if not for a late empty net goal, the Buffalo Sabres squandered three separate leads on their way to their 29th regulation loss of the season. Who was the game winning goal scored by you ask? That would be none other than Andrej Sekera, his eighth of the season.

The first period saw a pair of goals that just seemed like déjà vu at opposite ends of the ice. Cody Hodgson got the scoring started at the 10:19 mark of the first period off a bad turnover from Jay Harrison. Hodgson took the turnover and fired a laser from the right faceoff circle that beat Anton Khudobin. Just two minutes later, Carolina's Jeff Skinner scored off a bad turnover from Alexander Sulzer. While the first period was anything but scintillating, the two teams did manage to combine for 25 total shots on goal

The second period seemed much like the first period. Both teams kept their offensive pace up through the period, but it still wasn't all that scintillating. Brian Flynn got the Sabres back in the lead three minutes into the period after cleaning up a rebound left behind from a Phil Varone shot. The Hurricanes tied the game off on an Alexander Semin shot with the extra attacker. The goal is Semin's 11th of the season, one that he just tucked under the crossbar and handcuffed Enroth. The Sabres finished the period with a two shot advantage over Carolina after outshooting them 11-8 in the period.

Buffalo came out of the gate pretty quickly to start the third period as Tyler Ennis continued his point streak for a sixth game. He was able to find an open net after the puck ricocheted off the crossbar from a Drew Stafford shot. That would be some of the only offense the Sabres could muster as they finished the period with only six shots on goal. The Hurricanes were the team that had more energy in the final period even after playing in Philadelphia the night before. Semin scored his second of the night on a tip-in from Eric Staal right in front of the net. 2:25 later. Sekera scored off a screen for the game winning goal.

Phil Varone's NHL Debut

While a random Thursday night game against the Hurricanes isn't going to send people jogging down memory lane, it will for forward Phil Varone. Varone made his NHL debut after playing 176 games with the Rochester Americans and was the first player in Sabres history to wear the number 84. He started on a line with Marcus Foligno and Brian Flynn and looked solid in his debut. In the second period, he also registered his first NHL point with an assist on the Brian Flynn goal

Varone was admittedly nervous before the game, "I felt like throwing up before the game." His final stat line was 10:36 of ice time, one assist, two shots, two hits, and three for five from the faceoff dot. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time as he had two good chances to score a goal from right in the slot with one of those chances leading to the assist.

Two Sabres Make Returns

Two former Sabres made their regular season return to the First Niagara Center as Andrej Sekera and Nathan Gerbe both suited up for the Hurricanes. One night after making all of the highlight shows with a between the legs goal, Gerbe's game was relatively more subdued by the Sabres and Sekera was the one to create the fireworks with a goal and Two assists.

Sekera is having a really good season for the Hurricanes. The game winning goal was his eighth of the season. When he was a Sabre, Sekera only had 18 goals in 347 games. His final stat line for the game was 23:27 of ice time, one goal, two assists, and four shots on goal.

The Ottawa Senators come to Raleigh for a rare noon start at the PNC Arena.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators
Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 12:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolina
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Silver Seven (twitter @silversevens)

Hurricanes Record: 22-19-9 (53 pts.)
Sabres Record: 22-19-10 (54 pts.)

In spite of the snow and postponed games the Carolina Hurricanes were able to win back to back road games against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres.  The Hurricanes now return home to the PNC to face the Ottawa Senators in yet another rescheduled game looking to extend the win streak to three games.

Alexander Semin is hot, hot, hot.  Semin is currently riding a four game goal scoring streak that has seen the winger score 6 goals over that span.  Semin seems to be scoring in all situations with one power play goal and one short handed goal amongst the six goals.  Semin seems to have found his shooting touch as he's scored on 6 of 17 shots over the last four goals.

The Hurricanes also seem to be in a mood to score highlight reel goals.  From Nathan Gerbe's between the leg goal against the Flyers (and, why pass up the opportunity to watch that one more time?) to Jeff Skinner's sneaky shot against Jhonas Enroth against the Sabres the Canes are scoring goals that make DVR technology invaluable.  The Canes, however, aren't relying solely on finesse to win games.  Jiri Tlusty has been able to return to the ledger sheet scoring a dirty goal in Philadelphia.

This game will be the second of three meeting between the Hurricanes and the Senators on the season.  The Canes and Senators last played on November 24th in a game the Hurricanes won 4 to 1.  Jason Spezza scored early on for the Senators lone goal on the night.  Patrick Dwyer, Tuomo Ruutu, Elias Lindholm and Eric Staal scored and Cam Ward stopped 35 of 36 shots.

The ines and D pairings were same as the Buffalo game Friday at practice.  No word on goalie yet, but Muller seems to want to ride the hot hand of Anton Khudobin for as long as possible.

Ryan Murphy Assigned to Charlotte

On Thursday the Carolina Hurricanes assigned Ryan Murphy to the Charlotte Checkers.  Murphy had been a healthy extra the last four games.  The move came just in time for Murphy to play for the Checkers through the Olympic break, something that may be good for the player.  The release is below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Jan. 24, 2014

‘CANES ASSIGN RYAN MURPHY TO CHARLOTTE

Defenseman eligible to play with Checkers through Olympic Break

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has assigned defenseman Ryan Murphy to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Murphy, 20, has totaled two goals and nine assists (11 points) in 39 NHL games with Carolina this season. The Aurora, Ont., native is in his first full professional season since being drafted by the Hurricanes in the first round, 12^th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Because he was reassigned today, Murphy (5’11", 185 lbs.) is eligible to play with Charlotte during the NHL’s Olympic Break.

The game thread will open up at 11:30 tomorrow morning.  We look forward to seeing you there.  As always, Go Canes!

An apparent knee injury to Moscow Dynamo's Denis Kokarev has opened the door for Alexander Burmistrov to represent his country at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

At the rate Russian hockey players are currently succumbing to injury, it will be a wonder if they are able to ice a complete roster for the commencement of the 2014 Sochi Olympics in two weeks time.

All joking aside, a recent impairment to Denis Kokarev has opened the door for Alexander Burmistrov, formerly of your Winnipeg Jets, to become a likely addition to the Russian Federation's roster early next week.

Kokarev, a 28-year-old forward employed by the KHL's Moscow Dynamo suffered a leg injury during league play yesterday that has effectively ended his Olympic campaign before it even started.

Dmitry Chesnokov, best known for his work at Yahoo! Sports blog Puck Daddy has noted that Burmistrov appears to be next in line to fill the void left by Kokarev's absence.

Team Russia is expected to announce Denis Kokarev's replacement on Monday. Former #NHLJets forward Burmistrov is the front runner #Sochi2014

— Dmitry Chesnokov (@dchesnokov) January 24, 2014

Kokarev is now the second Russian forward that Executive Director Valery Fesyuk has must replace this past week. On Tuesday, Carolina Hurricanes forward Alex Semin was named to the roster in lieu of an ailing Sergei Soin, also of Moscow Dynamo, after he collided with SKA St. Petersburg defenceman Maxim Chudinov, resulting in a knee injury.

Both Kokarev and Soin were likely to be used in defensive roles by head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, primarily as it related to their penalty kill. While Burmistrov is a versatile forward who is more than capable of filling a two-way game, it is uncertain to what capacity Semin will be used at these Olympic games.

Burmistrov currently leads his club team Ak Bars Kazan with thirty-five points (10G, 25A) in forty-nine regular season games. Should he be named to the Russian line-up, he will become the sixth player to represent the Jets in Sochi behind Blake Wheeler (USA), Michael Frolik (CZE) , Ondrej Pavelec (CZE), Olli Jokinen (FIN) and Arturs Kulda (LAT).

We now turn our attention to Perry Kane for more insight and analysis.

More from Arctic Ice Hockey

Follow @arcticicehockeyFollow @SBNationNHL

• Recap: Jets shutout by Stalock and Sharks
• Saying goodbye to Grant Clitsome
• Remembering the awfulness of the 2012-13 NHL Lockout
• The myth of Ondrej Pavelec being a good goaltender

A preview of the game between the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes on 25 January 2014.

The Ottawa Senators will look to keep pace in the eastern conference playoff race when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes this afternoon. The Senators are coming off a shootout loss in Tampa Bay and has lost three of its last four games, although two of those have been in overtime. The Hurricanes have also lost three of its last four, with all the losses coming in regulation. Carolina is currently a point behind Ottawa with a game in hand.

Marc Methot will return to the lineup with Matt Kassian, Joe Corvo and Patrick Wiercioch the healthy scratches. Robin Lehner will start. Here are the lines.

MacArthur - Turris - Ryan
Michalek - Spezza - Zibanejad
Greening - Smith - Neil
Conacher - Da Costa - Condra

Cowen/Methot - Karlsson
Phillips - Ceci
Cowen/Methot - Gryba

Lehner (starter)
Anderson

Some notes for today:

• Erik Karlsson played a career regular season high of 34:45 against Tampa Bay. In the last 27 games, the Senators have 57.4% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts with Karlsson on the ice and 52.9% with Karlsson off the ice. Both are very good but one is spectacular.
• Clarke MacArthur is tied with Bobby Ryan for second in team points and is only one behind Ryan for the goal scoring lead.
• Jason Spezza recorded his first multi-point game since 9 December. He had gone 15 games without multiple points in the same game, scoring just three goals and three assists in that span.
• Robin Lehner hasn't allowed a goal since 27 December. That is slightly less impressive when considering that he has played only one game since then. Craig Anderson has been decent in 10 games since then, stopping 91.6 of shots since then.
• The Senators have scored only 37 goals in 16 games started by Robin Lehner and incredibly only 13 goals in the last eight games started by Lehner.
• Zack Smith has more shots on goal than Clarke MacArthur.
• Karlsson has 49 points in 51 games. The other eight defencemen to play for the club this season have combined for 73 points in 255 games.
• Alexander Semin is on fire for the Hurricanes, scoring six goals in his last four games.

Here are some stats leaders for the two teams tonight.