Pacioretty's injury could force changes to Team USA's lineup in Sochi.

The United States hockey team's gold medal hopes took a hit on Saturday when Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty suffered an injury after colliding with a net post.

The incident occurred in the first period when Pacioretty drove the net against the Carolina Hurricanes. As Pacioretty skated towards the net, Hurricanes defenseman Brett Bellemore checked him off his feet and into the net post.

Pacioretty remained on the ice for a few minutes before getting helped to the dressing room. There's no word on the extent of his injury, but the Bobby Ryan Watch is officially underway in case USA Hockey needs a replacement for Pacioretty in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

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Quinnipiac could move into first place in the ECAC with a win and a Union loss.

Hamden, Conn. -- St. Lawrence visits Quinnipiac tonight for the first of two meetings between the ECAC foes this season. The biggest news in the lineup is that Jordan Samuels-Thomas will miss tonight's game for the Bobcats.

St. Lawrence endured an 0-8-1 stretch, but is 2-1 over its last three games, including last night's 7-1 demolishing of Princeton.

Quinnipiac, coming off a 6-3 victory over Clarkson last night, is 7-1-1 over its last nine games. The only loss during that time was a setback at Merrimack.

ST. LAWRENCE

QUINNIPIAC

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Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.

Really not sure what's going on here.

P.K. Subban is an interesting character. He's great for the league: an energetic, charismatic young player that isn't afraid to speak his mind.

Those descriptions all apply to his outfit on Saturday.

If this is just how he likes to dress, then more power to him. But maybe packed all of his clothes for Russia and this was all he had left to wear to the game.

Your move, Don Cherry.

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The Montreal Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in a boring game. Max Pacioretty was injured but might still be good to go for Sochi.

• THIS GAME WAS SO BORING. Here are things I did during this game: watched a video of Canadian Press reporters' accommodation problems in Sochi, tested an online survey for a friend, shopped for dresses for a friend's wedding, some power yoga, made dinner, tried to do a handstand. I had one eye on the game the whole time. I missed no action, and also I cannot do a handstand.
• The best news: we don't have to watch this crap again until February 26th.
• [Updated] Glad Max Pacioretty is still able to go to Sochi. It would really have sucked if he had to miss one of the greatest things that will happen to him in his career because of the stupid Carolina Hurricanes. Let's face it. The Canadiens are wasting his prime and Team USA was smart enough to actually make use of his prime and life is sometimes so unfair.
• Don't bring up his millions and his wife and kid. I'm talking relatively. If I can't feel bad for Max Pacioretty because other people have less than he does, you can't complain about the STM breaking down on your way to work, because other people have no jobs. Everything is relative.
• Anyway, Bobby Mac tweeted that even though it's not official, he's told that Patch should be good to go for Sochi.
• Mike Komisarek is a terrible hockey player and a big douchebag. I think it's the Carolina sweater that's causing the latter.
• I have never watched a single Habs-Canes game during which the officiating made any sense.
• Ryan White: BAMF
• Brendan Gallagher is better than you at life.
• P.K. Subban is better than you at life.
• Carey Price is better than you at life.
• Rene Bourque compliment of the night, for JD__: apparently an adequate replacement for Max Pacioretty.
• The Carolina Hurricanes played better than the Habs, even before the score effects kicked in. Broken record, etc.
• EOTP three stars: The following tweets from friend of EOTP Ashley:

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: how do you hockey.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 8, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: how do you powerplay.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 8, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: how to screen a goalie that isn't yours.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: Is Desharnais allowed to score goals.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches, Lars Eller edition: what does puck look like.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google search: What happens when we score more goals than other team.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

• We'll continue to have a lot extensive Olympics coverage right here on EOTP, so you know where to go when you want to talk Sochi anything.

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The fourth line is the best line for Carolina and that's not good enough

The Olympic break has finally come and the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves outside of a playoff spot looking in.  The Canes did not help their cause with a disappointing, 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in front of a sell out crowd at the PNC Arena on Saturday night.

The Hurricanes started out well and they were happy with their scoreless first period, but after Drayson Bowman put the club up 1-0 early in the second period, the team's intensity seemed to lessen as the game went on.

Coach Kirk Muller was unhappy with the overall effort and said after the game that not all of his players were "on board".

Max Pacioretty had to be helped from the ice after being injured in the first period, and did not return, but he did say after the game that he was okay and would still be playing for Team USA in Sochi.  His plane leaves tomorrow.

His team started out with seven defensemen and ended up playing most of the game with just 10 forwards, though they looked like the fresher team in the third.

The Canadiens scored twice within a minute and change near the end of the second period to take a 2-1 lead, then put the game away with another goal, 6:15 into the third.  The Habs added an empty-netter near the end to complete their scoring.

The good news for Carolina is that the fourth line of Tuomo Ruutu, Drayson Bowman, and Riley Nash continues to shine.  The bad news is that the Jordan Staal, Elias Lindholm, and Jeff Skinner line continues to struggle.

The first line had some chances but could not get the job done on this night and the third line of Manny Malhotra, Patrick Dwyer, and Nathan Gerbe did very little and were rewarded with the least amount of ice time.  Malhotra played a team low, 7:33.

The team's defense had some breakdowns and that led to four goals on just 24 shots for the visitors.

Anton Khudobin has had better nights but did make some nice saves in the game.

Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera, Alexander Semin, and Tuomo Ruutu will now travel to Sochi while the rest of the team will take off for two weeks.  In the meantime, Carolina brass will be trying to figure out how to improve this team during the shut down.

Game Notes:

• Faulk and Sekera will try to put this game in the rearview mirror fast.  Both finished at -3 for the night.
• The Canes outshot the Habs 32-24 and were led by Bowman with five shots.
• Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, and Semin were credited with a game high three giveaways each.  Jordan won 83% of his draws.
• It was a very unhappy dressing room after the game as the coaching staff had a post game meeting with the team.

La même recette: Price et de l'opportunisme. Combien de temps cela durera-t-il encore?

Match typique de ce qu'on voit depuis le début du mois de janvier, le CH étant dominé aux chances de marquer, mais les dés ont roulé pour l'attaque et Price, encore une fois, a été sensationnel. Les Hurricanes disputaient un deuxième match en deux soirs et, comme c'est souvent le cas dans ces circonstances, n'avaient rien dans les jambes en première période. Ils ont ouvert la machine en deuxième et en troisième, mais rien n'y fit.

• Plekanec, encore une fois, a mangé sa gratte. Outre un 40 secondes passé avec Bourque et Gionta se terminant par 3 chances concédées, la distribution des catastrophes est intéressante. Eller a fait deux présences à l'aile gauche du 14 en 3e et ça a donné deux chances concédées. +2/-7 en présence du pauvre Bouillon, appelé en renfort en l'absence de Bournival. Au moins ils ne dompaient pas: 6 entrées de zone en possession de rondelle pour Pleks, 5 pour Brière et 2 pour Gionta.
• Horreur glauque, Pacioretty tombe au combat. Comme tout le monde, j'ai cru au poignet brisé sur le poteau des buts. Mais non, c'était plutôt la hanche.. On verra où ça mène. Bourque et Gallagher ont passé les deux premières présences à se marcher sur les pieds. Le gros Rene s'en allait toujours à droite et le pauvre Gallagher tentait de compenser. Quelqu'un au banc a fini par expliquer à Bourque que sa place était à gauche et les choses ont décollé. Un revirement brusque les a fait concéder 3 chances en rafale en début de 3e (Price, encore), mais sinon ils ont eu quelques belles poussées et Desharnais a converti deux fois. Après avoir collé 1 maigre point en 19 matchs, DD en a mis 31 en 37 matchs. Je serais curieux de le voir aller sans Pacioretty pendant un moment.
• Eller a fini par se faire pousser à l'aile au fil du match, perdant Bourque à Desharnais et Prust à White.
• Therrien a décidé de braquer Weise, Prust et White en zone défensive (3 mises en zone offensive contre 6 en zone défensive, White en prenant deux de plus avec les autres trios) et les résultats ont été fort honorables. Une seule chance concédée, 3 entrées de zone, tout ça en un peu moins de 5 minutes. C'est une très bonne nouvelle. Je ne sais pas si Weise est l'élément qui manquait, mais je lorgne plutôt du côté de Ryan White. Parce qu'il excelle dans les jobs ingrates, je suis bien heureux de le voir coller deux buts en deux matchs. Que Parros soit délaissé au profit de Bouillon me suggère par ailleurs qu'on ne le reverra pas beaucoup. Y'étais temps.
• Réunis, Gorges et Subban ont assuré. Mais ils ont beaucoup eu à jouer à la chaise musicale (7 défenseurs obligent) et l'un comme l'autre ont eu quelques soucis avec Murray et Bouillon.
• Duo stable et enterré en zone défensive, Emelin et Markov se sont fait ramasser. Je ne les trouve pas particulièrement performants dans ce rôle, mais je suis peut-être sévère, il y a longtemps que j'ai vu Therrien s'appuyer aussi lourdement sur un duo donné. Je trouve qu'il y a contre-emploi, quand même, je donnerais plutôt cette tâche à Subban et Gorges. Mais bon...
• Réunis pour moins de 4 minutes, Murray et Bouillon ont coulé à pic. Murray et Beaulieu aussi n'ont pas fait beaucoup de flammèches. Ça reste donc pénible à regarder aller dans l'ensemble.

It's the Olympic break and those who aren't on their way to Sochi from the NHL have a few weeks to think about the season thus far. With 20 games and change left in the season, which division teams have set themselves up for a stretch playoff run?

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-15-3) 83 points

Marc-Andre Fleury held the Senators and Sabres to one goal apiece this week, running his season win total to a league-leading 31 as the Penguins picked up two wins by final counts of 2-1 and 5-1.

In their final game before the break, the Penguins battled for a point at home against the Rangers, but fell in a shootout.

The Penguins go into the break with the second-best goal differential (+48) in the conference. They are the only team in the division to field a double-digit positive differential.

Pittsburgh's offense has produced an Eastern Conference-high 186 goals- 10 more than the closest competitor, the Bruins.

Aside from Fleury's league lead in wins, the Penguins also have the league leader in points in Sidney Crosby and his 78. The next closest scorer on the list is Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf who has notched 67.

Crosby also leads the league in assists with 50, and Matt Niskanen leads the NHL in plus/minus with a gaudy +29.

In addition, Fleury's four shutouts so far put him behind only Boston's Tuukka Rask who has five on the year.

Kris Letang suffered a stroke earlier this week, and is expected to miss six weeks.

The Penguins return to action after the Olympics when they host the Canadiens on Feb. 27. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.

2. New York Rangers (32-24-3) 67 points

Brad Richards scored the final tally of the shootout Friday against the Penguins, securing the Rangers' 32nd victory in their final game before the break.

Benoit Pouliot scored twice in the game as well as Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves to notch his 22nd win of the season.

New York is 7-3-0 in their past 10 games, which is the best mark in the division over that stretch and has allowed them to gain ground in the division.

During the home stretch, it will be about defending home ice for the Rangers. The squad is 14-14-3 in Madison Square Garden- a mark that the team will look to improve if they have hopes of staying at the top of the division.

They will have a chance to do just that when the break ends as they host the Blackhawks in their first game back on Feb. 27 for a 7 p.m. affair.

3. Philadelphia Flyers (30-23-6) 66 points

No team in the division enters the break quite as hot as the Flyers who have won four-consecutive games over Western Conference opponents.

Backstopped by great goaltending, the Flyers took care of the Kings and Sharks on the road before defeating the Avalanche and Flames at home to surge into the break.

Steve Mason was in net for Philadelphia's wins over Los Angeles, San Jose and Colorado. He held all of those teams to two or fewer goals and shutout the Kings on the road.

Ray Emery took care of business against the Flames, performing well in his own right as he held Calgary to one tally.

If the Flyers wish to stay hot after the break, they will have to take care of the Sharks again, this time on home ice, on Feb. 27.

San Jose will be looking to avenge their 2-5 loss to the Flyers earlier in the month.

That game will begin at 7 p.m.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets (29-24-5) 63 points

Following a 4-1 home win over the Panthers, Columbus started a tough road stretch that took them to Anaheim before a back-to-back scenario in Los Angeles and San Jose to close out their pre-break schedule.

The Blue Jackets took care of business against Anaheim, however, winning 4-2.

In Los Angeles, they battled to earn a point.

Jack Johnson scored the lone Columbus goal in the first period, giving the Blue Jackets a lead that they would hold until Jake Muzzin tipped in a shot from the stick of Anze Kopitar to tie the game in the third period.

Robyn Regehr slapped home his second goal of the season to win the game for the Kings.

The next day, Columbus couldn't overcome a two goal deficit they were put into by San Jose, eventually falling 2-3 to the Sharks.

After the break, Columbus will open up their schedule with a trip to New Jersey for a 7 p.m. division battle on Feb. 27.

5. Washington Capitals (27-23-9) 63 points

The Capitals had four-consecutive home games before their break began, and they took advantage of the homecooking, going 3-1-0 in those games, including a 3-0 win over division-rival New Jersey.

After a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Red Wings, the Capitals couldn't find a way to solve Evgeni Nabokov, who shut Washington out while his team manufactured one goal to win.

The Capitals didn't stay down, though. They defeated the Jets 4-2 in their next game and ended their pre-Olympic schedule in emphatic fashion as Braden Holtby stopped 25 New Jersey shots and benefited from a three-goal third period to win 3-0.

Alexander Ovechkin enters the break as the goal scoring leader with 40. The next closest scorer is Toronto's Phil Kessel who boasts 31.

Like the other teams in the division, Washington plays again on Feb. 27 as they travel to Florida for a 7:30 p.m. duel with the Panthers.

6. Carolina Hurricanes (26-22-9) 61 points

Like the Capitals, the Hurricanes had a four-game stretch of consecutive home games before the break.

An opportunity to gain ground in the wildcard and division race, however, was squandered as the Hurricanes split the four games 2-2-0.

Carolina looked great against St. Louis at PNC Arena. Anton Khudobin allowed only one goal- a top shelf snipe off the stick of David Backes, and the Hurricanes scored once in every frame en route to a 3-1 win.

However, when former-coach Paul Maurice and the Jets came calling, all the Hurricanes could muster was a lone third eriod goal from Riley Nash that knotted the game at one.

Carolina was unable to benefit from the tally, however, as Chris Thorburn burned the Hurricanes in the final 1:03 of the game, scoring his second goal of the year that sunk Carolina.

Against the Panthers, Carolina scored five times, Anton Khudobin made 35 saves and the Hurricanes blew Tim Thomas out of the game as they won 5-1.

In the second half of a back-to-back and their final game before the break, the Hurricanes scored only once courtesy of Drayson Bowman, and watched the Canadiens score four unanswered goals in the final half of the game to seal their fate.

The consolation for Carolina is that they possess two games in hand on the Rangers, Flyers, Capitals and Devils.

The Hurricanes play in the first game after the break- a duel with Buffalo that was rescheduled to Feb. 25 due to snow. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.

7. New Jersey Devils (24-22-13) 61 points

The Devils couldn't solve Washington's Braden Holtby in their final game before the break, as they fell 0-3.

Earlier in the week, however, they did pick up an extra point in an overtime loss to Colorado, and defeated the Oilers 2-1 on the road.

Up to this point, the Devils have left a few points on the board. They are the only team in the NHL that has not won a shootout (0-8).

The division games ramp up immediately for the Devils after the break. The team hosts Columbus and then heads to New York to battle the Rangers on Feb. 27 and March 1, respectively.

8. New York Islanders (22-30-8) 52 points

Evgeni Nabokov backstopped the Islanders to a 1-0 win in Washington, but the Islanders couldn't take advantage of two home games before the break, falling to the Flames 2-4  and the Avalanche 2-5.

Now, losers of two-straight, the Islanders sit nine points behind seventh place New Jersey and have played more games than anyone else in the division.

New York is also the only team in the division with single-digit home wins (8-14-8).

Boasting three wins in their past 10 games, the Islanders lone bright spot is that captain John Tavares is third in the league behind Crosby and Getzlaf in point scoring with 66.

The Islanders return to action on Feb. 27 facing off against an Eastern Conference foe by hosting the Maple Leafs. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

The trade deadline approaches and the Hurricanes need to make some important decisions.

With 25 games remaining in the Carolina Hurricanes' season, they find themselves in an all too familiar position.  The team is currently three points outside of a playoff spot, (with a game or two in hand on the teams ahead of them), and that is certainly not a place they want to be when the season is over.

With the trade deadline approaching quickly when hockey resumes later in February, (March 5th), the team needs to make some tough decisions and they need to make them soon.

Obviously, they are too close to a playoff spot to throw in the towel completely and consider themselves to be outright sellers.  But on the other hand, they do not want to waste assets, (draft picks and/or prospects), to obtain a player, and then still not make the playoffs.

Are they better off doing nothing?

The Hurricanes also have other issues to consider.  They have three goalies on the roster and something has to give there.  They also have players with big contracts, (Cam Ward and Tuomo Ruutu), who are not performing up to those contracts.

So the team could look to move those contracts in hopes of freeing up future cap space.

The Hurricanes have certainly been in the rumor mill and it appears they have been trying to do something.  There are several players available who could help the team, but at what cost?

Some of the forwards most likely available are:  Steve Ott, Matt Moulson, Thomas Vanek, Marcel Goc, Brad Boyes, Lee Stempniak, Mike Cammalleri, Ales Hemsky, and David Legwand.

The Canes could use help in a lot of ways, but especially on the powerplay.

Should the team look to dump a couple of their big salaries and be sellers?  Or should they push all in and look to bring in a player or two to help them down the stretch?

Packpride will be speaking more about this later in the week and we will be having a contest, so look for that a bit later.

During the Olympic break if we do not have an article published, we will have an open discussion thread for the day.  Feel free to converse about anything.

Let us know what trade ideas you have for improving the Hurricanes for a chance to win prize.

Welcome to the 2014 Olympic break, two weeks with no NHL hockey and with that probably very limited NHL news. The Carolina Hurricanes entered the break in a very familiar position, currently outside the playoff picture. They find themselves 5 points behind the Philadelphia Flyers with 2 games in-hand for the Metropolitan's 3rd seed and 3 points behind the Detroit Red Wings with 1 game in-hand for the Eastern Conference's 8th seed. I believe the consensus is this team is still a few pieces short of being a true playoff contender. Even though the NHL trade deadline is still 3 weeks away, teams will only have about a week to make any moves once the Olympic break and the trade freeze is lifted. So I thought this would be a perfect time to have a little fun and have a Canes Country Trade Proposal Contest.

This contest allows the readers the opportunity to play armchair General Manager and propose trades they feel will improve the team now or down the road. No player is out of bounds, but try to be as realistic as possible. What I mean is proposing Sidney Crosby for Eric Staal& a 2014 1st round pick just doesn't have any chance of happening. You can propose as many trades as you want and feel free to leave feedback on other fans' ideas (but be respectful). If you can post some of your thought process behind the trade proposal, it would be even better. On Sunday, I will go through the proposals and pick out the 5 or 6 I feel are most plausible. Then next Tuesday, I will post another article with a blurb about each trade proposal and a poll to allow everyone to vote for their favorite one. The poll will close on Saturday, February 22nd and I will announce the winner on Sunday.

We might even have 2 different winners, because the Canes Country staff will also pick their favorite. The winner or winners will have their choice of a small prize. We have some Canes Country T-Shirts, a Cam Ward Puck, some other Hurricane Pucks, a 2008 Eric Staal Bobblehead, a 2014 Jeff Skinner Bobblehead or a 2014 Alex Semin Bobblehead; winner's choice. So have fun guys and gals and let's see who comes up with the best proposal to improve our Canes.

The Hurricanes picked up some steam with a hot January, but some brisk winds from Canada left the boys from Raleigh cold entering the Olympic break.

Even after a very good month of January, a cold start to February has the Canes in a similar, yet different position to where they started off the new year. On January 1st, the Hurricanes were 5 points behind 3rd place Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division for the last playoff spot. But they were coming off an emotional comeback against the Montreal Canadians and they rode that feeling to a successful month. Now, the Canes are 3 points behind Detroit for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, but this time they are coming off a disappointing loss to those same Montreal Canadians. Let's hope the guys take this 2 1/2 weeks off to recover and figure out what they need to do to put some wins together and get back in the playoff picture. Here are the stats from the short week of 2/5/14 though 2/9/14.

Canes Weekly Stats

Weekly Advanced Stats

Here is a little key to some of my abbreviations. F - For, A - Against, CF% - Corsi For Percentage, FF% - Fenwick For Percentage, SF% - Shots For Percentage, OZst% - Offensive Zone Start Percentage, NZst% - Neutral Zone Start Percentage and DZst% - Defensive Zone Start Percentage. If you would like more advanced statistics, this information was collected from www.extraskater.com.

Who's Hot

• Riley Nash - Nash has sure seen his fair share of criticism this year, but he had a very solid week. He tied for the team lead in goals and points, was tied for 2nd in takeaways and was tied for 5th in shots. He extended his point streak to 3 straight games and earned a 6 minute increase to his time on ice as compared to the previous week. His possession numbers also saw a huge increase as he tied for the team lead in All Situations Corsi. He also finished in the top 3 in all other possession categories with his lowest being All Situations Shots For at 59.4%. While he hasn't been this good the rest of the season, you have to wonder if the issue was where the coach was putting him? As a 3rd line center, he's simply overmatched and his weaknesses are exposed. As a 4th line center, his faceoffs still suck, but he has shown to be pretty darn good. Has he found his spot on this Hurricanes team or will he be wearing a different sweater in a month?
• Drayson Bowman - One of the Canes few 3rd Round or lower draft picks that have even made it to the NHL. Bowman too had a very solid week. He scored the lone goal against the Habs and tied the team high for goals this week. He also finished 4th on the team in shots and had good possession numbers. Bowman's possession numbers were particularly strong in 5 on 5 Close situations, where he was between 73.7% and 80%. Bowman is a very interesting case for Carolina's management. He was changed his game over the years to better fit the need of a bottom 6 player, but Carolina drafted him for his scoring ability. He shows that scoring ability from time to time, but it usually comes in small stretches and then disappears for a number of games. If he can put some consistency together, he could turn into one of Carolina's few draft success stories.
• Tuomo Ruutu - The "Hot List" concludes with the last member of the Canes 4th line. Ruutu had one of his better weeks of the season. He contributed an assist, finished a +1 and had a team high 7 hits. He also tied for 2nd in takeaways and was outstanding possession-wise. He finished 1st or tied for 1st in 5 of the 6 categories I measure and finished tied for 2nd in the final category, less than 1% behind Jeff Skinner. His ice time was still limited, but he did see an increase of almost 5 minutes. Maybe his game is coming around for the Olympics or maybe his hips are starting to feel better. I originally thought it would be better for him to rest during the Olympic break, but if he can continue playing well for Team Finland, it might be a perfect audition with the trade deadline approaching. He's a real good guy, but Jim Rutherford needs to do whatever he can to get out from under the porous contract he signed Ruutu to a couple of seasons ago.

Who's Not

• Jiri Tlusty/Eric Staal/Alexander Semin - They did account for 2 of the 6 goals Carolina scored this week and they were the only line with all members finishing on the plus side. But this team needs so much more than that from these guys. They were particularly poor in the Montreal game, getting no points and combining for 6 giveaways. This line was really good at the latter part of January, but Eric has been held off the scoresheet in 4 of his last 5 games and as Eric goes, so does this line. The Canes top really needs to step up it's game when play resumes later this month. It sets the tone for the team and without them going, the Hurricanes aren't going anywhere.
• Andrej Sekera/Justin Faulk - When this pairing has a bad game, Carolina is almost certain to lose. They had another bad one against the Habs and actually ended the week by being on the ice for every goal against. They made up for it slightly by contributing a goal & an assist, but the primary point of defensemen is preventing goals. Both players are heading to the Olympics with Sekera probably going to see a little more time than Faulk. I'm actually hoping that Faulk is used sparingly, so that he can get some rest. But I pray that this Olympic hockey coupled with their already high ice time doesn't lead to them being worn out for the stretch run. This is a good, young pairing that could really become better if used a little better by the coaching staff. But without a true #4 defenseman, these guys are pressed into so many duties, it wears them down mentally and physically from time to time.
• Nathan Gerbe/Manny Malhotra/Patrick Dwyer - Well, the whole "Not List" was groups rather than individuals and I'll wrap it up with a real disappointment. When this line was first put together a couple weeks ago, they came out on fire and we all thought we might actually have a 3rd line. But opponents have been stomping the line and the fire is dead. These guys contributed 0 points and were a combined -3 for the week. They also were dominated in every possession category, finishing in the bottom 5 in every one. It's really a difficult position Kirk Muller finds himself in. The Canes basically have 2 4th lines right now, 1 that's hot and 1 that's not. It appears that Nash can handle 4th line duties, but is overwhelmed on the 3rd line, same for Malhotra. Gerbe could probably play in 2nd or 3rd line situations, but he needs a good center to help him out. I don't know what the answers are, but I imagine we'll see some changes in the bottom 6 by March 5th.

Notable Weekly Team Stats

• Scoring league-wide was little down this week and as a result, the Canes finished tied for 6th at 3.00 goals per game. They also finished middle of the pack with 2.50 goals against per game, which was tied for 16th with 6 other teams.
• Carolina's PP had one of it's best percentages in a while, going 20.0%, tied for 8th. But they still were 1 of 5 and could have used one early on against the Habs.
• Here's something I generally can't say, the PK was perfect for the week. They stopped all 5 opportunities against and tied for 1st in the NHL with 12 other teams.
• The Hurricanes shot totals, for & against, were pretty solid this week. They averaged 32.0 shots per game, tied for 9th in the league. And they gave up 29.5 shots against per game, good for 13th.
• Carolina finished in the top 10 in takeaways with 26 (1st) and blocked shots with 34 (tied 7th). Takeaways have been a Hurricane specialty, but finishing that high in blocks after being 30th last week is a good sign. They were only average in hits with 40 (tied 16th) and turnover margin at -2 (tied 13th).
• Faceoffs continue to be another strong point for the Canes as they finished 2nd, winning 56.4% of their draws. Eric squeaked out the lead at 65.9%, Jordan was runner-up at 65.0%, Manny followed at 54.2% and Riley again was last at 36.4%.
• The Corsi For & Fenwick For are a little misleading this week. In the game the Canes won, their opponent won the possession battle. But in the game the Canes lost, they dominated possession. Funny how those things work out sometimes. Carolina's 5 on 5 Corsi For percentage for the week was 51.6% and their Fenwick For percentage was 53.4%.
• Team Stat of the Week - Giveaways - 28 - The Hurricanes tied for a league-worst 28 giveaways in their 2 games. Giveaways have been an ongoing problem for the Canes. They have finished in the top 10 in fewest giveaways every season since 07/08, yet this year they are 23rd. What has changed so much between the previous years and this one? Whatever it is, the coaches and players need to fix it. Giveaways often lead to prime scoring opportunities for the opponent and limit yours.

Former Canes Weekly Stats

I've narrowed it down to 6 Finalist for the Trade Proposal Contest and now it's your turn to pick your favorite.

First off, thank you to everybody that participated and submitted a trade proposal. We ended up with 29 specific proposals and I have narrowed it down to my 6 favorite for you to choose from. I did excluded non-specific proposals, because just picks and/or prospects was too vague for me to gauge. My criteria for choosing the finalist were whether or not the trade had some possibility of happening and whether or not I felt it was an immediate or future improvement for the Hurricanes. There were a couple of trades that I would classify as realistic that did not make the final 6 because I just didn't see the improvement for the Hurricanes.

As I mentioned in the earlier article, there may be 2 different winners. While the Readers winner will come from the 6 options listed below, the Staff winner will be selected from all 29 specific trade proposals submitted. So, just because your's didn't make this list doesn't mean you still can't win. Each winner will get a choice of a small prize of their choice. The prize options are a Canes Country T-Shirt, a Cam Ward Puck, a regular Hurricanes Puck, a 2008 Eric Staal Bobblehead, a 2014 Jeff Skinner Bobblehead or a 2014 Alexander Semin Bobblehead. And now on to the 6 Finalist, posted in the order they were received. The poll will close on Saturday, February 22nd at 8pm.

Carolina trades Cam Ward to Edmonton for Anton Belov and Ales Hemsky - posted by Capt. Stinky

While this might not be the sexist return for Ward, this trade does offer some benefits to the Hurricanes. First, Hemsky is a very talented player that seems to have fallen out of favor with the Oilers. He was basically a point per game player for Edmonton 3 years ago, but has seen his ice time fall and his stats have corresponded. He could potentially be lined up with Jordan Staal, providing some additional offense and playmaking to that line. Could a change of scenery help him to rediscover his game, I'm not sure. Belov is another player that hasn't worked out great in Edmonton, but the guy has some ability. This is his first year in North America and the transition hasn't exactly been smooth, but he was thought highly enough to still make the Russian Olympic team and has a goal in limited ice time. He might need a little more time to adjust, but he could be a solid 3rd pairing defenseman for the Canes, providing all-around ability and a nice shot from the point.

But the biggest benefit of this trade proposal for the Canes would be shedding Ward's contract. While the cap hits would be pretty close the rest of this season, the Canes would be off the hook for the $13.5 million owed to Ward the next 2 seasons. That $13.5 million could be used to resign current players or become more of a player in the free agent market this summer. It would also probably lead to the anointment of Anton Khudobin as the team's official #1 goaltender. Ward is a good goalie, but it might be time for the Canes organization to move into a different direction. in Edmonton, his hometown, he could potentially help solidify a position of need without forcing the Oilers to give up any of their prized young talent. If Ward could return to form from a couple of years ago, Edmonton could really come out a winner in this trade and possibly get themselves back in playoffs.

Carolina trades Tuomo Ruutu and Riley Nash to Buffalo for Steve Ott - posted by caniac88

Carolina needs to get tougher and adding Ott would certainly help with that. Ott is an extremely versatile guy that can play any forward position, can win faceoffs, will score some and will stick up for teammates. He could line up a center with Jeff Skinner to his left, forming a formidable 3rd line or he could play wing on a Jordan Staal line, providing additional toughness. He is a UFA at the end of the year, but if he works out and wants to stay, he could potentially be resigned at an affordable rate.

I'm not really sure if this would be Buffalo's ideal return for Ott, but it seems like a pretty fair deal. Ruutu is a player that always gives maximum effort and he is a great model for younger players. He also has some ability and if he can get past his hip injuries, his versatility could be a benefit to a young team. His contract, while a burden to most, could be helpful to a rebuilding team trying to reach the cap floor. Nash is sort of a throw-in here, but he can be a decent bottom 6 forward. He has shown the ability to score and he plays a little on the PK. He might not be a high-end prospect, but he's another asset for a rebuilding team.

Carolina trades Jiri Tlusty, Riley Nash and Justin Peters to Calgary for Mikael Backlund - posted by Mach2Que

The rumor has it the Canes are in search of a 3rd line center and Backlund would be quite a haul. He's currently the rebuilding Flames 1st line center and is putting together a very solid season. He's a young, two-way guy that has 14 goals and 15 assists on the year. Those numbers would put him tied for 4th in points and tied for 2nd in goals on the Hurricanes. Backlund would most likely take over the 3rd line center role, potentially with Skinner as his winger. That might not be a traditional 3rd line, but it could be a dangerous one. While this trade proposal does fill one need, it creates another hole with the departure of Tlusty, so the Canes would have to find another LW to put beside Eric Staal and Alexander Semin.

For Calgary, they wouldn't get any top-notch player to help with their rebuild, but would get some solid pieces to help. Tlusty is a top 6 LW that has shown the ability to score. He is a RFA at the end of the season and could probably take over Mike Cammalleri's spot, if he ends up being traded. Nash is another young player that could play in the bottom 6, providing some size and a little scoring ability. And then there is risk/reward Justin Peters. You might could argue that Peters would be the Flames best goaltender, but the question is what Peters do you get? If he plays like he did in November and December, he probably is their best option. If it's outside of that time frame, he might not even be a NHL goalie. Since Calgary is really only playing for draft position, they could afford him the opportunity to prove himself. And if he succeeds, then Calgary has a goaltender to possibly build around.

Carolina trade Tuomo Ruutu and Jay Harrison to Colorado for Jamie McGinn and Matt Hunwick - posted by Mach2Que

This is a trade a really like because I really want to see the Canes add a physical player with some ability. McGinn is that type of player, albeit very streaky. He's sort of a younger, Ruutu type of player. I think he would look nice next to Jordan Staal and could be around for some time. Some believe he is an important piece in Colorado and others say that he is not a favorite of Patrick Roy. If the Canes could figure out a way of acquiring him, I am down for it, as long as it doesn't cost us a Staal, Semin, Skinner, Sekera or Faulk. The other player coming this way in the proposal is Hunwick. Hunwick has NHL experience, but is currently buried in the minors. Carolina would basically be eating his salary for the Avalanche, but he could be called up if needed.

Colorado would be getting Ruutu, a more expensive version of McGinn, but someone with more experience and is a little more versatile. Since the Avs are looking like playoff contenders, he might help out a young team and his salary isn't much of a problem to their cap. He would most likely play in their bottom 6, but could really play any forward position and would lead their team in number of hits. Harrison is non-sexy, bottom 6 defender, but he is solid and has proven to work well with younger defensemen, like Justin Faulk and Ryan Murphy. I believe Colorado could put Harrison with Tyson Barrie and this would help with Barrie's development. Harrison has 2 years left on his contract and it is at a very manageable $1.5 million per. I think Colorado might be wanting more in a deal for McGinn, but I think this could benefit both teams.

Carolina trades Cam Ward and Brett Bellemore to Calgary for Mark Giordano and a 3rd Round Pick - posted by Symbolic1995

This is a very intriguing proposal here as Giordano has had a breakout season. He would instantly be a top 4 defenseman for the Canes and could become a leader on this team. Giordano has offensive abilities and a very strong work ethic. He isn't the biggest or most physical guy, but he lay some hits and block some shots. He's also signed at a good rate for 2 more seasons after this one. The 3rd Round pick is what it is. It could turn into a decent player or as many other Canes selections, never really materialize into much. Here again though, one of the biggest things for the Canes would be ridding themselves of Ward's contract and salary that could be used elsewhere.

Some Caniacs probably don't like the idea of moving Bellemore, but Giordano would be a huge upgrade. Brian Burke and the Flames would probably love the big guy and his physical style. He would be a young guy that could be used in the rebuild and would probably slot as a #4 defenseman for the Flames. They would also get to address they goaltending situation. While Ward has had his struggles as of late, I don't think many could say that he wouldn't be a upgrade to the Flames net. He's isn't young enough to really be part of their rebuild, but Ward would add some stability back there and give Calgary some time to find their goalie of the future. He would also help them get closer to reaching the salary cap floor.

Carolina trades Jeff Skinner, Drayson Bowman and Mike Komisarek to Los Angeles for Slava Voynov and Justin Williams - posted by Symbolic1995

This is definitely an "out there" trade, but one that is very interesting. Carolina would lose some scoring ability and be weakened at the LW position, but they should become more solid in 2 other areas. Voynov is a very good, young defenseman that would give the Canes 3 Olympic defensemen aged 27 or younger. If Ron Hainsey could be resigned, the Canes would have a pretty darn impressive top 4. Voynov is more of an offensive defenseman, but is pretty solid on both ends of the ice. He excels on the PP, which would be huge for Carolina and he can also play a lot of minutes, which could be helpful for Faulk and Sekera. Williams would also be a solid add. While he has struggled as of late, he is still a solid top 6 RW that is a really good possession player. He would make Carolina's 2nd line much better and more dangerous while also be defensively responsible. Williams has 1 year left on his contract and Voynov is signed through 2019.

LA would lose 2 very good players, but they would address one of their biggest problems. Not only would Skinner help with the Kings scoring problem, he would also be a true LW and allow for someone like Dustin Brown or Tyler Toffoli to move back to the right side. LA's team makeup would also cover up for Skinner's biggest weakness. Bowman would be a guy that sort of fits the LA system. I'm not sure he would see consistent playing time, but could be a 4th liner. Komisarek would be a right-handed depth defenseman for them. They seem playoff bound and Mike does have playoff experience. While I don't think this trade would really go down, it is one that I think would benefit both teams in pretty significant ways.

In their final game against the Hurricanes this season, can the Canadiens finish their pre-Sochi section of the season on a high note?

Check out True Rivalry

The Carolina Hurricanes are playing their best hockey of the season.

After a dreadful start, their play has been on a steady upward trajectory, and they aren't showing signs of slowing down. The Hurricanes have gone 11-5 since the calendar flipped to 2014, and are averaging almost four goals per game in those victories. Coincidentally, goaltender Anton Khudobin has provided 11 quality starts in 2014 as well, stabilizing what had been an unsteady situation in net. The reunited line of Alexander Semin, Eric Staal, and Jiri Tlusty has been formidable, while Elias Lindholm's promotion has given the Hurricanes a top six that can compete with the NHL's best.

Kirk Muller's squad have some solid underlying numbers as well. Carolina bottomed out at 42% fenwick close in the very early going of the 2013-14 season, but the 'canes have been constantly improving since then. Their overall performance for the season sits at only 48%, but that number is sabotaged by Carolina's slow start. Looking at only the last ten games, the Hurricanes come in at 52%, the mark of a strong playoff team. Three points out of a wildcard spot, but with a game in hand on the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina is not to be taken lightly.

Of course, apparent amidst their recent encouraging play have been a couple of lacklustre losses. Of the five setbacks they've suffered, three have come by shutout. When not being shutout, Carolina has rarely failed to score fewer than three goals, making them something of a boom-or-bust offensive team in recent weeks.

The Canadiens have experienced both versions of the Hurricanes, giving up five goals on New Years' Eve before shutting out Carolina two Tuesdays ago. That shutout victory came courtesy of Carey Price, who pocketed another shutout win a week later when he beat Calgary four days ago. During TSN's broadcast of Habs-Canucks on Thursday, the network characterized Price's February as a return to form. This doesn't do justice to the play of the Canadian Olympian, who spent the better part of three months swimming against an unrelenting tide of scoring chances. Nevertheless, it's nice to see Carey get results commensurate with his efforts.

Tonight, C3P1 will likely need some assistance in deciding the fate of the bleu, blanc, et rouge this evening. While score effects were most certainly at play, and the bottom of the Habs' lineup thrived against the undermanned Canucks, the top of the lineup still had trouble keeping Vancouver from putting shots and scoring chances on Price. As discussed above, the Hurricanes have two dangerous lines at the top of their forward group, and those skaters are likely to pose a greater threat than the Habs' Henrik-less opponents were able to on Thursday. If the Plekanec and Eller lines can't keep pressure off of the Habs back-end, the dangerous trio of Pacioretty-Desharnais-Gallagher may not be able to produce enough offence to offset the contributions of Staal and Co.

Of equal concern is the injury to Michael Bournival, who will not play this evening. Bournival had been an important contributor to a much improved fourth line for the Canadiens, and his absence will require some rejigging of the roster. If the Habs offer Bournival's spot back to George Parros, the Canadiens forward depth would be significantly eroded. With their young forward likely concussed, however, and no further games to play until after the Olympics, the Canadiens have may little other choice than to take their chances with a shallower lineup than usual.

More from Eyes On The Prize

Follow @HabsEOTPFollow @iancmy1

• Top Six Minutes: Live and Let Diaz
• Michael Bournival may have suffered a concussion
• Winter Olympics 2014: Henrik Sedin drops out, Mikael Backlund is reportedly in for Sweden
• Winter Olympics 2014: Martin St. Louis named to Team Canada, replacing Steven Stamkos
• Winter Olympics 2014: Steven Stamkos out of Sochi Olympics
• Winter Olympics 2014: Finland's Mikko Koivu running out of time
• Winter Olympics 2014 Preview: Canadian men's hockey team
• Winter Olympics 2014 preview: Sweden men's hockey team
• Winter Olympics 2014 Preview - USA men's hockey team
• Steve Quailer traded to the LA Kings in exchange for Robert Czarnik

Pacioretty's injury could force changes to Team USA's lineup in Sochi.

The United States hockey team's gold medal hopes took a hit on Saturday when Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty suffered an injury after colliding with a net post.

The incident occurred in the first period when Pacioretty drove the net against the Carolina Hurricanes. As Pacioretty skated towards the net, Hurricanes defenseman Brett Bellemore checked him off his feet and into the net post.

Pacioretty remained on the ice for a few minutes before getting helped to the dressing room. There's no word on the extent of his injury, but the Bobby Ryan Watch is officially underway in case USA Hockey needs a replacement for Pacioretty in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

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• Outdoor games far from out-of-style

• Beach volleyball, fireworks, KISS … and hockey

• The story of Notre Dame’s one-handed goalie

• All the NHL trade rumors

• Olympics:USA roster analysis | Olympic rosters, NHL restraints?

Quinnipiac could move into first place in the ECAC with a win and a Union loss.

Hamden, Conn. -- St. Lawrence visits Quinnipiac tonight for the first of two meetings between the ECAC foes this season. The biggest news in the lineup is that Jordan Samuels-Thomas will miss tonight's game for the Bobcats.

St. Lawrence endured an 0-8-1 stretch, but is 2-1 over its last three games, including last night's 7-1 demolishing of Princeton.

Quinnipiac, coming off a 6-3 victory over Clarkson last night, is 7-1-1 over its last nine games. The only loss during that time was a setback at Merrimack.

ST. LAWRENCE

QUINNIPIAC

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• St. Lawrence Women Get Social with 'Twitter Game'
• College Hockey Television Schedule: February 7th and 8th
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Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.

Really not sure what's going on here.

P.K. Subban is an interesting character. He's great for the league: an energetic, charismatic young player that isn't afraid to speak his mind.

Those descriptions all apply to his outfit on Saturday.

If this is just how he likes to dress, then more power to him. But maybe packed all of his clothes for Russia and this was all he had left to wear to the game.

Your move, Don Cherry.

More from SB Nation NHL:

• Outdoor games far from out-of-style

• Beach volleyball, fireworks, KISS … and hockey

• The story of Notre Dame’s one-handed goalie

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The Montreal Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in a boring game. Max Pacioretty was injured but might still be good to go for Sochi.

• THIS GAME WAS SO BORING. Here are things I did during this game: watched a video of Canadian Press reporters' accommodation problems in Sochi, tested an online survey for a friend, shopped for dresses for a friend's wedding, some power yoga, made dinner, tried to do a handstand. I had one eye on the game the whole time. I missed no action, and also I cannot do a handstand.
• The best news: we don't have to watch this crap again until February 26th.
• [Updated] Glad Max Pacioretty is still able to go to Sochi. It would really have sucked if he had to miss one of the greatest things that will happen to him in his career because of the stupid Carolina Hurricanes. Let's face it. The Canadiens are wasting his prime and Team USA was smart enough to actually make use of his prime and life is sometimes so unfair.
• Don't bring up his millions and his wife and kid. I'm talking relatively. If I can't feel bad for Max Pacioretty because other people have less than he does, you can't complain about the STM breaking down on your way to work, because other people have no jobs. Everything is relative.
• Anyway, Bobby Mac tweeted that even though it's not official, he's told that Patch should be good to go for Sochi.
• Mike Komisarek is a terrible hockey player and a big douchebag. I think it's the Carolina sweater that's causing the latter.
• I have never watched a single Habs-Canes game during which the officiating made any sense.
• Ryan White: BAMF
• Brendan Gallagher is better than you at life.
• P.K. Subban is better than you at life.
• Carey Price is better than you at life.
• Rene Bourque compliment of the night, for JD__: apparently an adequate replacement for Max Pacioretty.
• The Carolina Hurricanes played better than the Habs, even before the score effects kicked in. Broken record, etc.
• EOTP three stars: The following tweets from friend of EOTP Ashley:

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: how do you hockey.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 8, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: how do you powerplay.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 8, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: how to screen a goalie that isn't yours.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches: Is Desharnais allowed to score goals.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google searches, Lars Eller edition: what does puck look like.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

  Montreal Canadiens google search: What happens when we score more goals than other team.

  — Ashley (@alour) February 9, 2014

• We'll continue to have a lot extensive Olympics coverage right here on EOTP, so you know where to go when you want to talk Sochi anything.

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Follow @HabsEOTPFollow @theactivestick

• Max Pacioretty injury: he might be good to go for Sochi
• Winter Olympics 2014 Preview: Women's hockey tournament
• Winter Olympics 2014: Henrik Sedin drops out; Marcus Johansson replaces him
• Canadiens at Hurricanes: Game Preview
• Canadiens vs Canucks: scoring chances and analysis
• Markov finds a new agent and other Habs news
• Michael Bournival injury: Canadiens forward out with upper body injury

The fourth line is the best line for Carolina and that's not good enough

The Olympic break has finally come and the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves outside of a playoff spot looking in.  The Canes did not help their cause with a disappointing, 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in front of a sell out crowd at the PNC Arena on Saturday night.

The Hurricanes started out well and they were happy with their scoreless first period, but after Drayson Bowman put the club up 1-0 early in the second period, the team's intensity seemed to lessen as the game went on.

Coach Kirk Muller was unhappy with the overall effort and said after the game that not all of his players were "on board".

Max Pacioretty had to be helped from the ice after being injured in the first period, and did not return, but he did say after the game that he was okay and would still be playing for Team USA in Sochi.  His plane leaves tomorrow.

His team started out with seven defensemen and ended up playing most of the game with just 10 forwards, though they looked like the fresher team in the third.

The Canadiens scored twice within a minute and change near the end of the second period to take a 2-1 lead, then put the game away with another goal, 6:15 into the third.  The Habs added an empty-netter near the end to complete their scoring.

The good news for Carolina is that the fourth line of Tuomo Ruutu, Drayson Bowman, and Riley Nash continues to shine.  The bad news is that the Jordan Staal, Elias Lindholm, and Jeff Skinner line continues to struggle.

The first line had some chances but could not get the job done on this night and the third line of Manny Malhotra, Patrick Dwyer, and Nathan Gerbe did very little and were rewarded with the least amount of ice time.  Malhotra played a team low, 7:33.

The team's defense had some breakdowns and that led to four goals on just 24 shots for the visitors.

Anton Khudobin has had better nights but did make some nice saves in the game.

Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera, Alexander Semin, and Tuomo Ruutu will now travel to Sochi while the rest of the team will take off for two weeks.  In the meantime, Carolina brass will be trying to figure out how to improve this team during the shut down.

Game Notes:

• Faulk and Sekera will try to put this game in the rearview mirror fast.  Both finished at -3 for the night.
• The Canes outshot the Habs 32-24 and were led by Bowman with five shots.
• Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, and Semin were credited with a game high three giveaways each.  Jordan won 83% of his draws.
• It was a very unhappy dressing room after the game as the coaching staff had a post game meeting with the team.

La même recette: Price et de l'opportunisme. Combien de temps cela durera-t-il encore?

Match typique de ce qu'on voit depuis le début du mois de janvier, le CH étant dominé aux chances de marquer, mais les dés ont roulé pour l'attaque et Price, encore une fois, a été sensationnel. Les Hurricanes disputaient un deuxième match en deux soirs et, comme c'est souvent le cas dans ces circonstances, n'avaient rien dans les jambes en première période. Ils ont ouvert la machine en deuxième et en troisième, mais rien n'y fit.

• Plekanec, encore une fois, a mangé sa gratte. Outre un 40 secondes passé avec Bourque et Gionta se terminant par 3 chances concédées, la distribution des catastrophes est intéressante. Eller a fait deux présences à l'aile gauche du 14 en 3e et ça a donné deux chances concédées. +2/-7 en présence du pauvre Bouillon, appelé en renfort en l'absence de Bournival. Au moins ils ne dompaient pas: 6 entrées de zone en possession de rondelle pour Pleks, 5 pour Brière et 2 pour Gionta.
• Horreur glauque, Pacioretty tombe au combat. Comme tout le monde, j'ai cru au poignet brisé sur le poteau des buts. Mais non, c'était plutôt la hanche.. On verra où ça mène. Bourque et Gallagher ont passé les deux premières présences à se marcher sur les pieds. Le gros Rene s'en allait toujours à droite et le pauvre Gallagher tentait de compenser. Quelqu'un au banc a fini par expliquer à Bourque que sa place était à gauche et les choses ont décollé. Un revirement brusque les a fait concéder 3 chances en rafale en début de 3e (Price, encore), mais sinon ils ont eu quelques belles poussées et Desharnais a converti deux fois. Après avoir collé 1 maigre point en 19 matchs, DD en a mis 31 en 37 matchs. Je serais curieux de le voir aller sans Pacioretty pendant un moment.
• Eller a fini par se faire pousser à l'aile au fil du match, perdant Bourque à Desharnais et Prust à White.
• Therrien a décidé de braquer Weise, Prust et White en zone défensive (3 mises en zone offensive contre 6 en zone défensive, White en prenant deux de plus avec les autres trios) et les résultats ont été fort honorables. Une seule chance concédée, 3 entrées de zone, tout ça en un peu moins de 5 minutes. C'est une très bonne nouvelle. Je ne sais pas si Weise est l'élément qui manquait, mais je lorgne plutôt du côté de Ryan White. Parce qu'il excelle dans les jobs ingrates, je suis bien heureux de le voir coller deux buts en deux matchs. Que Parros soit délaissé au profit de Bouillon me suggère par ailleurs qu'on ne le reverra pas beaucoup. Y'étais temps.
• Réunis, Gorges et Subban ont assuré. Mais ils ont beaucoup eu à jouer à la chaise musicale (7 défenseurs obligent) et l'un comme l'autre ont eu quelques soucis avec Murray et Bouillon.
• Duo stable et enterré en zone défensive, Emelin et Markov se sont fait ramasser. Je ne les trouve pas particulièrement performants dans ce rôle, mais je suis peut-être sévère, il y a longtemps que j'ai vu Therrien s'appuyer aussi lourdement sur un duo donné. Je trouve qu'il y a contre-emploi, quand même, je donnerais plutôt cette tâche à Subban et Gorges. Mais bon...
• Réunis pour moins de 4 minutes, Murray et Bouillon ont coulé à pic. Murray et Beaulieu aussi n'ont pas fait beaucoup de flammèches. Ça reste donc pénible à regarder aller dans l'ensemble.

It's the Olympic break and those who aren't on their way to Sochi from the NHL have a few weeks to think about the season thus far. With 20 games and change left in the season, which division teams have set themselves up for a stretch playoff run?

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-15-3) 83 points

Marc-Andre Fleury held the Senators and Sabres to one goal apiece this week, running his season win total to a league-leading 31 as the Penguins picked up two wins by final counts of 2-1 and 5-1.

In their final game before the break, the Penguins battled for a point at home against the Rangers, but fell in a shootout.

The Penguins go into the break with the second-best goal differential (+48) in the conference. They are the only team in the division to field a double-digit positive differential.

Pittsburgh's offense has produced an Eastern Conference-high 186 goals- 10 more than the closest competitor, the Bruins.

Aside from Fleury's league lead in wins, the Penguins also have the league leader in points in Sidney Crosby and his 78. The next closest scorer on the list is Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf who has notched 67.

Crosby also leads the league in assists with 50, and Matt Niskanen leads the NHL in plus/minus with a gaudy +29.

In addition, Fleury's four shutouts so far put him behind only Boston's Tuukka Rask who has five on the year.

Kris Letang suffered a stroke earlier this week, and is expected to miss six weeks.

The Penguins return to action after the Olympics when they host the Canadiens on Feb. 27. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.

2. New York Rangers (32-24-3) 67 points

Brad Richards scored the final tally of the shootout Friday against the Penguins, securing the Rangers' 32nd victory in their final game before the break.

Benoit Pouliot scored twice in the game as well as Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves to notch his 22nd win of the season.

New York is 7-3-0 in their past 10 games, which is the best mark in the division over that stretch and has allowed them to gain ground in the division.

During the home stretch, it will be about defending home ice for the Rangers. The squad is 14-14-3 in Madison Square Garden- a mark that the team will look to improve if they have hopes of staying at the top of the division.

They will have a chance to do just that when the break ends as they host the Blackhawks in their first game back on Feb. 27 for a 7 p.m. affair.

3. Philadelphia Flyers (30-23-6) 66 points

No team in the division enters the break quite as hot as the Flyers who have won four-consecutive games over Western Conference opponents.

Backstopped by great goaltending, the Flyers took care of the Kings and Sharks on the road before defeating the Avalanche and Flames at home to surge into the break.

Steve Mason was in net for Philadelphia's wins over Los Angeles, San Jose and Colorado. He held all of those teams to two or fewer goals and shutout the Kings on the road.

Ray Emery took care of business against the Flames, performing well in his own right as he held Calgary to one tally.

If the Flyers wish to stay hot after the break, they will have to take care of the Sharks again, this time on home ice, on Feb. 27.

San Jose will be looking to avenge their 2-5 loss to the Flyers earlier in the month.

That game will begin at 7 p.m.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets (29-24-5) 63 points

Following a 4-1 home win over the Panthers, Columbus started a tough road stretch that took them to Anaheim before a back-to-back scenario in Los Angeles and San Jose to close out their pre-break schedule.

The Blue Jackets took care of business against Anaheim, however, winning 4-2.

In Los Angeles, they battled to earn a point.

Jack Johnson scored the lone Columbus goal in the first period, giving the Blue Jackets a lead that they would hold until Jake Muzzin tipped in a shot from the stick of Anze Kopitar to tie the game in the third period.

Robyn Regehr slapped home his second goal of the season to win the game for the Kings.

The next day, Columbus couldn't overcome a two goal deficit they were put into by San Jose, eventually falling 2-3 to the Sharks.

After the break, Columbus will open up their schedule with a trip to New Jersey for a 7 p.m. division battle on Feb. 27.

5. Washington Capitals (27-23-9) 63 points

The Capitals had four-consecutive home games before their break began, and they took advantage of the homecooking, going 3-1-0 in those games, including a 3-0 win over division-rival New Jersey.

After a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Red Wings, the Capitals couldn't find a way to solve Evgeni Nabokov, who shut Washington out while his team manufactured one goal to win.

The Capitals didn't stay down, though. They defeated the Jets 4-2 in their next game and ended their pre-Olympic schedule in emphatic fashion as Braden Holtby stopped 25 New Jersey shots and benefited from a three-goal third period to win 3-0.

Alexander Ovechkin enters the break as the goal scoring leader with 40. The next closest scorer is Toronto's Phil Kessel who boasts 31.

Like the other teams in the division, Washington plays again on Feb. 27 as they travel to Florida for a 7:30 p.m. duel with the Panthers.

6. Carolina Hurricanes (26-22-9) 61 points

Like the Capitals, the Hurricanes had a four-game stretch of consecutive home games before the break.

An opportunity to gain ground in the wildcard and division race, however, was squandered as the Hurricanes split the four games 2-2-0.

Carolina looked great against St. Louis at PNC Arena. Anton Khudobin allowed only one goal- a top shelf snipe off the stick of David Backes, and the Hurricanes scored once in every frame en route to a 3-1 win.

However, when former-coach Paul Maurice and the Jets came calling, all the Hurricanes could muster was a lone third eriod goal from Riley Nash that knotted the game at one.

Carolina was unable to benefit from the tally, however, as Chris Thorburn burned the Hurricanes in the final 1:03 of the game, scoring his second goal of the year that sunk Carolina.

Against the Panthers, Carolina scored five times, Anton Khudobin made 35 saves and the Hurricanes blew Tim Thomas out of the game as they won 5-1.

In the second half of a back-to-back and their final game before the break, the Hurricanes scored only once courtesy of Drayson Bowman, and watched the Canadiens score four unanswered goals in the final half of the game to seal their fate.

The consolation for Carolina is that they possess two games in hand on the Rangers, Flyers, Capitals and Devils.

The Hurricanes play in the first game after the break- a duel with Buffalo that was rescheduled to Feb. 25 due to snow. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.

7. New Jersey Devils (24-22-13) 61 points

The Devils couldn't solve Washington's Braden Holtby in their final game before the break, as they fell 0-3.

Earlier in the week, however, they did pick up an extra point in an overtime loss to Colorado, and defeated the Oilers 2-1 on the road.

Up to this point, the Devils have left a few points on the board. They are the only team in the NHL that has not won a shootout (0-8).

The division games ramp up immediately for the Devils after the break. The team hosts Columbus and then heads to New York to battle the Rangers on Feb. 27 and March 1, respectively.

8. New York Islanders (22-30-8) 52 points

Evgeni Nabokov backstopped the Islanders to a 1-0 win in Washington, but the Islanders couldn't take advantage of two home games before the break, falling to the Flames 2-4  and the Avalanche 2-5.

Now, losers of two-straight, the Islanders sit nine points behind seventh place New Jersey and have played more games than anyone else in the division.

New York is also the only team in the division with single-digit home wins (8-14-8).

Boasting three wins in their past 10 games, the Islanders lone bright spot is that captain John Tavares is third in the league behind Crosby and Getzlaf in point scoring with 66.

The Islanders return to action on Feb. 27 facing off against an Eastern Conference foe by hosting the Maple Leafs. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

The trade deadline approaches and the Hurricanes need to make some important decisions.

With 25 games remaining in the Carolina Hurricanes' season, they find themselves in an all too familiar position.  The team is currently three points outside of a playoff spot, (with a game or two in hand on the teams ahead of them), and that is certainly not a place they want to be when the season is over.

With the trade deadline approaching quickly when hockey resumes later in February, (March 5th), the team needs to make some tough decisions and they need to make them soon.

Obviously, they are too close to a playoff spot to throw in the towel completely and consider themselves to be outright sellers.  But on the other hand, they do not want to waste assets, (draft picks and/or prospects), to obtain a player, and then still not make the playoffs.

Are they better off doing nothing?

The Hurricanes also have other issues to consider.  They have three goalies on the roster and something has to give there.  They also have players with big contracts, (Cam Ward and Tuomo Ruutu), who are not performing up to those contracts.

So the team could look to move those contracts in hopes of freeing up future cap space.

The Hurricanes have certainly been in the rumor mill and it appears they have been trying to do something.  There are several players available who could help the team, but at what cost?

Some of the forwards most likely available are:  Steve Ott, Matt Moulson, Thomas Vanek, Marcel Goc, Brad Boyes, Lee Stempniak, Mike Cammalleri, Ales Hemsky, and David Legwand.

The Canes could use help in a lot of ways, but especially on the powerplay.

Should the team look to dump a couple of their big salaries and be sellers?  Or should they push all in and look to bring in a player or two to help them down the stretch?

Packpride will be speaking more about this later in the week and we will be having a contest, so look for that a bit later.

During the Olympic break if we do not have an article published, we will have an open discussion thread for the day.  Feel free to converse about anything.