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LBC Game Day Preview: Florida Panthers Versus Carolina Hurricanes

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With the Panthers officially out of playoff contention, they will instead try to play spoiler against a team still in the hunt in the Carolina Hurricanes.

With nine games left to play, and not much to play for, the Panthers are going to attempt to finish the season strong for several reasons, which includes the future of current head coach Peter Horachek and his staff. After the Tuesday dismissal of assistant general manager Mike Santos, who was brought on board by GM Dale Tallon back when Tallon himself was hired, many believe that Horachek will be on his way out after the season ends due to the lack of Santos recommending otherwise. There hasn't been enough performance from the team to justify keeping Horachek around, but I think the same could be said of just about anyone behind the Cats bench this season. Scotty Bowman might have been fired while trying to work with this collection of players.

The Panthers will play host to the Carolina Hurricanes tonight in a game filled with urgency for the Canes. Carolina isn't mathematically eliminated yet, but the future does not look promising as they'd have to basically win out to have a shot at clinching one of the wildcard positions in the East. The Canes had a disappointing season capped with the reported resignation of long-time general manager Jim Rutherford, set to take effect at the end of this season. The Canes spent quite a bit of money the last two seasons on bringing in top players to play alongside their developing youth, but it hasn't panned out despite some really solid performances in goal from former backup Anton Khudobin. Carolina still has a shot but it's going to take a herculean effort to reach the second season.

LBC GameThread is a go before the game, and Canes Country is your one-stop shop for all the hubbub around Rutherford's resignation and the tumultuous Carolina season. Puck drops at 7:30 PM EST, so get'cha popcorn ready.

Players to Watch

Nick Bjugstad - Bjugstad has been the best Panther player for much of this season, something that's quite impressive for a rookie. However, it looks like he's starting to hit a bit of a wall at times. This is Bjugstad's first full NHL season and the number of games (and wear and tear from those games) seems to be catching up to him a bit. It's great that he's shown the ability to fight through adversity and weariness, and I have no doubts that Bjugstad will learn from this and come back even more ready next season to lead this team offensively. He's a great talent and I am excited to see him and Aleksander Barkov anchor the top two lines in Florida for the foreseeable future.

Jordan Staal - If anyone misses Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, James Neal... god the Pens have a lot, don't they? Anyway, my point was that Staal has really suffered statistically from coming to a team that has absolutely nowhere near the offensive depth that Pittsburgh has. He's at 39 points this season, and he hasn't had that bad of a season statistically since 2007-2008. Carolina has him locked up for $6m a year until 2023 (no that's not a typo), so everyone who gives a crap about that organization is rooting for Staal to turn it around and be more of a factor for the team offensively.

Manny Malhotra - After what many said would be a career-ending eye injury, Malhotra has come back to play regular bottom line minutes for the Canes this season, surprising many in the process. He's been a great veteran presence for Carolina and has once again been solid in the faceoff circle. It's a shame that the Canes didn't do much this season because the story of Malhotra is a good one, and as well respected as he is in NHL circles, it'll be a shame if he finishes his career after this season.

Erik Gudbranson - Gudbranson will be returning from a knee injury tonight, one that slowed down his continued development yet again. After recently being pseudo-tabbed as the future captain of this team by Tallon in an interview, Gudbranson has much to show on the ice yet to achieve that kind of label and respect from his peers. That said, he could become the longest tenured Panther pretty soon if the roster shakeups continue in the offseason. The Cats will have to re-sign Gudbranson in the offseason, so those contract negotiations could go a long way in determining whether or not his future with the club is that of a leadership role. Regardless, he's been one of the better defenseman for the Cats this season and when healthy should continue to grow into the role that he's been groomed for.


Hurricanes 3, Panthers 0

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Jiri Tlusty scores twice and Anton Khudobin earns first shutout as a Hurricane

The Carolina Hurricanes had a much better beginning to this game as they took a 1-0 lead in the first period and went on to defeat the Florida Panthers, 3-0 on Thursday night in Sunrise.

Anton Khudobin made 35 saves on 35 shots to earn his first shutout as a Hurricane, and the fourth third of his career.

Jiri Tlusty scored twice to lead the Canes.

After Tlusty put Carolina up 1-0 at 9:09 into the game as he took a nice pass from Eric Staal, Radek Dvorak was called for charging (a five minute major), and was handed a game misconduct as he skated into goalie Roberto Luongo.  The Hurricanes were able to kill the penalty though as they did not allow a shot on goal in the sequence.

Luongo did not return after the first intermission and Dan Ellis came in as his replacement.

Tlusty scored again two minutes and change into the second period, then Jeff Skinner made it 3-0, three minutes later to close out the scoring.

The third period was a scoreless one, as Khudobin held on to claim his shutout.

The Canes return home and will face Columbus on Saturday night.

Game Notes:

  • The Canes had 32 shots on goal and were led by Tlusty with five.
  • Brett Bellemore had a team high three hits.  He also led the way with two blocked shots.
  • The Hurricanes are now 9-0-2 when Tlusty scores.
  • It was the first time in franchise history that Carolina swept Florida in a season series.  They were 3-0-0 this year.

Friday Habs Links: An interview with Marc Bergevin

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Your open thread & links for the day, including a radio spot with the general manager, praise for Carey Price, a few prospect updates, Tim Bozon news, and more.

Montreal Canadiens News

News and notes from around the NHL

Iowa Wild’s week report

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Here’s a recap of the Iowa Wild games that occurred last week.

The Wild have played 4 games last week. They hosted the Grand Rapids Griffins twice (last Friday-Saturday) and the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the first matchup against the Red Wings farm team, Griffins captain Jeff Hoggan opened the score just 13 seconds into the game with his 14th goal of the season. In the second period, Tyler Cuma made a mistake and Mitch Callahan took advantage of it to score. Kris Foucault cut the Griffins lead to one with a power play goal from Stephane Veilleux and Jonathon Blum. GR added another goal late in the period to make it 3-1 after two. David McIntyre scored against his former teammates in the third. 4-1 was the final score and Johan Gustafsson made 25 saves. Game highlights.

In the rematch, Carson McMillan got a PP goal early in the game. Then, Foucault scored his 8th goal of the season to make it 2-0 IA after one. Ryan Sproul got one for GR just 3 minutes into the second period. Nathan Paetsch tied the game at two on a 5 on 3 PP goal. Mitch Callahan gave the Griffins the lead a minute later and 3-2 GR was the final score. John Curry made 28 saves. Game highlights.

Tuesday, Zach Boychuk opened the score with a PP goal. Foucault tied the game at one from a nice Zack Phillips pass in the second period. The Checkers got another PP goal as Chris Terry broke the tying game in the mid third period. Charlotte beat Iowa 2-1 in the first matchup. Gustafsson made 27 saves despite the loss. Game highlights.

Wednesday night, Boychuk once again opened the score with his 30th goal of the season. Checkers captain Brett Sutter scored on a Cuma penalty to make it 2-0. Boychuk added another one later in the period. 3-0 CHA was the score after two. In the third, Sutter got his second goal of the game. Then, Hurricanes prospect Victor Rask made it 5-0. One thing worth mentioning, Raphael Bussieres got a game misconduct for being the third man in (video). Brett Bulmer (video), Tyler Cuma and Kris Foucault (video) also got game misconducts. The final score was 7-0 Charlotte. Game highlights.

The Wild will be in Toronto tomorrow afternoon, then in Utica Sunday to complete the weekend. They'll be in Grand Rapids on Wednesday night.

Some news and notes:

-Tuesday: With Jonathon Blum gone, Steven Kampfer and Jon Landry both injured, Iowa added Nicholas Rioux (who was released yesterday) and Bryce Aneloski to their roster.

-Wednesday: Kampfer played in his first game back from a lower body injury.

- Yesterday: Gustav Olofsson headed to Des Moines to join the team. Iowa signed Mike Collins as well. Both players are under ATOs.

- Blum Ready To Make Most Of Latest Call-Up.

-As of today, the Wild are 15th in the Western Conference (last place) with 60 points in 65 games.

Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets: Game Preview 3-29-14

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The Canes close out their season series against the Blue Jackets tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
March 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: The Cannon

Hurricanes Record: 32-32-9 | 73 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Blue Jackets Record: 37-30-6 | 80 pts | 4th Metro | 7th EC

Post-Season Picture:
Games Remaining: 9
Estimated Points Needed: 91
Points Back: 18 (win out)
Playoff Chances (Sports Club Stats): 1.1%
Tragic Number: 12

Team line combinations: [Blue Jackets] [Hurricanes]

Earlier this season the Hurricanes ended an eight-year losing streak against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 3-2 win in Raleigh. Then two weeks ago they ended a ten-year drought in Columbus with a 3-1 win. So what's left? At this point in the season, short of winning out to beat the playoff odds, it's playing spoiler against the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes.

The Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff battle, tied with three other Eastern Conference teams with 80 points and battling for the final wild card spots. They arrive in Raleigh on the back end of a back-to-back series and with a 2-1 loss to the Penguins (who clinched a playoff berth) last night in Columbus.

Curtis McElhinney was in net for last night's loss, backed up by Mike McKenna. After the game McKenna was reassigned to the Jackets' AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons. Primary netminder Sergei Bobrovsky had been out with an illness and practiced yesterday but wasn't well enough to join the lineup. He traveled with the team to Raleigh and will skate today to assess his status for tonight.

There are no other known changes to last night's lineup, although head coach Todd Richards hinted there may be a few after today's practice [Columbus Dispatch]. Ryan Murray remains out as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Ryan Johansen leads the Jackets in scoring with 54 points (29g, 25a). James Wisniewski has four points in his last two games.

Anton Khudobin was 50 seconds away from his first shutout as a Hurricane when the Jackets spoiled that on March 18th. Dobby finally broke through with Thursday night's 3-0 shutout win against the Panthers, and he may get rewarded with a start again tonight. He is 2-1-0 career against the Jackets and the only current Hurricane goalie with a win against them (Cam Ward is 0-4-0 and Justin Peters is 0-1-0).

The Staal brothers were the one-two punch knocking out the Blue Jackets when the teams last met here in Raleigh; Eric Staal with the first two goals and Jordan Staal following up with the game-winner. Jiri Tlusty and Jeff Skinner both have points in three consecutive games.

The Canes didn't practice yesterday and there won't be any lineup updates until after the morning skate, so stay tuned for news in that regard. In the meantime, catch up on a few pre-game clicks:

- Michael Smith answers your Tweetmail, and he and Kyle Hanlin offer up the 14th episode of the Hurricanes Report Podcast.

- Go behind the scenes of the Canes annual fathers trip with Open Ice: Fathers and Sons [CanesVison].

- Andrei Loktionov is making an impact with his new team [N&O].

- Down on the farm, the Checkers are keeping their post-season hopes alive, pulling into a playoff position for the first time in five months with a win for the ages against the Iowa Wild. The 7-0 rout featured a new franchise points record by Zach Boychuk (2g, 3a) and a third period donnybrook that was good for 230 penalty minutes [Puck Daddy]:

If you're headed to the arena, it's Go Green Night sponsored by Bayer CropScience. The Canes Promotions crew has a lot of activities in store, starting with a South Plaza party before the game. The players will be wearing commemorative green jerseys at warmups (to be auctioned later), and sporting their white away jerseys during the game. Also, the Kids 'n Community Foundation is selling mystery player t-shirts.

We'll have the game thread ready to roll by 6:30 pm. See you there.

Week Ahead: Mar 29 to Apr 4

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9 games left in the season

4 games again this week, and not a contender in sight.

Flames at Senators

Game 74, Sunday, March 30th, 5pm
Sportsnet East
Previous game
Rangers, Friday, March 28th
Next game
@Maple Leafs, Tuesday, April 1st
Hot
Karri Ramo - 0.944 SV% in last 5 starts
Cold
Mikael Backlund - 0P in last 3 GP

It's the last afternoon(ish) game of the season!

Yeah, the Flames are still a mess overall and well out of the playoffs, but their L10 record of 6-4-0 is somewhat respectable.

Karri Ramo is closing in on actual starter numbers for the season. Since returning from injury, he's 3-1-0 and has posted a .940 SV% and 2.00 GAA.

Scoring has jumped up lately as well, with the team putting up 3.7 G/G in their last 10 games. Mike Cammalleri was a big part of that, being in on 15 of the 37 goals in that stretch. Mark Giordano has been another big piece, contributing to 10 goals in those games.

The power play is still weak at 24th in the league, but the penalty kill has managed to move up to the middle of the pack. Possession numbers are terrible at both 5 on 5 and 5 on 5 close, and rarely make it above 50% for individual games either.

Hurricanes at Senators

Game 75, Monday, March 31st, 7:30pm
Sportsnet East
Previous game
Blue Jackets, Saturday, March 29th
Next game
@Penguins, Tuesday, April 1st
Hot
Jiri Tlusty - 4P (2G, 2A) in last 3 GP
Cold
Tuomo Ruutu - 0P in last 7 GP

The Hurricanes enter the week with about as much to play for as Ottawa - they're one point back of the Sens with the same number of games remaining. Playoffs? Very much a long shot.

Possession wise, Carolina is sub par. They're below 50% for both Fenwick and Corsi close, and haven't really been close to 50% for FenClose since the start of the season. The power play has been a killer for them too, running at 13.6 it is second last in the league.

Anton Khudobin is really what has kept them afloat as much as they have been. He has vastly outperformed Cam Ward this season, while playing more NHL games this season than he had in every season before combined. He's also currently third on the SV% leader board.

Islanders at Senators

Game 76, Wednesday, March 2nd, 7:00pm
TSN
Previous game
Panthers, Tuesday, April 1st
Next game
Capitals, Saturday, April 5th
Hot
Matt Martin - 3P (2G, 1A) in last 2 GP
Cold
Casey Cizikas - 0P in last 12 GP

For a team who was supposed to be sunk after losing their star player during the Olympics, the Islanders have actually been doing better since the break. They're a point above .500 since then, compared to eight points below .500 before. Of course, that improvement hasn't been nearly enough to dig them out of the hole in the standings they found themselves in, so it ended up costing them their other star player at the trade deadline.

The injury to John Tavares has allowed Kyle Okposo to take the team scoring lead. He's at just below a point per game, with 69 points in 71 games. Naturally, since nice things can't happen for the Islanders, Okposo is currently listed as day to day.

Special teams are bad and worse for the Isles. The power play is bad at 16.4% and 23rd in the league, the penalty kill is worse at 77.6% and 29th. Goaltending has been rough - Evgeni Nabokov is the only one of their tenders with a SV% above .900, and only barely at .903. They're the only team with more GA/G than Ottawa as well. They have actually managed to outshoot their opponents on average - but only barely and their 5 on 5 possession numbers are below 50%.

In addition to Okposo, Michael Grabner, Lubomir Visnovsky and Brian Strait are all dealing with injuries.

Canadiens at Senators

Game 77, Friday, April 4th, 7:00pm
CBC
Previous game
@Lightning, Tuesday, April 1st
Next game
Red Wings, Saturday, April 5th
Hot
Thomas Vanek - 4P (1G, 3A) in last 2 GP
Cold
Lars Eller - 0P in last 6 GP

While it isn't quite official yet, for all practical purposes Montréal is locked into a first round match-up with Tampa Bay, though they are still fighting for home ice advantage for that series.

Despite a record of 5-1-0 since returning from injury, Carey Price just hasn't been playing as well. His .911 SV% in those 6 games isn't exactly terrible, but it's a far cry from his season SV% of .924 and is heavily skewed upwards by one game against Buffalo. A full half of those games, all wins, saw him post a SV% below .900 and he's allowed 3+ goals in all but the game against Buffalo.

The season long possession numbers are still very ugly for Montreal, but it's improved recently. In their last 10 games they've managed to be just below 50% at 5 on 5 for both Fenwick and Corsi, and have actually been above 50% for both at 5 on 5 close. It's still not nearly the numbers they posted last year, but it is a significant improvement over the well below 50% numbers they have overall this season.

P.K. Subban leads the team with 52 points, which is actually pretty good for a defenseman that isn't an elite scorer.

Game 75 Preview: Payback

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The Hurricanes started a dismal 1-3 slide for the Blue Jackets after securing a win in Columbus last week. Now it's time to take those points back.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Carolina Hurricanes

March 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm Eastern
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country

Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes game coverage

Let's keep this simple: We don't want your BBQ, we don't want your Tar Heels, we want two points. Not one point. Not a shootout. TWO REGULATION POINTS.

That's all that matters right now.

Blue Jackets projected lineup (subject to change, hopefully Bob returns)

(37-30-6, 80 Points; 4th division, 7th conference)

Boone JennerRyan JohansenNathan Horton
Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
R.J. UmbergerArtem AnisimovNick Foligno
Derek MacKenzieMark LetestuBlake Comeau
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Nick SchultzDavid Savard
Curtis McElhinney
Sergei Bobrovsky

Hurricanes projected lineup

Does it matter? Just win!

Admirals Stat-urday: Holes In The Boat

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3-6-1-0 in their last ten games, and finding a way to lose despite scoring five goals. There are leaks in the hull and it will require all hands to plug them up as the Admirals navigate through their final ten games of the season barely clinging to the final play-off spot in the Eastern Conference.

1 Forward Chris Wagner had his first multi-goal game and first professional hat trick last Saturday in a 6-5 OT loss to the Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators).

2
John Gibson took his second straight loss Friday night versus the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins). Gibson is now 2-3-0-0 in his last five games.

3
For only the third time this season the Admirals have strung together three or more losses. The last extended losing streak dates back to December 20, 2013 when the Admirals lost four straight games.

4
Defenseman Kevin Gagne is currently ranked fourth among rookies in power play assists with 13. Gagne picked up his 17th assist of the season last Saturday while taking a turn at playing forward, a position he's been slotted in over the past few games as the Admirals have dressed seven defensemen.

5
Last Saturday was the seventh time this season Norfolk has scored five or more goals in a game. It was the first loss when tallying five or more.

6Andre Petersson scored his third goal as an Admiral last Saturday against Binghamton. He now has six points since coming over at the trade deadline (3G,3A).

7 Norfolk has faced the Penguins seven times this season, going 4-2-0-1. The two losses have come in consecutive meetings, the first in Wilkes Barre, the second last night in a 2-1 loss at Scope.

8
The Admirals currently sit in Eighth-place in the Eastern Conference, the last post-season spot, and hold only a three point lead over the ninth-place Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals). Their magic number is 18.

9 Nine different players contributed to the five goals scored against Binghamton last Saturday. Chris Wagner had a four point night (3G,1A) and Andre Petersson a two point night (1G,1A)

10
Norfolk continues to hold on to the tenth spot in Penalty Minutes, racking up 1250 in 66 games played, averaging 18.94 short-handed minutes per game. Ironically, divisional and playoff rivals Binghamton, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, and Hershey occupy the eight, ninth, and eleventh spots respectively.

--Anaheim made a couple signings this week of some players finishing up their college seasons, but so far only Matt Bailey has made the leap from college to the pros, making his Admirals' debut last night against Wilkes Barre-Scranton. He won his first face off (and a couple subsequent as well) and was rewarded with some time on the power play and penalty kill. A few Penguins' players tried to help "welcome" him to the AHL but Bailey took it in stride and returned the affection in a few post-whistle scrums.

--"One more mistake than the other team." That was how Coach Trent Yawney summed up both last night's 2-1 loss to the Senators and last Saturday's 6-5 OT loss to the Penguins. It really can't be put any more simply, and it will continue to be the theme for the remaining ten games. Twice in the span of a week the Admirals managed to put the puck in the net five times but could only come away with one win. Prior to the five goal game against the Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) last Wednesday we have to go back to January 10 when Norfolk beat the Portland Pirates 5-4 in OT.

The only question now is, will Norfolk tighten up and cash in on their opponents' mistakes, or will teams continue to feed on the October-style tendencies that have reared their ugly heads this month? Last March saw Norfolk win nine of 14 and put themselves in to playoff contention only to play themselves right back out by losing five of their last nine in April. This March the Admirals went in to March in playoff contention but have found themselves clinging to the final post-season spot having lost seven of eleven games played so far. The Admirals, once again, are in control of their post-season destinies, they need only to remember that it is indeed March and April 2014 and not October 2013.

Follow me on Twitter: @VAPuckhead


Game 75 Recap: Jackets Weather the Storm (I Know)

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For most of this game the Jackets were turning the puck over and generally playing sloppy, though they were able to overcome this to hang on to defeat the 'Canes in overtime.

From an entertainment perspective, this one was a dud. The game was chock full of mistakes, especially so for the Jackets in the second period. The middle frame saw the Jackets turn the puck over at an alarming rate, yet they were able to answer both times when the Hurricanes found the back of the net in regulation, and thanks to a brain fart by Jiri Tlusty in overtime Ryan Johansen was able to give his team a crucial victory with a powerplay goal, his 30th of the season.

With the Jackets playing last night, the 'Canes game plan was to come out hard against the Jackets, and they did just that. It was all Carolina to start the game, and this continued for a bulk of the opening period. Luckily for Columbus the 'Canes were unable to get many quality scoring chances while they were winning the possession game.

In a move that perhaps should have been made much earlier, Nathan Horton was moved to the Artem Anisimov line, opposite of Nick Foligno. With the healthy scratch of R.J. Umberger, Corey Tropp took Horton's spot on Johansen's right side.

Horton was very engaged this evening. He was winning multiple board battles, with two consecutive victories along the boards in the first period. The combination of he and Anisimov looked promising.

The Jackets' best scoring chance in the opening period came when Mark Letestu and Blake Comeau skated in on a two-on-one against Carolina starter Anton Khudobin. Letestu feathered a perfect saucer pass cross-crease, but Comeau's subsequent shot was handled perfectly by the Hurricanes' goaltender.

The second period for the Jackets can be definded by their propensity to turn the puck over. The coaching staff must not have been pleased. Aside from a Derek MacKenzie opportunity midway through the period, the Jackets were unable to create anything offensively, and were instead dealing with the ramifications of turning the puck over, missing passes (leading to far too many icing calls) and failing to execute the easy play.

It finally bit them with 3:31 left in the second. With a mess in front of Columbus goaltender Curtis McElhinney, Elias Lindholm was able to find Jeff Skinner's stick, where he wired the puck in the net to give the 'Canes the lead.

1-0 Hurricanes: Skinner - Lindholm, Nash

The Jackets were able to answer in short order. With 1:14 left, after a Carolina turnover in their end, the puck ended up on the stick of Matt Calvert in the slot. He made no mistake in wiring home the tieing goal.

1-1: Calvert - Unassisted

The first two periods saw neither team take a penalty, but just 1:04 into the third period, Boone Jenner was whistled for interference. This was the first of three third period powerplays for the 'Canes.

The second Columbus minor was a Corey Tropp tripping call. After some very good movement while up a man, Andrei Loktionov was left alone at the left dot, and after receiving a pass was able to snipe a shot past McElhinney.

2-1 Hurricanes: Loktionov - Nash, Harrison

As they did with the first Carolina goal, the Jackets were able to quickly respond. Just 50 seconds later, after another good effort by Horton along the boards, he backhanded a pass toward the front of the net, where Anisimov was there to use his own backhand to beat Khudobin.The goal was Arty's 20th of the season.

2-2: Anisimov - Horton, Foligno

The teams played four-on-four in the latter stages of the period when Pat Dwyer and Black Comeau were in the box with matching roughing minors, but neither team could break the deadlock. Off to free hockey!

The overtime period saw back-and-forth action, until the game-changing moment when Brandon Dubinsky wired the puck off the post. After doing so, Tlusty covered the puck with his hand, with the referee in full view. He received a minor for this action, and while up a man, the Jacket's best foward hit a huge milestone.

Johansen received a backhand pass from Anisimov, firing it into the net, giving his team a HUGE two points. It was his 30th of the year, joining just Geoff Sanderson and Rick Nash as CBJ players to score 30 goals in a season.

3-2 Jackets: Johansen - Anisimov, Wisniewski

FINAL SCORE: 3-2 JACKETS

For the advanced stats for this game, check out Extra Skater's coverage of this game.

Standard Bearers:

  • Johansen's 30th goal of the year couldn't have come at a more clutch moment. HUGE.
  • Congrats to Arty for potting his 20th, and setting up the winning goal.
  • I thought Horton looked good with Arty and Foligno. The line was hard to beat along the boards and down low.
  • McElhinney was sharp, when tested. Props. Where's his trout mask though? I liked it.
  • Manny Malhotra, because Manny.

Bottom of the Barrel:

  • The turnovers, which were especially bad in the second period, are a cause for concern. Against the 'Canes? Yeah, they can survive. In the playoffs? That kind of sloppy play leads to blow outs and embarrassment.
  • I just don't see Tropp as a fit on Johansen's right side. Put Umby there.

The Jackets' next game is on Tuesday, where they are at home against the Avalanche.

Game Day #75: CBJ vs. Hurricanes

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The Hurricanes started a dismal 1-3 slide for the Blue Jackets after securing a win in Columbus last week. Now it's time to take those points back.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Carolina Hurricanes

March 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm Eastern
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country

Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes game coverage

Let's keep this simple: We don't want your BBQ, we don't want your Tar Heels, we want two points. Not one point. Not a shootout. TWO REGULATION POINTS.

That's all that matters right now.

Blue Jackets projected lineup (subject to change, hopefully Bob returns)

(37-30-6, 80 Points; 4th division, 7th conference)

Boone JennerRyan JohansenNathan Horton
Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
R.J. UmbergerArtem AnisimovNick Foligno
Derek MacKenzieMark LetestuBlake Comeau
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Nick SchultzDavid Savard
Curtis McElhinney
Sergei Bobrovsky

Hurricanes projected lineup

Does it matter? Just win!

Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT) - Game Highlights

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If you look very closely when they pan out on Anisimov's goal, you'll see me clapping very heartily and then sitting down. I'm wearing an old CBJ original sweater.

Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 2 - OT

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Hurricanes lose while shorthanded in extra period.

The Carolina Hurricanes played a tight game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, but ended up losing in overtime, 3-2 at the PNC Center.

Jiri Tlusty was called for closing his hand on the puck and the Hurricanes faced a tough 4-on-3 disadvantage during the overtime period.  The Blue Jackets' Ryan Johansen scored during the powerplay for the win.

Jeff Skinner and Andrei Loktionov lit the lamp for the home team.

I will have more details a bit later.

Hurricanes at Senators: Game Preview 3-31-14

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The Hurricanes close out March tonight in Canada's capital.

Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators
March 31, 2014 - 7:30 pm ET
Canadian Tire Centre - Ottawa, ON
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Silver Seven Sens

Hurricanes Record: 32-32-10 | 74 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Senators Record: 31-29-14 | 76 pts | 6th Atlantic | 12th EC

Post-Season Picture:
Games Remaining: 8
Estimated Points Needed: 92
Points Back: 18 (unpossible)
Playoff Chances (Sports Club Stats): 0.4%
Tragic Number: 9

Team line combinations: [Senators] [Hurricanes]

The Hurricanes and Senators have met twice this season, both times in Raleigh, and both times the Canes emerged victorious. The two teams have been on similar trajectories for much of the season; sniffing the playoff discussion at times but ultimately unable to put together a strong enough run and now all but mathematically eliminated.

The Senators are playing their second game in a back-to-back series tonight. They were successful on the front side of that effort, defeating the Flames 6-3 yesterday [recap on senators.com]. They now have points in four straight games (3-0-1).

Kyle Turris and Milan Michalek scored two goals in last night's win. Michalek now has 15 points in his last 18 games. Erik Karlsson also picked up an assist in the game, giving him 50 assists for the season along with 20 goals (the first defenseman since Brian Leetch in 2000-01 to accomplish that feat).

Jason Spezza has 38 points in 33 games against the Hurricanes.

Robin Lehner had a 37-save effort in the win. With the back-to-back scenario, Craig Anderson could see the start tonight. Anderson is 5-2-4 with a 2.50 GAA in twelve career games against the Canes.

Bobby Ryan will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing hernia surgery on Thursday.


The Hurricanes are playing in their 19th of 20 sets of back-to-back games this season. After tonight's game they will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins tomorrow night. They are 9-8-1 in the first game of a back-to-back and 5-10-3 in the second game.

Newcomer Andrei Loktionov has six points (3g, 3a) in his last six games and has points in three straight. For more on his recent success, Michael Smith caught up with him yesterday for Tracking The Storm [ch.com].

Jeff Skinner is also on a hot streak with points in four straight games. Eric Staal (15g, 22a, 37 games) and Alexander Semin (13g, 15a, 24 games) are both point-per-game players against Ottawa.

The Canes will not have a practice or media availability prior to the game tonight. They did practice in Raleigh yesterday before traveling to Ottawa. There were no line-up changes in yesterday's practice. Cam Ward practiced in the starter crease and is probable for tonight's game. [post-practice audio from Kirk Muller].

Congratulations to Manny Malhotra, who was chosen yesterday as the Hurricanes' nominee for the 2014 Masterton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who best demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.  Malhotra was also a nominee in 2012 as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.


Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/30/3746175/manny-maholtra-is-carolina-hurricanes.html?sp=/99/103/#storylink=cpy

We'll have the game thread ready to roll by 7:00 pm. See you there.

Game 75 preview: Carolina Hurricanes @ Ottawa Senators

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A preview of the game between the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes on 31 March 2014.

The Ottawa Senators will be without the injured Jason Spezza and Jared Cowen when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. With a win, Ottawa would move to within four points of Lumbus for the final playoff spot. Spezza and Cowen will be replaced by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Cody Ceci. Colin Greening is also still injured which means that Matt Kassian will continue to play.

As the Senators played last night, there was no team skate today. Thus here are my complete guesses at the lineup. Craig Anderson is the confirmed starter.

MacArthur - Turris - Stone
Michalek - Zibanejad - Hemsky
Kassian - Smith - Neil
Hoffman - Pageau - Condra

Methot - Karlsson
Phillips - Gryba
Wiercioch - Ceci

Anderson (starter)
Lehner

Some notes for tonight:

  • With Lumbus playing Colorado, Philadelphia and Chicago this week, Ottawa has an opportunity to perhaps take this down to the last weekend against Toronto and Philadelphia with some strong play.
  • Tonight will be the second game of a stretch of five games in seven days. After today the Senators host the Islanders on Wednesday before a pair of back-to-back games against the Canadiens and Rangers on Friday and Saturday.
  • The Hurricanes playoff hopes are even weaker than the Senators as they are two points behind Ottawa in the same number of games.
  • Last night was the lowest ice time that Erik Karlsson has received since November. Should help on a back-to-back.
  • Is anyone finding it a little weird that Jason Spezza is being held out of about as a must-win game that there is for precautionary reasons?
  • The Senators have scored 25 goals in their last seven games. Unfortunately they have also allowed 27.

Here are some stats for the two teams tonight.

CategoryOttawaCarolina
Player#Player#
GoalsKyle Turris25Jeff Skinner29
AssistsErik Karlsson50Eric Staal39
PointsErik Karlsson70Eric Staal56
ShotsErik Karlsson236Jeff Skinner250
Average Ice timeErik Karlsson27:11Andrej Sekera23:40

CategoryOttawaCarolina
#Rank#Rank
Goals For2.869th2.5021st
Goals Against3.2728th2.7719th
Corsi Close %52.0%8th49.5%16th
Fenwick Close %50.7%14th48.2%23rd
Shots For32.64th31.49th
Shots Against34.929th30.922nd

Ottawa squeaks past Carolina with shootout victory

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Ottawa's March to the Playoffs 2014™ continued with a hard-fought shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Ottawa Senators faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night in the enviable position of being able to truly make up ground on teams they're chasing in the playoff race, as few other teams were in action. If the Sens were to keep their microscopic post-season chances alive, a win was a virtual necessity. Thanks to some solid play from veterans Ales Hemsky and Craig Anderson, newly-minted assistant captain Kyle Turris, and youngsters Patrick Wiercioch and Mika Zibanejad, they managed to secure a 2-1 shootout win and put two more points in the bank.

Things got off to a great start for Ottawa when Ales Hemsky corralled a loose puck to set up Patrick Wiercioch at the point, and Wiercioch's laserbeam was tipped past Cam Ward by Mika Zibanejad in front. But a brutal giveaway by Erik Karlsson gave Jeff Skinner the opportunity to bank the puck into the net off of none other than Erik Karlsson, which tied the game after just a few minutes. Although Ottawa controlled most of the play and generated oodles of chances, it would end up knotted at aces.

More chances were had in the second frame, and Ottawa doubled up the 'Canes in shots despite taking two penalties--but the Sens couldn't get anything in, and the tied score carried forward.

The goaltending battle continued through the third period and overtime, but... still, no goals. The teams were off to the shootout.

... in which Craig Anderson just took over, stopping all three shots faced convincingly and propelling the Senators to their third straight win.

The victory was Ottawa's third straight, and they've now got nine points in their last five games. Although SportsClubStats still rates their odds of making the playoffs at under three per cent, it looks like the Senators are going to do everything they can to make it an exciting finish.

Sens Hero: Ales Hemsky
Hemsky was like magic tonight... he and Mika Zibanejad worked very well off one another, with each others' speed and slick hands complementing nicely. (Milan Michalek was kind of along for the ride.) Hemsky had an assist and scored the shootout winner, too. Right now, he looks like one of the Senators best deadline-day acquisitions ever--perhaps second only to the next guy...

Sens Hero: Craig Anderson
Although he wasn't asked to make many ridiculous saves in this one, there were plenty of good scoring chances for the Hurricanes, and Anderson was there to stop nearly all of them. His only imperfection was a total fluke he could have done nothing on. The shootout dominance more than made up for it.

Sens Hero: Patrick Wiercioch
Ottawa's best defenceman on the night (weird to think), Wiercioch had a great game in all scenarios--even strength, powerplay, and even short-handed. Although he wasn't technically credited with a shot on net, his shot got Ottawa their love regulation goal, and he led the Sens defence with a +8 corsi. Maybe he was helped by the fact that Carolina isn't really a big team so they didn't challenge him physically, but Wiercioch made a statement nonetheless--we'll see if it was one that convinced MacLean.

Sens Heroes: MacArthur-Turris-Stone
Hot on the heels of Turris' first-star-of-the-week honours, this line had yet another dominant performance--especially in the first half of the game. They slowed down a bit towards the end, but still generated the lion's share of Ottawa's scoring chances and zone time. Mark Stone continues to look impressive on this trio; it's going to be interesting to see where he'll fit on the roster next season, because he's proving himself an NHL player.

Sens Zero: Erik Karlsson
On top of the giveaway that resulted in Carolina's goal, Karlsson also had a few other bad giveaways and was soft on the puck for most of the game. He also nearly killed Clarke MacArthur with a random knucklepuck-pass-attempt in the third period. While he may not have been a zero by normal standards, Karlsson was a zero by Karlssonian standards--the Sens need him to do more than he did in this one.

B_T doughnut:

Sensvcanes20140331_medium

Shot chart:

2014-03-31_medium

Game highlights:


Senators 2, Hurricanes 1 - SO

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Jeff Skinner notches 30th goal but Carolina loses in shootout.

The Carolina Hurricanes fell behind early but fought back to tie, then played to a draw before losing in a 2-1 shootout  to the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre, on Monday night.

Jeff Skinner scored his 30th goal of the season, a team high, while Cam Ward was solid in net with 28 saves.

The Canes failed to score in the skills competition as Riley Nash, Elias Lindholm, and Skinner were all stopped by  Craig Anderson.  Ward stopped Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris, but Ales Hemsky scored the game winner for the home team.

The Sens had a lot of jump to start the game and looked no worse for wear for a team which had played the night before.

Just a minute and change into the game, Hemsky faked out Justin Faulk and skated in the Carolina zone alone, but Ward stopped the shot.  The puck came out to the point and Patrick Wiercioch put a shot on goal which hit off Zibanejad's skate and into the net to make it, 1-0.

The Canes tied things up when Skinner put a shot in from behind the net off of Anderson's skate.  The goal was unassisted, but Lindholm helped set that one up.

The Senators would get the better of the chances the rest of the game, but the Hurricanes did pretty much match them shot-for-shot as the game went on.

The Canes ended up with 31 shots for the game while the Sens had 29.

Ottawa was playing without Bobby Ryan and star center Jason Spezza, but the Canes lost Jiri Tlusty after he was boarded late in the second period.  Andrei Loktionov also left the game after taking a puck to the jaw.

There was no post game status report for either player.

The Canes will be the tired team next game as they travel and will face the Penguins on Tuesday night.

Game Notes:

  • Cam Ward is now 11-25 lifetime in shootouts.
  • Justin Faulk led the way with five shots on goal.  Eric Staal had a team high 25:37 of ice time.
  • The Canes had 18 blocked shots led by Ron Hainsey with four.
  • Carolina was credited with 39 hits in this game, Jordan Staal had six.
  • Post game interviews at Canes PR.com.

Hurricanes at Penguins: Game Preview 4-1-14

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Chris Terry has been recalled from Charlotte after Jiri Tlusty and Andrei Loktionov left last night's game with injuries.


Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins
April 1, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
CONSOL Energy Center - Pittsburgh, PA
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Pensburgh

Hurricanes Record: 32-32-11 | 75 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Penguins Record: 48-22-5 | 101 pts | 1st Metro | 2nd EC

Post-Season Picture:
Games Remaining: 7
Estimated Points Needed: 92
Points Back: 17 (unpossible)
Playoff Chances (Sports Club Stats): 0.2%
Tragic Number: 8

Between ex-teammates, playoff history, and a division rivalry, one really doesn't have to manufacture drama when the Hurricanes play the Penguins. That said, this game in particular doesn't carry much significance in the standings, as the Penguins have a solid hold on first place in the Metro division, and the Hurricanes are all but officially eliminated from playoff contention. Welcome to April.

Tonight marks the last of four matchups between the two teams this season, and the Penguins are looking to sweep after having won the last three. They enter tonight's game coming off a big 4-1 win over Chicago on Sunday. The Hurricanes are playing their second game of a back-to-back on the road, losing 2-1 in overtime to Ottawa last night.

The Penguins depth of talent has allowed them to remain successful despite having the dubious honor of leading the league most nights this season in man games lost to injury. Currently out of the lineup are Evgeni Malkin (foot), Marcel Goc (foot), Kris Letang (stroke), Joe Vitale (mid-body injury), Tomas Vokoun (blood clot), and Chris Conner (hand). Paul Martin (broken hand) has begun practicing but is unlikely to be back in the lineup. Amazingly, Letang has already returned to the ice after suffering a stroke just a few weeks ago, and this morning it was announced that he is Pittsburgh's PWHA nominee for the Masterton trophy.

Of the healthy players remaining, Sidney Crosby, James Neal, Olli Maatta, Jayson Megna, and Jussi Jokinen are all point-per-game players when they face the Canes, and today is Jussi's birthday (31). He has three goals and six points against his former team this season (just sayin).

Tentative Penguins lineups from this morning's skate: [Offense] [Defense]. Confirmed is Marc-Andre Fleury in goal, his career record is 12-6-3 versus the Canes and he is 36-17-4 with five shutouts and a .917 save percentage this season.

With Jeff Skinner's unassisted goal being the lone tally in last night's game, he is now the only Hurricanes player with an active point streak, but it's a good streak, with goals in each of the last four games and points in the last five. Eric Staal averages over a point-per-game when he faces the Penguins.

The Hurricanes have been healthy of late, but lost Jiri Tlusty and Andrei Loktionov during last night's game after both sustained hits and were unable to return. The status of both players is unknown at this time. Radek Dvorak was a healthy scratch and should be able to draw into the lineup, and the Hurricanes have also recalled Chris Terry from the Checkers this morning, and he is on his way to Pittsburgh [news release].

With Cam Ward getting the workout in last night's game, Anton Khudobin is likely back in net tonight. Dobby has one career loss against the Penguins from his days with the Bruins but has not faced them as a member of the Hurricanes.

The Canes are not holding a morning skate, so any other news will be forthcoming around game time.

We'll have the game thread ready to roll by 6:30 pm. See you there.

Comeback? Rick DiPietro Seen Working Out at Iceworks

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Spies say the former Islanders 1st overall pick has been spotted working out at the Islanders practice facility, Iceworks.

Flying below the radar since his short stint with the Charlotte Checkers (the Hurricanes AHL affiliate) earlier this season, former New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro has been seen getting his reps in around Iceworks, the Islanders practice facility.

The practice rink is where former players are sometimes spotted -- and on occasion, re-signed -- as agents seek to create buzz for a deal.

Although DiPietro had a somewhat disappointing .846 save percentage and modestly unsightly 5.18 GAA in five games for the Checkers, it appears he still hasn't given up on his eventual return to the NHL. DiPietro did have a much better stint last year for the Sound Tigers, going 9-9 with a 2.93 GAA and eclipsing the .893 save percentage threshold, marked by his first professional shutout since 2010-11.

Much like Radek Martinek (who rejoined the team) and Alexei Yashin (who was always one rumor short) of seasons past, DiPietro lives in the area and has a close relationship with the Isles front office.

But would the Islanders, with the league's worst save percentage at .891, really bring their former All-Star goalie back? As Garth Snow has stated multiple times in the past, he is "more then willing to kick the tires on anyone," and will leave "no stone unturned" in his search for talent.

One would imagine with Kevin Poulin, Anders Nilsson, Parker Milner and Evgeni Nabokov under contract that there wouldn't be much room on the team as the season winds down. But Nilsson and Poulin are pending RFAs, while Nabokov will be a UFA following this season. Depending on how everything falls, there could at the very least be a need for a veteran backup for Bridgeport and a candidate to win an NHL job next season.

Or maybe we are a player agent. And maybe it's just April 1st.

(If you haven't looked at your calendar yet...it's April 1, April Fools' Day in some circles.)

Sidney Crosby gets smacked in face by linesman

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Avoiding players is hard enough, but when you have to worry about referees smacking you in the face hockey gets a lot more difficult.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had to deal with more than their fair share of injuries this season, so the last thing they want to see is their captain and best player, Sidney Crosby, getting slapped across the face by a linesman.

So, naturally, that's exactly what happened in the first period Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Crosbylinesman_medium

The good news for Pittsburgh: Crosby seemed to be OK and recorded an assist on Chris Kunitz's first-period goal, Crosby's 100th point of the season. Crosby is the first (and likely will be the only) player to reach the century mark this season.

(GIF via Mike Darnay of PensBurgh)

Hurricanes 4, Penguins 1

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Elias Lindholm scores twice and Anton Khudobin makes 30 saves in Carolina win

The Pittsburgh Penguins could have clinched the Metropolitan Division crown with a win, but instead will have to wait as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated them, 4-1 on Tuesday night, at the CONSOL Energy Center.

The win broke up a five game winning streak by the Pens over Carolina as well as a six game streak in Pittsburgh.

Elias Lindholm scored twice, his first multi-goal game in the NHL, Jeff Skinner and Andrei Loktionov each had two assists, and Anton Khudobin made 30 saves to lead the Canes.

The Hurricanes started off slowly again and they were being out-shot by an 11-1 margin at the 10 minute mark of the first period, but they turned things around from that point on and had the better of the play.

The Penguins had a penalty shot just 2:26 into the game but Khudobin did not bite on the fake and took up most of the net as Brian Gibbons shot wide on his attempt.

About midway through the opening period, the home team jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Chris Kunitz scored his 35th of the season.

The Canes were able to tie the game on a long, wicked shot by Justin Faulk with 5:21 left in the period.

In the second period, hard work by Skinner, Lindholm, and the rest of Carolina's youth finally started to pay off.

Skinner took the puck behind the net and fed Lindholm out front during a powerplay chance and the rookie made no mistake.  Loktionov picked up the second assist as the "young guns" group of Skinner, Lindholm, Nash, Loktionov, and in this case Jay Harrison, continue to out-perform the older player's grouping during the man advantage.

Later in the period, Skinner helped create a turnover and Lindholm gathered the loose puck before beating Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 3-1.

In the third period, Loktionov kept his hot production going as he sent a puck toward the net that Eric Staal was able to chip in to make it 4-1, Canes.

The team held on the rest of the way as the Penguins attacked but could not score again.

Things do not get any easier for Carolina as they return home to take on the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.

Game Notes:

  • Officially, the Canes went 1-1 on the powerplay and killed off the chance the Pens had.
  • Khudobin was very good early on and kept the team in the game until they "found their legs".  He ended up making 30 saves on 31 shots for the night while his counterpart Fleury had 24 saves on 28 shots.
  • Everyone saw good playing time in this game as low man was Drayson Bowman with 10:28 of TOI.   High man was Faulk with 24:59.
  • Lindholm led the team with five shots on goal and no doubt the coaches will be wanting him to shoot more often.  While Skinner did not score, he looked very good in this game setting up his friend.
  • Skinner now has a six game point streak.
  • Carolina had 17 blocked shots and were led by John-Michael Liles with four.
  • Check out post-game interviews at Canes PR.com.
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