The New Jersey Devils pulled out another close win over the Carolina Hurricanes: 3-1 with an empty netter. This recap focuses on how well the Devils played, who made it happen, and other observations from the victory.

On Friday night, the New Jersey Devils left it all out there on the ice against the Washington Capitals. They lost a forward in each period.  They included Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique, two important players on the team.  The remaining fifteen Devils skaters and Cory Schneider put out a mighty effort against the Caps to go up 2-1 late and hold on.   With most of the skaters gassed by the end, it was a real question of what kind of Devils team would we see tonight.  They had to replace three forwards with somebody.  They were facing a Carolina Hurricanes team that went five games without a regulation loss and recently two straight 4-1 wins over good teams.  A team that had it's most talented players spread out, which bode ill for a team missing two forwards who played defense well and lined up at center.  A team that was bringing back Alexander Semin, who was out sick recently.  And the home team was entirely rested for a night as the Devils had to pull out a gutsy win the night before.  What kind of a team would we see?

By about 9:30 PM EST, it was clear the Devils had more than plenty of gas left in the proverbial tank.   They put up another fighting effort tonight against Carolina.  A lot of stick checks.  A lot of hustling.  A lot of forechecking as they forced Carolina to cough up pucks. A lot of scrambling as they tried to recover loose pucks in their own end.  By night's end, the Devils ended up victorious 3-1.  In a game that was 2-1 for over half of regulation, the Devils ended up out-shooting the Canes 22-20 at evens and out-attempting the Canes 51-42 at evens.   There were lulls and stretches where the Canes tilted the ice, but the Devils hit back just a bit more often.   They put in another great effort.  And again, they got the possession and breaks to get a massive result.  Five main points come to mind a little bit after 9:30 PM EST:

First and foremost, Cory Schneider was amazing tonight.  It can be a risk to play a goalie two nights in a row.  But Schneider absolutely rewarded Peter DeBoer's decision.  He made a lot of heads-up stops.  Some with fortune and others with just fantastic timing and reaction.  When the Devils struggled to get a clean zone exit or even have someone get a piece of the puck in their own end, Schneider was able to come up with the stop.  He robbed Riley Nash near the end of the second. He robbed Alexander Semin on a rebound during a third period power play.  He moved so well and covered the net well.  Like nearly all Devils fans, I was hoping he wouldn't be beaten by a late deflection or getting victimized by some other breakdown.   Unlike those games in January and February, he thankfully wasn't.

Second, shout out to the CBGB line.  They swarmed.  They looked like they did in the 2012 playoffs at times.  They came close to scoring multiple times.  Steve Bernier crashed the net to cause problems. Ryan Carter went from strength to strength and I honestly thought he was going to score on a turnaround shot.  Stephen Gionta played to the best he could; skating hard, skating at the puck, and pressing on defense.  It came out well.  The line didn't generate a lot of shots, but their attempt differential was positive as evidence of their effectivness.

Third, another strong night by the Zajac line.  Travis Zajac, Jaromir Jagr, and Tuomo Ruutu was expected to be leaned on heavily. They were.  They crushed Ron Hainsey.  They gave both Staals trouble in spots. They just poured on the pressure over and over.  Ruutu was a mainstay around the net.  Zajac was so strong out there.  Jagr just kept doing Jagr things.   Among their many attacks, they did generate a goal.  A three-on-two, nearly broken up because Ruutu attempted a pass to Jagr that got blocked away by Eric Staal.  Marek Zidlicky picked up the loose puck and fired a wobbling puck.  Zajac got a piece of it, the puck went past Anton Khudobin, and the puck had enough spin to get past him and dropped into the net.

Fourth, I have to recognize Dainius Zubrus, Michael Ryder, and Damien Brunner and it was a real back-and-forth night.  They looked like the Zajac line at times.  Other times, they were forced to stay in their end or a turnover forced them to go and defense and it was ugly.  Brunner had five shots on net going forward, but not much in the back end.  Ryder made a great pass to spring Zubrus for a one-and-one with Khudobin and the first goal of the game.   Zubrus got two goals: a backhander past Khudobin and a crucial ENG from the red line to seal the game.   Both also took bad penalties that put the Devils in a spot.    They made the difference tonight; and they have to thank Schneider a lot for being so good.

Fifth, like the Caps game, it remains to be seen whether this is a big win for faint playoff hopes or a big win for team pride.  All the same, I was very happy they pulled out of this back-to-back set with two close wins amid two good performances.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Log | The Extra Skater Game Stats

The Opposition Opinion: Please visit Canes Country for a Carolina take on tonight's game.

The Game Highlights: A whole lot of plays and saves in this video at NHL.com:

A Tale of Seven Defensemen: Both the Devils and Canes went to seven defensemen tonight.  For Carolina, things went very well when Justin Faulk was out there.   They weren't too bad when John-Michael Liles and Mike Komisarek were out there too; though Komisarek played less than six minutes.  But the remaining four shared a lot of pain and desperation in their own end of the rink.  Jay Harrison can at least feel good about three shots on net and a shot that Andy Greene blocked that went out to Jeff Skinner.  Skinner finished that with a blast to the back crossbar.

As for the Devils, they were really six defensemen and Eric Gelinas playing a handful of shifts at wing on a fourth line.   Andy Greene had a much better night with about 25 minutes of ice time.   I feel bad that it was his block that led to the one goal allowed because it wasn't intentional.  Overall, #6 played more like one expect from him.  Mark Fayne had another good night.  Jon Merrill returned to the lineup in place of Adam Larsson and did, well, about as well as one could expect.  Nothing crazy like 10-0 at evens like Larsson against the Caps, but the most positive at 22-15.   Anton Volchenkov also had a stand-up night too.   Peter Harrold was OK and Marek Zidlicky had an odd night where attempts were positive but shots were against 9-12.   Nothing too bad at evens, really.  The PK was a different sort.

Between the bunch, I felt the Devils were better overall, though they had some rough shifts spread out among the crew.  With assistance from some forwards also unable.   At least no one got run through like, say, Hainsey.

4-for-4 at Success, 3-for-4 at Being Good At It: The Devils took four penalties tonight.  The PK was quite good on three of them.  Skinner's goal came after the second one and it was at the end of that one where Carolina was actually in a spot to threaten.   Over the first three situations, the Canes were held to only two shots.  On the fourth one, the Canes really figured out what wasn't working.  They maintained great possession. They won loose pucks and rebounds.  They put four shots on net and more attempts. The Devils maybe only got one or two clearances; it was then Schneider truly shined.  The skaters chased throughout most of those two minutes; the goalie was the best PKer on that situation.    Overall, though, they got the desired result.  Let's do hope they don't take as many penalties like a slow change for a too many men call or two offensive zone penalties.

The Makeshift Fourths: Gelinas, Mike Sislo, and Tim Sestito only got a few shifts together.  They served the role CBGB usually has.  Perhaps overmatched in attempts but very few shots against - and for.  They forechecked with aggression and they skated quickly with their few shifts together.  They were perfectly fine.   Sestito did end up doing quite a bit, though.  He got three shots on net, a few more shifts due to his good play, and not only was put out there with Gionta in a 5-on-6 situation but helped make it work.    It's not something you'd like to see regularly but it worked and that's what counts.

Opposition Praise: Anton Khudobin played a very good game. While the Devils only got 23 shots, he did make plenty of tough ones as the Devils swarmed the Canes now and again.  Alexander Semin had a very good game.  Six shots on net, eleven attempts on net, and some of the best chances the Canes had all game.  Faulk was excellent on defense and the Canes could use a couple more defenders like him.  Eric Staal got worked over early but managed to get his performance sorted in the third.  He also accidentally helped create the game deciding goal in this one.  Andrei Loktionov thankfully played nearly 22 minutes, got beat more often than he helped go forward, and lost the puck that led to Ryder feeding Zubrus up ice for a breakaway as the Canes were changing.

One More Take: From Corey Sznajder of Shutdown Line:

Scoring chances were 18-14 New Jersey (3-6, 8-7, 3-5). I have nothing else to add. #Canes#NJDevils

— Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine) April 6, 2014

The Devils battled - and this time they won.  Let's hope it continues.

Your Take: The Devils played a tough game, they worked hard, and they had energy right from the start to the end. Now I want your take.  How great was Schneider - because he was great? Who do you think was the best Devils skater tonight?  Who do you think struggled the most?  What about the Canes? Who among them worried you the most?  How do you think they played?  Can the Devils keep it up without Elias and Henrique (as if they have a choice right now)?  Please leave your answers and other thoughts in the comments.

Thanks to everyone who followed along in the Gamethread and on Twitter with @InLouWeTrust.  Thank you for reading.

Carolina comes up short in important game at home

Two desperate hockey teams met in Raleigh on Saturday night, both needing a win to help keep slim playoff hopes alive.  The New Jersey Devils were three points outside of a playoff spot while the Carolina Hurricanes were six points away.  It turned out that the Devils wanted it a bit more as they defeated the Hurricanes, 3-1 in front of 16,123 fans at the PNC Arena.

Riley Nash may have summed it up best when he said after the game that there was a fine line between playing your hardest, and doing anything to win.  Even though the Devils had played the night before and were missing key players, they had that something extra on this night.

Once again, the Hurricanes made costly turnovers and mistakes, which led to goals for the opposition.

After a turnover at the Carolina blueline, Dainius Zubrus opened the scoring at 15:33 into the first period when he broke in alone on Anton Khudobin and beat the goalie with a nifty backhander.

In the second period, Jeff Skinner tied the game on a laser of a shot that was not ruled a goal until after a review.  But that would be the only scoring for the home team.

The Devils took the lead, 2-1 after Marek Zidlicky sent a shot toward the Carolina net that Travis Zajac tipped past Khudobin.  The puck hit the post and had some wicked back-spin as it bounced back across the goal line.

In the third period, the Devils controlled play for the opening 10 minutes or so and put numerous shots on goal before the Hurricanes mounted much of an attack.  When the home team did gain some steam, Cory Schneider was equal to the task.

Schneider made 26 saves on 27 shots for the night.

With a minute and change left, the Canes called time out and pulled their goalie so they could use an extra attacker,  but Zubrus stole a weak pass across the blueline and skated it to center ice before salting away the game with an empty-netter.

The Canes will take Sunday off before returning to the PNC on Monday morning for the annual team photo.

Keep in mind that the Hurricanes Alumni game will be played on Sunday at 3 p.m.  Admission to the event is free.

Game Notes:

• The Canes had 27 shots on goal and were led by Alexander Semin with six.  The Russian also had a team high 24:33 of ice time.
• Kirk Muller scratched Drayson Bowman in this game who was ready to play and went with seven defensemen. Mike Komisarek was low man with 5:26 of ice time while Justin Faulk led the blueline with 23:54.
• Brett Bellemore had five hits and four blocked shots, both team highs.  Jay Harrison also had five hits.
• For postgame quotes, check out Canes PR.com.

After making his NHL debut when the Rangers began this season in Phoenix, Jesper Fast is back on Broadway with only a few games left on the regular season schedule.

With only three games left in the regular season, the Rangers have recalled forward Jesper Fast from Hartford. Fast spent eight games up with the Rangers earlier this season when New York was battling injuries, with the likes of Rick Nash, Carl Hagelin, and Ryan Callahan on the shelf. During that brief NHL stint, Fast was minus-five, and was held off the scoresheet.

This, from the release from the Rangers announcing the transaction.

Fast has registered 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points, along with 30 penalty minutes and a plus-14 rating in 48 games with Hartford this season. He ranks third on the team in goals, seventh in assists and points, and is tied for second in plus/minus rating. He also leads the team and is tied for eighth among AHL rookies with eight power play goals.

The move probably indicates Alain Vigneault might be weighing resting a regular with the playoffs about a week away. The Rangers line seem pretty consistent (at least san Chris Kreider), and with New York already missing a top forward, now would be the time to rest  a player with a nagging injury. But Fast also fills that speed niche that Kreider did, and his play has dramatically improved from where it was when he debuted with the Rangers in the opener this season. This could also be a tryout for Fast, and a chance to crack the lineup come postseason time.That would likely mean benching Derek Dorsett or Dan Carcillo, but it's a little early to handicap that decision. Either way, expect Fast to be in Tuesday when the Rangers host the Hurricanes.

Four games remain as the Hurricanes play out the last week of the 2013-14 regular season, beginning tonight against the Rangers on Broadway.

Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers
April 8, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Blueshirt Banter

Hurricanes Record: 34-33-11 | 79 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Rangers Record: 43-31-5 | 91 pts | 2nd Metro | 5th EC

Post-Season Picture:
Games Remaining: 4
Points Back: 8
Playoff Chances (Sports Club Stats): 0.004%
Tragic Number: 1

The Carolina Hurricanes have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Yet. The scenario exists that if Columbus loses out, and the Canes win out, and the teams in between suffer losses in a majority of their remaining games, the Canes could pull even with the Blue Jackets and would win in a tiebreaker. There is a .004% chance of that happening, still higher than the chances of winning the North Carolina Cash 5 Lottery (1 in 575,757) or being struck by lightning (1 in 280,000). But the 'tragic number' is now down to one, and any point lost by the Canes or gained by the Jackets (who face Phoenix tonight) pounds the final nail in the postseason coffin.

With that said, the Hurricanes will play out the last week of their 2013-14 regular season schedule starting tonight:

@ New York Rangers - Tonight
vs Washington Capitals - Thursday (final home game)
@ Detroit Red Wings - Friday
@ Philadelphia Flyers - Sunday

The Rangers and Canes have played three prior games this season. The Rangers won 5-1 in early November at MSG, then the Canes followed up a 4-2 home loss on March 7th with a 3-1 home win just four nights later, snapping a ten-game losing streak against the Blueshirts.

The Rangers failed to clinch a playoff spot Saturday night when they lost 3-2 to the Senators in Ottawa, but were able to officially punch their ticket to the dance after last night's loss by the Devils. The Rangers are battling tightly with the Flyers for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Rangers recalled forward Jesper Fast from Hartford Wolf Pack yesterday, and he skated at practice with Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin, though the final line combinations will be re-evaluated before tonight's game.

Mats Zuccarello scored both goals in Saturday's loss to the Senators, and has four goals and seven points in his last four games.

Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start in net. Lundqvist has a 31-24-5 record season to date with a .919 save percentage and five shutouts, and said in his post-practice video that the team needed to "respect the skill" of the Hurricanes.

Ryan McDonagh (shoulder) remains day-to-day and is unlikely to be in the lineup tonight. Chris Kreider has been working out off the ice but still recovering from hand surgery.

After Saturday's 3-1 home loss to the Devils and a day off on Sunday, the Hurricanes returned to practice yesterday after wrapping up their annual team photo. All active players were back on the ice with the exception of Andrej Sekera, who is suffering a lower body injury and will be out tonight. Drayson Bowman should be able to return from illness that has kept him out of the lineup, and Jiri Tlusty (upper body) skated and may be able to return. Coach Kirk Muller indicated that Tlusty would be a game-day decision (post-practice audio).

With Tlusty's return, Monday's practice saw a return of some old familiar forward lines. Eric Staal was reunited with Alexander Semin and Tlusty. Andrei Loktionov, previously on Eric's line, was moved to the fourth line with Bowman, Manny Malhotra, and Radek Dvorak. Patrick Dwyer and Nathan Gerbe practiced on a line with Jordan Staal, while the recently impressive trio of Riley Nash, Jeff Skinner, and Elias Lindholm remained together.

Cam Ward occupied the starter's crease at yesterday's practice and could see the start in net tonight. Kirk Muller indicated that both Ward and Anton Khudobin are expected to get starts this week.

In other news, the Hurricanes held their third annual Alumni Fantasy Game on Sunday afternoon, drawing accolades from both fans and participants. Over $61,000 was raised for the Kids 'n Community Foundation. Check out the Hurricanes website for a recap, photo gallery, and video.

Finally, good eyes by Canes' Community Relations and Promotions Director Jon Chase to spot this great capture during last night's NCAA Championship game:

.@NHLCanesStanley Cup Champion Banner getting some love during NCAA Tourney 'One Shining Moment' #Brandingpic.twitter.com/pBxTSilZ2v

— Jon Chase (@JChasesthoughts) April 8, 2014

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

Carolina officially eliminated from playoff contention

After a close opening period, the Carolina Hurricanes fell apart and lost to the New York Rangers, 4-1 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.  Realistically, the Canes have been out of playoff contention for awhile, but the loss to the Rangers officially knocked them out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

During the first intermission, Hurricanes owner, Peter Karmanos, spoke to announcer John Forslund and asked for more patience from fans.  The owner said he was not ready to blow things up and thought the coaching staff was "good".

We will talk more about the interview in another article coming up.

Patrick Dwyer got the scoring started just 3:22 into the game with the help of an attacking Brett Bellemore, but the Rangers tied things with a powerplay tally before the end of the period.

The home team then scored 50 seconds into the second period and never looked back.

Cam Ward made 32 saves on 36 shots and was kept very busy on this night.  His counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist was not quite so busy, especially in the third period when the Canes were outshot 15-7.

Next up will be the Washington Capitals at the PNC on Thursday night for the final home game of the season for the Hurricanes.

Game Notes:

• The Canes had 28 shots on goal and were led by Nathan Gerbe with five.
• The Rangers were not called for a single penalty all night.  Carolina killed one of three New York powerplays.
• Ron Hainsey played a team high 23:09 while Radek Dvorak was team low with 6:20.
• The team was out-hit 21-14 but had 24 blocked shots.  John-Michael Liles led the way with six blocks and Hainsey had four.
• Post game interviews at Canes PR.com.

The Tampa Bay Lightning shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0, ending Toronto's postseason eligibility, but may pay a high price with the loss of goaltender Ben Bishop, who was injured in the first period.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

This was one of those classic "good news/bad news/good news" games. First the good news: the Lightning won, and did so without showing any signs of the self-imposed lethargy and disinterest exhibited in their previous two games (both losses, not co-incidentally), combining with a win by Columbus to eliminate the Maple Leafs from playoff consideration. Next, the bad news: workhorse goalie Ben Bishop suffered an "upper body injury" (possibly to the collarbone) that knocked him out of this game and possibly for an extended period. But wait, there's more good news: oft-maligned and seldom-used back-up goalie Anders Lindback was excellent in relief, turning away all 25 shots he faced to preserve the shutout victory, the team's sixth this season.

"I thought our whole team had their A game tonight. He (Lindback) hasn't been in a ton, but you could just see he was confident in net. He was just really calm and confident back there today and our team was feeding off it." - Lightning head coach Jon Cooper

Things started off well for the Lightning in that things didn't start out nearly as awful as they had in their two most recent games, losses to Calgary and Dallas respectively. However, things seemed bleak just over six minutes in when Bishop came down awkwardly on his side and was unable to get up without assistance. He went to the locker room and it was announced immediately that he would not return. Then something strange happened: Management didn't put a "Thanks for coming. Drive safely." message on the scoreboard, turn the lights off and tell everyone to go home. Instead, Anders Lindback was put in goal and he responded with a performance that was more than adequate.

"You try to prepare for every day. It's my job to be able to step in and give the team a chance and I thought it turned out good today. We played a really good game, way better than we had in the last couple of games. I felt like we were back to where we should be and where we early in the season." - Lindback

The period ended in a scoreless tie.

At 9:19 of the second, Ondrej Palat shot high and beat Toronto goalie James Reimer for his first goal of the night, the eventual game winner. He was assisted on the play by Victor Hedman and Radko Gudas.

The Lightning cashed in seven seconds into their only power play on the night when Palat scored again at the 15:45 mark, getting help from Steven Stamkos and Hedman.

Tampa Bay carried the 2-0 edge into the second intermission.

Hedman capped things off with his third point of the night on an unassisted empty net goal at 19:47 of the third.

"I thought we came out from the get-go, I thought we played to our strength for 60 minutes and that's when good things are going to happen. It was a real team effort tonight." - Hedman

"It feels good. It's one thing you can't hang your hat on; you have to keep going and try to get better. We as a team have to just come together and keep playing like this." - Lindback

The Bolts' homestand continues on Thursday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers.

Game notes:

• "Bishop wasn't scheduled to start on Thursday so he won't play against Philadelphia. We were going to call up a goalie anyway so let's just wait and see what happens. It makes no sense in speculating. I'm real confident in what we have." - Cooper on Bishop and the immediate future of the goaltending situation
• In addition to losing Ben Bishop, defenseman Sami Salo left the bench after skating two shifts in the second period and did not return. No status was issued by the team, indicating he should be considered day-to-day.
• The Lightning finish the regular season series with a 2-2-0 mark against Toronto.
• Tampa Bay was a perfect 10-for-10 successfully killing Maple Leafs power plays this season.
• Stamkos now has 13 goals and 13 assists in 21 games in his career against Toronto.
• In addition to Toronto's playoff hopes coming to an end, tonight also saw other Eastern Conference teams punch their tickets; the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators were eliminated, while the Flyers clinched a berth in the tourney.
• The Lightning honored Jim and Barbara Killeen as the 39th Lightning Community Heroes of the year during the first period of tonight's game. The Killeen's, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, will donate the money to Amazing Love Ministries, World Relief Tampa, Created and Giving Hope Through Faith. The Killeens have dedicated the last eight and a half years of their lives to making the Tampa Bay area a better place for those who are less fortunate. The Killeen's have collaborated with a variety of churches, synagogues, ministries, schools, clubs and homeless organizations to offer options and opportunities for people in need in the community. The couple founded Amazing Love Ministries, a non-profit that distributes meals, clothes and personal hygiene items once a week to people in the Tampa area who are experiencing homelessness. The Killeen's were featured on Fox 13 Tampa Bay as Hometown Heroes in 2013. In addition, Amazing Love Ministries received the 2013 Spirit of Humanity Award from the DeBartolo Family Foundation.

Today's New York Rangers notes.

We're about a week away from playoff hockey, and two regular season games away from the end of the schedule. We know the Rangers will be playing in the two-three Metropolitan Division series in the first round, but now, home-ice is on the line. Your morning notes.

Despite a slow start, a pair of power play goals from Brad Richards, and a trio of assists from Martin St. Louis led the Rangers past the Hurricanes Tuesday night. Some recaps of the 4-1 win. [NY Post] [ESPN NY] [Daily News] [The Record] [Newsday] [Blueshirts United]

Both Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider skated on Tuesday, as they continue to progress in their recoveries. There's a chance McDonagh could still return before the regular season ends, while Kreider is still in a cast, and remains out indefinitely. [Blueshirt Banter] [Rangers Rants] [Blueshirts Blog]

The Rangers will officially be going to the postseason. Now, the team's focus has turned to locking up home ice in the first round. [NY Post]

And with a first round opponent guaranteed to be the Flyers or Blue Jackets, the Rangers opening postseason series won't be short of story lines. [Rangers Rants]

There was a point this season when Henrik Lundqvist was 10-15-2, and going through the toughest stretch of his career. But the King has since righted the ship, and catapulted the Rangers back into the playoffs. [Daily News]

Marc Staal normally keeps his temper in check, but after retaliating to a Chris Neil hit on Sunday, Staal was clear about the catalyst: he thought the hit was late. [Rangers Rants]

Notes from the Rangers' win over the Hurricanes.

- I want to start by congratulating Mats Zuccarello on winning the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. It might seem like a stupid thing to those outside the fanbase, but we have a very special relationship with the police and firemen in New York, and I've always felt like the Extra Effort Award was a really special accomplishment. Especially because it usually goes to the down-and-dirty player who don't really score goals and who go the extra mile every shift. This year, it went to a player like that who also does everything offensively. Very deserving, and I think it says a lot about Zuccarello that he was able to beat out a player like Ryan McDonagh, too.

- When I think about Zuccarello, I think back to this summer and the offseason when people didn't want him. "He is too small. He isn't a smart enough hockey player. If the Rangers need him to produce they're not winning the Stanley Cup." The Rangers wouldn't be where they are today without him. Seriously, he's been the team's most consistent offensive force this year. His assist on the Benoit Pouliot goal -- freezing the entire defense, moving into a shooting lane and putting a picture-perfect pass on Pouliot's tape -- is a good example of his range. And if he shot the puck a little more this year, he'd have far more than 19 goals.

- The Pouliot - Derick Brassard - Zuccarello line was dominant again. I've seen some suggestions that Alain Vigneault should break up that trio to get some other guys going. I can't disagree more. That line has been a constant for most of the year, and now that Brassard has been back on his game, they can be lethal. No need to mess with that chemistry.

- Martin St. Louis looks a lot like he's becoming himself again. He didn't just have three assists in the Rangers' win, he had two jaw-dropping assists, including a behind the back strike to Brad Richards on the team's first power play goal. His assist on the Derek Stepan goal? Just as pretty with maybe even a higher level of difficulty. I always maintained that when St. Louis started going it would come in bunches. This was the first game we saw that come to life. Hopefully it continues.

- Speaking of Stepan, he had a goal and an assist. Now 21 points in his last 21 games. The Stepan Attack Machine has quieted down significantly, as it should have a long time ago. I'm still not allowed to defend him (Lent is almost over) but I will just leave his 17 goals, 39 assists and 56 points in 80 games here. That includes a slow start to the year. Appreciate what you have in him.

- I thought Rick Nash was good but kind of quiet for most of the game. That's the beauty of St. Louis, though. If he's on his game then quiet games from Nash aren't as noticeable or dangerous. Same goes for St. Louis being quiet if Nash is on his game.

- Richards scoring goals is only a positive for this team. As is the Rangers' power play converting with some form of consistency. The most important thing that happened to the Rangers -- and what helped them break out of their early season struggles -- was the scoring balancing out. The Rangers have 10 players with 14 goals or more. And three players with 20 goals or more. Remove St. Louis from that equation (since he was only here for the tail end of the season) and it's nine players with 14 goals or more and two 20-goal scorers. That's a lot of goal scoring from a lot of players. Hopefully that continues as well.

- Henrik Lundqvist was immense as well. Not much more you need to say there.

- Good news? McDonagh and Chris Kreider skated. Hopefully they're both back sooner rather than later.

- If I'm Glen Sather my biggest off-season signing is Mats Zuccarello. Then he needs to focus on bringing back as much of the fourth line as he can (if not all of it) and Pouliot. Brassard is a priority, too.

- I watched the post-game show last night, which isn't something I do all the time. I really watched it because Vigneault was on and I was curious to see what he had to say. To my surprise (and maybe this speaks to how long it's been since I watched a post-game show) there was joking and laughter in the interview room. It's been a long time since there's been that kind of atmosphere with the team. And that's not a knock on Torts, it really isn't. But the boys look like they're having fun while also pushing each other to win, and that makes a team so much more dangerous. A family goes further than a team, I've always believed that.

- The Blue Jackets and Flyers both won yesterday, so the games are a wash. If the Rangers win out (just two more games to go) they clinch home ice in the first round no matter what happens. Any combination of the Rangers earning two points or Columbus dropping two points locks the Rangers in a Metropolitan Division playoff spot. The Rangers just need to stay on pace with the Flyers (the Rangers hold the tiebreaker) to lock down home ice advantage. So both teams getting the same results helps the Rangers, regardless of what the result is.

- Thoughts?

That sound you heard last night was the gauge on Canes fans' patience tank hitting "empty" with a thud.

Ed. note: yes, the author is still alive. I know, I'm shocked too.

"I need the fans to be even more patient than they have been."

Remember the running gag on The Simpsons where Homer's "d'oh!" is listed in the script as "(annoyed grunt)"?  Those 13 words, delivered in an interview to John Forslund last night by Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, resulted in a multitude of (annoyed grunt)s from Caniac Nation.

There are three things that a person in an authority role can say and/or do when discussing an underachieving team. First, the person (be it a coach, GM, owner, whoever) can play the diplomat, not naming names and just going with "we need to be better" platitudes that sound good but are really just glittering generalities.  Second, he can name names, as Jim Rutherford did with Alexander Semin earlier in the season.

(That said, this column is not about the wisdom, or lack thereof, of JR having done so.  Put down your pitchforks and torches, please.)

Third, the person can act to make the situation better.

Note that the third option is not mutually exclusive of the other two.  In fact, the correct course of action may be a combination of the third option with one of the others.  But for too long, fans of this team have heard plenty of option one, very little of option two and a frustrating absence of number three.

Having patience is one thing. But when the owner of a professional sports franchise goes on the air, to a specialized audience that is interested in his product specifically (as opposed to granting an interview to a more mass-market audience, on sports talk radio or a local news sportscast, for example), and publicly begs for more patience, he'd better have an idea of what action he's going to take to justify that request.

Now, it would be unfair to Mr. Karmanos, or anyone else on the fourth floor of the PNC, to expect him go on the air and openly say what his future plans are.  He's a businessman; he knows better.  More to the point, ask Mike Gillis how that works out.

And if he doesn't want to name names, fine.  I happen to believe, and I know this is a minority opinion but I'll voice it anyway, that naming names in public does more harm than good.  It's a cathartic release for a fanbase to hear it, yes, but it does nothing to improve things in the locker room and sometimes can actually lead to more difficulties further down the road if other teams know that a player has fallen out of favor.

However, the time for patience has come and gone.  Jim Rutherford has had patience with the core of his team dating to their Eastern Conference Final run in 2009, and where has it gotten them? Five straight seasons out of the playoffs, that's where.

"Have patience. We have a good core." In retrospect, they're empty words that delayed the inevitable.

We know that changes are afoot this offseason with the likely retirement of Mr. Rutherford and the ascension of Ron Francis to the corner office.  Now's as good a time as ever to ask for more patience, given that transition.

And, let's be honest, it's simply impossible to completely make over a roster at the drop of the hat.  If every player who was traded and/or demoted by fans on Twitter during the course of a season actually moved each time they were mentioned, the team picture would need to be taken using the panoramic feature on an iPhone.

But that doesn't excuse the need to sometimes make a change for the sake of making a change.  This is a results business, yes, but it's also a PR business.  With every PR gaffe that shoots the team in the foot, it makes it that much more difficult to get fans excited - and without fans being excited, what difference do the results make?

During the interview, Mr. Karmanos mentioned that season-ticket renewals are down.  The time is nigh to give people a reason to renew or sign up for new season tickets.  Platitudes won't do the trick.

There's a difference between "have patience, we're working on it" and "have patience, just trust us." The first is totally fine and, given the absence of the second, would be understood and accepted.  The problem comes when the second is used for so long that the fans have become numb to it, and that's where we are now.  When the second phrase has no meaning, the first loses its own as well.

Until he follows through on them, the owner's words during last night's first intermission are just as empty and meaningless as all the other ones that have come before them.  Fans have heard them before; what makes this time different from all the others?

Patience, sure. But the Canes owe it to those patient fans to give them something other than another false dawn.  Mr. Karmanos' words last night, on their face, amount to nothing more than that.

Please, Mr. K - prove me wrong.  I'd love for this column to be outdated in four months' time.  We'll see if it is, or if this summer is going to be another never-ending series of (annoyed grunt)s.

It's official, the Carolina Hurricanes postseason hopes are gone. While we've all known it for a while now, but last night put to bed any notion this team could find it's way in. It was a season of frustration, starting with game 1's finding a way to lose and continuing with being outworked and outcoached.

The primary goal for most teams heading into a season is to play for the Stanley Cup and to get there, you first have to make the playoffs. This has been a huge problem for the Carolina Hurricanes since they moved to the Triangle and even more so these last 5 seasons. The week kicked off with a rather nice home win against the Dallas Stars. In that game, the Canes used a strong 2nd period and effective PP to get up big and coast to the victory. But that 2nd period was the high point of the week. On Saturday in Raleigh, Carolina seemed to be more interested in planning their summer vacations rather than playing hockey. It was sloppy and not surprisingly a former Canes contributed on the game winner. Then it was off to Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers. The game started out well enough and Carolina even took an early lead. But a late 1st period PP for New York tied the game and broke the fragile Canes. It symbolized the season, as the team was outworked and outcoached for the rest of the game. The Canes are officially eliminated from playoff contention and there is a lot of work to do by the front office, coaching staff and players. Here are the stats for the week of 4/2/14 through 4/8/14.

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

• John-Michael Liles - Of all the players you might think would step up their game, Liles isn't one that would be an anybodies top 5. But he was the guy that probably played the best this week. He led the team in points, tied for the team lead in goals, assists and +/- and was 2nd in blocked shots. He also was in the top 5 in all possession categories with a low of 55.2% All Situations Corsi For. With Andrej Sekera out, more was asked of Liles and he delivered. But the most impressive thing to me was that Liles was on the ice for 5 of Carolina's 6 goals this week and 0 goals against. While he hasn't really produced the points we were expecting and his game has been a little inconsistent, he seems like a good bottom pairing defenseman that could play extended minutes if necessary.
• Justin Faulk - It wasn't a return to early season form, but I thought Faulk showed quite a bit of improvement in his play over the past couple of months. He showed more of a tendency to jump into the play offensively, which I thought was missing from his game this season. He tied for the team lead in goals, tied for 2nd in points and tied for 2nd in shots. His +/- wasn't good at -3, but with Sekera out, he played in the most important situations for the Canes. Faulk also finished in the top 6 in all possession stats, averaging between 52.6% and 57.9%. All those numbers are an increase over his season averages and that's even better considering the how poor the Canes numbers were this week. Let's just hope his play continues to improve and Faulk turns into the true top pairing defenseman we hope he can be.
• Riley Nash - It was a tough call for this last spot, but I thought Nash deserved some credit for his recent play. Riley tied for the team lead in goals, tied 2nd in points & takeaways and was above 50% in the faceoff circle. He was also 1 of only 5 Canes to be at 50% or higher in every possession category this week. While he's somewhat been ridden the hot play of Skinner & Lindholm, Nash has/is proving to be an effective player himself. He can score the occasional goal, plays responsibly in both ends and contributes on the PK. He might not be the 3rd line center the Canes need, but I believe he has proved his worth and earned a spot on the roster of next year's squad.

Who's Not

• Alexander Semin - You could really argue a number of people for these spots, but I starting with a player who I was disappointed with this week. He only played in 2 games, but I was thoroughly unimpressed with Semin's play this week. While his possession numbers were decent, he had 0 points and was a team worst -5. The guy that leads this season at +21 in total goals for/against was not on the ice for any Canes goal this week. His play was similar to what he did at the start the season, where he held onto the puck too long before eventually turning it over. He also had a couple of penalties that were not called against and his defensive play was lackluster. Just not a very good week for Alex.
• The 4th Line - I'm mainly focusing on Manny Malhotra and Radek Dvorak here, but the 3rd member of this line should be included also. The Canes 4th line has gradually seen their time decrease as the season has moved along and for reason. While Manny is a great faceoff man, this line really doesn't do much more than win the faceoff. They contributed no points this week and were completely dominated when they were on the ice. As with most of the season, this line just gets abused by the opponent when out out on the ice. Just look at the possession numbers for Malhotra, Dvorak, Drayson Bowman and Zach Boychuk; it's absolutely god-awful. At this point, I don't think I would bring any of those guys back for next season.
• Peter Karmanos - First time a non-player made the list, but after last night's interview, he got to be the topic of conversation. We have complained some this season about Jim Rutherford being delusional, well he must be getting it from PK. He gave his coaching staff and core players a vote of confidence, even though most think there are plenty of problems there. He also believes this team would be fighting the Metropolitan Division crown if Anton Khudobin didn't go down with an injury. I think this guy knows a thing or two about hockey, but he obviously doesn't have any respect for the fans intelligence or he's too busy watching the Red Wings and doesn't know what's going on with the Canes. And to top everything off, he needs the fans to be "more patient" after 5 years of no playoffs. I could understand asking the fans to be patient, but telling us we need to be more patient is a slap in the face. Maybe it's best if PK does the smart thing and stays away from the camera?

Notable Weekly Team Stats

• Scoring still appears to be a problem for the Carolina Hurricanes. This week they averaged 2.00 goals per game, which ranked tied for 17th in the NHL. They gave up 2.67 goals against per game, which isn't horrible, tied for 14th in the league, but is obviously more than we got.
• The PP continues to look better than it has been, but dropped for the 3rd week in a row. Carolina converted 2 of 9 opportunities for 22.2%, which had them 9th for the week.
• The PK took a big step backwards in the Rangers game, allowing 2 PP goals. Their 71.4% PK ended up being tied with Chicago for 25th in the league. It was just one game, so let's see if it was an blip or if it is resorting back to being a poor PK.
• The Hurricanes Shots For & Against were pretty much middle of the pack for the week. They averaged 29.0 shots for per game (tied 13th) and gave up 31.0 shots against per game (19th). I don't know, but it seems as if we're getting credited for more shots than we actually take. I remember a couple of years ago, we seemed to take a lot of shots and it just doesn't seem that way now.
• Carolina finished the week in the top 10 in takeaways with 37 (4th) and in the bottom 10 in hits with 58 (24th) and giveaways with 39 (28th). They were middle of the road in blocks with 52 (12th) and turnover margin at -2 (tied 13th).
• The Corsi & Fenwick numbers are pretty poor this week and it was easy to see. The Canes 5 on 5 Corsi For was 46.1%, which would have them at 27th in the league if it were for a whole season. Their 5 on 5 Fenwick wasn't much better at 46.2%. On the season, the only 3 teams below those numbers are Buffalo, Edmonton and Toronto. Not exactly the company you wish to be keeping.
• Team Stat of the Week - Faceoff % - 58.6% - This and takeaways were about the only consistent thing the Canes did this season. The 58.6% was 3rd in the league this week and the Canes will likely finish in the top 5 for the season. Eric was in the #1 spot, winning 67.3% of his faceoffs, next was Riley at 56.8%, followed by Manny at 55.6% and last but not least was Jordan at 52.2%. Solid week in the circle, too bad it can't translate to the other aspects of the game.

Former Canes Weekly Stats

Assuming the Nashville Predators make a head coaching change at season's end, which candidate would best implement a new perspective and philosophy for the Blue and Gold? Peter Laviolette, Guy Boucher and Lane Lambert have different methods and levels of success in hockey, but can any of them turn the ship around for Nashville?

Two seasons have passed since the Predators made the playoffs. Two seasons of mediocre to worse play has put the franchise on the outside of eighth place. Two seasons before Nashville was poised to go further, maybe to a Western conference finals, but it was not meant to be. With all skippers, the honorable ones go down with the ship.

The names being batted around for the possible head coaching gig in Nashville include Peter Laviolette and Guy Boucher, the latter recently signing a contract to coach in the Swiss league for SC Bern. Another potential candidate is the new assistant coach for the Nashville Predators, Phil Housley, who is more than able to coach up young talent since leading the US junior squad. Lane Lambert should be in consideration for his turnaround of the Predators power play and his success in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals.

First, let's address the interim. Phil Housley is the offensive defenseman and Hall of Fame player that didn't allow his size to hinder his ability in the NHL. The young blue line for the Predators has been tested this year, especially after the Kevin Klein trade in which a 29-year-old veteran was replaced by a 23-year-old "project" in Michael Del Zotto. The defense definitely shows promise but over-eager mistakes and typical rookie miscues have caused an obscene amount of rubber going the wrong way. Despite his legacy of coaching, Housley is not the change in direction that the Predators need at this juncture.

Suitor #1: Lane Lambert

Lambert has the chops to lead the Predators into a new direction while maintaining his development of the players he coached to success in the AHL. Upon his hiring, GM David Poile endorsed Lambert saying:

"Lane has successfully coached and mentored more than half the players on our current roster, and many more who are coming through the pipeline..."

His record with the Admirals speaks for itself and as soon as he was called up to join the Predators organization, the immediate effect on the power play was palpable. At face value, the power play looks to the observer as a stagnant process with zero flow and an infuriating inability to produce shots on goal. As deceiving as the power play looks, the success was undeniable. Since joining the Predators, the power play has been ranked first, seventeenth and eleventh over the last three seasons. Ranking first was a great start for his tenure with the organization although it was followed up by a disappointing seventeenth in the lockout shortened season riddled with injuries. Ranking eleventh this season is pretty remarkable considering how the Predators did not acquire any sort of game-changing offensive talent in free agency or trade (until Jarnkrok). Many players that were slated to step up offensively have taken step back in their development yet the Predators are at the cusp of the upper third of the league on the power play.

Suitor #2: Guy Boucher

The elephant in the room is his newly signed contract in January that locks him into coaching SC Bern until 2014-15. Boucher was on fire and running through the ranks of the coaching world much like Chip Kelly did in football. His offensive and defensive acumen is incalculable and he brought this new style and outlook on hockey to each team he oversaw. In Drummondville he guided them to their best season to date and from there he ended up with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. In his first year at Hamilton, he won Coach of the Year honors and the next season was offered a head coaching job for two different teams: Columbus and Tampa Bay.

Boucher joined the Lightning and led them to an Eastern Conference finals appearance where they lost in Game Seven to the Boston Bruins 1-0. The next two seasons were not as "Cinderella" as his opening bid in Tampa Bay as the Lightning failed to make the playoffs both years. The less-than-stellar goaltending and on-ice personnel may have been the detriment of those two non-playoff seasons rather than the coaching of Boucher. The bright spot in these seasons was Boucher's ability to coach up offense and produce goals. In his playoff year, the Lightning ranked seventh in the NHL in goals per game with 2.94. The next season, Tampa Bay dropped one spot to eighth with 2.83 goals per game and remarkably the season he was fired the Lightning ranked third in the NHL with a staggering 3.06 average. SC Bern was wise enough to snatch up Boucher for their hockey team, but the question remains whether or not Boucher would be tempted to come back for a head coaching job in the NHL.

Suitor #3: Peter Laviolette

Laviolette is the story of a brilliant start followed by a mediocre finish. He began his coaching career with the New York Islanders and took them to the playoffs both years. He was then give the reigns to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2003 and led them to the top of the mountain winning the Stanley Cup in the 2005-06 season. Aside from this one successful season with Carolina, Laviolette failed to make the playoffs any other year with the Hurricanes and was fired after 25 games in the 2008-09 season (with a winning record). He was then hired by the Philadelphia Flyers in the middle of the 2009-10 season and had immediate success taking them to the Cup finals, losing to Chicago in six games. The next year saw the Flyers atop the Atlantic Division only to lose in the second round of the playoffs and in his third season lost in the second round to the New Jersey Devils. Laviolette failed to guide the Flyers to the playoffs the next season and three games into this year was fired by the organization.

Coaching offensive talent is the backbone of Laviolette throughout his career. In the last four seasons, the Flyers have been in the top ten in goals per game, two of which they were top three. Since he started coaching, Laviolette has an average position of 9.72 in the league for goals per game, in spite of one season when his Carolina coached squad finished dead last in the league.

For a little perspective to how the Predators have fared over the past five seasons, two of which the Predators made the playoffs and reached the second round, here are the goals per game results:

2009-10: 18th

2010-11: 21st

2011-12: 8th

2012-13: 29th

2013-14: 23rd

A little bit of offense can go a long way in the fast-paced, goalie-pad shrinking era of the NHL. The Predators have been without any dynamite offensive scheme for a while as the numbers above show. Granted, the Predators don't have some of the elite level talent that these other coaches have had, but even in years where Boucher and Laviolette didn't have that luxury, they were still able to keep their teams in the upper half of the league. The crop of young talent that the Predators have with another potential forward coming in the upcoming draft makes it imperative for a different perspective and game plan to showcase the offense and find ways to win games in which the Predators goalies and defense allow only one to two goals (eight games were lost 2-0, 2-1 or 1-0).

As Dirk pointed out and has been discussed to the tune of 500+ comments, it might be past time for a change to come to Nashville and these are three of many options that could lead to the next level and beyond for a franchise and a fan base that are grinding their teeth and wringing their collective hands for change.

Come on out and say so long to the Carolina Hurricanes as they make their last home appearance of the 2013-14 season.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals
April 10, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: Japers' Rink

Hurricanes Record: 34-34-11 | 79 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Capitals Record: 36-30-13 | 85 pts | 5th Metro | 9th EC

For the first time in a long time, the Hurricanes and Capitals wrap up their season series with nothing on the line except personal pride. The Canes were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday night after their 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers. Despite an impressive 4-1 win against the Blues in St. Louis Tuesday night, the Caps met their fate last night when both Columbus and Detroit secured the final two Eastern Conference wild card spots.

The teams have faced each other four times so far this season, with the Canes holding the 3-1 edge, and with all the wins in favor of the visiting team. Their last match-up was on January 2nd in DC, a 4-3 overtime win featuring a hat trick by Jeff Skinner, who has eight points this season against the Caps. Nicklas Backstrom scored two goals in Tuesday night's win against the Blues, and Alex Ovechkin tallied a goal and two assists to cement his fifth career 50-goal season (the eleventh NHL player in history to do so).

Ovechkin and Backstrom are both career point-per-game players versus the Canes. John Carlson has points in his last two games.

Mike Green, Patrick Wey, and Jack Hillen (all upper body) are not on the trip. Brooks Laich remains out recovering from a groin injury.

Jaroslav Halak has been the unwelcome recipient of some press over assertions he felt uncomfortable taking the start in net against his former team Tuesday. Braden Holtby started instead and had a fine showing. It's undetermined how this might affect tonight's starter, though with back-to-back situations (both the Caps and Canes play tomorrow), presumably the two netminders will split duties.

The Caps had a day off yesterday with their travel to Raleigh and will hold a morning skate today at 11:30 am, so stay tuned for updates at that time.

The Hurricanes won't hold a morning skate, although Kirk Muller may address the media just prior to the Caps taking the ice.

There were no significant changes at yesterday's practice other than some shuffling to account for absent players. Nathan Gerbe (maintenance day) and Ryan Murphy (upper body) did not practice but are possible for tonight. Jiri Tlusty is probable to return and if so will line up with Eric Staal and Alexander Semin. Andrei Loktionov skated in Gerbe's spot on Jordan Staal's line with Patrick Dwyer.

Anton Khudobin, undefeated against the Caps in three starts this season, will get the start in net. Cam Ward missed practice yesterday (upper body) but is possible for tonight to back up Khudobin.

After yesterday's game, the players and head coach Kirk Muller re-emphasized their intentions to stay the course despite being eliminated from the playoffs, continuing to compete and play the right way (recap and audio).

It's hat night in the arena (for the first 15,000 in the building) and there's a South Plaza party before the game and special discounts at The Eye. Details are available on the Canes Promotions page.

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

Two disappointing teams square off in Raleigh

Click to enlarge

Tonight's probable netminders:

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

Tweets from @JapersRink/tweet-tweeters

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

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

Washington puts in a complete effort in their first game mathematically eliminated from playoff contention - a 5 to 2 win in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes.

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

Both teams entered the game mathematically eliminated from the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs but that didn't stop the Capitals from arriving on time and ready to do battle. The good play started early from Joel Ward and was carried throughout a sleepy middle twenty minutes by Braden Holtby's stellar (.947 SP) play for the entire sixty minutes. Washington's third line deserved all three stars of the game for their nine point performance, but the two regulation points were really thanks to a competitive, gritty effort.

Eight more notes on the game:

• Ward got the scoring started early with his 24th on the season 62 seconds into the contest. A great forecheck from Jason Chimera got the sequence going, allowing Eric Fehr time and space to put a deft backhanded pass into the slot. Ward made no mistake, out-moving and out-waiting a sub-par Anton Khudobin for the early tally.

• The third line wasn't done in the first period, Chimera picking up his 15th on the season a little more than halfway through the contest. All three members of the trio combined on the second goal as well with Fehr again getting the primary and Ward notching the secondary.

• The two goal lead would be short lived for the Capitals, Jiri Tlusty depositing his own 15th of the year to cut the Capitals lead to 2 to 1. A shorthanded goal that could've quieted Washington's offense, and might've any other night of the year, ended up being a rare bright spot for Carolina.

• Troy Brouwer would extend the Capitals' lead back to two goals with, much like Ward, his own 24th goal of the year thanks to passes from Marcus Johansson and Karl Alzner. An Ovechkin like release put Washington comfortably back in the driver's seat with 36 seconds left in the middle period.

• Washington wouldn't stand idly by to begin the third either and, who else, it was the third line putting the puck into the net first. Fehr's tally with seventeen minutes left lifted the visitors up three and completed the third line's night - each player registering a goal and two assists - Hell of a game from those three.

• Brouwer wouldn't allow the third line to have all of the night's glory, however, as he put his second of the game behind Khudobin a little more than a minute after Fehr's and putting the contest out of reach. An stoppable shot that found daylight through the goaltender's pads was the final nail in Carolina's coffin.

• Hurricanes forward Radek Dvorak would cut into the Capitals' lead late but the home team had already packed their bags for the night. Parked in the same spot as Brouwer on his first of the night the right-handed Dvorak wasted no time elevating the puck over Holtby. Tough bounce there.

• Hotlby far out-deuled his opponent on the other side of the ice sheet, making timely saves and ending the night allowing only two goals on 38 shots against - none for Alexander Semin (added bonus). Khudobin was far less busy, with only 21 shots aimed his way, but the Russian goaltender couldn't come up big enough tonight against the Capitals.

Both teams are out of the playoff picture and tonight's game played out much like you'd expect a meaningless early April contest would. Unlike the Hurricanes however, Washington showed up to play from the first minute of the game all the way through the final save Holtby would make late in the third period. It was a nice performance to watch unfold on the road, only being too little too late for this year's team.

Washington is off until Friday night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.

Game highlights:

Carolina finishes up home record with ugly loss

The Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals were each just officially eliminated from the playoffs, but apparently it bothered the Canes more as they came out flat once again and lost to the Caps, 5-2 in front of 15,735 fans at the PNC Arena on Thursday night.

The Caps jumped on the Canes early as Joel Ward scored just 1:02 into the game and the visitors never looked back.

Washington's line of Jason Chimera, Eric Fehr, and Ward dominated as they each scored a goal and had two assists.

The Canes made the score 2-1 late in the second period on a shorthanded tally by Jiri Tlusty when he got a perfect feed from Jordan Staal, but the Carolina faithful had little to cheer about other than that.

Troy Brouwer notched one with just 36 seconds left in the second to dash any Carolina hopes.

Radek Dvorak scored with a minute and change left in the game to make the score look semi-respectable.

Early in the third period Washington made it, 5-1 and the rout was on.

After the game, Kirk Muller blamed the loss on the fact that the Canes were deflated because they were just mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but the Capitals were much closer than Carolina and it did not seem to bother them, as they were also eliminated at the same time the Canes were.

I will have more a bit later:

Game Notes:

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: Recaps of last night's win over the 'Canes, reflecting on a lost season, pointing fingers and more.

Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps of last night's relatively meaningless win from us, Vogs, Monumental video (Oates, Holtby, Ward, Fehr), NHL.com, AP, SportsXchange, WaPo, Frankovic, DSP, RMNB and Peerless, and from the Carolina contingent, the News Observer and Canes Country.
  • The third line of Jason Chimera, Eric Fehr and Joel Ward was on fire last night, with each member of the trio picking up a goal and two assists. [WaPo]
• Previews of tonight's penultimate game of the season against Chicago from Vogs and NHL.com and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partners over at Second City Hockey for the other side of tonight's matchup.
• News and notes from yesterday's pregame skate:
  • In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Rinkside Update/Carrick)]
  • Prior to the season, Ted Leonsis noted that he felt the team had no flaws - and now notes that perhaps he was wrong. [Ted's Take, WaPo, PHT]
  • Does that mean that George McPhee is on the hot seat? [Yahoo!, WNST (audio)]
  • Meanwhile, Adam Oates stands by what he said about Jaroslav Halak...failing to see that what he said is probably less of a big deal than the fact that he said it at all. [WaPo, CSNW]
  • For the first time since 2007, the Caps find themselves out of the playoff picture - and decidedly at a crossroads. [NBC4]
• RIP, Caps. [Puck Daddy]
• Scoring 30 goals in a season is actually not as easy - or as common - as you might think. But by all means, kick dirt at the guy who scored 50. [Sporting News]
• Time to play the blame game!
  • It's the coaches' fault. [CSNW]
  • It's Alex Ovechkin's fault. [Talk the Red, FTW]
  • It's all of the players' fault. [WaPo]
  • It's everyone's fault. [WaPo (Wise)]
• Let's step into the wayback machine, shall we? 
  • Leonsis has never been afraid to speak candidly about his teams, and he had plenty to say about his hopes for the Caps' future back in 2008. [WaPo]
  • Ah, 2008. Remember that glorious night when the Caps downed the Panthers at home to clinch their first playoff spot in years? Memories. [Caps Outsider]
  • ...and then remember the series of heartbreaking playoff elimination games later that spring and the springs that followed? Nightmares. [WaPo]
• Considering what types of stories usually land one on the list of Masterton Trophy nominees, it's not always a good thing to be included - but for the Caps' nominee, it's truly just about perseverance. [SI.com]
• Troy Brouwer had a bit of a dubious accomplishment in Tuesday's win over St. Louis. [RMNB]
• Unlike their parent club, the Hershey Bears are still in the race for a playoff spot - but the math is starting to get a little tricky. [Patriot-News]
• There will be free agent goalies a-plenty this summer...and yes, you should probably expect to see Jaroslav Halak among them. [PHT]
• Speaking of goalies, a final look at the goalie rankings around the NHL for fantasy hockey as the regular season comes to a close... [NHL.com]
• ...and a final look at all of the lids used by the League's netminders. Never should've painted that mask, Jaro. [SI.com]
• The Caps and the Wiz have historically been very good at not stealing each other's playoff thunder...usually because one of them is very bad in general. [WaPo]
• No playoffs? No problem! Time to brush up on yer golf game. [Peerless]
• Finally, happy 62nd birthday to Ron Jones, happy 43rd to Trevor Linden, and happy 35th to Ben Clymer.

This is a look at the zone exit and passing statistics for the New Jersey Devils' 78th game of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 5th. Read on for the details.

Passing Stats

Forwards: A poor night passing and shot-generation-wise. The forwards converted merely 29.2% of their shot attempts in shots. Woeful. As a group the forwards generated twenty-four shot attempts (SAG) and only seven shots (SG). Now, each forward apart from Mike Sislo generated at least one shot attempt. Jaromir Jagr and Travis Zajac led the way with four each, but only one shot each. Damien Brunner was quite active as he went 15/20 and generated two shots on two attempts.

Stephen Gionta had an efficient game as well, completing all eight of his passes and generating three shot attempts. Tuomo Ruutu (10/12, 3 SAG, 1 SG) and Michael Ryder (7/12, 2 SAG, 2 SG) had some of the better numbers for forwards.

Defensemen: Seven attempts generated and three shots generated—about average production from the blue line. Marek Zidlicky was busiest as he went 23/27 with one attempt generated. Andy Green and Mark Fayne each generated two attempts, but both of Greene’s attempts resulted in shots. Only Eric Gelinas generated another shot from the defense.

Passing Data Explained:

Pass: A reasonable and deliberate attempt to get the puck to a teammate which results in 1 of 3 outcomes: 1) Maintaining possession; 2) Allows for the recipient of the pass to make a “hockey move” (dump in, deflection, another pass etc.); 3) A shot attempt. When in doubt, common sense will prevail.

What you see above is a chart illustrating pass completions, pass attempts, and pass percentages for each player in all three zones. A pass that goes across a zone or two will be marked as occurring in the zone it originates from.

Each completed pass that results in a shot taken by a teammate counts as one “shot attempt generated” or “SAG” in the chart below. This is tracked to attempt to determine which teammates are better at generating opportunities to shoot. You’ll also see a “shot generated” or “SG” column to track the highest quality of shot attempts. The last column totals the percentage of shot attempts that result in shots on net.

Zone Exit Stats

Forwards:Ryan Carter, and Mike Sislo. Only Carter and Zajac were under 50 PE% as the group finished at 52.6 PE%. Carter and Zajac accounted for twelve exit attempts but only three possession exits. Ruutu led the group with seven attempts and four possession exits.

Defensemen: Zidlicky was not good, committing three turnovers and finishing 2/7 on his possession exits. Anton Volchenkov was…well, Anton Volchenkov with zero possession exits on seven attempts and two turnovers. Peter Harrold“led” the group with a 42.9 PE% as this group once again was the Achilles heel of the team. Jon Merrill more than double the next highest defenseman as he attempted fourteen exits, five of which kept possession.

Zone Exits Explained: Any attempt made by a player to advance the puck from their defensive zone. These actions fall into the below categories (as illustrated on the below chart).

Possession Exits:

P) Pass: When a player passes the puck out of the zone and it successfully finds a teammate.

(C) Carry: When a player skates with the puck out of the zone, maintaining possession.

Successful Zone Exits without Possession:

(FP) Failed Pass: When a player passes the puck out of the zone, but it fails to find its target.

(FC) Failed Carry: When a player skates with the puck out of the zone, but loses possession shortly thereafter.

(CH) Chip: When the player lifts the puck out of the zone or throws it off the boards and out.

(X) Other: Any action that results in a successful zone exit not already covered.

Unsuccessful Zone Exit:

(PT) Pass Turnover: When a player fails to clear the zone with a pass and it results in a turnover to the opposition.

(CT) Carry Turnover: When a player fails to skate out of the zone with the puck and loses possession.

(I) Icing: An attempt to clear results in icing the puck.

(T) Turnover: Any action that results in a turnover not already covered.

What reaction do you have to these stats? How do they compare with your viewing of the game?

It's official, the Carolina Hurricanes postseason hopes are gone. While we've all known it for a while now, but last night put to bed any notion this team could find it's way in. It was a season of frustration, starting with game 1's finding a way to lose and continuing with being outworked and outcoached.

The primary goal for most teams heading into a season is to play for the Stanley Cup and to get there, you first have to make the playoffs. This has been a huge problem for the Carolina Hurricanes since they moved to the Triangle and even more so these last 5 seasons. The week kicked off with a rather nice home win against the Dallas Stars. In that game, the Canes used a strong 2nd period and effective PP to get up big and coast to the victory. But that 2nd period was the high point of the week. On Saturday in Raleigh, Carolina seemed to be more interested in planning their summer vacations rather than playing hockey. It was sloppy and not surprisingly a former Canes contributed on the game winner. Then it was off to Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers. The game started out well enough and Carolina even took an early lead. But a late 1st period PP for New York tied the game and broke the fragile Canes. It symbolized the season, as the team was outworked and outcoached for the rest of the game. The Canes are officially eliminated from playoff contention and there is a lot of work to do by the front office, coaching staff and players. Here are the stats for the week of 4/2/14 through 4/8/14.

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

• John-Michael Liles - Of all the players you might think would step up their game, Liles isn't one that would be an anybodies top 5. But he was the guy that probably played the best this week. He led the team in points, tied for the team lead in goals, assists and +/- and was 2nd in blocked shots. He also was in the top 5 in all possession categories with a low of 55.2% All Situations Corsi For. With Andrej Sekera out, more was asked of Liles and he delivered. But the most impressive thing to me was that Liles was on the ice for 5 of Carolina's 6 goals this week and 0 goals against. While he hasn't really produced the points we were expecting and his game has been a little inconsistent, he seems like a good bottom pairing defenseman that could play extended minutes if necessary.
• Justin Faulk - It wasn't a return to early season form, but I thought Faulk showed quite a bit of improvement in his play over the past couple of months. He showed more of a tendency to jump into the play offensively, which I thought was missing from his game this season. He tied for the team lead in goals, tied for 2nd in points and tied for 2nd in shots. His +/- wasn't good at -3, but with Sekera out, he played in the most important situations for the Canes. Faulk also finished in the top 6 in all possession stats, averaging between 52.6% and 57.9%. All those numbers are an increase over his season averages and that's even better considering the how poor the Canes numbers were this week. Let's just hope his play continues to improve and Faulk turns into the true top pairing defenseman we hope he can be.
• Riley Nash - It was a tough call for this last spot, but I thought Nash deserved some credit for his recent play. Riley tied for the team lead in goals, tied 2nd in points & takeaways and was above 50% in the faceoff circle. He was also 1 of only 5 Canes to be at 50% or higher in every possession category this week. While he's somewhat been ridden the hot play of Skinner & Lindholm, Nash has/is proving to be an effective player himself. He can score the occasional goal, plays responsibly in both ends and contributes on the PK. He might not be the 3rd line center the Canes need, but I believe he has proved his worth and earned a spot on the roster of next year's squad.

Who's Not

• Alexander Semin - You could really argue a number of people for these spots, but I starting with a player who I was disappointed with this week. He only played in 2 games, but I was thoroughly unimpressed with Semin's play this week. While his possession numbers were decent, he had 0 points and was a team worst -5. The guy that leads this season at +21 in total goals for/against was not on the ice for any Canes goal this week. His play was similar to what he did at the start the season, where he held onto the puck too long before eventually turning it over. He also had a couple of penalties that were not called against and his defensive play was lackluster. Just not a very good week for Alex.
• The 4th Line - I'm mainly focusing on Manny Malhotra and Radek Dvorak here, but the 3rd member of this line should be included also. The Canes 4th line has gradually seen their time decrease as the season has moved along and for reason. While Manny is a great faceoff man, this line really doesn't do much more than win the faceoff. They contributed no points this week and were completely dominated when they were on the ice. As with most of the season, this line just gets abused by the opponent when out out on the ice. Just look at the possession numbers for Malhotra, Dvorak, Drayson Bowman and Zach Boychuk; it's absolutely god-awful. At this point, I don't think I would bring any of those guys back for next season.
• Peter Karmanos - First time a non-player made the list, but after last night's interview, he got to be the topic of conversation. We have complained some this season about Jim Rutherford being delusional, well he must be getting it from PK. He gave his coaching staff and core players a vote of confidence, even though most think there are plenty of problems there. He also believes this team would be fighting the Metropolitan Division crown if Anton Khudobin didn't go down with an injury. I think this guy knows a thing or two about hockey, but he obviously doesn't have any respect for the fans intelligence or he's too busy watching the Red Wings and doesn't know what's going on with the Canes. And to top everything off, he needs the fans to be "more patient" after 5 years of no playoffs. I could understand asking the fans to be patient, but telling us we need to be more patient is a slap in the face. Maybe it's best if PK does the smart thing and stays away from the camera?

Notable Weekly Team Stats

• Scoring still appears to be a problem for the Carolina Hurricanes. This week they averaged 2.00 goals per game, which ranked tied for 17th in the NHL. They gave up 2.67 goals against per game, which isn't horrible, tied for 14th in the league, but is obviously more than we got.
• The PP continues to look better than it has been, but dropped for the 3rd week in a row. Carolina converted 2 of 9 opportunities for 22.2%, which had them 9th for the week.
• The PK took a big step backwards in the Rangers game, allowing 2 PP goals. Their 71.4% PK ended up being tied with Chicago for 25th in the league. It was just one game, so let's see if it was an blip or if it is resorting back to being a poor PK.
• The Hurricanes Shots For & Against were pretty much middle of the pack for the week. They averaged 29.0 shots for per game (tied 13th) and gave up 31.0 shots against per game (19th). I don't know, but it seems as if we're getting credited for more shots than we actually take. I remember a couple of years ago, we seemed to take a lot of shots and it just doesn't seem that way now.
• Carolina finished the week in the top 10 in takeaways with 37 (4th) and in the bottom 10 in hits with 58 (24th) and giveaways with 39 (28th). They were middle of the road in blocks with 52 (12th) and turnover margin at -2 (tied 13th).
• The Corsi & Fenwick numbers are pretty poor this week and it was easy to see. The Canes 5 on 5 Corsi For was 46.1%, which would have them at 27th in the league if it were for a whole season. Their 5 on 5 Fenwick wasn't much better at 46.2%. On the season, the only 3 teams below those numbers are Buffalo, Edmonton and Toronto. Not exactly the company you wish to be keeping.
• Team Stat of the Week - Faceoff % - 58.6% - This and takeaways were about the only consistent thing the Canes did this season. The 58.6% was 3rd in the league this week and the Canes will likely finish in the top 5 for the season. Eric was in the #1 spot, winning 67.3% of his faceoffs, next was Riley at 56.8%, followed by Manny at 55.6% and last but not least was Jordan at 52.2%. Solid week in the circle, too bad it can't translate to the other aspects of the game.

Former Canes Weekly Stats