It's looking more and more like Nathan Horton will never wear a CBJ sweater again. How will the Jackets replace him?

There's been some speculation about what the Jackets will do if/when a final determination on Nathan Horton's future is made. There's a good chance that he'll never play again, which is truly heartbreaking. The club must move on though, and are apparently willing to make a move to fill the void:

Told #CBJ would consider pursuit of a big-ticket, top-6 winger if it sees no end in sight to Nathan Horton's back woes.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 7, 2014

Between insurance and long-term injury reserve, the Jackets will be clear of Horton's contract, which carries a cap hit of $5.3 million. Currently the highest paid player on the team, and with plenty of cap room already in place, it's safe to assume that the Jackets have the budget to add with a similar or slightly greater cap hit.

It's hard to imagine a fully healthy roster right now with so many key players on the injured reserve, but for the sake of argument if the Jackets can get relatively healthy and want to trade for a Horton replacement during the season; here are five names that warrant discussion:

Evander Kane
Cap Hit: $5.25 million
Signed Through:  End of 2017 / 2018 Season
Why the Jets would make this deal: Kane has been the target of criticism among Jets media and parts of their fanbase, but the fact remains he is their most lethal weapon and has scored 30 goals in the past. His goals per game have trended downward since that 30 goal year though, and perhaps a fresh start for both Kane and the Jets is in order. Kane would give the Jackets a legitimate sniper to play with Johansen, and where he's only 23 he hasn't yet hit his prime. He won't come cheaply for the Jackets, but this would be one hell of a way for the Jets to make their first trade involving a player.

Jeff Skinner
Cap Hit: $5.725 million
Signed Through:  End of 2018 / 2019 Season
Why the Hurricanes would make this deal: The ‘Canes are a mess right now, thanks in part to injuries to key personnel. Even when healthy they weren't expected to contend this year, and that's troubling when they are paying huge salaries to the Staals, Alexander Semin and Skinner. With Jordan Staal out long term with a broken leg and Eric Staal's name already out there in trade rumors, Skinner too may be available for the right price. With a new management team in Carolina they may look at entering a rebuild, and getting a bounty of futures by trading guys like Eric Staal and Skinner would kick it off in grand fashion. Skinner would be a fine addition to the Jackets, but he wouldn't bring the same kind of physical play that Horton would have. With Cam Atkinson on the verge of becoming a consistent 30 goal threat, this may not be the best move for the Jackets to make.

Chris Stewart
Cap Hit: $4.15 million
Signed Through:  End of 2014 / 2015 Season
Why the Sabres would make this deal: Buffalo is tanking unlike any team we've seen before. They are struggling mightily, and unloading an expiring contract in Stewart would give them another future asset as they slowly rebuild into something resembling an NHL team. The price for the Jackets would be reasonable, and if he isn't a good fit in Columbus the two can part ways after this season. His style of play would fit in with the CBJ, but he remains only a 20G/40PT threat. He wouldn't be a straight replacement for what a healthy Horton could have offered, but he's a good plan B.

Jordan Eberle
Cap Hit: $6.0 million
Signed Through: End of 2018 / 2019 Season
Why the Oilers would make this deal: The Oilers have put up a string of wins recently, but they are still a club that needs to be rounded out. Eberle is just one of many good, young forwards with skill to burn on the Oilers, and would be the kind of 30-35 goal man the Jackets could use. Perhaps a deal involving a defenseman like Jack Johnson would be enough to entice the Oilers to make this trade. He's not going to beat you physically, but playing with Johansen and say, Scott Hartnell on a line would leave him room to operate. Of all the players I'm discussing today, Eberle would have the highest price tag, both in trade and in terms of cap hit. It would be a serious commitment by the Jackets.

Patrick Sharp
Cap Hit: $5.9 million
Signed Through: End of 2016 / 2017 Season
Why the Blackhawks would make this deal: The Blackhawks are up against the salary cap, but they are not necessarily in any hurry to break up their championship core. Sharp is the perfect complimentary scorer in Chicago, but with the Jackets he'd be a top line winger. He's 32 so he's right in the midst of his prime years, but he's only signed for another two years after this season. I can't think of a more perfect replacement for Horton, but like some of the other names discussed here he won't come cheap.

I didn't put much emphasis on what the Jackets would give up in trading for these five players, but the fact remains all would makes sense as replacements for Horton on a scoring line. If the Jackets can get through this absolutely ridiculous rash of injuries and can remain in the hunt, a big deal is possible. If they fall behind though, they may be forced to wait until the offseason to bring in a top-six forward.

If free agency next summer is the route the team will take, the pickings are slim in terms of top-line wingers. A quick look at the pending UFAs is underwhelming, to say the least. Jason Spezza will be a UFA, but he's a center. Martin St. Louis will be available, but he's almost 40 and doesn't fit the plan. Some remaining options (all not ideal): Drew Stafford, Justin Williams, Jiri Tlusty, Matt Beleskey and Carl Soberberg.

Making a big trade seems like the best option to replace Horton if the team is looking for outside help. They are loaded with excellent young prospects, but they will almost certainly have to deal their first round pick in the 2015 draft to get a deal done. In what is considered to be a very deep and talented draft that will be a tough pill for the Jackets to swallow, but you have to give to get.

Use the comments to offer up some other potential Horton replacement options.

Many issues have contributed to the current state of the Carolina Hurricanes including goaltending, injuries, and low morale. How can they bounce back from a 0-6-2 start to the season?

Six regulation and two extended time losses later, the Carolina Hurricanes have still yet to record their first win of the season.Bill Peters was put in a tough spot from the get-go as Jeff Skinner started the season on injured reserve with a concussion and Jordan Staal projected to be out of the lineup for 3-4 months with a broken fibula suffered in the preseason.Since the start of the season, the injury bug hit the Hurricanes like a sack of bricks with Andrej Sekera, Eric Staal, John Michael-Liles, Nathan Gerbe, and Patrick Dwyer all missing a game or more.

However, the injury bug may not have been the ‘Canes entire problem.In fact, their effort appeared amplified with key players missing.They might want to look at the crease for a major portion of their drawback.

How is it possible to rotate goalies on a per-game basis and expect the best?Even in back-to-back starts it’s no simple task to build momentum.It’s not ideal to have $4 million plus sitting on the bench either, but considering the Hurricanes look like a completely different team without Cam Ward in net, it’s probably for the best.There’s a sense of Anton Khudobin’s cool confidence in the way the Hurricanes play while the Kazakhstani mends the pipes.

It seems far-fetched for a goalie to build confidence by alternating starts, even while it was evidently clear from last season’s outing that Khudobin proved himself worthy of starting goaltender.He doesn’t struggle with soft shots like Ward does.Why does Peters continue give Ward the benefit of the doubt?

After eight losses, Khudobin still comes out with the higher save percentage of .891 and goals against average at 3.24. Ward sits with a save percent of .840 and GAA of 3.95.Although the numbers aren’t significant, the Hurricanes have averaged 23.75 shots on net with Ward in goal and 26.5 with Khudobin.

Four goals in recent contests were converted within the first five minutes of the game, with both goalies having two a piece.Not all of that is weighted on the goalies, however.Defensively speaking, there are often fundamental errors in front of the crease.

The second goal Vancouver scored Tuesday night was on the power play, and although the Hurricanes were a man down, there was a clear defensive collapse or a lack of communication.

Here you see Daniel Sedin(1) completely wide open in front of the net.  Now even though this is a power play, shouldn’t at least someone be on top of the man in front of the net?

Tlusty completely lets Linden Vey get out of his reach while he cuts to the front of the net and as a result catches Sedin’s missed pass and places one past Ward.

On another note, Alexander Semin was benched for the majority of the third period Tuesday night in Vancouver."[T]here are individuals that, even in the circumstances, can and need to play better," General manager Ron Francis stated.Whether or not it was directed at Semin, his effort and production hasn’t been up to par to say the least.

Jiri Tlusty has shown his talent ability leading the team with seven points and recording a hat trick against the Islanders.Chris Terry is the only player on the team with a plus rating with +1.

With a hopeful mindset going in to their game against Arizona on Saturday, who are the last place team in the West, they need this win.If they don’t, that’s nine losses to start the season.What’s the breaking point for Ron Francis to make drastic changes to personnel on the ice?It’s time to get angry.

"We’re in a hole, and we’ve got to stop digging and figure a way to make ourselves better to get out of it."

In which the last place team in the Eastern Conference hosts the last place team in the Western Conference. Dwyer is in, Gerbe is in, Sasha is out.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Arizona Coyotes
November 1, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Five for Howling

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• The Hurricanes begin November with a return home to PNC Arena after a five-game road trip and an O-fer October. Already in their third set of back-to-back games in this young season, they'll face the Arizona Coyotes tonight and the L.A. Kings tomorrow night.
• The Coyotes are in last place in the Western Conference. The Canes are in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Canes, however, still hold the advantage in the McEichel rankings.
• The two teams split last season's series, each winning on the road. The game here at PNC (10/13/13) will be remembered as the one where Anton Khudobin slipped while playing a loose puck and missed almost three months with an ankle injury.
• Forwards Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Dwyer will return to the line-up tonight. A healthy roster afforded head coach Bill Peters a few options with the roster, and he exercised one of them yesterday when he moved Alexander Semin off the forward line rushes and indicated that Sasha would sit in the press box tonight (here's a little-known fact: Alex Semin makes $7 million per year, just in case you haven't heard that from any other sources). You can hear more from Bill Peters about his decision here (audio).
• Congratulations to Tim Gleason who will be playing in his 500th game for the Hurricanes tonight.
• The Coyotes are in the middle of a four-game east coast road trip, where so far they are O-for-Florida after losing 7-3 to the Lightning on Tuesday and 2-1 to the Panthers on Thursday. They are also playing in a back-to-back scenario and will wrap up their road trip against the Capitals tomorrow night.
• Mikkel Boedker leads the Coyotes in goal scoring with 5 goals (six points), and Keith Yandle leads in total points with nine points (1g, 8a).
• Line-ups are projected based on yesterday's practices at PNC. Final roster including starting netminders will be updated after today's morning skates.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from yesterday's practice)

Injuries: Jordan Staal (IR broken fibula)

Coyotes (from yesterday's practice)

Injuries: David Moss (upper body)

The Canes will be sporting their black alternate jerseys tonight. Come early for the South Plaza party. "Good seats are still available."  See you at the rink.

UMass Lowell 2, New Hampshire 0
Whittemore Center
Durham, NH
Friday, October 31, 2014

Game Recap: Opportunistic Lowell Shuts Out UNH

Evan Campbell, LC, 6-1/195, 3/1/93 (Edmonton '13) - This was my first viewing of the River Hawks this season and it comes as no surprise that the Port Moody, British Columbia native has significantly picked up his production this season compared to his rookie campaign. He was held scoreless on the night, but he made several strong, powerful moves to the net. He uses his speed and size to leverage defenders from the puck. He was phenomenal at the faceoff dot, going 17-6. Overall, it seems as if Campbell has really elevated his game to start his sophomore year.

Brett Pesce, RD, 6-3/175, 11/15/94 (Carolina '13) - He's never the flashiest of defenders. When he's playing his best he doesn't really stand out. He's usually just very methodical and doesn't make any huge hits. Despite being a -1 on the evening he did some good things. He skates very well backwards and does a good job going one-on-one with opposing forwards. His skating ability overall is smooth and he has nice vision and poise pushing the puck up ice. Negatives were his proneness to losing his guy and floating in the defensive zone.

Warren Foegele, LW, 6-1/185, 4/1/96 (Carolina '14) - It's easy to tell why his stock soared as his prep school career concluded at St. Andrew's College. The speed and stick skills are easily noticeable, but a serious lack of strength deters his ability to finish and drive to the net, at least on Friday night. He was pushed off the puck a few times and was generally kept to the perimeter by UML's defense.

Shane Eiserman, LW, 6-1/205, 10/10/5 (Ottawa '14) - It was tough to get a thorough read on Eiserman. This wasn't my first viewing of him, but it was the first time seeing him a Wildcat jersey. He's big and very strong on pucks. At times he can be a game changer with his ability to set the tempo with his physicality. Unfortunately for him he didn't get much ice time on Friday night, sitting on the fourth line. He did make a good move, willing his way into the slot from the right side before getting off a shot, but a few seconds later the puck was going the other way and it found its way into the back of the cage for a Lowell score.

Grayson Downing, LC, 6-0/185, 4/18/92 - A undrafted free agent, Downing is a nice college player, but his game likely doesn't translate to the next level. He's a smart hockey player with decent speed and an ability to elude opposing defensemen. However, he lacks a true finishing touch. He had the puck on his stick three times practically alone on Lowell goaltender Kevin Boyle, but failed to convert including on a second period penalty shot. If I'm picking a college team, Downing is absolutely high on my board, but he's got AHL or ECHL written all over him.

--

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

Peters to healthy scratch Semin saying it's "best for the individual and for the team."

Alexander Semin is off to a slow start this season and Bill Peters has seen enough.  According to reports from the team, the new head coach is healthy scratching the Russian for tonight's game against the Arizona Coyotes.

The Carolina Hurricanes, have started out terribly this season while accumulating an 0-6-2 record, the worst in the NHL.  The winless start is also the worst in franchise history.

Not only are the Hurricanes winless, they have barely held a lead the entire season.

The Canes have faced a plethora of injuries so far, although even before the injuries, they were picked by most pundits around the NHL to finish near the bottom of the league standings.

With zero goals scored, two assists, and a (-7) rating, Semin is certainly not helping the cause.  But Peters is not happy with the Russian's overall game and claims that Semin is "not moving his feet" or playing the game "as it should be played".

Semin is certainly an easy target to pick out and has been a lightning rod for criticism in the media all season.  Some claim that he could take over a game, if he really wanted to and the effort is not there.

It's tough to question a professional athlete's effort, but Semin has gotten plenty of that type of criticism over his career.

In my opinion though, he is not the type of player who can take over a game by himself.

He has a ton of skill, no argument there, but needs others to perform in order for his game to excel.  For instance, he can set up teammates, but needs them to finish the play, or he can finish, when he gets the puck with an opening.

But take over a game by himself?  He's not Alex Ovechkin.

Peters has been touting accountability since he took over and this is how he makes players accountable.  Although it seems contradictory that he is benching Semin, but seems to be starting Cam Ward over Anton Khudobin for this game.  (Ward was the first off the ice for the morning skate.)

While neither goalie has stood out recently, Ward has allowed 16 goals on 100 shots for an .840 save percentage while Khudobin has allowed fewer goals, (13) on more shots, (119) for a .891 percentage.  Ward started the last loss against Vancouver and allowed a goal on the very first shot of the game, so it would seem to be Khudobin's turn in rotation.

Is this a consistent message?  Either way, it is risky to scratch Semin, as he has never been easy to communicate with.  He's the only player that I am aware of who is never available for a post game or post practice interview.

It's assumed the Russian is allowed this because of the language barrier, but then how do the coaches and his teammates communicate with him?

Right now, Peters is sending a message which is understood in any language.  We'll see if it makes a difference.

The Arizona Coyotes look to rebound from their 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers with a trip to Raleigh to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Coyotes have not had a very good start to this season.  They looked good in their game against the Los Angeles, and they have looked downright bad in almose every other game, like against the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning.  If they are going to be successful they need to develop some consistency and the best place to start is against another team that has had an awful start, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Matchup at a Glance

*Courtesy of War on Ice

View from Arizona

The Coyotes weren't terrible in their last game against the Florida Panthers, but some problems are still very evident. The biggest problem for the team right now is that they are having major problems scoring 5 on 5 and with the current lineup it isn't likely that that will change anytime soon.

In addition to lack of scoring inconsistency remains a huge problem for the Yotes.  The defense has been okay some games but terrible others.  Goaltending has been good one game but terrible the next game.

Based off the past few games if the Coyotes allow the other team to score two goals they are in a lot of trouble.  So far the Coyotes have only won one game when they allowed more than 2 goals, and that was against the Edmonton Oilers back when they were terrible.

The clear example is the two games against the Florida Panthers, one they won 2-1, one they lost 1-2.  If the Coyotes are going to continue to struggle on offense they are going to need to be near perfect on defense to have any chance in games.

View from Carolina

If you thought the Coyotes were having a bad start to the season, well you would be right. But surprisingly Carolina is having a worse start.  With fewer points than the lowly Buffalo Sabres, the Hurricanes have yet to win a game this season, the only team with that distinction.  Although with the draft being what it is this year, being the worst team may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Hurricanes.

Perhaps one of the biggest contributing factors to the Hurricanes' slow start was the fact that they have largely been without their Captain Eric Staal for most of their games.  Staal returned for the Canes' 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks and had a primary assist on the Hurricanes' lone goal.

While it remains to be seen what actually happens there are reports that Alexander Seminwill be a healthy scratch for tonight's game.  Semin is one of the Hurricanes' highest paid players but he has yet to score a goal yet.

Keys to the Game

The power play. As previously said the Coyotes are not good at generating offense even strength, making the power play even more important.

Goaltending. If you ignore the Tampa Bay Lightning game Mike Smith has been much better as of late.  He has allowed 2 or less goals in 3 of his past 5 games and even in losses to the Panthers and Wild he didn't look that bad.  But until the Yotes start scoring he is going to need to play great every game.

Defense. Going along with the need for great goaltending the Coyotes need to have solid defense until they start scoring consistently.  Unfortunately that has been a problem, but maybe the solution is a team that has struggled to generate offense.

Who's Hot

Martin Hanzal has been fairly productive for the Coyotes since his return from a lower body injury.  He had the Coyotes lone goal in the game against the Florida Panthers by redirecting Oliver Ekman-Larsson's shot, and he had an assist against the Lightning.

Jiri Tlusty is currently leading the Hurricanes in goals and points this year.  He had a hat trick early on against the New York Islanders and he had points in the Hurricane's last two games will a goal against the Canucks and an assist against the Edmonton Oilers.

Injury Report

The Coyotes are still missing David Moss who did not make the road trip.

Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Dwyer had both previously missed games with day to day injuries but are expected to return for tonight's game.  Jordan Staal is expected to be for 3-4 months with a broken fibula from September.

Puck Drop

On this last day of Daylight Savings TIme for hte year, two old divisional foes square off at Amalie Arena.

Where:  Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
When: 7:30 EDT | Tickets: Check availability
Media:  Sun Sports (cable) | 970 AM WFLA (radio) | Twitter Live Stream
Opponent Coverage:Japers Rink

While you were prepping for a night of fun or mischief late yesterday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced a little roster move that could translate to a big difference in the lineup: Cedric Paquette was optioned back to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The move is to make roster space for the return to the lineup of one Mister Ryan Callahan. Paquette played four games and was even in plus/minus but was also pointless in those matchups.  Callahan's 5 points on the season (3 goals, 2 assists) puts him in a tie for 8^th on the team in total points with Brian Boyle and Jason Garrison.

The Lightning lines shift around with Cllahan back; he'll be playing on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula. Jonathan Drouin, for those wondering, is playing on the fourth line. Don't read that as playing-a-grinding-role, but he isn't playing the same role in the lineup as he would be on the higher lines. The Tampa Bay Times had a feature on this recently.

All that being said, I do believe the opponent deserves just a bit of acknowledgement here. While it was played up about the Philadelphia Flyers being the rival of the Lightning, the Washington Capitals were not exactly buddies with the Bolts either. All too often, the Lightning and the old Southeast Division were dominated by the Washington Capitals (at least in the recent years before the SE's extinction with realignment) and the Bolts were lost trying to play catch-up to Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and the rest of the Capitals.

It's early going but the Capitals are mired in the Metro Division at the moment, losing their past two. They're a damn sight better than the hapless and winless Carolina Hurricanes. Heck, a 4-3-2 record isn't something to shake a stick at (or 27 goals-for scored by the club in their first 9 games) but being in 5thplace in the division (and only ahead of the Flyers due to a game in-hand) leaves something to be desired.

Alex Ovechkin is playing a well rounded game so far for Washington, with 5 goals and 1 assist to his name and a minus-1 rating (as compared to last season's minus-35). It's defenseman Mike Green who currently leads the Caps in scoring with 3 goals and 5 assists (Ovi does lead the Capitals in goals, though).

It'll be Braden Holtby in net for Washington tonight. he's 3-2-1 with a  2.25 GAA and a .907 save percentage. It should be remembered that Braden is a much older foe for some of the Lightning than his NHL career shows; many of the Tampacuse alumni (during their time in both Norfolk and Syracuse) played against Holtby as he served as starting goalie for the Hershey Bears (Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, Radko Gudas, and Mark Barberio - who will be in the lineup tonight for the Bolts).

Ben Bishop will once again get the start for the Lightning. While the club is 6-1-1 with him as the starter, Bishops numbers are dwindling compared to last season; a .911 save percentage and a goals against average at 2.39. The GAA can be looked at as solid by way of a good defensive effort in front of Bish, but the shrinking save percentage is on him; he's not stopping shots at the same rate as last season. It wasn't to be expected for him to repeat what he did for the Lightning last season (where he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy) but the performance fall is clear at this point.

Other Game Coverage:

• Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview
• Full coverage on SB Nation
• Live stream of Tampa Bay Lightning coverage on Twitter

Carolina gets first win of season and Cam Ward earns a shutout

The Carolina Hurricanes finally broke through and earned their first win of the season with a well-played 3-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.

The battle between the two last place teams from each conference was watched before a small crowd of 10,870 at the PNC Arena.

Cam Ward not only earned the shutout for Carolina, but he also was given a fireman's helmet by his coach, as the coach's player of the game.  Bill Peters said that he had been waiting for awhile to give out the award and felt that the team won the game primarily because of Ward.

"Ward gave us that chance to play with the lead.  That penalty kill he made there was huge," said the coach.

Elias Lindholm scored two goals in the first period, both on rebounds, to lead the home team in scoring.  They were the first two goals of the season for Lindholm.

Jiri Tlusty made the score 3-0 in the second period when he was also able to knock home a rebound on Arizona goalie, Mike Smith.

It was Tlusty's sixth goal of the season, which leads the team.

The Hurricanes showed good balance in this contest and dominated much of the play at both ends, while outshooting their foes in the first two periods, 12-6 and 13-8.  Before this game, the team had only led at any given time for 12 minutes and change for the entire season, (eight games or 480 plus minutes).

The team will not take a morning skate on Sunday before their early 5 p.m. start against the Los Angeles Kings.  Peters said that he would have to speak with his other coaches and the trainer before making a decision on the lineup and starting goalie for that game.

Alexander Semin was scratched this game and might be scratched for the next one as well.  Peters will make that decision tomorrow.

Game Notes:

• Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera were back to being one and two for ice time with 22:28 and 22:26 respectively.  Zach Boychuk was low man with 7:12.
• The Canes outshot the Coyotes 35-25.  Gerbe, Staal, and Faulk had five shots each. 
  
• Tim Gleason had a team high five hits.  Riley Nash was next with four.

Arizona lost. To the winless Carolina Hurricanes. Is this what rock bottom looks like?

The Coyotes had a chance with this road trip to rebuild confidence in their hockey game and right the ship. After getting crushed in Tampa and playing well but losing in Miami, Arizona traveled to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. A team that hadn't won a game all season. In fact, the Canes last win was April 13. They were playing against Cam Ward, a goalie who hadn't recorded an NHL shutout since Mar. 27, 2012. With their world crashing down around them, the Coyotes should be able to stand up and pull out an impressive performance against a team ripe for the taking.

Shutout 3-0. Outshot 35-25. Outhustled, outskated and pretty much outclassed.

Sigh.

What else is there to say?

Paw Prints

• For the Carolina point of view, head over to Canes Country.
• Elias Lindholm scored his first two goals of the season in the first period.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson had five shots on goal to lead the team. It is the seventh time in ten games that OEL or Keith Yandle has led the teams in shots on goal. It's the eighth time any defenseman has led in shots. It's hard to generate consistent offense when all the shots are coming from blueliners.
• Every Arizona player played at least ten minutes. Throw everything at the wall until it sticks I guess.
• It's the second time the Coyotes have been shutout on the season. It is also the fifth time in seven games the Yotes have failed to score a goal at even strength.

Three Stars of the Night

1. Cam Ward. It was a pretty easy shutout, but a shutout none the less.
2. Elias Lindholm. Two goals. Would have beat the Coyotes twice.
3. Justin Faulk. Two assists, five shots and over 22 minutes of ice time.

Looking Ahead

The Coyotes finish their road trip with a trip to the nation's capitol on Sunday to take on the Washington Capitals.

Let's get this over with

I'm going to get to the point. I don't give two shits about the Carolina Hurricanes. They aren't likable. They aren't hateable. They're simply forgettable. Don't believe me? This is the first time you thought about them all year. I know it's the first time I thought of them.

Carolina is one of those teams that you just forget exists. Florida and Arizona you remember because you still can't believe they haven't folded. Tampa Bay has Stamkos. Ottawa may be the only other team that completely escapes your memory. The Hurricanes have two of the Staal brothers, Principal Skinner's kid, and Cam Ward. I cannot think of anyone else on their roster off the top of my head. Their jerseys are red and white and have something that looks like a butthole for a logo.

I don't know what else to say about them. I'm currently tired as hell and hungover as fuck. It's the fucking Hurricanes, what do you want? They are terrible. Buffalo gets all the talk of landing Connor McDavid, yet the Hurricanes just finally won a game and we're over a tenth of the way through the season. They used to have an old dancing lady at their games. But she died last year.

Carolina!

The Kings have gotten even worse. Shutout in Pittsburgh and beat up by Detroit. Los Angeles has taken a butt-load of penalties and it's been costing them big. But lo and behold, our raccoon savior has returned to bless our garbage cans. Anze Kopitar is set to return and that mercifully brings to an end the Jarret Stoll/Mike Richards top line center situation. Marian Gaborik may be a few days out, too. Now when the Kings lose big I can start making up crazier excuses like aliens stole their talent, a la Space Jam.

Prediction: Carolina scores three first period power play goals and win 3-1. Goal by Williams.

The Hurricanes finally gave head coach Bill Peters his first NHL win last night. Can they keep the momentum going tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champions?

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Los Angeles Kings
November 2, 2014 - 5:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Jewels from the Crown

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• After finally logging their first win of the 2014-15 season, the Hurricanes get about 20 hours to celebrate before attempting to repeat the task. This time, instead of playing against the last place team in the Western Conference, they'll be hosting the defending Stanley Cup champions.
• The L.A. Kings are never a pushover, but they have been challenged on this road trip with an 0-2-1 outcome so far, their most recent loss coming against the Red Wings Friday night. They are playing their third game in four days.
• That said, the Kings expect to get a big boost tonight with the return of Anze Kopitar, who has missed the last three games with an upper body injury. Marian Gaborik is close to a return but is not expected to be ready in time for tonight's game.
• Tyler Toffoli leads the Kings in scoring with 14 points (6g, 8a) followed by Jeff Carter with 12 (5g, 7a). Tanner Pearson leads in goals scored with seven.
• Kings forward Jordan Nolan has been summoned for a hearing today with the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Darren Helm in Friday's game against the Red Wings. Nolan is considered a repeat offender for suspension purposes, so he may be out of the line-up.
• Head coach Bill Peters was pleased with the Canes overall effort on the ice last night, and unless there are injury concerns, he indicated he's not planning to make line-up changes.
• Neither team is skating this morning, so line-up information, including starting goaltenders, won't be available until closer to game time.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from last night's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR broken fibula), Alexander Semin (healthy), John-Michael Liles (healthy)

Kings (from yesterday's practice)

Injuries and Scratches: Marian Gaborik (undisclosed), Slava Voynov (suspension)

Don't forget this is an early start. There's a South Plaza party preceding the game. See you at the rink.

With the Rangers blue line even more depleted after Saturday night, the Rangers are reportedly looking at a Hurricanes defenseman.

The situation on the Rangers blue line went from perhaps dire to tire-fire last night in the course of half a period of hockey. Already down two regulars in Dan Boyle and John Moore, New York lost another third of its defensive corps Saturday night when Kevin Klein suffered a foot contusion after blocking a shot, and Ryan McDonagh separated his left shoulder after an Evander Kane check.

Even with McDonagh and Klein in, there will still some questions regarding the Rangers defensive group, while anything that was being asked is certainly a bit louder and more urgent now. And in the wake of all of this, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting the Rangers have interest in acquiring a defenseman.

Couple notes from our news segment: NYR -- with McDonagh/Klein hurt tonight -- believed to have interest in Sekera (CAR)...

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 2, 2014

Andrej Sekera's name has been one that's been floated in potential trades before, and he's on the final year of a four-year, $11 million contract that carries a $2.75 million cap hit. It's a contract the Rangers could eat right now without even sending any money back, and it's also important to note that should McDonagh miss an extended period, and he could land on long-term injured reserve, providing more cap relief, at least in the short term.

We're still waiting on any potential updates on the status of McDonagh and Klein today, who were both reportedly scheduled for MRI's, and we'll update those situations as soon as the information is available.

With two more defensemen hurt Saturday night, the Rangers sent a forward to waivers on Sunday.

The Rangers were guaranteed to make some moves following Saturday night's game against the Jets, and injuries to both Ryan McDonagh andKevin Klein. On Sunday morning, the team did make a move, although maybe not the one everyone expected, and one that doesn't exactly clarify the picture, as it put Ryan Malone on waivers.

Hunt (EDM) and Malone (NYR) on waivers

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 2, 2014

Friedman would then follow up that tweet with this one.

Would assume that means Stepan closing in for NYR

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 2, 2014

Malone has appeared in five of the Rangers 10 regular season games, seeing time on the fourth line and the power play. He was a scratch Saturday night against the Jets, and last played on Monday against the Wild

Alain Vigneault said he was unsure if Stepan would be ready by Monday, as the center who has missed the entire season with a broken fibula has yet to participate in a full practice. Stepan was back out on the ice on Sunday, but in a non-contact jersey, along with Dan Boyle, who also was wearing a non-contact jersey.

Malone's roster spot could be used to call up a defenseman from Hartford, and the Wolf Pack are scheduled to play a home game at Worcester today at 3 p.m. Conceivably, a defenseman could participate in that game, and still play in New York tomorrow night against the Blues. The Rangers are also reportedly interested in Hurricanes defenseman Andrej Sekera.

There's also the unknown statuses of McDonagh and Klein, and if either player's condition is serious enough to consider being placed on long-term injured reserve. It's difficult right now exactly what Malone being placed on waivers means in the grander scheme, except for that it frees up a roster spot at the NHL level for someone.

Los Angeles Kings v Carolina Hurricanes (PNC Arena)

Time: 2.00 PM

TV: Fox Sports West

Kings projected lineup:

Hurricanes projected lineup:

• The only thing I know about the Hurricanes is that they won their very first game of the season last night, beating the visiting Arizona Coyotes 3-0 on the strength of good goaltending and a nice little game from their young winger Elias Lindholm. I am beginning to doubt your commitment to sparkle motion Connor McDavid, Hurricanes.
• Actually, I lied. I know some stuff about the Hurricanes. After a raft of injuries to start the season, the only key player they're now missing is Jordan Staal, and he won't be back soon after suffering a broken leg. The Hurricanes improved their defence in the off-season with the addition of the under-appreciated Andrej Sekera, but that Gleason - Harrison pairing is going to be (if it hasn't already been) a total nightmare.
• $7 million man Alexander Semin was a surprise scratch during the game against the Coyotes, and the indications I've seen are that he will remain in the pressbox against the Kings. I say "surprise", of course, when I really mean "tremendously stupid". I don't care how much anybody thinks Alexander Semin isn't trying - Semin not trying is still a much better hockey player than whatever the fuck is going on with the Hurricanes' bottom six.
• The Kings, as I'm sure you've all noticed, remain winless on this eastern roadtrip, but who even cares because Anze Kopitar is back tonight! This is the first good news for the Kings from the past few grim weeks (sorry Trevor Lewis, but nobody cares) and even if this isn't the start of an immediate turnaround in the Kings' form, it's obviously a huge relief to have Kopitar back.
  
• Marian Gaborik is apparently also close to making his return, and skated with the top line in practice. Although no firm date is set, it looks like the Kings' dangerous top line might be reunited very soon.
• Speaking of dangerous, Jordan Nolan was suspended two games for his little boarding adventure on Friday night. I didn't see the hit, so I'm not going to pontificate as to whether I think the suspension was warranted, but the Kings are better without Nolan in the lineup anyway, so more power to the DoPS.
• I'm really sick of Sunday afternoon games, for real.
• Prediction: Kings win, because somebody has to.
  

Analytics (compiled by N. Mercadante)

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

The Preds are doing well, and it's hardly a surprise to me at all. They axed their long time (and only coach) Barry Trotz and replaced him with Peter Laviolette, who preaches a more up-tempo game. Ring a bell?

Then they had one of the busiest off seasons and acquired guys like Mike Ribeiro, James Neal, Derek Roy, Olli Jokinen (ahahaha, seriously), and they finally spent money and added depth up front which they have rarely ever had. What the hell took them so long to do so? Cheap management. They sure as hell can churn out defencemen and goaltenders at the Draft though! Speaking of that, look out for that Filip Forsberg kid tonight. He's really coming along.

Anyway, the point is, this should be a different Preds team than we have grown accustomed to seeing. Laviolette does preach defence too, as you can see by their amazing goals against totals. Having a healthy Pekka Rinne back helps in a huge way although, I believe Carter Hutton gets the start tonight.

The Preds will be without another newbie, Anton Volchenkov after he did this in Calgary a few days back:

Nice forearm!

AS FOR THE CANUCKS

We are goin' streakin'! 4 game-winning streak on the line. This will be a very tough challenge. They can't look ahead to the Colorado / California road trip. They cannot take Nashville lightly.

-The Canucks recalled Bo Horvat from his conditioning stint in Utica. Will he play tonight? Apparently he is!  He enjoyed his stint with the Comets:

-Alexandre Burrows will serve his 2nd game of a 3-game suspension tonight.

-Not sure who starts in goal either. Miller is playing so well...Lack needs to keep playing to find his groove back....

-Radim Vrbata has only 1 goal in his last 6 games. Shit list material hey? Just kidding. These snipers get streaky. At least he does a lot of good things when he's on the ice.

This game preview has been brought to you by that country legend Taylor Swift (Nooooooooooooooooooo):

GO CANUCKS GO! LIGHTNING ON YOUR FEET!

The Hurricanes have had an awesome weekend.

The Carolina Hurricanes might be the best team in professional hockey right now.

Well.

Either way, the Hurricanes have scored four unanswered goals over the span of four periods and currently lead the Kings 1-0 because of this beautiful goal by Victor Rask:

The Hurricanes shut out the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night, 3-0. It was their first win of the season. As a point of reference, Carolina scored a total of four goals over three games last week ... while allowing 15. Now, the Hurricanes have scored four goals over four periods while allowing zero.

In my opinion, they will continue winning games if they can sustain that goal differential ratio.

Los Angeles has Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik back in the lineup. It hasn't made a difference, yet. Jonathan Quick has played well despite the deficit.

Carolina has outshot Los Angeles 9-7 through one period.

Kopitar and Gaborik return, but there aren't many other bright spots in a loss to one of the NHL's worst.

We were all pretty relaxed in the aftermath of an ugly loss at Joe Louis Arena; with the Los Angeles Kings coming off of a back-to-back, no one expected much. The reactions after a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes? Considerably different.

[Box Score]

Who's to blame? Not Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, who returned from injury to fanfares, rose petals thrown on the ice, and adoration from all sides. (At least, that's what I imagined in my head.) Kopitar's return wasn't a surprise, though it was difficult to shake the feeling that Gaborik was being rushed back a bit given his skating habits over the last week. Both players have work to do - Kopitar did a lot less carrying of the puck than usual, while Gaborik managed just 14 minutes of ice time and a single shot on goal - but their line with Justin Williams started the game with a good shift and continued to post decent possession stats. Kopitar had a golden opportunity to tie the game late, but Cam Ward came up with a strong pad save to deny him.

The Hurricanes countered with the recently healthy Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal, but neither ended up having a significant impact on the outcome. Lesser-known Carolina forwards did the damage in this one. Take rookie Victor Rask, who scored his first NHL goal by going hard to the net and tapping in a feed from Chris Kelly. Or Elias Lindholm, the 2013 first-rounder who now has five points in ten games and fired a wrister past Quick to give Carolina a 3-1 lead. Overall, the Hurricanes were the more confident team, and their movement and speed did a fine job of hiding their current place in the standings. Chris Terry's power play goal was set up by some of that movement, though LA's penalty kill didn't help themselves by lining up in the middle of the ice; Terry was off to the side, and had a wide open look.

For the first time this season, the Kings scored exclusively goals that did not come from That 70s Line. The three other games in which Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson, and Tyler Toffoli were shut out were, well, shutouts. Tonight, both Mike Richards and Alec Martinez picked up their second tallies of the season; Richards finally scoring the first power play goal of the road trip, and Martinez once again getting a goal simply by being persistent and taking a shot. I suppose that could be considered a bright side, as the three big scorers weren't actually bad against Carolina. Sutter swapped Pearson for Dustin Brown in the third, though, and Pearson's third-period penalty hurt the Kings' rally efforts.

Brown, Dwight King, and Jarret Stoll struggled. Brown had the puck on his stick quite a bit and managed to work the Kings into the offensive zone pretty frequently, but the line's ability to connect on passes in the zone and generate chances was nonexistent. Lots of pucks going off sticks and skates for them. The bottom line, back to their 2014 playoff look, also struggled mightily, though Richards and Lewis were on for Martinez's goal. Drew Doughty was on for five goals against in Detroit, but none of the defensemen had such a spectacularly bad showing; they just didn't really showcase themselves at all. The one exception: this hit by Brayden McNabb.

On a tough road trip, the Kings had two games which looked like probable wins: Thursday's outing in Philadelphia, and this Sunday matinee. They got one point in those two, and now have to win at Dallas to avoid a winless road trip.

Are you ready?

The Buffalo Sabres are right in the midst of the 2014-15 Tank Wars - the team has mustered seven points and sixteen goals in thirteen games. Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers are all in the vicinity for now, but you know they will pull away as the season goes along. The Sabres have the lead in the all-important ROW (regular & overtime wins) category too, with just one win.

Salient has hit upon the winning formula with his picks in the Tank Wars - he's picked O(ther), U(nder), U(nder), U(nder) in every game so far and has reaped the benefits. nwsabresfan also used this formula to score 21 points in round two. In second place tied with 20 points for round two were Ubiquitous, kitaman27 and predator007, all previous winners at the Pick n' Mix. Click here for the full spreadsheet and leaderboard.

Here is the overall top three -

#1 - Salient
#2 - Ubiquitous & Wolfdoctor
#3 - kitaman27

So on to the next round. This is the fantasy hockey game that needs no cheat sheets, stats, pencils, late night drafts or in fact, little to no knowledge of the Buffalo Sabres either. All you have to do is pick what you think the Sabres are going to do next. Here's Buffalo's schedule for the next couple of weeks -

Scoring is simple, all you need to do is come up with the following picks -

1) winning team [W] (including a shootout winner) = B (Buffalo) or O (Other)
2) goals [G] over/under in each game (O/U of 5.5 goals) = O (Over) or U (Under)
3) powerplay goals [PPG] over/under in each game (O/U of 1.5 goals) = O or U
4) penalty minutes [PIM] over/under in each game (O/U of 25 PIM) = O or U

See, it's really that simple! One point for each correct answer, a max of four per game. You can submit your answers in the comments section of this post, in the form of (for example) -

B O O O
O U O O
O O O U
B U O O etc.

We'll need all your week's picks in before puckdrop in the first game. If you miss the deadline, just put in your picks for the remaining games as soon as you can. This will be season-long, so make sure you don't miss any weeks. Good luck, and Go Mc-Eichel!

The Carolina Hurricanes earned wins at home on back-to-back nights, topping the struggling Arizona Coyotes Saturday then beating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings Saturday.

Earning the first win of the season after a dreadful October wasn't enough for the Carolina Hurricanes. After beating the Coyotes 3-0 Saturday, Carolina followed that up with a 3-2 win over the Kings less than 24 hours later.

Three Observations

1. A wise man once said:

1. Swedish forwards Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask have struggled to put up points through seven games. The duo has combined for just one assist this season despite each averaging nearly 17 minutes a night and an identical 2:25 of power play time per game. For Lindholm, it's a bump in the road for a player that is penciled in as part of Carolina's future. But Rask — who had such a fantastic September — needs to make an impression if he wants to avoid a demotion back to Charlotte as the Hurricanes get players back from injury.

OK, he wasn't wise at all. It was me following Carolina’s back-to-back losses in Calgary and Edmonton. But wow, did the Swedes ever show up for the Canes’ next two-games-in-two-nights set. Lindholm had four points (three goals and an assist) in the Hurricanes’ two wins and Rask got his first NHL point and goal when he opened the scoring vs. L.A. It was a much-needed confidence boost for both the players and the team, and — surprise, surprise — it helped lead to two wins.

2. One of the criticisms frequently levied at Eric Staal is the number of obstruction penalties he has taken in recent seasons. But five games into his 2014-15 campaign, Staal has not taken any penalties and dating back to the end of last year is on a nine-game stretch without spending time in the penalty box. Staal has looked more engaged this season — even though he was shelved with an injury during Carolina’s second game of the season — and is playing and leading like a captain.

3. It looks like Alexander Semin will be back in the lineup Tuesday at Columbus. Semin sat out both wins, but Carolina will need the No. 28 of 2012-13 if they are to continue their steep climb out of the NHL's basement. Here's the good news for Carolina: while the team played extremely well in their two wins, the top line was pretty quiet vs. L.A. Adding Semin gives the No. 1 trio a chance to make a difference, while moving Skinner down immediately makes whatever line he joins more dangerous. It's the right move by coach Bill Peters.

Number To Know

2 — Hurricanes players averaging more than 20 minutes per game (Justin Faulk, 22:30; and Andrej Sekera, 20:51). Carolina is one of just three teams in the league with only two players logging 20-plus minutes through Sunday’s games (several have all top-four defensemen playing more than a full period each night). Nashville employs workhorses Shea Weber (27:27) and Roman Josi (27:12), while Ottawa has former Norris winner Erik Karlsson (27:17) and Chris Phillips (23:55). Jiri Tlusty leads all Canes forwards at 19:46 per night, and every player currently on the roster averages at least 11 minutes of ice time (Brad Malone the lowest at 11:00).

Plus

Cam Ward— The Ward that showed up this weekend was the player the Hurricanes and their fans have been looking for since ... well, a long time. Ward wasn't perfect in his shutout win — he nearly let the Coyotes back in the game with some shoddy puck-handling — but he made the big saves when needed to get Carolina their first win. On Sunday he was even better, making huge saves down the stretch in a tight game. He will get the start again Tuesday in Columbus.

Minus

Jay Harrison— It's hard to find faults in two convincing wins, but Harrison’s late penalty vs. the Kings — called after a sequence that started with him getting the pylon treatment — was his second of the night and kept him in the top five in PIMs in the NHL with 31 in just eight games played.

Cam Ward says No-vember. After starting the month with a .965 save percentage and first star honors in both weekend games, Wardo earns his fourth straight start in net.

Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets
November 2, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - The Cannon

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• The Canes are on a winning streak, y'all. It felt good to type "Won 2" in the Fancy Stats table. But before anyone gets too giddy, a quick look at the McEichel standings shows the Canes holding in second place (though still dead last in the league). However, a win tonight against divisional rival Columbus Blue Jackets (and a repeat when the two teams meet in Raleigh on Friday) and all of a sudden the Canes are climbing up the ranks.
• Jordan Staal's broken leg nonwithstanding, the Canes are healthy and able to begin building chemistry and consistency. As such, Monday's practice didn't offer a lot of changes to the weekend's line-up with the exception of the return of Alexander Semin to the top line. As has been repeated across the hockey universe, Alex Semin 1) makes $7 million a year and 2) was scratched for both wins this weekend. Coach Bill Peters felt he was not moving his skates at an NHL pace and not working hard enough, so Sasha took a seat in the press box to think upon it. He was back yesterday, skating with Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty, and all indications are that Peters will go with that line tonight.
• The downstream effect of Semin's return bumps Jeff Skinner, and given the chemistry shown on Sunday between the Gerbe/Nash/Lindholm and Terry/Rask/Boychuk lines, Skinner has found himself with Jay McClement and Patrick Dwyer (and with Brad Malone likely the odd man out). For now.
• One decision that was easy for Peters to make was to ride the hot goalie. Coming off two first-star performances over the weekend, Cam Ward will get his fourth consecutive start. If math serves me correctly, in the two games Wardo has an even strength save percentage of .979 and an overall save percentage of .965.
• Jiri Tlusty is currently ranked 10th in the NHL in goal scoring with six goals. Jeff Skinner is two goals away from 100 NHL goals. Alex Semin is four points away from 500 NHL points. Elias Lindholm is on a two-game goal scoring streak. Victor Rask is on a one-game goal scoring streak :)
• Bill Peters comments from yesterday's practice: (audio)
• The Columbus Blue Jackets are walking wounded and losers of their last five, which is always cause for concern for the slump-busting Canes. Take a look at their injury list below, six players on injured reserve (not including Nathan Horton) and it doesn't appear as though any of those players will be back for Friday when the teams meet for a rematch in Raleigh.
• That said, their line-up is getting a huge boost tonight with the return of forward Boone Jenner, who will make his season debut tonight after suffering a broken hand during training camp. Winger Matt Calvert is also expected to return after missing a week with an upper body injury.
• Despite their adversity, the Jackets are a team that always plays the Canes hard and holds a competitive edge with eight wins in the last 10 meetings. On the bright side, those two wins for the Canes came last season, once in Raleigh (for the first time since 2005) and once in Columbus (first since 2004).
• Scott Hartnell did not practice yesterday (and therefore isn't on the depth chart below) but will be in the line-up tonight. The Jackets called up Frederic St. Denis yesterday for defenseman depth after Cody Goloubef was placed on injured reserve. If Matt Calvert also returns, Columbus may need to make another roster move today.
• Ryan Johanssen leads the team with 13 points (5g, 8a), Nick Foligno is close behind with 11 points (4g, 7a).
• Curtis McElhinney gets the start in net tonight.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from yesterday's practice)

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR broken fibula), John-Michael Liles (healthy), Brad Malone (healthy)

Blue Jackets (from yesterday's practice)

Injuries: Nathan Horton (back), Brandon Dubinsky (IR, abdominal surgery), Sergei Bobrovsky (IR, broken finger), James Wisniewski (IR, broken finger), Artem Anisimov (IR, concussion), Mark Letestu (IR, groin), Cody Goloubef (IR, right knee)

Both the Canes and Blue Jackets are scheduled to skate this morning, so stay tuned for updates, and see you tonight in the game thread.