Maybe an early game will…help…or something?

Just the Facts:

Game Time: 1:00 PM, TD Garden.

TV Broadcast: NESN, SPSO.

Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SB Nation Site: Canes Country

Season Record: Bruins: 10-8-0, 5th in Atlantic Division | Hurricanes: 5-7-3, 7th in Metropolitan Division

Hurricanes Lines:

Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Zach Boychuk

Nathan Gerbe - Riley Nash - Alexander Semin

Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Chris Terry

Pat Dwyer - Jay McClement - Brad Malone

Defensive Pairings:

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk

Jay Harrison - Tim Gleason

John-Michael Liles - Ron Hainsey

Goalies: Cam Ward, Anton Khudobin

IR: Jordan Staal, Brett Bellemore

Bruins Lines:

Milan Lucic - Chris Kelly - Seth Griffith

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Reilly Smith

Matt Fraser - Carl Soderberg - Loui Eriksson

Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Simon Gagne

Defensive Pairings:

Dennis Seidenberg - Dougie Hamilton

Joe Morrow - Adam McQuaid

Torey Krug - Zach Trotman

Goalies: Tuukka Rask, Niklas Svedberg

IR: Kevan Miller, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, David Warsofsky

Game Notes:

• The problem with the Bruins right now is deeper than the IR list. Perhaps it is a domino effect but even with a less-than-healthy roster, a successful team's best players are generally consistent. Claude Julien often says that your best players have to be your best players. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Reilly Smith, Dennis Seidenberg, and Dougie Hamilton all went minus-3 in the 5-1 loss against some team I don't like on Thursday. At least the 11-2 road trip highlighted specific areas that need improvement, suggested that maybe it isn't a goaltending issue, and reminded Bruins that they cannot get comfortable with wins against below-average teams at the Garden.
• Boston is characteristically great five-on-five and it showed in the five-game winning streak. When they start slipping up in this aspect in their own zone, possession opportunities also take a hit. It's basic stuff, here. We've seen glimpses of potential like Thursday's first period, so it's not entirely discouraging.
• Goalie Cam Ward is starting for the Canes, with a record of 5-4-1 and a .912 even strength save percentage to Rask's .911.
• Remember, today's game is at 1:00 p.m.

NEVER FORGET:

Throwback to 2010

Last Game in Fancy Stats:

Canes with a better start but drop to 5-8-3 with the loss to Boston.

The Carolina Hurricanes got off to the start they wanted and at one point were leading the Boston Bruins by a 12-2 shot margin in the first period, but they could not find a solution to Tuukka Rask and lost to the Bruins, 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden.

The former Vezina winner made 33 saves on 34 Carolina shots to back-stop the win for the home team.

Jiri Tlusty tipped in a Justin Faulk shot for the only goal for the visiting Canes, who now have a 1-6-2 road record, the worst in the NHL.

The goal came at 7:05 into the first period and the Canes were dominating.  They went on to draw two quick penalties against the Bears, giving them almost two minutes of a two man advantage, but they were unable to capitalize and then the momentum turned.

First, Andrej Sekera turned the puck over right in front of Cam Ward and Seth Griffith got the goal to tie the score.

Then, in what has happened all too often in recent seasons, the team allowed a goal late in the period as Patrice Bergeron beat Ward with a nasty wrist shot with just 50 clicks left in the period.  Riley Nash lost Bergeron for a moment on the play.

The Bruins went on to dominate the second period and outshot the Canes, 14-3, but Carolina turned it back on in the third period, returning the favor by outshooting the Bruins 15-4. Rask was equal to the task though and did not allow another goal and as Bill Peters noted after the game, the Bruins "played smart" and were in more of a defensive posture.

Carolina outshot Boston 34-25 for the game.

It was a tough, physical game as one would expect in Boston.

The Hurricanes returned home immediately after the contest and will next take on the San Jose Sharks at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Game Notes:

• Carolina officially went 0-3 on the powerplay but whenever you fail to score on a long 5-on-3, it kills momentum.
• Faulk and Tlusty led the team with four shots on goal each.
• Staal was moved back to center and earned an assist on the Tlusty goal.
• Alexander Semin was scratched this game because of an upper body concern.
• The team won 56% of the game's faceoffs led by Jay McClement who won 88%.  McClement continues to generate chances and have open shots on net, but has yet to score a goal this season.
• Sekera had a game high 24:19 of ice time.
• event summary stat sheet
• Bill Peters post game comments

Greetings everyone. Ms. Stace O. Base is out today due to illness from alcohol intake into her pie-hole. I am your substitute teacher for the day, Mr. Get R. Dunn. The lesson plan for today is that you will be learning about the illustrious Carolina Hurricanes. As a quick overview, since they are a highly forgettable team, here are some key facts about them.

• They play in North Carolina, the most northern of all the Carolinas.
• Their jerseys are red, as are all hurricanes, or so I assume since I live in a place that does not have them.
• Hurricanes are in fact large storms of wind and rain and massive destruction (though only if you happen to be poor)
• Their logo looks like a butthole.
• I screwed around with some girl in North Carolina when I visited there in college for a week. This will be on the quiz.

As I understand, Ms. Stank O. Bake usually included goofy facts about said regions of opposing teams, followed by a funny tweet from a site known as "tweeter" I believe, and then a tattoo of embarrassing quality. There will be none of that because I am not her. I am not here to make you happy and chortle like the sad, white, chunky toes you Sharks fans are. I am here to enrich your lives. With poetry*.

*I don't think this qualifies as poetry

So without further ado, here is an ode, nay, a sonnet, nay, an epic, to the beloved Canes of the Carolina Hurries.

Anton Khudobin gets the start in front of the home crowd tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes vs San Jose Sharks
November 16, 2014 - 5:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports South (channel guide)
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Fear the Fin

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• The Hurricanes and Sharks limp into today's game having lost yesterday by identical 2-1 scores and bemoaning squandered opportunities that could have given them both better fates. After taking a 1-0 lead early against the Bruins, the Canes were unable to convert on an extended 5-on-3 power play, and the Bruins used the swing in momentum to tie the game and then go ahead without ever looking back. The Sharks had a game-tying opportunity with a four-minute power play in the waning minutes of the third period against Columbus but were unable to convert.
• In addition to the home ice advantage (4-2-1 this season), the Canes got about a six-hour jump start on their arrival back in Raleigh owing to yesterday's earlier start time in Boston.
• The Canes have won five of the last six games played against the Sharks in PNC Arena.
• Jiri Tlusty regained his position as the Canes' leader in goals (7) after deflecting a shot from Justin Faulk, who has six points in his last four games. Elias Lindholm logged five points (2g, 3a) in two games against the Sharks last season.
• There are no known changes to the forward lines or defense pairings as of this morning, so the projected lines and injuries/scratches are as they were reported yesterday.
• Anton Khudobin will get the start in net today, his first start at PNC Arena this season. Dobby has faced the Sharks once before, a first-star effort in a 3-2 overtime win on March 4, 2014 in San Jose.
• The Sharks are in Raleigh for their sixth game of a seven-game road trip, where so far they are 2-3-0. Like the Canes, they are playing their third game in four days.
• Joe Pavelski scored the lone goal against the Blue Jackets yesterday, his 199th. Pavelski leads the Sharks with eight goals. The Sharks have five players with more than 15 points through 19 games. Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, and Patrick Marleau each have 17 points, and Pavelski and Logan Couture both have 16.
• Antti Niemi faced 28 shots in last night's loss. Niemi has started the last four games for the Sharks. With the back-to-back scenario, head coach Todd McLellan could give backup netminder Troy Grosenick his first NHL start today. Grosenick was called up Wednesday from the AHL Worcester Sharks after Alex Stalock was placed on injured reserve. Grosenick was leading the AHL in wins with a 7-2-1 record.
• Canes fans may recognize a familiar face in the Sharks line-up today. Barclay Goodrow was an invitee to the Canes prospect conditioning camp in the summer of 2011 and was signed by the Sharks as a free agent in March at the end of his OHL career. He's played in six games this season, with no points thus far (side note, looking back that was quite an interesting camp roster).

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from yesterday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR broken fibula), Jay Harrison (lower body), Alexander Semin (upper body)

Injuries and Scratches: Mike Brown (hand), Raffi Torres (knee), Alex Stalock (lower body), John Scott (healthy), Tye McGinn (healthy), Matt Irwin (healthy)

Note the early evening start and alternative TV coverage. This is the last time to see the Canes at PNC Arena until after Thanksgiving, as the team heads out on a five-game road trip after this one. Good seats are still available. See you at the rink.

A rookie goaltender made a 45-save shutout in his NHL debut and he wasn't playing AGAINST the San Jose Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks did not deserve to win Sunday evening's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, but Troy Grosenick certainly did. The rookie made 45 saves in his NHL debut and just about took down the Hurricanes all by himself in the Sharks 2-0 win over Carolina.

San Jose was badly outshot in all three periods, but the bend-but-don't-break defense was good enough for the Sharks who got back in the win column despite a horrifically bad effort. The Sharks have lost plenty of games that, by the shot count, should have dominated, so maybe this is a bit of well-deserved payback for all those 50-save shutouts pitched against them over the years.

Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton had the goals, with Thornton's coming in an empty-net situation to seal the deal. Hertl's came in the first period as he charged the net and shuffled home the puck well against the run of play. It's his fourth goal of the year and allowed Barclay Goodrow to pick up his first ever NHL point.

But the story is all about Grosenick, who sprawled, dove and flashed the leather to keep the Sharks in the hockey game. He made some absolutely spectacular saves against the Hurricanes and when things got frantic in the final five minutes he was able to do just enough to keep Carolina off the board. There's no telling where Grosenick's career will go from here, but tonight the rookie saved the Sharks' bacon while becoming the first Shark to ever record a shutout in his NHL debut. That's pretty neat.

Troy Grosenick's family embraces after the rookie records a shutout in his NHL debut

[Fancy Stats] - [Hurricanes Reaction]
[Event Summary] - [PBP Log] - [TOI Log] - [Faceoff Report]

• James Sheppard took a stick to the face in the second period, but he returned later in the game and appeared to be okay. He was one of the least-bad Sharks on the ice tonight according to the reputable fancy stats that are linked above.
• Speaking of those pesky fancy stats: The Sharks were absolutely horrible at achieving them tonight! Not a single Shark had a positive corsi percentage, which makes sense in a game you're outshot in 45-19.
• That's right! The San Jose Sharks (10-8-2) were outshot by the Carolina Hurricanes (5-9-3)! Both teams were on the second of a back-to-back, but that can hardly be used as an excuse for the way the Sharks played against one of the worst teams in the league. If not for Grosenick's stellar play, this game would have gone much, much differently.
• Tomas Hertl made some great aggressive plays in the offensive zone, something that could be lost in the shuffle given how little San Jose played in the offensive zone tonight.
• The road-heavy portion of the Sharks' schedule has been absolutely brutal, so perhaps getting an extended period at home will cure what ails them. Certainly the Sharks have plenty of problems beyond their long trips, but playing this many games on the road this early must be taking a toll on the team.
• Before the Sharks can head home they have to face their biggest bogeyman. That's right, up next for San Jose is a trip to Buffalo to take on the SlendermenSabres.

FTF Three Stars

1st Star: Troy Grosenick
2nd Star: Anton Khudobin
3rd Star: Tomas Hertl

For the second time in as many days, the Canes squander a hot start and end up 0-for-the-weekend following the Sharks' victory on Sunday.

Most Carolina Hurricanes fans coming into PNC Arena on Sunday afternoon had likely never heard of San Jose Sharks goaltender Troy Grosenick.

By the end of the night, they were likely cursing his name.

The undrafted free agent from Union College became the first goaltender making his debut to shut out the Hurricanes since their move to North Carolina, stealing a 2-0 decision for the Sharks with 45 saves and frustrating the home team and the 12,784 fans in attendance from the opening faceoff.

Like Saturday's game against the Bruins, the Canes came out of the gate flying. An early power play went by the wayside, but the Canes had an 8-3 lead in shots halfway through the period and were in the Sharks' zone for long stretches throughout. Halfway through the period, Grosenick stoned Victor Rask twice from point blank range before Rask put his third shot wide of the net.

"He played well, obviously," said Canes coach Bill Peters. "First career start, gets a shutout on the road, good for him. He did his job."

Late in the period, after the Sharks killed a Jason Demers high-sticking penalty, they marched down the ice and Tomas Hertl made it 1-0 on a two-on-one. Hertl's attempted pass was blocked by Andrej Sekera, but a fortunate bounce put the puck right back on Hertl's stick and he shoveled the puck through Anton Khudobin's legs at 18:46 to give the Sharks the lead, which they took to the locker room despite being outshot 16-6 in the period.

It was more of the same in the second period, with Grosenick continuing to stand on his head, denying the Canes' Zach Boychuk halfway through the period with a sliding split-leg save contributing to his 15 saves in the period. The Canes' best offensive chances came while they were killing a Brad Malone hooking penalty, but both times Riley Nash and Jay McClement opted for an extra pass, allowing the Sharks to clear both times.

With five seconds left in the period, Grosenick scrambled to deny Jeff Skinner, keeping the game scoreless into the second intermission.

"It was one of those times where it's laying in the crease and we have a chance to get on the puck first," said Skinner. "Just couldn't finish it. Most goalies in the NHL are going to cover the bottom of the net. In tight, you have to get it upstairs."

The third period saw the Canes fire 14 shots on Grosenick on their way to 45 total on net, not including 22 that were blocked and an additional 22 that missed the net. Grosenick, though, stood tall and didn't give the Canes much daylight to shoot at, and a Joe Thornton empty-net goal with eight seconds left sealed the deal.

Despite the numbers indicating that the Canes did everything but score, a frustrated Peters was in no mood for excuses. "We need to make it harder on the goaltenders, not only tonight but most nights," he said, echoing Saturday's similar loss to Boston. "[We need] somebody in the blue paint, in the goalie's eyes."

And a little bit of luck, too.

Game Notes

• By my crack research, Grosenick is the fifth rookie goaltender to pitch a shutout against the Hurricanes. The others: Eddie Lack in 2013, James Reimer in 2011 (in his ninth career start), Sebastien Caron in 2003 (in his third start), and Roman Cechmanek in 2001.
• Per the Canes, Grosenick became the first player making his debut to record a shutout with more than 40 saves since Mike Fountain stopped 40 shots for Vancouver on Nov. 14, 1996.
• Barclay Goodrow assisted on Hertl's first-period goal. If that name sounds familiar, the ever-erudite Jamie Kellner pointed out on Twitter that Goodrow was a free-agent tryout on the Canes' 2011 Traverse City prospect roster, although he did not receive an invite to the Canes' training camp that year.
• Your humble reporter predicted a 57-save shutout in the game thread before the game (and it's timestamped and all!). I only missed by 12 shots.
• Postgame audio: Anton Khudobin , Jeff Skinner , Bill Peters .

Canes Country Three Stars

(3) Victor Rask: Another strong night for the Canes' rookie Swede. Rask won 7 of his 11 faceoffs and did everything but score in the first period when the Canes were throwing everything they had at Grosenick.
(2) Andrej Sekera: Despite being the defenseman who was nominally to blame for Hertl's goal, Sekera played the pass perfectly and it was only a bad bounce which put the puck back on Hertl's stick for the tap-in. The Canes outshot the Sharks 22-7 when Sekera was on the ice and he was his usual positionally-sound self.
(1) Troy Grosenick: Yeah, when you pitch a 45-save shutout on your debut, you tend to get the first star.

Open Thread Three Snarks: Missing in action tonight, as they have been recently. Up your snark game, people.

Next up: Canes start a five-game road trip in Dallas against the Stars on Tuesday at 8:30 on SportSouth and 99.9 The Fan.

At this point, we don't argue a win.

The Bruins get a breather to recoup after Saturday's matinee win. Next up? Hosting the Blues on Tues at 7:00 PM.

• About Saturday afternoon... it was not pretty, but the Bruins got 'er done. Seth Griffith continued his string of wildly entertaining goals, and several Bruins stepped up to lead. [SouthCoastToday]
• In praise of Patrice Bergeron, who has helped the Bruins hold it together through recent adversity. [BleacherReport]
• It was a pretty good return to the ice for Matt Bartkowski, who kept it simple. [WEEI]
• One nagging point is that the Bruins should not have even allowed the Hurricanes to hang in the game in the first place. [WEEI]
• Once the 'Canes scored, Claude Julien took action, double-shifting Milan Lucic, and sitting Daniel Paille. [TheBostonGlobe]
• Paille responded, only to have his goal called off. He and the fourth line have had their struggles this season so far. [TheBostonGlobe]
• No one is pretending that the win fixes everything. Defensive pairings were juggled with some success. [PatriotLedger]
• His numbers have not been up to his usual, but Tuukka Rask appears to be regaining his usual form. [NESN]
• There was mixed news from this morning's practice at Ristuccia Arena. [WEEI]
• Tools of the trade... grab a glimpse behind the curtain, as Daniel Paille demonstrates the modifications that make his sticks his own. (Video, 2:36) [Boston.com]
• Meanwhile, down in Providence, weekend results were mixed. But hey- Alexander Khokhlachev and David Pastrnak be lightin' 'em up. Here are the plusses and minuses. [ProvidenceJournal]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• Let's do our part: Weeding out internet trolls starts with us. [TheHockeyNews]
• On a more serious note, your efforts can also help prevent sexual assault. Be a part of the solution! [SBNation]
• Supplemental training and additional coaching can help goalies make the transition from journeyman to starter in a tight goalie market. [TheBostonGlobe]
• These songs about hockey players are terribad, but someone has figured out how to make money from them anyway. [TheSportingNews]
• After having initially rallied, it appears Gordie Howe could use your well wishes once again. [TSN]
• Sadly, a youth player has passed away while participating in a tournament in Minnesota. [Sportsnet]
• An active duty Air Force Lieutenant scored a goal in his first SPHL game. [PuckDaddy]
• Not so fast! The Rangers fell to the Penguins in a shootout, but only after having the supposed game winning goal waved off. [PuckDaddy]
• In honor of this week's game against the Blues, let's look at their offense (or lack thereof) in depth. [PuckDaddy]
• Talks have begun about fitting hockey into the 2018 Olympic games. [TheScore]
• That escalated quickly! Andrew Ference has made this list of Edmonton's movers and shakers. [EdmontonJournal ]

The goaltending was there again for Carolina, but the goals and the bounces were not. The Hurricanes dropped back-to-back games in Boston and at home to San Jose this past weekend.

The Carolina Hurricanes dropped two tough games over the weekend, losing in Boston Saturday then being shutout at home Sunday by San Jose.

Three Observations

1. Where is Jordan Staal’s absence hurting the Hurricanes most? Perhaps in line structure. Coach Bill Peters has endlessly shuffled in lines in search of combinations that work, but he's been unable to find consistency thanks to injuries and uneven play. While there are no easy answers to where Staal fits when he comes back, he does give the team a defensive force down the middle and the ability to use Eric Staal in a more offensive role — much like the team is forced to do with Jeff Skinner because of his defensive deficiencies.

2. Once again, Carolina’s goaltenders deserved better. None of the three goals (not counting the Sharks’ empty-netter Sunday) scored over the weekend could be pinned solely on Cam Ward or Anton Khudobin, who both played well but came away with losses. Look no further than Carolina struggles scoring 5-on-5 goals: the Canes rank 27th in the league with 0.71 goals per one goal scored by their opponents, a number that's tough to overcome even with a much improved power play.

3. Speaking of Ward, he has now gone seven straight games without giving up more than two goals, his best run since January 2012 when he had nine straight outings of allowing two or less. This November he is 5-2 with a .942 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average, numbers the team will need to him to replicate if they want to have a successful West Coast swing.

Number To Know

29 — Place out of 30 teams the Hurricanes rank in the overall NHL standings after Sunday’s games. Carolina’s three straight losses have dropped them to 5-9-3 on the season, ahead of only Buffalo and behind Columbus due to tiebreakers. The Canes are five points behind the third-place Rangers, but have five teams to climb in the standings to be in playoff position.

Plus

Jiri Tlusty— The Hurricanes winger moved back into first on the team in goals with his seventh Saturday in Boston, but he also had several opportunities to score against the Sharks. It seemed Tlusty was the only player doing what Peters said his team was lacking over the weekend: creating traffic in front of the goalie and looking for redirections.

Minus

Andrej Sekera— More than anything, Sekera was the victim of bad bounces over the weekend. On Saturday, he fanned on a backhand pass to partner Justin Faulk, leading to a Seth Griffith goal that tied the game at one and seemed to deflate the fast-starting Hurricanes. Then he was again victimized by a puck with eyes, breaking up a 2-on-1 pass by Tomas Hertl only to see the puck end up back on Hertl’s stick and in the net for the first goal and eventual game-winner.

The worst home record in hockey comes to the plate for another swing. And mixed metaphors.

The Dallas Stars were tied with the Minnesota Wild after two periods on Saturday afternoon. They had played their way to even against the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday evening. Yet as it has all season long, the third period in each case just proved to be too much as Lindy Ruff's bunch went pointless on a back-to-back set this weekend.

At 13 goals against in the first period the Stars are actually hovering around the upper-third in the league at 11th fewest. Their second periods? 17 against, which is very middle-of-the-pac.

Then there's everything after 40 minutes.

The 27 goals against the third periods, plus the three against in overtimes makes them the most scored upon team in the entire league after the game's first two frames.

The third period, coincidentally, is the Carolina Hurricane's best frame offensively this season- Though it has amounted (thus far, mind you) to just 13 tallies in 17 tries, barely besting a total of 11 in the first and 12 in the second.

That amounts to just 2.18 goals per game for the Hurricanes, yet their 5-9-3 record is really not all that disimilar from Dallas' 6-8-4 mark, having lost 12 of 18, including seven of eight here at American Airlines Center.

All in all, perhaps not a "marquee matchup" this evening- But perhaps an opportunity for Dallas after a weekend full of shortcomings, again, against the Central. The Stars now lead the league in losses against their own division with seven, tied with the Oilers, who can't figure the Pacific out either.

Tonight. 7:30pm CST. Fox Sports Southwest.

Dallas:

According to DallasStars.com, "The Stars have won six straight at home against the Hurricanes and are 10-0-1 against Carolina in the last 11 games in Dallas."

So they've got that going for them.

This matchup is unique, however, for reasons about which neither side would likely care to chat: It's the worst home record in the league in some time versus what is so far the worst road record in 2014-2015.

So something's got to give. Probably.

Meanwhile, there are no lines or defensive combinations to report from practice, because there hasn't been any. Not Saturday. Not Sunday. Not Monday. There won't be until Wendesday and to quote Razor, that kind of schedule "erodes" systems coaches are trying to put in place.

There was a little bit of news after Kevin Connauton was placed on waivers, evidently- Opening the way, seemingly, for a Jyrki Jokipakka call-up as the future of the Stars' defensive depth continues to be... now.

Val Nichushkin, of course, is out tonight and until about when Game of Thrones starts on HBO, for those of you who have been living under a rock.

Kari Lehtonen likely starts.

Carolina:

The Hurricanes have been down. And then up. And now down again.

They began with suffering, dropping eight in a row to start the season (0-6-2), allowing a brutal 31 goals in that span (4.43 per game), including a four-game road trip out West (WPG, CGY, EDM, VAN).

Then a resurrection better than anything Dallas has seen thus far- A 5-0-1 stretch that included good wins over the Coyotes, Kings, Blue Jackets, Blue Jackets and Flames, so they'll rear up and beat a Western Conference team on you. Their offense was consistent throughout the stretch, never dipping below three goals, while the defense tightened up significantly allowing just 11 in 6 games.

Now they've lost three in a row, scoring just twice in that span.

So which version do the Stars get tonight? They can be a good offensive team. They've proven to be stingy at times. Like the Stars, they're searching for a way to put it all together. Their special teams skew average, to slightly better than average.

They've been out-scored at even-strength pretty badly, but their Fenwick % is 12th in the league at over 51%, and their Corsi number is also up there. So the puck possession is there.

Alarming note: They out-shot the San Jose Sharks 45-19 the other day while playing the second game of a back-to-back (though somehow managed to lose). They out-shot the Blue Jackets 37-19 two weeks ago.

Comforting note: They've won just once on the road this season.

Possible lineup:

Tlusty-Staal-Boychuk
Gerbe-Nash-Lindholm
Skinner-Raask-Terry
Dqyer-McClement-Malone

Sekera-Faulk
Liles-Gleason
Bellemore-Hainsey

Cam Ward
Anton Khudobin

Cam Ward hasn't given up more than two goals in each of last seven starts. Jordan Staal is out. Alex Semin may return tonight from an upper-body injury.

The Canes look to get a three-game Western Conference road trip off to the right start tonight. They'll face a team also lingering near the bottom of their conference standings.

Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars
November 18, 2014 - 8:30 pm ET
American Airlines Center - Dallas TX
TV - Fox Sports South (channel guide)
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Defending Big D

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• The Canes headed out yesterday on the first leg of a three-game Western Conference road trip. They'll meet up with the Stars in Dallas tonight, from there head to LA to take on the Kings Thursday, then stop in Denver on the way home to face the Avalanche Saturday. After returning home they'll play two more away games over Thanksgiving week before returning to PNC on November 29th. The Canes are 1-6-2 on the road this season, so they'll need to significantly improve on that stat if they want to climb their way out of the NHL cellar.
• The Canes and Stars split their series last season, each winning at home with identical 4-1 final scores. The Canes haven't won in Dallas since they were the Whalers (February 11, 1996).
• Like the Canes, the Stars come into tonight's game smarting from two back-to-back losses over the weekend. Sunday's game saw the Stars take a tie game into the third period only to give up four unanswered goals to the Blackhawks for a 6-2 loss (outstanding game analysis by Daryl Reaugh btw). Slumping stars (no pun intended), defensive breakdowns, and third period collapses have left them short of expectations for a team that made the playoffs last season. They begin a five-game home stand tonight.
• Neither team held a practice yesterday, so any line-up changes from Sunday's games will be forthcoming after today's morning skates.
• Justin Faulk was awarded the game's first star (1g, 1a) in the Canes' win against the Stars back in April, which was the last time the teams met. His nine points (2g, 7a) for the month of November currently rank him second in the league in defenseman points, behind Calgary's Mark Giordano.
• Tyler Seguin leads the Stars scoring with 22 points (12g, 10a). As a point of comparison, he has as many goals as Riley Nash has points. Nash leads the Canes with 12 points.
• Keep an eye on the captains in this match-up, as both are point-per-game players against their respective opponents. Eric Staal has ten points (7g, 3a) in ten games against the Stars, and Jamie Benn has eight points (5g, 3a) in seven games against the Canes. Benn will likely be just a little hungry, as he is in a major slump, having been held without a goal for the last 11 straight games.
• And when considering potential Canes-killers, never overlook Jason Spezza, traded to Dallas from the Senators at the draft, with 38 points (18g, 20a) in 33 career games against the Canes. He ranks second on the team with 16 points (3g, 13a).
• Old friend and ex-Cane Erik Cole has seven points (4g, 3a) in 17 games. Former Cane Patrick Eaves is also on the Dallas roster and has five points (2g, 3a) on the season, but he is out of the line-up with an injury.
• Congratulations to Jay McClement who will be playing in his 700th career NHL game tonight, and congratulations to Stars legend Mike Modano on his induction last evening into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Sunday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR broken fibula), Jay Harrison (lower body), Alexander Semin (upper body)

Stars (from Sunday's game)

Injuries and scratches: Valeri Nichushkin (hip surgery), Patrick Eaves (lower body), Patrik Nemeth (right arm laceration), Colton Sceviour (healthy)

Note the late start and alternative channel for tonight's broadcast.

The Bruins have a chance to measure themselves against a strong St. Louis Blues team.

In light of current events in St. Louis, it is a good thing the Blues are in Boston to play the Bruins tonight at 7:00 PM.

• Let's Czech in with the walking wounded among the Bruins ranks, and see which players will be game time decisions. [MetroWestDailyNews]
• Here's what the Bruins will be facing tonight against the Blues. [ThePatriotLedger]
• The Bruins have a home-ice winning streak on the line tonight, and other statical observations. [Stats.NESN]
• Line Burns believes her late husband, former Bruins coach Pat Burns, would be laughing about his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. [ProvidenceJournal]
• While we're on the subject, another former Bruin who would make a fine addition to the HHOF is Rick "Nifty" Middleton. [BostonHerald]
• There was one good example of why a coach's challenge would be appropriate during the Bruins/Hurricanes game. [TheHockeyNews]
• Little fistbumping Bruins fan Liam Fitzgerald has taken the internet by storm! [CommunityAdvocate]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• Habs players read mean tweets, part deux. Kudos to these guys for being game for this. [YouTube]
• Embattled goalie Casey DeSmith is no longer playing for the UNH Wildcats. [SBNCollegeHockey]
• In a pyrrhic victory 50 years ago, an NHL referee received a full apology and retraction of comments made about him by the Canadiens and their coach.  [TheHockeyWriters]
• Ch-ch-ch-changes... The World Cup of Hockey is altering their format to include two "All-Star" team entries. [Sportsnet]
• Two female referres will officiate a Southern Professional Hockey League game on Girl Scout Night. [TheHockeyNews]
• Happy landings, Josh Harding, you won't be without a team for long. [TheSportingNews]
• Farewell, enforcers, godspeed, as fans cling to their memories despite fighting becoming pointless. [Grantland]
• A former OHL team owner was frank in his assessment of fellow owners and the disposable source of their profits. [TSN]
• It might be curtains for the unpopular "dry scrape," maybe as soon as this weekend. [TSN]
• Lay off the team GMs, people, tax rates in different cities play into players' signing choices, too. [CBC]
• Precious few teams make the playoffs with poor possession numbers, just look and see. [CorsiHockeyLeague]
• Hilary Knight tackled the topic of changing the perception of women athletes in sport, addressing the ESPN Women + Sports Summit. (Video, 10:25) [YouTube]

Today’s Number To Know focuses on a former player’s performance against the Hurricanes.

Number To Know

1 — Goal in seven career games for Erik Cole against the Hurricanes. In fact, both of his career points vs. his old team came in the 2011-12 season with the Canadiens: He earned an assist in a 4-0 win in Montreal on Nov. 16, 2011, and notched his lone goal against the Canes on Feb. 13, 2012 — a power play goal in a 5-3 Carolina road win. Both points came against Cam Ward, the expected starter tonight in Dallas. Cole has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 17 games this season and is playing a shade under 13 minutes per night.

Cole, Carolina’s third-round pick in 1998, spent the majority of his career with the Hurricanes in two stints but also has played in Edmonton, Montreal and now Dallas. He has never scored against the Canes in RBC/PNC Arena — Dallas will make its lone trip to Raleigh on March 12.

Stars captain Jamie Benn hadn't scored in eleven games coming into Dallas' game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. It's safe to say that drought was enormous for the talented winger. So when he scored on the first shot of the game, the proverbial monkey was lifted from his back.

Literally; linemate Tyler Seguin grabbed that invisible monkey and tossed it aside right after the goal.

Oh, you two. Always monkeying around.

Carolina scores five straight goals and holds on in Dallas

The Carolina Hurricanes fell behind 2-0 in the first period, but then scored five consecutive goals and held on to beat the Dallas Stars, 6-4 on Tuesday night at the America Airlines Center.

Eric Staal had two goals and an assist and was named player of the game by his teammates.

The Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period on just six shots as Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin lit the lamp for the home team.  Benn's goal came just 1:48 into the game.

The Hurricanes, who had the worst road record in the league before this game at 1-6-2, poured it on in the second period with four goals.

Jeff Skinner got things started as he squeezed a perfect shot past goalie Kari Lehtonen.

Patrick Dwyer scored his first of the season when he took a loose puck that John-Michael Liles had knocked away and beat Lehtonen with a backhander, then Victor Rask scored during a powerplay to make it 3-2.

Next, Jiri Tlusty tipped an Elias Lindholm shot to make it 4-2 and the Canes enjoyed a nice turnaround during the second intermission.  Having allowed four goals on 16 shots, Lehtonen was relieved of his duties and Anders Lindback took his spot.

But to start out the third period, Staal took a pass from Justin Faulk and broke in on the Dallas net.  Lindback made the initial save, but the captain knocked in the rebound to give the visitors a 5-2 lead.  The goal came just nine seconds into the period.

But Dallas was not done.  They started to put on intense pressure in the Carolina zone and would score twice to make the score 5-4 on goals by Seguin and Eakin.

But Staal attacked the net again when Riley Nash made a really nice play as he stole the puck at center ice.  Nash was able to get a nifty pass by the defenseman and Staal beat Lindback five-hole to seal the game.

The captain almost had a hat-trick but missed an open net late in the game.

The win put an end to a three game losing streak for the Canes and no doubt will lighten the mood as they continue on their road trip.  Next up will be the Kings on Thursday night.

Game Notes:

• While Cam Ward's numbers were not great, (four goals allowed on 27 shots), he made a few tough saves later in the game.  He also stood his ground and kept his composure as things got tight in the third period.
• It's the first game since February, 2012 that the Canes scored five straight goals.
• Carolina dominated in the circle winning 62% of the game's faceoffs.  Staal won 68% (15 of 22) to lead the way.  (Lindholm won 80% on just five draws.)
• The Stars outshot the Canes 27-25.  Staal and Skinner were tied with a team high four shots each.
• Faulk played a team high 25:44 with Sekera right behind.
• Event summary stat sheet
• Bill Peters post game presser

A long term injury to Valeri Nichushkin leaves Dallas' offense a jumble of pieces. The Stars' big challenge is forging those pieces into two coherent offensive units.

Dallas' brief bursts of competence this season were built on the backs of the Three Amigos. Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn represent three of the Stars' most potent offensive weapons, and as early season injuries (Val Nichushkin) and poor form (Ales Hemsky) struck, they also represented Dallas' best shot at staying competitive. It was an inelegant solution – the overload always is – and one destined to be short-lived. The trio would be, we all assumed, broken up just as soon as Big Val's troublesome hip ailment calmed down. Only it didn't. Now surgery is the word, and Dallas' young Russian faces four months on the sidelines.

With points precious, four months is far too long to fix this thing with duct tape. Coach Lindy Ruff is going to have to find real solutions to Dallas' ongoing offensive woes. It started last night. Against the Hurricanes Ruff shuffled his deck, and honestly, it worked. Benn broke his scoreless streak, Eakin had a couple of points, and Spezza's line looked dangerous for much of the night. Remember, we're not talking about timely goaltending or defensive solidity at the moment.

Ultimately, only a part of the answer is piecemeal contributions from the bottom of the lineup. Given their persistent defensive issues, the Dallas Stars desperately need to cobble together a legitimate second scoring line. To do that, they’ll need at least one of the groups below to step up.

The Vets

The old hands, both big on pedigree, Erik Cole and Ales Hemsky have been long on promise, but so far short on results. To say they need to get it going is nothing new, and most likely, Hemsky was going to get his chance no matter what. Nichushkin's injury makes certain of that, and is likely to ensure Cole remains in the top six conversation as well. Furthermore, there’s some reason to believe the move will work.

Just watch Hemsky a little bit. He's clearly creative, motivated, and highly skilled. He also likely leads the Stars in Close-Not-Quite with 32 shots, many of which are of the high quality variety. His cranium crasher against Cam Ward last night was textbook scuffling. Keep getting chances like that, they’ll start to go in. For those of you that prefer harder metrics, the Stars are shooting just 4.7% with Hemsky on the ice, and his personal PDO is just 92.7%. That’s bad luck, and even a little regression could lead quickly into a hot streak.

Speaking of streaks, what about Erik Cole? He checks the hustle box, and did have a torrid stretch last season (8 goals in 14 games). He’s still beating defenders wide and battling his way to the net. Could a prolonged look alongside a skilled center kick the veteran into gear? Oh what the Stars wouldn't give for another run right about now.

The Pitbulls

We asked (or at least I did) earlier this season if Ryan Garbutt and Antoine Roussel might struggle to settle into life as Dallas’ dedicated grind line. Not because they lacked the skill, but because each has demonstrated at least some ability to put the puck into the back of the net. Could Roussel and Garbutt, the question went, prioritize nullifying the other team’s top line?

To date, Roussel and Garbutt have contributed eight goals and ten assists. The pair get pucks to the net (63 SOG), and both hit double digit goals last season. Is it completely insane to think of how the pair might look to either side of a playmaking center like Jason Spezza, or how much space they could clear for Seguin? Maybe the answer to Dallas’ scoring woes is taking the leash off, so to speak.

The Kids

The reigning AHL Rookie of the Year got himself going against the Chicago Blackhawks (for all the good it did), but has otherwise been an offensive non-factor so far this season. All jam and net-drive, conventional thinking has him as a very good compliment to a playmaker like Spezza or Hemsky. Just get to the net, you'd say, and keep your twig on the ice. He's also a physical player (23 hits) which might make him a candidate if Cole can't find his form.

If that particular kid can't cut it, there's another prospect on Stars fan's minds: Brett Ritchie. The burly young winger was a big part of Texas' Calder Cup run last season. Yes, he’s started slowly this year (3 goals and 7 points), but Ritchie has the pedigree of a serious offensive threat (76 points in 53 games his final season in the OHL). He's going to be in Dallas at some point, the only question is when.

The Ginga Ninja

Eakin is hurting right now, but made it back in the lineup last week. Originally expected to anchor an aggressive checking unit, it looks like young Cody is going to get a shot between Benn and Seguin. That's a big-time role change, and one night in, it seemed like a good fit. Seguin scored twice, Benn broke his 11 game goal drought, and Eakin himself chipped in a goal and an assist. As his upper body gets right, this move could have the further benefit of throwing a strong faceoff specialist onto Dallas’ first unit.

There are a few other options. Colton Sceviour could get healthy, Vernon Fiddler could go on a run, or Shawn Horcoff, but none seem as likely in the long term as those above. The good news is that there’s still talent on the roster, and in the AHL. It seems like the challenge is finding the right fits, rather than swapping out pieces. The only bad news? None of the above play defense.

The Carolina Hurricanes scored four second-period goals to seize control in Dallas and top the Stars, 6-4, to win the first game of their five-game road trip.

Eric Staal put the icing on the Hurricanes’ four-goal second period with two third-period goals of his own, pushing Carolina to a 6-4 win in Dallas.

Three Observations

1. The Stars have made a point of giving up leads this season (they've won just 42.9 percent of the games they've led after one period, and only half of the games when leading after two), so it wasn't a surprise to see the Hurricanes rally on them. But it was nice to see Carolina have their biggest period of the season by scoring four goals in the second period. Most encouraging was they did it several different ways: a snipe from natural goal scorer Jeff Skinner; a partial breakaway and finish by fourth-liner Patrick Dwyer; a power play tally from point man Victor Rask; and a typical in-front deflection by Jiri Tlusty. That the Hurricanes showed a couple different ways to score should boost confidence up and down the lineup.

2. Alexander Semin was a non-factor in his return from injury, finishing with three shot attempts and was not part of coach Bill Peters’ rotation of forwards down the stretch. He was one of only three forwards not to record a point on the night (Chris Terry and Zach Boychuk were the others), keeping him at five assists and no goals through 14 games played.

3. For all the praise Jay McClement, Riley Nash and Rask have received for their faceoff acumen this season, a quick look at the stats reveals that Staal is the team’s second-best player on the draw behind the always-good McClement. Staal has won 54.3 percent of his 245 faceoffs, ranking him 23rd in the league. Just a few years ago, Staal was among the worst faceoff men in the league, but he has improved tremendously in recent years. He is nearly at 60 percent on power play faceoffs (25 of 42) and has been equally good at home and on the road.

Number To Know

0 — Penalty minutes for Nash (18 games), Ron Hainsey (17), Boychuk (16) and John-Michael Liles (12). As a team, the Hurricanes average 8.3 penalty minutes per game, the fourth fewest in the NHL through Tuesday’s games.

Plus

Eric Staal — The captain scored twice in the third period to put the game away, plus assisted on Jiri Tlusty’s goal that chased Kari Lehtonen in the second period. Peters has been relying on his top player more, playing him 20-plus minutes each of the last two games (20:52 last night, 21:07 vs. San Jose). Other than the season opener against the Islanders, Staal hadn't played more than 20 minutes in a game except for two overtime contests.

Minus

Tim Gleason— Gleason was praised by Hurricanes TV play-by-play announcer Tripp Tracy for agreeing to fight Dallas’ Antoine Rousel after Carolina pushed the lead to 4-2 in the second period, citing "The Code" (without ever saying the actual words). But even thought the fight lasted only seconds — Gleason rag-dolled Roussel to the ice — it seemed to ignite the Stars from their second-period funk. There is still a time and place for fighting, but doing it just so you can maybe you can do it to try and ignite your team down the road isn't a wise choice.

Can the Canes sweep the Champs? A late night game will decide it.

Carolina Hurricanes at Los Angeles Kings
November 20, 2014 - 10:30 pm ET
Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Jewels From The Crown

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• So the Canes beat the Kings at PNC Arena just a couple of weeks ago, and they'll get an opportunity to sweep the defending Stanley Cup champs tonight.
• Since the teams last met, the Canes have gone 4-3-1 and come into tonight's game off a solid 6-4 win in Dallas Tuesday night with a fireman's hat performance by captain Eric Staal. After being shut out on Sunday, twelve different players logged points in Tuesday's win.
• Alexander Semin was not one of the twelve players to log a point in Tuesday's game, so he remains perpetually stuck at 499 career NHL points.
• The Canes practiced yesterday in L.A. with the same lines that started Tuesday's game. Coach Bill Peters reported that Jay Harrison may be able to return to the line-up. Cam Ward will get the call again in net.
• The Kings kind of limped in to the game on November 2nd, in the midst of a winless road trip and with star forwards Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar just returning from injuries. Since that game they are 4-1-2 and have won two straight as they wrap up a four-game home stand. But perhaps more importantly, they've picked up secret weapon Jamie McBain.
• Though shut out in Raleigh, That 70's Line of Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter, and Tyler Toffoli has combined for 22 goals, and Toffoli leads the team with eight goals and 18 points.
• Alec Martinez, who along with Mike Richards tallied the two goals against the Canes on November 2nd, has been out of the line-up with a finger injury. He skated prior to the team practice yesterday and could be cleared to return to the line-up tonight.
• The Kings are averaging three goals per game during the month of November and have scored five goals in three out of their last five games. In case you're interested, Brayden McNabb, Andy Andreoff, Jordan Nolan, and the aforementioned McBain have not scored a goal for the Kings this season.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Tuesday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR broken fibula)

Kings (from Wednesday's practice)

Injuries and Scratches: Alec Martinez (finger), Slava Voynov (suspended)

The broadcast is back on the regular Fox Sports Carolinas stations tonight. Note the very late start. Temps should be around freezing in Raleigh by game time, so pour yourself a hot toddy and join the game thread around 10 pm. See you there.

He is short

The Carolina Hurricanes are boring and I don't want to talk about them.

Instead I am going to discuss this weird reoccurring dream I have. I am at a get together involving people I only vaguely remember and Peter Dinklage is there. He is dressed normally, and isn't in Tyrion from Game of Thrones mode. He's just hanging out. I go up to him, and this happens every time, and I begin singing the Game of Thrones' theme song where it's just his name. Uh, just click here. It's easier than trying to explain it if you have never heard it.

Anyways, Peter Dinklage doesn't like me singing his name at him, which is understandable I suppose. The song is kind of annoying,  and I really suck at singing. Yes, even in a dream, my singing is garbage. Moving on, Peter Dinklage gets angry at me and tells me to fuck off. I ask if he has a little attitude, and about 90% of the dream from here on is just my brain firing off bad, mean jokes about little people. Like, "Do you want to start a little something?" and, "I'm not going to hit you. Who do you think I am? Adrian Peterson?" (Because making fun of child abused AND little people is something I dream about apparently). In the end, Peter Dinklage proceeds to try and fight me, and I typically wake up after he inevitably starts winning our tussle. I can't get back to sleep afterwards, and am getting really awful rest lately since I have had this same dream four times now over the past week. I wonder what it means.

I asked Stace since she is a certified psychologist or something. She said I had homosexual feelings towards my dad, which is really gross and I question her degree. Jer, who claims to be a sociologist, says I internalize structural, systemic biases against short people in our culture. This may be true, since I am fairly tall and hate everyone that isn't me. As for me, I think it means that I see these other sunbelt hockey teams as short little twerps, who I usually insult (poorly), and then they make me feel lousy.

In closing, I am going to be very glad when the southeastern teams are done playing against the Kings.

The weird lines Darryl Sutter put together sort of worked I guess. Only if you count goals being scored by Matt Greene and Robyn Regehr though. Trevor Lewis didn't look awful on the top line (shocking), Dwight King looked more like his old self (reassuring), and the fourth line of Brown/Richards/Clifford was pretty effective (thankfully,since that's twelve million a year on that line). The Kings did roll a pretty effective four lines. Sutter has been talking about scratching Tanner Pearson, however. When he's not scoring with every other shot he takes, it means he sucks and should feel bad, I guess. So expect Nolan in, and everyone to complain.

Prediction: Nolan plays, Pearson sits, everyone complains, and the Kings lose 4 to 1. Goal by Toffoli.

GM Ron Francis made his first dip into the waiver wire Thursday, claiming Detroit forward Andrej Nestrasil.

The Carolina Hurricanes have said they want their forward corps to get bigger, and GM Ron Francis looked to a player his new coach knows well to start doing it.

The Hurricanes claimed forward Andrej Nestrasil off waivers from Detroit Thursday, adding a 6-3, 200-pound player that the Red Wings tried to slide back to the AHL to make room for Stephen Weiss. He will join the Hurricanes for their road trip.

Nestrasil, a native of the Czech Republic who played his junior hockey in the QMJHL, was picked 75th overall by Detroit in the 2009 draft and spent time with the team’s AHL and ECHL affiliates the past two seasons before earning a roster spot with Detroit to start 2014-15.

Mike Babcock told MLive.com’s Ansar Khan that Nestrasil needed more development time, which is why the team opted to send him through waivers instead of reassigning Tomas Jurco (could go down without waivers) or past-his-prime Daniel Cleary.

"He needs to play in the American Hockey League," Babcock told Khan. "He's not quite ready for this level. Maybe one day he'll play. His pace was good at the start but you know the league changes. ... I don't know how a kid like that grows playing no minutes and sitting in the crowd."

Nestrasil was prepared to be claimed, telling Khan, "I really don't know what the best option would be for me.This is the organization I would love to play for, but if someone else claims me then I would be happy to go somewhere else."

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, more than one team put a claim in for the 23-year-old winger. But coming to Carolina — whose low spot in the NHL standings gave them waiver priority over all but a couple teams — might be the next best thing for Nestrasil, who will see a familiar face running the show in new coach and former Babcock assistant Bill Peters.

Nestrasil may remind some of former Hurricanes center Josef Vasicek: while big, he's not overly physical, but he uses his body to shield the puck and has good enough hands to score in the NHL. He had two assists in 13 games (11:03 TOI) with Detroit this season, and had 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 70 games with the team's AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids last year. Outside of Peters, Nestrasil has few links to the Canes, but did play a season of junior hockey with Prince Edward Island alongside former Hurricanes draft picks Philippe Paradis (first round, 27th overall in 2009) and Samuel Morneau (seventh round, 195th overall in 2008).

Nestrasil, who earns $550,000 on a two-way deal this season ($82,500 in the AHL) will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Here is the release from the team:

HURRICANES CLAIM ANDREJ NESTRASIL ON WAIVERS
Czech forward made NHL debut with Detroit on Oct. 9

RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has claimed forward Andrej Nestrasil (ahn-DRAY NEHS-tra-shihl) on waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. Nestrasil will join the Hurricanes on their current road swing which continues tonight at Los Angeles.

"Andrej is a young player with good size who we feel can contribute to our group of forwards," said Francis. "He has improved in each of his pro seasons and took a big step last year with Grand Rapids."

Nestrasil, 23, made his NHL debut in Detroit’s season opener on Oct. 9, and has earned two assists in 13 games with the Red Wings this season. The Prague, Czech Republic, native spent all of the 2013-14 season with Detroit’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, notching 16 goals and earning 20 assists (36 points) in 70 regular-season games. Nestrasil ranked tied for fourth in scoring among Griffins skaters in the postseason with six points (4g, 2a) in Grand Rapids’ 10 Calder Cup playoff games.

The Red Wings drafted Nestrasil (6’3", 200 lbs.) in the third round, 75th overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft. Since turning professional in 2011-12, he has scored 22 goals and earned 24 assists (46 points) in 120 AHL regular-season games, and captured the AHL’s Calder Cup championship with the Griffins in 2013. Nestrasil also has played in 91 regular-season games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, totaling 18 goals and 52 assists in those contests. Prior to turning professional, he played three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Victoriaville and P.E.I. Nestrasil represented his native Czech Republic at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship, as well as the 2010 and 2011 World Junior Championship.