The Bolts' variety of talented lines, Jordan Staal returns, beautiful ugly Christmas sweaters, Pierre McGuire doing Pierre McGuire things, and more to start off your week in this edition of Quick Strikes.

• The Lightning’s deadly second line - Palat/Johnson/Kucherov - has continually received positive praise around the league. TSN is deeming them as the "Super Sophs". [TSN]
• Lightning beat writer Bryan Burns coined Jon Cooper's recently made line of Killorn/Filppula/Callahan as "The KFC Line". He’s also listed three things we’ve learned after Ben Bishop’s return Saturday night. [Tampa Bay Lightning]
• Playtime may be over for Martin Brodeur. The St. Louis Blues announced yesterday that starting goaltender Brian Elliott has been medically cleared to play again. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
• Dion Phaneuf was a little antsy in yesterday’s game against the Florida Panthers and stepped out the penalty box too early. He was sent back to timeout a second later. [SB Nation]
• Later on in the game, Richard Panik suffered an upper-body injury from a questionable hit delivered by Scottie Upshall. [Sportsnet]
• The Carolina Hurricanes’ wait is over. After breaking his right leg over three months ago, Jordan Staal is expected to return to the Canes’ lineup tonight in Raleigh. [News & Observer]
• These special themed ECHL jerseys may be the best ones yet. The Orlando Solar Bears rocked some bright ugly Christmas sweaters on Saturday night. [Twitchy]
• You may be cool, but you’ll never be Pierre McGuire nonchalantly gliding into an interview cool. [Russian Machine Never Breaks]
• Yahoo Sports released its Top 10 Hockey Fan Moments of 2014. There were many heartwarming scenes around the league this year. [Puck Daddy]
• As the number of NHLers with mumps continues to grow, here’s a handy roster and visual to keep track of it all, a.k.a. the Las Vegas Mumps. [reddit]

Jordan Staal is expected to make his season debut tonight, after missing three months with a broken fibula. Plus, the phoblographer takes a turn carrying the Canes Baton.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens
December 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Eyes on the Prize

Fancy Stats

Game Notes

• Jordan Staal is back. I repeat, Jordan Staal is back. Now granted, as of this preview, he hasn't technically been activated from injured reserve, but that's [hopefully] a formality at this point. Per term sources, he's expected to be back in the line-up tonight. After breaking his fibula in a preseason game on September 23rd, Jordan's recovery was projected to take three to four months, and he's on the early side of that window. He first took the ice on December 6th, and began practicing with the team on December 11th. He'll start tonight's game centering brother Eric Staal along with Nathan Gerbe.
• Not to be missed, the Canes should be getting another top six forward back tonight with the return of Jiri Tlusty, who missed seven games with an upper body injury. Despite his absence, Tlusty leads the team in goals (10) and is the only Canes player in double digits. Tlusty will start on a line with Victor Rask and Chris Terry, but after yesterday's practice, head coach Bill Peters said he expected to monitor both returning forwards closely on their ice time and adjust lines fluidly as the game progressed.
• Jay McClement did not practice yesterday, but there was no indication he would be out for tonight's game, so expect him in the line-up. Alexander Semin and Andrej Nestrasil did not practice and are still day-to-day with their injuries.
• With that said, the Canes will ice a different (and hopefully better) line-up than the one that lost to the Canadiens just two weeks ago in Montreal. Jeff Skinner scored the lone goal for the Canes, but otherwise it was the Alex Galchenyuk show as the forward scored his first career hat trick and the Canadiens prevailed for a 4-1 win.
• With all the fanfare around Jordan's return, it's important to note that his older brother, captain Eric Staal, is playing in his 800th career NHL game tonight.
• The Canes come into tonight's game off yet another 2-1 loss, this latest on Saturday night against the Lightning in Tampa. Including overtime and shootouts, the Canes have lost 15 games this season by one goal. Related, in almost half their games played (17 out of 35), they have scored one goal or less.
• The Canadiens have not played since the holiday break, and they've been in Raleigh for a couple of days, practicing at PNC Arena on Saturday and at RCI on Sunday. They won their last two games heading into the break, and start a four-game road swing tonight.
• The Habs have been rather mediocre on the season with a man advantage, 23rd in the league with a 15.3% success rate. They went 0-for-5 against the Canes on December 16th. However, in their last five games they've converted at a 23.5% rate (4-for-17) which would rank them among the league leaders.
• Max Pacioretty leads the Canadiens with 27 points (13g, 14a) and has five points (all assists) in his last four games. Alex Galchenyuk has continued his hot streak since his hat-trick performance against the Canes, with seven points (4g, 3a) in his last four games.
• Former Cane Bryan Allen has been out with an illness but did practice yesterday, though his status for tonight's game remains questionable.
• The Habs' most valuable player is certainly goaltender Carey Price, and he's confirmed to get the start in net tonight. Price is tied for third in the league in wins (19) and is ranked second in total saves (804) and is 10-5-2 lifetime against the Canes with two shutouts and a 2.35 GAA.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Sunday's practice)

Injuries and Scratches: Andrej Nestrasil (IR upper body), Alexander Semin (upper body)

Finally, on a more personal note, I'll be carrying the Canes Baton today. For those unfamiliar, the Canes Baton is a social media project that chronicles a 'day in the life' of a Canes fan on Instagram during home games this season. Check out the Canes Baton on twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates throughout the day, and if you're interested, there are a few open spots available for remaining games, apply on the Canes Baton web page.  Here's my first post. I look forward to sharing my day and hope folks enjoy it. See you at the rink tonight.

Coming out of the holidays, the Habs are looking to put a big two points on the board at a time of year they rarely ever do.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action.

After an holiday break of almost a week, and displaced by the World Junior Hockey Championships, the Habs are on the road in Raleigh this evening. The schedule allows the team to ease back in against one of the East's worst teams, a squad they took down just 12 days ago.

All of time off clearly gave the Montreal braintrust some time to think, as they seem to have devised some further improvements to their line combinations. At Sunday's practice, Nathan Beaulieu was promoted to the second pair alongside Sergei Gonchar, reinforcing his encouraging deployment against the Islanders, when he played the fourth most minutes of all Canadiens rearguards.

Up front, Tomas Plekanec has been given some talent to work with, as he was slotted between David Desharnais and P.A. Parenteau. While their styles are not the same at face value, Desharnais showed a willingness to back-check at times during last year's playoffs, and his presence alongside the Czech veteran is unquestionably an improvement over Dale Weise and Brandon Prust, who Pleky was recently saddled with.

With Lars Eller no longer absent, as he was when Montreal last played Carolina, this configuration would seem to make the best use of Montreal's considerable talent. Considering that the Hurricanes are also improving their lineup by returning a big, two-way centre from injury, the timing is excellent.

How to Watch

Start time: 7:00 PM ET
In Quebec and Atlantic Canada (French): RDS
In Quebec and Atlantic Canada (English): Sportsnet East
In the Carolinas: FS-CR
Elsewhere: NHL GameCenter, NHL Center Ice

Tale of the Tape

Know Your Enemy

Since the Canadiens last encountered the 'canes, Carolina has continued their up-and-down adventure of a season. They avenged their loss to the Habs by beating Toronto, but have since lost three of their last four games.

But there is some good news on the horizon. Jordan Staal, a season-long member of Carolina's parade of injured players, will make his season debut against the Habs tonight, adding a much needed reliable veteran to Bill Peters' crew.

The Hurricanes actually have a pair of impressive young players, in Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm, and each played well against Montreal a couple of weeks back. Eric Staal and Alex Semin (still injured) give the team the requisite top of the line-up forward talent. It has been their lack of depth up front, amongst other problems, that has undermined their efforts so far. Staal is far from solving the problem, but his versatile game will make Montreal's task more difficult this evening.

Last Time Out

When the Habs and Hurricanes last met, the game came on the heels of a long-awaited line-up shake-up by Michel Therrien. Therrien's decision paid off in spades, as Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty, and Brendan Gallagher collaborated to earn #27 a hat-trick.

The game also marked a fine performance from David Desharnais, who had been struggling previously. A patient and skillful play by the Canadiens centreman led to a tap-in goal for Brandon Prust, and was the first Habs strike in what would be a 4-1 win.

The uptick in productivity has continued in the games that have followed. The Habs' first line of 67-27-11 has combined for eight points in their last three games, and has often looked dominant. After going 52 games without an even strength goal, David Desharnais has three in his last five games.

MT still has a ways to go, especially with regards to tactics, but recent lineup decisions have been nothing but positive. With a week off to prepare to close their year off, and playing one of the league's poorest teams, the Habs should be positioned for a win. Tonight, we'll find out if the coaching staff has them ready to go.

Jordan Staal returns to the Hurricanes to give them some punch upfront, Plekanec finds a new winger, and Beaulieu and Gonchar team up on the back end tonight in Raleigh.

The Hurricanes get some semblance of a big line tonight with the return of Jordan Staal to the line-up. Staal joins his brother Eric and former Sabre Nathan Gerbe on the top line giving the Sabres a legitimate offensive force something the Canes have lacked this year. Jordan Staal has missed the entirety of the season to this point and Alexander Semin and Jiri Tlusty have been in out of the lineup with injuries so Carolina really hasn't had some of its bigger weapons available on a nightly basis.

It looks like Nathan Beaulieu will be skating alongside Sergei Gonchar on the back end giving the Canadiens a nice rookie-veteran second pairing like Subban-Markov lite. David Desharnais will skate on Plekanec's left side with PA Parenteau on his right. Lars Eller will centre Jiri Sekac and Brandon Prust and Malhotra will be between Andrighetto and Weise.

Carey Price will face off against Cam Ward in nets.

Jiri Tlusty also makes his return tonight giving the Canes some punch and experience in their bottom six. Eric Staal plays in his 800th game for the franchise joining only two others at that plateau. Can you name the other two former Whalers/Hurricanes on that list?

Puck drop is at 7:00 PM ET (8 PM in Newfoundland). You can watch:

In Canada (English): Sportsnet-East
In Canada (French): RDS
In the Canes' Region:FS-CR
Elsewhere: NHL Center Ice or NHL Gamecenter Live

Scratched: Michael Bournival, Mike Weaver, Bryan Allen,

Here they are, rock you like a Hurricane:

Scratched:Zach Boychuk

Injured: Alexander Semin, Andrej Nestrasil, John-Michael Liles

Check out the opposing side at Canes Country

Follow @Mark_Black

Carolina kept it close, but the Canadiens played a good first game back after the break and extend their winning streak to three games.

It's finally game day! Listening to pre-game streaming on TSN 690 because in this wonderful new season, pretty much half the Habs games are blacked out for the legions of Habs fans west of the centre of the universe. Anyway as soon as Rogers Game Centre picks up the feed about five minutes after everyone else has started watching, the six-day drought of Habs deliciousness will be over. We made it!

Pat Hickey is questioning Michel Therrien about who will be playing goal (I know it's 'whom') and Therrien affirms it will be Carey Price. Therrien, by the way, sounds absolutely exhausted. Always with all the questions, that Hickey. Anyway, yay! Looks like CP again tomorrow.

The lovely Jess Rusnak has the Two Minutes With with Brandon Prust who knows all the Kardashian names. I just heard them, and I've already forgotten them. Uh, hello, Prust's teammates, you have to use that ammo at the opportune time.

It's now 4:03, and all I'm seeing is the NHL logo. This moment always brings me agita. 4:04. I feel like when they blacked out the final scene of the Sopranos. Okay, 4:07. I'm no longer cute, and this is no longer funny.

OK! Here we go boys, here we go!

First Period

• Well, the Habs certainly ended first-shot-on-goal watch very quickly. Three shots in less than a minute and a half, actually. I know it's just the Hurricanes, but I hate saying "just the Hurricanes" because jinxes.
• Jordan Staal's head size rivals only that of Chad Kroeger's. I don't know, maybe discuss it in the comments.
• Prust and Malone drop the gloves. Malone grabbed his nose, playing "got your nose!" That was a very weird moment.
• I wonder if Malone said something about the Kardashians.
• Carey Price is pretty remarkable. That's all I'll say there. OK no I'll say more because there's a break. I thing Habs fans are the luckiest fans in the league. Oh my god.
• It's taken another 10 minutes to get four more shots. Enough with the back and forthing already.
• What's Hainsey's nickname? He already has an "ey" at the end of his name. These are things I think about.
• Aaaaand the first goal was immediately waved off. I would like to see that replay if you don't mind. Hmm. I wonder if that would be a goal for "anyone but Brendan Gallagher." I'm going with YES. At intermission it was cool to see that Therrien had a few words for the official.

Second Period

• Carey Price saving Alexei Emelin's bacon. Well, your goalie does have to be your best player.
• First penalty kill of the game. Lame tripping call. Carolina's powerplay is 18th?
• And it's over and SEKAC SCORES! Wheeeee!
• This isn't the right platform to discuss Jiri Sekac's genetic blessings other than his athletic ability, right? Just checking. Well, the kid can sure play (and he's damn good looking).
• Carolina really turning it on and cannot score but I'm starting to get nervous. This flurry also marks the first time I've heard the crowd tonight.
• How long was that puck just sitting alone next to Carey's net? Again with the agita.
• I do really love when those end-of-period goals go in FOR THE GOOD GUYS. 2-0, good guys! Lars Eller went into a celebration that ended with him going, "Oops, opposing building."

Third Period

• Sportsnet commentators playing, "This would be such a different hockey game right now if." Why, yes. And if my aunt had wheels, she'd be a trolley bus.
• Hi refs, can we stop gifting these powerplays to the Hurricanes? Christmas is so last week.
• Carey is pissed, and I don't blame him. No automatic waving off of the goal this time, eh? Course not.
• 2-1, good guys. By this measure, it should be 3-1.
• Well, at least the crowd woke up and it feels like I'm watching a hockey game again.
• One thing I can say about David Desharnais - the guy's effort level is 100%.
• Oh, hello, Gerbe. It's the NHL calling. Dumbass.
• Powerplay for the visitors ... let's do this.
• Or not. whatever. I just want this over now.
• Chantal Desjardins usually sounds rather unsure. Just an observation.
• Price's saves on Nash almost look deliberately annoying. I LOVE CAREY PRICE.
• Why is Carolina trying to run down the clock, and oy with the icing. Interesting strategy with two minutes left.
• And our knight and hero, Max Pacioretty, scores a nifty, pretty goal into the empty net. Exhale!
• Final score: Canadiens 3, Hurricanes 1.

Highlights are on their way...

Canes lose another tight one at the PNC

Jordan Staal made his long-awaited return to action.  Jiri Tlusty and his team-leading 10 goals was back in the lineup.  The Carolina Hurricanes finally had some positives going into this game and started out with more energy but it turned out to be a familiar result as the Montreal Canadiens defeated them, 3-1 on Monday night in front of 17,123 at PNC Arena.

After a scoreless and pretty evenly played first period, Montreal took the lead on a nice play by Jiri Sekac about 6:45 into the second. The winger had just left the penalty box and took a loose puck into the Carolina zone, skated around a bit, then lifted a backhander past Cam Ward to make it 1-0, visitors.

The score stayed that way until late in the period when the Hurricanes had trouble getting the puck out of their zone.  Lars Eller made them pay with a perfect shot from the slot to make it 2-0, with just 1:15 left in the second.

The Canes came on strong in the third and finally scored when Eric Staal knocked in a rebound during a powerplay opportunity.  Staal had drawn a penalty against P.K. Subban and then drove the net during the man advantage.  Tlusty was in the crease and helped keep the puck loose and away from Carey Price, who had robbed Riley Nash twice and other Canes earlier in the game.  Staal then rammed home the puck from in close to get the Canes back into the game, making the score 2-1.

The comeback was not meant to be though as Price made one save after another to seal the win.  The Canes outshot the Canadiens 13-4 in that period and 29-19 for the game.

The Habs are now 13-0-0 when scoring first in a game this season.

Late in the game, things got chippy as Eric Staal went down after a hit by Andrei Markov and Subban took out Jordan Staal on a dangerous play from behind.  The Montreal defenseman looked to be reaching for the puck but dove and crashed into Staal's legs.  The younger Staal made it off the ice but had to be examined by a team physician after the game.  Bill Peters said that he appeared to be okay after being checked out.

In the postgame interviews, the same old things were said.  The players need to crash the net and make life harder for the opposing goalies but this team is not accomplishing what they say they need to do.  They have scored just 10 goals in their last 10 losses, have just two wins in their last 12 games, and they have now won just six of their last 22.

Things don't get easier as they next face the Penguins in Pittsburgh on New Year's Eve.

Game Notes:

• Jordan Staal played 19:01 in this game, right about where Bill Peters wanted him to be.  He finished with an assist, two shots, three hits and won 60% in the circle. 
  
• Andrej Sekera had a team high 22:29 of ice time.  Justin Faulk was right behind. 
  
• Eric Staal's goal was his eighth of the season, in what was his 800th game played in the NHL. 
  
• Brad Malone dropped the gloves with Brandon Prust early in this affair and it was quite a long bout filled with haymakers.  The fight got the large crowd into the game early.  Malone finished with a team low 7:21 of ice time.
• Cam Ward played well but allowed two goals on 18 shots while counterpart, Price was named player of the game with his 28 saves on 29 shots.
• Eric Staal led the way with five shots on goal.  Jeff Skinner, Tlusty, and Nash were next with four each.

Carey Price saves the day for Montreal. This is a recording.

It wasn't a pretty win. The Canadiens secured two points, but they took an extremely bumpy road to get there. As per usual, Carey Price acted as Montreal's shock absorber, a role he's played ad nauseam this season.  Before we get to what happened, it's important to remember that Carolina resides in the basement of the NHL's standings for a reason; they can't generate offense.

Image credit: Check hockeystats.ca for more detailed information

If there was one team during the season that Carey Price should be able to circle on his calendar as a relatively easy night, it might be Carolina. That definitely wasn't the case last night, as Price was forced to make 28 saves, to earn his 20th win of the season.

Jiri Sekac got the Habs off to a good start, thanks to a fantastic individual effort, which evoked visions of Gustav Nyqvist. The backhand effort gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead, although for some reason it didn't translate into an increase of ice time for the skilled winger, who ended up with slightly more ice time than Dale Weise.

The rest of the period was the Carey Price show, as he repeatedly robbed the Hurricanes on great scoring chances. Riley Nash, in particular, was robbed at least four times by the Habs' MVP in the first frame alone. The Hurricanes were gifted at least three odd-man rushes during the period, but they failed to beat Price on any of their golden opportunities.

Lars Eller doubled up the Canadiens' lead late in the second period, due to a nice pinch by Sergei Gonchar, who's proving to Habs fans that he still has some gas left in the tank. The Gonchar pinch gave Dale Weise plenty of time to find a wide open Lars Eller, who put home his eight goal of the year. The goal was Montreal's 21,000th in franchise history.

The Canes carried the play for the rest of the game, however their efforts only earned them one goal. It came early in the second period, from the stick of Eric Staal. Staal capitalized on a rare rebound from Price, taking advantage of some interference on the play to reach the puck first.

A late empty-net goal by Max Pacioretty, his 10th third period goal of the year, would seal the deal for the Habs.

Montreal hung on, but their strategy of sitting back and allowing Price to save the day continues to raise the collective blood pressure of Habs fans worldwide. If the Habs were a band, they'd be called 'Carey Price and some other guys too."

Price, who had a somewhat slow start to the year, is now second in terms of save percentage (.928) among all NHL goalies that have played 20+ games, trailing only Pekka Rinne (.935). This was was the seventh-straight game that Montreal allowed two or fewer goals, and anyone who's watched the games can tell you it's not due to staunch defense.

Montreal put up 19 shots against the Canes, which was the eighth time this season they've managed twenty shots or less. It was the 14th time they've put up 25 shots or less. You get the idea. Carey Price is Montreal's MVP, there's no doubt about it. Can he continue his ridiculous level of play throughout the year? The Canadiens had better hope so, because without him they'd be looking at a very good draft pick come summer.

This year's motto is definitely 'Carey Price or bust'.

Follow @Dr_Habs

Faut regarder le processus, pas juste le résultat...

En surface, on regarde ça et on voit un autre match emmerdant gagné sur le dos de Price. C'est bien vrai, mais ça n'est heureusement pas tout. Les choses bougent dans l'alignement et bougent aussi tactiquement, je crois.

Sur le plan tactique, ça paraissait moins ce soir, les deux équipes manquant manifestement de structure. Mais je pense que depuis le match contre Chicago au début du mois de décembre, on fait chez le CH un effort manifeste pour ne pas toujours laisser, en relance d'attaque à partir de la zone défensive, les deux défenseurs seuls comme des chiens battus pas de niche. C'est irrégulier et, contre les 'Canes, les vieilles habitudes étaient totalement actives. Mais globalement, faut savoir que depuis le match contre Chicago, le CH génère 4,75 dégagements refusés par match, contre 6,35 au cours des deux premiers mois de la saison. C'est quand même un progrès. Reste à voir si ça va continuer où si ça n'était qu'une embellie passagère (les derniers matchs, contre les Islanders et ce soir contre les 'Canes ne sont pas terriblement encourageants, faut bien le dire).

Mais bon, je regardais les Kings crever les Sharks comme des gorets l'autre soir, et je regarde le CH ne pas même coller une foutue chance en 3e... On est loin du compte, on s'entend. Ça mérite d'être répété: quand bien même tu arrives à la fin du match et que tu n'as pas trop donné de chances, le fait est que c'est bien le quart des buts (je ne suis pas certain, je lance ça en l'air) qui ne sont pas de vraies chances, mais simplement des pucks qui flottent à travers le traffic. Si tu perd la bataille du temps de possession, c'est tout ces floaters que tu concèdes à l'adversaire. Au bout du compte, ça fait une différence.

Bref, je suis le premier à aimer accrocher le grelot du système de jeu, mais pour ce soir, je pense qu'on doit regarder ailleurs et qu'on doit accepter d'être optimiste. Pour ce qui est de l'alignement, de haut en bas, ça se résume à une chose: on a beaucoup brassé la soupe et maintenant, on doit regarder tout ça mijoter. C'est prometteur.

• L'excitation des débuts est passée et les pourcentages prennent leur livre de chair dans la région du coeur. Ajouté à la réalité d'un premier trio de la LNH (avoir deux Staal dans la face pour la moitié de la soirée et le meilleur duo défensif adverse pour 70% de la game, genre) et un retour un peu rouillé de vacances, le trio de Galchenyuk a fini un peu en dessous de la ligne un peu partout. On entre dans la phase vraiment intéressante: l'adrénaline tombée, reste à livrer la marchandise soir après soir. On regarde et on attend de voir s'ils remontent en haut de la ligne au fil des matchs.
• Pleks, Parenteau et Desharnais m'ont semblé plus médiocres, plus vulnérables que ce que les chiffres nous disent et c'est pourquoi les fameux chiffres sont importants. L'important ici, c'est Desharnais, bien entendu. Il semble lent et c'est selon moi un signe d'une adaptation nécessairement difficile. DD n'a jamais été rapide, mais a toujours été un joueur "rapide" parce qu'il utilise sa lecture du jeu pour partir à fond de train vers où il doit être, une fraction de seconde avant les autres. Il n'a pas cette fraction de seconde à l'heure actuelle, mais ça va reviendre, comme on dit dans les facultés. Pour Therrien, c'est simplement une question de lui trouver une place où il pourra prendre ses marques. À l'aile de Pleks est, pas mal, le meilleur endroit. Alors voilà. On regarde et on attend qu'il retrouve son step.
• Eller, Prust et Sekac sont la seule quantité connue et appréciée des quatre trios. Un peu plombés ce soir (Eller est encore tout croche et Prust qui se bat, c'est Prust qui ne joue pas), mais ils ont eu quelques bons chiffres au pic et à la pelle le long des bandes en territoire ennemi. C'était chaotique en zone défensive par contre, espérons qu'ils se retrouvent. Le pedigree des trois me porte à croire que ça va se tasser.
• J'aime bien qu'on fasse jouer Andrighetto, ne serait-ce que 5 minutes. Le but, au bout du compte, est de savoir ce qu'il peut faire dans la LNH et pour ça, ben faut qu'il joue, ne serait-ce qu'un peu. Weise est un peu de côté lui aussi, mais il est à sa place. Curieux joueur, de toute évidence un plombier, mais qui sort de loin en loin de fort jolies touches de rondelles, dont celle sur le but d'Eller était un exemple étincelant. Sur une 4e ligne, avec un rôle de renfort défensif/physique, même si je ne l'aime pas particulièrement comme joueur défensif, il est parfait. Reste Malhotra. Avec Eller et Pleks, il est selon moi inutile et on devrait donner son job à Bournival, question de voir si le #49 peut jouer le rôle de centre de 4e ligne. Parce que Malhotra, outre les mises gagnées, n'est juste pas très bon. Voilà, c'est dit.
• Subban et Markov étaient en embuscade contre les Staal au cours des deux premières périodes. C'était un peu tout croche mais ça a tenu à peu près. En troisième, Therrien les a envoyés le plus souvent possible.
• Beaulieu et Gonchar étaient clairement le deuxième duo au cours des deux premières périodes. Envoyés contre les Staal absents Subban/Markov, ils ont été le tandem le plus utilisé pendant cette partie du match. Malheureusement, ils ont cassé grave en 3e: +0/-8 aux tirs, +0/-2 aux chances en moins de 3 minutes. Therrien les a cachés et s'est retourné vers Emelin et Gilbert. Pas grave. Si Beaulieu s'affirme comme il le fait aux côtés de Gonchar au cours des prochaines semaines (oui, semaines, 5 matchs ce n’est pas suffisant), c'est une grosse marche de montée. Et il n'est pas encore rendu à 50 matchs dans la LNH, imaginez...
• Emelin et Gilbert ont eu l'air tout croches à quelques reprises, mais n'ont rien donné aux Hurricanes en 3e. C'est 190 milliards de millions de fois mieux, comme 3e-barre oblique-2e duo-de-vétérans que Weaver/Allen ou encore Murray/Bouillon, on s'entend là-dessus? Si tant est que ces deux-là se stabilisent, jésus-marie-joseph a-t-on soudainement, enfin, une défensive avec trois duos fonctionnels et à peu près complémentaires? Mon coeur palpite, je ne me puis plus!

Jordan Staal was back, but it didn't make a difference. The Hurricanes continued to struggle to score at even strenth and fell to the Canadiens, 3-1, Monday at PNC Arena.

The Carolina Hurricances got Jordan Staal in the lineup for the first time this season, but the results were no different. Unable to register more than one goal for the 11th time in 12 games, Carolina lost to Montreal, 3-1, Monday at PNC Arena.

Three Observations

1. Eric Staal looked speedy and powerful coming down the wing playing alongside his new center, brother Jordan. The Staals seemed to fit well with both Nathan Gerbe and Elias Lindholm (Lindholm will likely get the nod in the spot in Pittsburgh), and even scored with Jiri Tlusty grouped with them on the power play. The eldest Staal finished with five shots (and nine total shot attempts), which not surprisingly was his most since he last scored (six shots and a goal at Philadelphia).

2. Jeff Skinner received some worthy criticism for his inability to clear the puck late in the first, contributing to Montreal’s second goal. But Skinner was also dangerous in his own right, setting up Riley Nash for a couple golden opportunities and getting a couple chances of his own. Still, the big minus-3 — yes, two were not at all his fault — don't look good in the box score. And, most importantly, all those chances led to exactly zero goals — a prevailing theme this season.

3. The Hurricanes are now a distant last in the Eastern Conference (24 points to Buffalo’s 31) and reside at the forefront of the Connor McDavid/Jack Eichel jackpot-a-thon just 36 games into the season. A 2-7-1 slide has Carolina at 10-22-4, just three points ahead of 7-22-7 Edmonton in the race for last in the NHL. Will Jordan Staal’s return help? Undoubtedly. But no one player (or two: Alexander Semin looks to be close to returning) will erase the team’s core issue: lack of five-on-five scoring.

Number To Know

1 — Number of games it took Jordan Staal to register his first point of the season, an assist on brother Eric's power play goal that wound up being Carolina's only tally of the night. Compare that to fourth liner Brad Malone, who not only has zero points in 26 games this season, but has not been on the ice for a Hurricanes goal this season. No other NHL player has played more than eight games this season and not been on the ice for a goal.

Plus

Jordan Staal — It might be gimmicky, but Staal made a difference Monday. He was physical (three hits), strong in the faceoff circle (60 percent) and even had a Grade-A scoring chance (a redirection in front of Carey Price on the power play) to go along with his assist.

Minus

Brett Bellemore— Bellemore was undressed on Montreal’s first goal, allowing Jiri Sekac— who just came out of the box after serving a minor penalty — to motor around him on his backhand and get off a perfect shot on Cam Ward. He also had a couple of defensive zone turnovers — he wasn't alone ... I'm looking at you both, Skinner and Gerbe — that added to his off night.

Tied for the Checkers' team scoring lead, Murphy returns to the Canes with his offensive touch rediscovered.

Two months plus a day after the Carolina Hurricanes sent Ryan Murphy to the Charlotte Checkers to find his game after a rough start to his NHL season, his exile has ended.

The Canes recalled Murphy from Charlotte on Tuesday afternoon and he will be available for tomorrow night's game in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. At the same time, the team placed John-Michael Liles on injured reserve with what the team is calling an illness that will keep him out for at least another week.

Murphy endured a difficult start to the season with the Canes, only scoring one point in six games while serving as a healthy scratch twice. With the Checkers, though, Murphy rediscovered his offensive ability, leading the Checkers with 17 assists. While he is still looking for his first goal of the season, his 17 points are tied for the Checkers' team lead despite playing eight fewer games than co-leader Chad LaRose.

The release from the team is below.

HURRICANES RECALL RYAN MURPHY FROM CHARLOTTE
Defenseman leads Checkers with 17 assists; Liles placed on injured reserve

Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). Murphy will join Carolina for Wednesday's game at Pittsburgh's CONSOL Energy Center against the Penguins. In addition, defenseman John-Michael Liles has been placed on injured reserve.

Murphy, 21, leads all Checkers skaters this season with 17 assists and seven power-play assists/points, and his 17 points rank tied for first on the team. He is one of eight AHL defensemen to hold a share of his team's scoring lead, and ranks third among AHL blueliners in assists. The Aurora, Ont., native began the season with Carolina, registering one assist in six games before being assigned to Charlotte on Oct. 28. In 58 NHL games with the Hurricanes, Murphy (5'11", 185 lbs.) has notched two goals and earned 11 assists (13 points). Carolina drafted Murphy in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2011 NHL Draft.

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot” seems an appropriate sentiment as the Hurricanes close out 2014 against a familiar rival.

Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins
December 31, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
CONSOL Energy Center - Pittsburgh, PA
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Pensburgh

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• Yes, this is a match-up between the team in first place in the Metro division and the team in last place, but Canes versus Penguins is much more about the rivalries of days gone by and history between the organizations and players, including general managers who each won a Stanley Cup with the opposing team and players who were featured in high-profile trades by those same GMs.
• Tonight's game is the third of four in the season series. The teams split wins in back-to-back home-and-home games over Thanksgiving weekend with the road team prevailing in each.
• Taking a look back to the 4-2 Canes win in Pittsburgh on November 28th, the highlight no doubt was an unbelievable save by Cam Ward on Blake Comeau that made all the 2014 top ten save lists (let's watch that again, shall we?). An honorable mention would go to Sidney Crosby's ten-minute misconduct awarded at the end of the game for mouthing off at the referees. There weren't many lowlights for the Canes, perhaps quick mention of Kris Letang answering Jiri Tlusty just 43 seconds after Tlusty scored the opening goal of the game.
• Looking back to the 3-2 loss in Raleigh on November 29th, the highlight would have to be Nathan Gerbe making his presence known to Simon Depres, then answering Jayson Megna's retaliation with a body slam (let's watch that again, shall we?). The lowlight would have to be John-Michael Liles and Jay Harrison spectating as Robert Bortuzzo waltzed between them for the go-ahead goal.
• The Hurricanes picked up after the Christmas break exactly where they left off, able to score only one goal apiece in losses to the Lightning and Canadiens. For the first time all season, their goals-per-game average has dropped to below two (1.97). Only Buffalo has fewer (1.86) and the gap is narrowing. Through 36 games they have lost twice as many available points (48) as they have earned (24).
• Back in the line-up Monday after missing the first 35 games, Jordan Staal made his presence known with an assist and 60% (15/25) faceoff win rate in 19:01 of ice time. Jordan had a scare at the end of the game after P.K. Subban crashed into his recently-rehabilitated ankle, causing obvious pain at the time, but no damage was done and he returned to practice yesterday. Jiri Tlusty, back after missing seven games, also showed up on the score sheet with an assist.
• Alexander Semin returned to practice yesterday for the first time in over a week, and is close to making a return to the line-up. He traveled to Pittsburgh with the team but will not be in tonight's game. Andrej Nestrasil did not practice or travel. John-Michael Liles also did not travel with the team; he has been placed on IR with an illness. In his place, Ryan Murphy has been recalled from Charlotte and is expected to be in the line-up tonight.
• Cam Ward will get the start in net as confirmed by Bill Peters in his interview after yesterday's practice.
• The Penguins jumped out to an huge early lead in the Metro and Eastern Conference standings, which was fortunate for them since they're now facing some adversity. They have lost their last three games in a row including both games since returning from the Christmas break (to division rival Capitals and Devils).
• There are two reasons for the Penguins recent turn of fortune. First, they have been decimated by illnesses and injuries. Several players have been out of the line-up due to the mumps outbreak, and there are currently TEN players on injured reserve. Three players - Craig Adams, Beau Bennett, and Christain Ehrhoff - practiced yesterday and could be available tonight, more will be known as the day progresses. Goaltender Thomas Greiss returned to practice yesterday after missing four games with the mumps, and is expected to back up Marc-Andre Fleury tonight.
• The second reason is that captain Sidney Crosby is in a slump. After leading the NHL with 23 points (and eight goals) in his first 17 games, he has only scored two goals during his last 15 games. Despite Crosby's decline, he's still in the league's top ten in points and is generating scoring opportunities. Crosby has been lethal against the Canes with 36 points in 28 career games, along with perpetual Canes-killer Evgeni Malkin, who has 29 points in 26 career games. Malkin leads the team with 16 goals, and his 41 points are good enough for fourth place in the league.

Potential line-ups

Hurricanes (from Monday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Andrej Nestrasil (IR upper body), John-Michael Liles (IR illness), Alexander Semin (DTD upper body), Zach Boychuk (healthy)

Injuries: *Craig Adams (IR undisclosed), *Beau Bennett (IR lower body), Blake Comeau (IR upper body), Pascal Dupuis (IR blood clots), Patrick Hornqvist (IR lower body), Zach Sill (IR upper body), Scott Wilson (IR), *Christian Ehrhoff (IR lower body), Olli Maatta (IR upper body), Paul Martin (IR undisclosed), Steve Downie (mumps)

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes locked horns on New Years Eve in PA with the Pens taking a 2-1 win. A recap.

The Pittsburgh Penguins best weapon, the power play, failed them early. It got three chances in the first two periods and failed to score, and as a result the game was tied 1-1 after two periods in a game tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Luckily it wouldn't come back to bite them.

Carolina struck first in the first period, Jiri Tlusty made a nice pass to Eric Staal who found Elias Lindholm in the slot with a lot of room. Lindholm ripped a nice shot by Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pens would answer late in the first when the uninjured Beau Bennett stole a puck off the wall and fed Chris Kunitz. Kunitz put a nice shot by the glove of Cam Ward to tie the game at 1.

So the scoring would stay, but not without the Penguins dominating shots on goal in the second period to the tune of 17-7. Ward was good but so too was Fleury who robbed Tlusty from point blank range late in the stanza. Fleury would again foil a 2-on-1 shot attempt by Jay McClement later in the third period that seemed ticketed for the net and then robbed Lindholm on a mini-breakaway on a Carolina power play.

It would stay tied due to those saves until late in the game. The Pens took a great shift in the offensive zone, changed lines and Bennett fed Brandon Sutter in front of the net for a shot that clipped off defenseman Brett Bellmore and past Ward blocker side.

A few more end of 2014 thoughts on the game:

• Craig Adams was ornery in his first game back- recording 7 official hits. The team as a whole only had 26.
• Bennett too made an impact with his two primary assists, and also had 4 shots on goal (and 7 total shot attempts) getting ample power play time with the second unit. Good to see him back, now the question as always, is how long will he stay.
• No matter what happens in his career, Bryan Rust can at least tell his future grandchildren one day about the time he played a whole game on a line with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Future sentimentalism aside, he wasn't really a fit. Frequent off-sides, poor passes, it's not Rust's fault but the sooner he's out of there, the better. Had a really nice chance just prior to the Sutter goal with a good shot, but it wasn't to be.
  
• The goalies were really the stars of the show. Some great work from Fleury and Ward.
• Kris Letang had an awesome sequence- while short-handed no less, when he took the puck deep in his own zone (kinda bumping off Adams to do so) and racing 150 feet all the way to the net to get a shot on Ward. And ending up crashing into him too as he was defended. Won't see too many defensemen do that short-handed, but then again you won't see very many like Kris Letang.
• Pens basically won with 3 lines, with Jayson Megna (9), Bobby Farnham (7) and Andrew Ebbett (9) all getting just a handful of shifts a period. One would have to think when more players return to health, these will be the guys going back down.

That's it from here, a merry 2015 to you all!

Brandon Sutter notches game-winner for Pens late in the third

Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes found themselves at the wrong side of a one-goal game as they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, 2-1 at the Consol Energy Arena.

The Canes have scored just 19 goals in their 14 games played in December while compiling a 3-10-1 record.  Their overall record is now 10-23-4 and their 24 point total is just one point ahead of last place Edmonton.  They will start the new year 19 points out of a playoff spot.

Former players continue to haunt the team.  Last season, Jussi Jokinen lit them up, in this game Brandon Sutter scored the game-winner.

Eric Staal put his team up 1-0 midway through the first period with the help of a nice pass by Elias Lindholm.  The captain was playing this game at center because his brother Jordan had to sit out with a lower body injury suffered against the Habs.  Jordan is listed as day-to-day.

The first period was pretty evenly played and would end up tied at 1-1 after Chris Kunitz beat Cam Ward with just 21 seconds left.

Ward had some outstanding saves in the game and ended with 37 on 39 shots overall.

After a scoreless second period the Penguins started to take over the game in the third and held the puck in the Carolina zone for long stretches.   Before the eventual game-winner, Ward made save after save.

Sutter managed to find an opening and finally beat the Carolina goalie with a high shot blocker side with just 1:42 left in the game.

Carolina pulled Ward out of the game for an extra attacker but came up short as they have done so many times this season. Next up will be the Flyers on Friday night at home.

Game Notes:

• The Canes were outshot 39-25.  Lindholm had a team high five.
• The team was credited with 28 hits led by Brett Bellemore and Brad Malone with six each.
• Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera had four blocked shots each to lead the team.  The Canes had 22.
• Faulk played 28:34 as Michal Jordan had to leave the game for a bit because of a cut.
• event summary

Welcome to 2015. So far this year the Hurricanes are undefeated. Can they keep it up for one more day?

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers
January 2, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Broad Street Hockey

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• Tonight the Canes and Flyers kick off 2015 with their second game of five this season and the first at PNC Arena. The teams met in Philly on December 13th in one of the Canes' worst performances of the season, giving up a goal just 53 seconds into the game, which was never as close as the eventual 5-1 loss might indicate.
• The Canes closed out 2014 in what has become a too-familiar scenario, a 2-1 loss, this one at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Particularly painful was the absence of recently-returned Jordan Staal due to a late scratch, and the eventual game-winner scored with less than two minutes to play in regulation by one of the players traded for him, Brandon Sutter.
• It was the 18th time this season, and the 11th time in the month of December, that the Canes were only able to score one goal (or less). With 24 points in 37 games, the Canes are now on pace for 53 points. For comparison purposes, that pace is eight points worse than the 61 points earned in the 2002-03 season (the season that brought the Canes Eric Staal as the second overall pick in the draft).
• The other Jordan, defenseman Michal Jordan, suffered a severely dislocated finger in Wednesday's game, but was able to return after head trainer Pete Friesen was apparently able to pop it back in to place. He was feeling well enough yesterday to tweet a picture of his injured finger (click here if so inclined).
• Eric Staal now leads the team in points with 21 (9g, 12a). He has a three-game point streak including goals in two straight games, and is two goals away from 300 career NHL goals. Jiri Tlusty continues to lead the team in goals (10) and has assists in both games in which he has played since returning from injury.
• The Canes didn't practice yesterday, so there have been no updates about any line-up changes heading into tonight's game (UPDATE: from morning skate, Jordan Staal is back in the line-up, Jeff Skinner is out with flu-like symptoms, and Michal Jordan is the healthy scratch on defense).
• The Flyers are currently nine points out of a wild card spot, and are winding down an eight-game road swing with Raleigh being their seventh stop. The road trip started well with three straight wins but they've now gone winless in their last three. Their last game was on New Years Eve in Colorado, squandering a lead when their penalty kill (currently ranked last in the league) gave up the game-tying goal, then losing to the Avalanche 4-3 in overtime.
• The Flyers have a rather potent power play these days (ranked seventh at 22%) and they converted two power play opportunities Wednesday night. Jakub Voracek was responsible for one. He leads the NHL with 46 points and has nine points in his last six games. The other power play goal was scored by noted Canes-killer Claude Giroux, who is a career point-per-game player against the Canes with 19 points in 19 games played. Voracek and Giroux also scored against the Canes in the December 13th game, along with Wayne Simmonds who is also a point-per-game player with 13 points in 13 games against the Canes.
• Defenseman Michael Del Zotto had been a healthy scratch for the Flyers for nine games before getting back into the line-up against the Avalanche. His return was eventful as he was cut in the neck by Daniel Briere's skate and required 20 stitches. Del Zotto was also gracious enough to share photos of his injury on social media (click here if so inclined).
• Like the Canes, the Flyers had an off-day yesterday and did not skate. Any player updates and roster changes will be updated after the morning skates (UPDATE: no changes from previous game).

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes depth chart (from today's practice)

Injuries and scratches: Andrej Nestrasil (IR upper body), John-Michael Liles (IR illness), Alexander Semin (DTD upper body), Jeff Skinner (illness), Michal Jordan (healthy)

Injuries and scratches: Kimmo Timonen (IR blood clot), Zac Rinaldo (healthy), Luke Schenn (healthy), Carlo Colaiacovo (healthy)

Earlier tonight in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Claude Giroux sustained a nasty looking injury. Luckily, all is alright.

In Friday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Flyers fans were brought to a panic.

In the third period while killing a penalty, Claude Giroux found himself in the wrong place when Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk dropped his skate right down on the Flyers captain's ankle.

It looked ... well, pretty awful:

After that video came out, a few people noted that blood was visible through Giroux's equipment. He left the ice with the help of teammates and medical staff, and things didn't look so good.

Well, it seems all is fine, as the Flyers have announced that Giroux is probable for tomorrow night's game against the New Jersey Devils.

It seems that Giroux just narrowly escaped injury thanks in part to a Kevlar sock and lucky placement of the cut.

Brad Malone scores first of season and Eric Staal with game-winner for Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes held on for their first win in their first game of 2015 as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 in front of 12,000 plus fans at the PNC Arena on Friday night.

Brad Malone scored his first goal of the season on a nicely placed shot 13:41 into the first period to give the home team a lead they would never relinquish.  Zach Boychuk created the play with a nice steal and got the puck to Malone, who was breaking in 2-on-1.

The Canes were dominating the flat Flyers at this point and outshot the visitors, 12-4 in the first period.

Just  41 seconds into the second period, Eric Staal made it 2-0 when he knocked in a rebound of a Justin Faulk shot.  Jordan Staal created this play as he made a nice move to get open and put a shot on goal that hit the pipe and bounced back out in play.

The younger Staal then went to the net and cleared the way for his older brother to get the rebound.

Jordan Staal's wife had just delivered a baby girl at 2 a.m. that morning so "daddy" looked a bit tired in the dressing room after the game.

The Flyers would put on the pressure in the third and got close at 2-1 when Chris Vandevelde beat Cam Ward, 8:45 into the period.  The Carolina goalie was not seeing a lot of rubber up to this point as the Canes were outshooting the Flyers, 25-14.

The Flyers continued to pressure though but could not solve Ward again the rest of the way as the Canes only got one more shot on goal for the game.

There was one scary moment in the third when Claude Giroux went down on the ice and had to be helped to the Carolina treatment room.  It looked like his foot/ankle area  had been cut, but after the game he said that he was "lucky" and okay.  It was not a deep cut and he's not expected to miss any time.

Eric Staal has been red hot of late and has now scored three goals in his last three games (one goal each) and has points in his last four straight.  The captain needs one more goal for number 300 of his career.  After the game he said that playing on the same line of his brother helps his game and "makes life easier."

Next up for Carolina will be the Boston Bruins on Sunday at 1 pm on home ice.

Game Notes:

• Andrej Sekera had a team high 24:10 of ice time.
  
• The Canes were credited with 28 hits and were led by Jiri Tlusty with five.  Malone was next with four. 
  
• Carolina outshot Philly 26-21 for the game.   Faulk had a team high five.
• Malone was given the fireman's helmet after the game as the game's MVP.  Peters credited him with picking up his game in the past couple of weeks.  Malone said he was not going to shave until he scored a goal, so good for him, he gets a new look soon.
• Tim Gleason had a game high three blocked shots.

The game that will mark the halfway point of the season has the Devils hosting the also-slumping Philadelphia Flyers. Perhaps there will be less away team fans at the Rock tonight...

It is a rivalry game.  Enough said.

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV - MSG+; Radio - WFAN 660 AM and 101.9 FM

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (13-20-7) vs the Philadelphia Flyers (14-17-7, SBN Blog: Broad Street Hockey)

The Last Devils Game: Last night, the Devils hosted the Montreal Canadiens, who are fighting with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the lead in the Atlantic Division.  The first two plus periods were not pretty.  The Devils looked slow, could not string a couple easy passes together, and as a result did not generate much action on Carey Price.  Montreal, however, also did not make Keith Kinkaid work hard.  This low event hockey led to a 0-0 first period, but it was 2-0 Canadiens after two.  The Devils finally decided to wake up and throw some pucks on net once Montreal made it 3-0, but it was too little too late.  The Devils made it 3-2 with 5:42 left thanks to Michael Cammalleri, but could not do more with the remaining time.  An empty net goal late sealed the deal at 4-2.  John had the recap here.

The Last Flyers Game: While the Devils were at home losing to Montreal, the Flyers were in Carolina, where they were playing the other basement dweller of the Metropolitan Division, the Hurricanes.  The Canes took a 1-0 lead in the first period with a real nice wrister from Brad Malone that beat Steve Mason over his glove.  Eric Staal made it 2-0 only 41 seconds into the second period.  The play started with his brother Jordan Staal making a nice move around Matt Read only to find a pipe.  The puck bounced across the ice and made its way back to the point, where it was thrown in front and slammed home by Staal.  The Flyers looked to make a comeback, and brought it to within 1 when Chris VandeVelde scored for them halfway through the third, but it would not be enough.  Despite being down most of the game, the Flyers were still outshot 26-24, and just could not get enough offense on net.  They would lose 2-1.  The biggest news of the game, however, came when Claude Giroux took a nasty skate cut to his leg from Justin Faulk.  It looked like it could have been real bad, but afterwards it was reported that all is okay, and he is probable for the game tonight.  If you want to see the play, Broad Street Hockey has it here.

The Goal: Play crisp hockey.  Last night, the Devils looked out of sync.  Passes up ice were not connecting at all, and New Jersey was regularly giving possession right back to Montreal.  Players were looking left when the puck was being moved right.  It was the opposite of clean, crisp hockey.  That cannot continue to happen.  The Devils need to get back to the basics.  Complete passes that generate movement forward.  Don't chip the puck up only to give it right back to Philadelphia.  I am not sure if the lack of chemistry is because the team is getting used to a new game plan or if it simply is lack of execution, but either way it needs to improve, and it needs to improve as soon as possible.  It has been really tough watching most of the last two games because NJ is simply not playing crisp hockey.

Shoot the Puck: Last night, the Devils played the epitome of low event hockey for over two periods.  Even though they had real trouble connecting on any pass, they kept going for the pass in the offensive zone instead of just ripping the puck on net.  Safe to say, it did not work.  Only when they finally were down by 3 goals did they start to just shoot, and it was to good effect.  Earlier in the game, there was a juicy 2 on 1 where Travis Zajac really needed to just shoot the puck.  Instead, he was so obvious in his intent to pass that all the defender needed to do was sell out on the pass and dive.  Needless to say, it was a disaster.  After the third goal against, however, Michael Ryder came in with a 2 on 1 and actually shot it.  And scored!  Do that more.  Please.

Back With Schneider: With Keith Kinkaid getting the start in net last night, it will be Cory Schneider in net tonight barring any unforeseen circumstances.  Cory has been wildly consistent recently, maintaining a .918 save percentage for close to a month now. There can be few complaints with him starting.  Expect him to give the Devils a chance to win, as he usually does.

What About the Devils Lineup? This could be an interesting question for sure.  In terms of the forwards, last night saw the return of Patrik Elias, Michael Ryder, and Martin Havlat.  Ryder had the Devils' first goal and generated shots, so that was good.  Martin Havlat did not have a notable game, while Elias looked almost lost at times.  Hopefully the rust has been removed for him, and he can begin to play better hockey tonight.  Yesterday Joe Whitney was sent down to Albany to make room for them, but Mike Sislo was also placed on waivers.  There is a chance today that when Sislo clears, Whitney will be recalled to the NHL and may play.  We shall see.  It most likely depends on the health of Steve Bernier, who did not play last night.

The defense also has question marks, thanks to Eric Gelinas not playing last night due to illness, and Peter Harrold getting hurt thanks to a blatant high sticking that did not draw a penalty (quick side note: the refereeing did not seem to be all that good last night from where I was sitting in the arena, but I could just be biased.  Let me know if I was right or just a fanatic).  Lou Lamoriello mentioned last night that they may need to call up a defenseman if neither can play tonight, so we will see if that happens or not.

How About them Flyers? To sum it up: they haven't been much better than the Devils.  They have gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, which is a little better than New Jersey, but not much so.  Considering that they only have 35 points in 38 games played, they need to be better than that to get back into playoff contention.  They have also been particularly atrocious on the road this season, boasting a 6-12-4 record away from Wells Fargo Center.  This bodes well for tonight if the trend of poor play on the road continues.

Let's Hope Giroux is Out: First off, I need to say that I would never wish an injury on anyone, even on a Flyer.  I am glad that Giroux came out of that potentially horrifying incident without a terrible injury.  However, for the sake of NJ having a better chance to win, it would be great if he were not on the ice.  This is because he has been really, really good.  He is their star, and rightly so.  He currently has 43 points in 38 games played, with 13 goals and 30 assists.  He is a possession giant, with a Fenwick For of 54.6% this season, despite the Flyers having a team Fenwick of 48%. He drives their top line, and is not someone the Devils want to see on the ice.  Let's hope he gets a precautionary game off before returning to action on Tuesday against Ottawa.

The Rest of Their Offense: Sadly, Giroux is not their only offensive threat.  Their points leader is actually Jakub Voracek, who has 15 goals and 32 assists for 47 points.  Wayne Simmonds has been scoring a bunch of goals this season as well, as he is tied with Voracek for the team lead at 15.  They are also getting solid play from the likes of Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier.

The rest, however, have not been anything spectacular.  RJ Umberger has been a huge disappointment when compared to Scott Hartnell.  Umberger has 5 goals and 9 points total for Philly, while Hartnell has 8 goals and 19 points for Columbus.  To further showcase the difference, Hartnell has a quality 51.2 FF%, while Umberger is all the way down at 40.5%. That was not a good trade for Philadelphia.  Also, Vincent Lecavalier has been demoted to fourth line action mostly, having only generated 6 goals and 11 points so far this season.  For the money he is being paid, that is not good at all.  So to sum it up, while Philadelphia has some stars to watch out for, their bottom 6 can be exploited.

A Not-So Quality Defense: Philadelphia has not had great defensive play this season.  As a team, they allow 2.90 goals per game, which is worse than New Jersey and is good for 23^rd in the NHL.  They also give up over 30 shots per game, which is not something to gloat about.  Mark Streit has been a good acquisition for them, with 25 points so far this season, but other than that they get next to no production from their defensemen.  The Devils really should look to exploit the Philadelphia blue line by shooting early and often.

A Good PP, But a Real Bad PK: That about sums up special teams for Philadelphia.  They have the 7^th best power play in the league, converting 21.4% of the time.  However, they cannot keep the puck out of the net on penalty kills, converting only 74.4% of their kills.  This is good for last in the league.  If the Devils can draw some calls, perhaps they can set up a good power play and score some goals that way.

Their Goaltending Situation: Last night, Steve Mason started in net for Philadelphia.  He has been their workhorse this season, starting 25 games and posting a .917 save percentage.  There is a chance he could start both games in their back to back, but let's hope not.  Ray Emery has been much worse in net, posting a save percentage of only .898.  While the Devils tend to make opposing backups look good, seeing Emery in net tonight could mean good things.

Your Take: A win tonight would be a nice comeback from the last two clunkers, and it would give the home fans something to root about after having to listen to the Montreal fans pack the Rock.  Although rivalry games tend to bring out the best in teams, this is certainly a winnable game for New Jersey.  It would be sweet to get the W.  What is your take about tonight's game?  Do you think the Devils have a strong chance to win it?  What should we expect to see tonight?  Please leave your comments in the section below, and thanks for reading.

The Carolina Hurricanes came out on the right side of a one-goal game Friday, topping the Flyers 2-1 at PNC Arena.

Brad Malone notched his first goal of the season and Eric Staal scored in his third straight game to lead Carolina to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers Friday at PNC Arena.

Three Observations

A little two-for-one here to kick things off: Claude Giroux was very close to having his season end Friday when Justin Faulk's skate accidentally cut the Flyers captain’s left leg. But there is good news on many fronts.

1. Giroux was not seriously injured thanks to the Kevlar socks he was wearing. The socks are worn for just such a reason, and both Giroux and the Flyers were spared his loss thanks to the protective equipment.

2. It's good to see players being proactive about their well-being. I'm unsure when Giroux started wearing the Kevlar socks, but it's not a bad assumption to think he may have done so after Ottawa star defenseman Erik Karlsson was lost to an Achilles tendon tear on a skate cut nearly two years ago. To bring it back around to the Carolina side of things, remember that both Eric and Jordan Staal decided to begin using face shields after brother Mark, a Rangers defensemen, was hit in the eye with a puck and injured. For all the talk about how players cast aside their well-being out of convenience, it's refreshing to see team leaders like Giroux and the Staals taking advantage of modern technology to protect themselves. In Giroux's case, it's easy to see why it's the right choice.

3. The two Staals looked dominant Friday. Is this the latest tease of a return to form for the two brothers, or is it for real? Both seem happy and healthy, and they outclassed the Flyers duo of Giroux and Jakub Voracek— two of the NHL’s top scorers — to lead the Hurricanes to a win. Jordan is providing a net-front presence on a consistent basis, while Eric is skating as well as he has in two seasons and has been a force in the corners while playing on the wing. There's no improbable playoff run in store for 2015, but if they can contribute like this against better competition — let's face it, the Flyers are a mess in their own end — Carolina may have found the best possible running mates for both players.

Number To Know

212 — Games since Jay McClement took two separate minor penalties in one game, a streak broken when he was whistled for multiple minors Friday against Philadelphia. McClement was last called for two different infractions on Dec. 23, 2011, as a member of the Colorado Avalanche: facing the Lightning, he was called for hooking in the first period and then a tripping infraction in the second, both on Dominic Moore. McClement did receive four penalty minutes on Jan. 18, 2012, but that was for a double minor for high sticking.

Plus

Brad Malone — It was less than a week ago when I wrote about Malone’s unfortunate streak: coming into Friday's game, Malone had not only failed to register a point in 27 games this season, but he had not been on the ice for a Carolina goal. Malone took care of all those issues Friday, burying a glove high shot over Steve Mason on a 2-on-1 rush to notch his first goal and point of the season, also both firsts with the Hurricanes. The goal gave Carolina a 1-0 lead and set the tone for the night — and it ended Malone’s run at infamy.

Minus

Jay McClement — A heady player like McClement doesn't often take two unnecessary penalties in a night. But McClement was guilty of both a delay of game (puck over the glass) infraction and a high sticking minor Friday that gave the Flyers’ lethal power play two chances to strike. Fortunately, the Hurricanes penalty kill continued its great play and prevented a special teams goal.

The Canes will try to stay on a roll for 2015 as they take on the Bruins in an early afternoon game.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins
January 4, 2015 - 1:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports South --- Note broadcast change
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Stanley Cup of Chowder

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• The Canes and Bruins play in their second game of the season, their second matinee of the season, and the first in Raleigh. The last time the two teams met, on November 16th in Boston, the result was a .... wait for it ... 2-1 loss for the Canes, their second of eight 2-1 losses so far this season.
• The Canes turned the tables in their first game of 2015, with a 2-1 win against the Flyers on Friday night. Brad Malone notched his first goal (and first point) as a Hurricane, and Eric Staal scored the game-winner. The captain has goals in his last three games straight, points in four straight, and is one goal away from 300 career NHL goals. Jordan Staal remains a point-per-game player for the season, logging assists in each of his two games played since his return from injury.
• Fifteen forwards took the ice for practice yesterday at RCI, including forward Andrej Nestrasil, who practiced with the team for the first time after missing 11 games with an upper body injury. Jeff Skinner also returned to practice after missing Friday's game with an illness. He is probable for today but will be a game-time decision.
• As of yesterday's practice (audio) Bill Peters had not made a decision for today's starter in net.
• The Canes are back in black today wearing their third jerseys.
• The Bruins wrapped up a three-game home stand yesterday by giving up a lead in the third period and ultimately winding up with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators in an early game in Boston. Torey Krug and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, and David Krejci assisted on both goals and went 10-for-11 in the face-off circle.
• For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Bruins are on the outside of the playoff race looking in. It's a position they find frustrating because they feel as a team they are capable of much better. Many of their losses have been close, and six of their last 10 games have gone to overtime or a shootout. They are generating offense, scoring 17 goals in their last five games (contrast that with the Canes who scored 18 goals in the entire month of December). Much of their misfortunate has been due to significant injuries especially on their blueline. But for the first time since October, they are back to full health with defenseman Adam McQuaid's return yesterday after missing 18 games with a broken thumb.
• Reigning Vezina winner Tuukka Rask made 23 saves in yesterday's loss. Rask is 5-3-0 with a 2.24 GAA in nine career games against the Canes. Backup Niklas Svedberg, who has not faced the Canes in his career, is 4-5-0 on the season with a 2.46 GAA. Head coach Claude Julien has not announced today's starter (here's yesterday's post-game video) but Svedberg could get the call with the back-to-back scenario.
• With the early start neither team will hold a pre-game skate, so line-up updates won't be available until closer to game time.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes depth chart (from Saturday's practice)

Injuries and Scratches: Andrej Nestrasil (IR upper body), John-Michael Liles (IR illness), Alexander Semin (healthy), Zach Boychuk (healthy), Michal Jordan (healthy)

Bruins depth chart (from Saturday's game)

Injuries and scratches: Simon Gagne (personal leave), Jordan Caron, Matt Bartkowski

Boston is on the hunt for a regulation win. Or an overtime win. Or a shootout win. Please win.

Just the Facts:

Game Time: 1:00 PM, PNC Center.

TV Broadcast: NESN, SPSO.

Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SB Nation Site: Canes Country

Season Record: Bruins: 19-15-5, 6th in Atlantic Division | Hurricanes: 11-23-4, 8th in Metropolitan Division

Canes Lines:

Eric Staal - Jordan Staal - Elias Lindholm

Nathan Gerbe - Victor Rask - Jiri Tlusty

Jeff Skinner - Riley Nash - Chris Terry

Brad Malone - Jay McClement - Patrick Dwyer

Defensive Pairings:

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk

Tim Gleason - Ryan Murphy

Ron Hainsey - Brett Bellemore

Goalies: Cam Ward, Anton Khudobin

IR:Alexander Semin, Andrej Nestrasil

Bruins Lines:

Brad Marchand - David Krejci - Seth Griffith

Milan Lucic - Patrice Bergeron - Reilly Smith

Chris Kelly - Carl Soderberg - Loui Eriksson

Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Craig Cunningham

Defensive Pairings:

Zdeno Chara - Dougie Hamilton

Dennis Seidenberg - Adam McQuaid

Torey Krug - Kevan Miller

Goalies: Tuukka Rask, Niklas Svedberg

Game Notes:

• It is better to have OTd and lost than to never have OTd at all. But an OT loss against the Sens that showcased effort further erodes the "Big, Bad, Bruins" to just the "Bad Bruins."
• Both defensive and offensive woes are piling up for Boston. Patrice Bergeron said "It's about finding a way really (to) bear down defensively when we do have the lead, (and) offensively, finding a way to give ourselves a breather."
• Bruins have lost 12 of their last 18 games. Let's shift the momentum here.

NEVER FORGET:

You know it's a rough season when "Never Forget" just makes you sad. Even Lucic empty-netters.

Last Game in Fancy stats