The Anaheim Ducks conclude their now-painful five-game road trip with their second matchup in nine days with the Carolina Hurricanes.

If the next few games have a few opponents that seem like the Anaheim Ducks literally just played them... it's because they did. Over the next week, the Ducks will conclude their respective season series with both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals less than two weeks after opening them.

Last time out the Ducks downed the Canes in a shootout 5-4 after yet another come-from-behind victory. Likewise, not unlike the theme as of late, the Ducks defense looked particularly shaky against a team whose offensive prowess has been particularly lackluster this season.

In fact, that 5-4 shootout win was one of five games in the past seven in which the Ducks surrendered three or more goals. Over that span which dates back to January 29th when the Ducks got blown out for about the billionth time this season by the San Jose Sharks. Their record since then: 2-4-1, 20 GF, 29 GA (not counting the shootout winner in Washington). I can think of literally zero circumstances where it's okay for an NHL caliber defense corps to surrender 29 goals in seven games.

Game Notes:

Frederik Andersen remains out with an undisclosed "upper body" injury, and is officially on injured reserve. No timetable has been set for a return yet, so odds are he probably won't be back for this one... or for a while even.

That means the reigns of this game will be handed once again to the likes of either Ilya Bryzgalov or John Gibson. After showing some pretty good confidence in his last effort, despite getting burned for three goals, I wouldn't be surprised if the latter gets the start.

After missing the last game, it looks as though Hampus Lindholm will return in this one, though it isn't fully guaranteed yet, and there's a possibility Bruce Boudreau and Bob Murray may sit him one more game to make sure he's fully healthy. No point in rushing him back with points banked in the division.

As for the other major absence, Jakob Silfverberg will return as his bout with the flu has subsided.

As for the Hurricanes, young defensive gem Ryan Murphy remains on injured reserve for a leg injury suffered two nights after these two teams last met.

What Can We Learn From This Game:

The report from practice is that the Ducks spent a grueling session getting back to basics with a lot of skating and battling drills. Clearly Boudreau is trying to get through to his team to gets its act back together defensively, and it doesn't take a genius to notice that lately it's been off.

Last time out, the Hurricanes, who currently sit second-from-bottom of the Eastern Conference, darn near ran the Ducks out of their own building. Had the Ducks not pulled their act together late there likely could have been another ridiculous loss in recent history.

So the big question is did this practice finally get through to the Ducks to reset their defensive mentality?

Or perhaps better yet, have Murray/Gabby finally figured out that icing Eric Brewer is like purposely punching yourself in the groin?

Fearless Prediction:

The Ducks sit Sami Vatanen and continue to play Eric Brewer just to spite me.

Canes dominate at times but come up short

The Carolina Hurricanes completely dominated play at times but ended up losing to the Anaheim Ducks, 2-1 in front of 11,991 at the PNC Arena on Thursday night.

The Canes outshot the Ducks 14-5 in the first period, 15-8 in the second, and 36 to 17 for the game, but failed to capitalize on their multitude of shots.

The visitors on the other hand crashed the net to score their two goals late in the second period and pretty much hung on the rest of the way.

After a scoreless first period, Carolina was awarded a powerplay chance midway through the second and Jeff Skinner broke his scoreless streak with a tricky shot that fooled John Gibson, who had stoned the Canes up to that point.  Gibson was solid and looked like the goalie who won gold for USA hockey in the World Junior Championships in 2013.

Shortly after that goal, Tim Gleason and Tim Jackman dropped the gloves and according to coach Bill Peters, the Canes were different after the fight.  The Canes were controlling play at the time and there was no reason for Gleason to fight there, as Jackman was trying to fire up his teammates.

Afterward, the Ducks would go on to score two goals in a three minute period.

The first one was when Corey Perry stole a puck at the blue line and skated it in on Cam Ward.  There was some contact and Ward ended up out of the net.  The puck was centered and it looked like Matt Beleskey scored, but the goal was awarded to Francois Beauchemin, who apparently got his stick on it before it went into the net.

Not to be denied, Beleskey would score the next goal when he chipped it in the net off of Victor Rask's stick, right in front of Ward.  Both goals were scored because of players crashing the net, something the Carolina team has lacked this season.

The third period was a tightly checked one and Carolina did not seem to have their earlier energy.  The Hurricanes managed only seven shots on goal while the Ducks got four.

The Canes had one penalty to kill off and they were successful doing it.  They continue to have the second best kill percentage in the league and have killed off the last 45 out of 47 penalties.

After the game, Peters said that he was happy with the pace of the game early, but not at the end.

"We had a good start, obviously.  We had a false sense of security offensively.  Especially in the third, we looked at all our chances and there isn't a grade-A in the third.  The puck speed went away, we started to play slow.

"We quit moving the puck and started skating with it and when you're skating with it you're moving it slower than when moving (passing) it.  "

The Canes next travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild on Saturday night.

• Of the 36 shots on goal, Skinner led the way with seven and his linemate Rask was next with six.  The line of Rask/Skinner/Lindholm looked very good at times.
• The Ducks outhit the Canes, 42 to 31 in a fairly physical game.  Justin Faulk had a team high five hits followed by Brett Bellemore and Patrick Dwyer with four each.
• Cam Ward finished with 15 saves on 17 shots while Gibson had 35 saves on 36 shots. 
  
• The Canes also had 18 shots blocked and missed the net 17 times for a grand total of 71 shot attempts.  The Ducks had 37 attempts for the game. 
  
• Faulk had a team high 26:45 of TOI.  Not only did he lead the way with five hits, he also had a team high four takeaways.
• Andrej Sekera had a team high four blocked shots.

Despite being heavily outshot, Anaheim ends the road trip 2-2-1 thanks to great goaltending and a pair of late second period goals.

Final Score: Ducks 2 - Hurricanes 1

Chart courtesy www.war-on-ice.com

First Period

For much of the opening frame the Hurricanes controlled possession and while unable to get many A-grade opportunities on Ducks starter John Gibson, they effectively kept Anaheim from spending much of any time on the attack. Just over four minutes into the period Victor Rask let a shot go from the far point that Gibson had trouble corralling, but Francois Beauchemin shoved a lurking Tim Gleason past the rebound allowing a cover. The first opportunity the Ducks create came a couple minutes later, when Nate Thompson created a turnover off a stick lift and broke free up the far wing. His initial shot was denied by Cam Ward at the post, and a follwing Jakob Silfverberg shoveled the rebound attempt well wide to the opposite corner.

Carolina continued to drive the play, but on occasion allowed brief spurts from Anaheim. One such chance came with Tim Jackman powering again up the far left wing, but in cutting to the net lost the puck in front of Ward and was forced to go diving over top of the Hurricane goalie. The Ducks caught a break when a Corey Perry turnover allowed Eric Staal to create and odd man opportunity, cutting in from the near wing and attempting to feed the puck across the slot to Jordan Staal but had it momentarily broken up by Ben Lovejoy. The trailing third man Jiri Tlusty picked the puck up and in one motion snapped a shot that rang high off the post to Gibson's blocker side.

The speed of Nathan Gerbe created a chance just over three minutes before the horn when he was able to bolt underneath the reach of Clayton Stoner and shovel the puck to the net front where Gibson denied. Anaheim was called for the first penalty of the game when Ryan Kesler went in strong on the forecheck on John-Michael Liles, lifting the Hurricane defender's stick but getting his own up around Liles' hands to be whistled for a hooking minor as he created a chance on net. Carolina held the puck in the attack zone for the majority of their power play, firing off three shots before the Ducks could clear after Gibson made a reaching glove save off a Rask shot from the circle. The penalty kill was successful, but at the end of the first period the hosts held a healthy 14-5 shot advantage, five of which came off the stick of Rask, and had out-attempted Anaheim by a 21-10 margin at five-on-five.

Second Period

Just over a minute into the period Ward very nearly gifted the Ducks the opening marker by mishandling the puck in the trapezoid with Perry in on the forecheck, losing the puck and allowing Perry to attempt to center the puck or get a deflection off his feet as he returned to the crease. The puck skittered wide, and from there Carolina would continue to push the play. Anaheim's first official shot on goal wouldn't come until the 14:10 mark when Kyle Palmieri attempted a sweeping backhand wraparound move from behind the net while stumbling that Ward was able to seal off at the far post.

Nearing the halfway mark the Hurricanes had their most dangerous even strength flurry as Gibson made the save on a Jeff Skinner shot, and the puck rattled behind the net to Rask. He attempted to wrap it around near post but was met by Hampus Lindholm blocking the opportunity, though Carolina retained possession and continued to press. Another shot created a rebound to the right of the wide open net that forced Lindholm to trip Rask. With Anaheim struggling to clear the puck the Canes ramped up the pressure with the extra man, finally getting the breakthrough when the Ducks penalty killers lost their shape and allowed a cross high slot pass to Skinner, who ripped a wrister that rebounded knuckling off the blocker and into the net to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.

Some three minutes after the goal Jackman was able to goad Gleason into a fight, and thereafter Bruce Boudreau put the lines in the blender by separating Perry from Ryan Getzlaf. Getzlaf skated with Silfverberg on his right wing while Perry linked up with Rickard Rakell. After Gibson made a point blank save on Tlusty following a feed from behind the net by Eric Staal the Ducks would snatch one against the run of play. Perry shrugged off the defense of Brett Bellemore to work the puck in front that Ward initially denied, but with Beauchemin and Matt Beleskey crashing Beleskey chopped the rebound off Beauchemin's stick to tied the game 1-1. Almost three minutes later Ward whiffed on a sweeping poke check attempt on Palmieri behind the net, only to have the puck come out front to Rask who mishandled it and allowed Beleskey to swat the puck home and give the Ducks a 2-1 lead 2:30 before intermission.

Third Period

Despite a 29-13 shots on goal disadvantage through two, the Ducks held the edge going into the final regulation stanza. The first several minutes passed sleepily by, with the only real major flurry of amusement coming when the Carolina DJ played Pennywise's "Bro Hymn", lighting up Twitter. Five minutes in Devante Smith-Pelly created an odd man chance following a turnover, but his attempted pass across the middle was denied by a late recovering Justin Faulk. Anaheim got their only power play opportunity of the game when Getzlaf won a puck battle in the far corner of the offensive zone and took a stick up high from Bellemore before getting a chance on net. On the ensuing advantage Beleskey clanked the pipe all alone in the high slot with a snap shot to the low glove side, and Cam Fowler missed on the rebound as the best chance on a fruitless power play.

Unlike the opening periods Anaheim battened down the hatches defensively, doing a much better job of blocking the shooting lanes and preventing pucks from making their way to Gibson. Lindholm (5) and Lovejoy (4) lead the team in blocked shots, and Stoner made a nice play standing up against an attempted bull rush by Eric Staal and forcing the puck to the corner. Stoner would later catch a stick to the mouth behind the net that went unpenalized, opening a sizable cut on the defender's chops forcing him to miss a few shifts.

Eric Staal had a chance off a Beauchemin giveaway from the near face off dot with just over four minute remaining, but Gibson was out on the edge of his crease and square to absorb the shot. The Hurricanes tried to ramp things back up, pulling the goalie with 1:35 remaining and getting a power play when Kesler was called for hooking penalty after he and Smith-Pelly muscled the puck out of the defensive zone up the far wall. A brief touch of the gloves with the stick parallel while trying to dispossess Faulk lead to the infraction, but the Hurricanes couldn't get a quality chance. Getzlaf won a late face off that allowed Sami Vatanen to hammer the puck around the boards and out of the zone to secure the 2-1 Ducks win. Anaheim did well to limit the shots on goal in the period, surrendering just seven while managing four of their own.

*************

Good: With the Ducks coming slow out of the gate they needed Gibson to be sharp early, and that he was. While Carolina never generated high quality chances, they had plenty of good looks that the Ducks netminder was equal to early on. The only goal he gave up came on an odd-man situation with the penalty killers out of formation and scrambling, and even at that still managed to get a piece of it.

Bad: Once again the offense was slow out of the gate, managing just five shots in the first period and not really challenging Ward until the second half of the second period. It was an unfortunate trend for the road trip after opener at Nashville, and something that harkens back to recent seasons where the team has been notoriously slow starting as the schedule wears on.

Ugly: While this generally is for the most cringe-worthy points of Ducks play, this time we'll use it as a loving descriptor for both of the Ducks goals. No brilliant deflections or pretty weaving pass plays like at Honda Center, tonight was all about getting to the net and finding a way to whack and hack the puck in on a pair of plays. It's the kind of play that's was in short supply for much of the road trip, but ended up being rewarded and helped Anaheim come away with two points they probably didn't deserve.

**************

3rd MVD:Clayton Stoner. Wait, what?! Believe it or not Stoner was the Ducks best skater, let alone defenseman, in terms of both shot attempt (+8) and unblocked shot attempt differential (+7) when he was on the ice at even strength. There was none of the risky lay-out poke checks on his stomach that got burned in recent games, but instead a physical presence to help deal with Staal. That he took a high stick to the chops late in the third and returned to help close the game out, bloodied mouth and all, was the perfect example of the hard-nosed evening he had.

2nd MVD: After saying that Anaheim would need to get an ugly goal to turn things around Matt Beleskey went out and had a critical hand in both of the second period goals. His willingness to go to the high traffic area in front of the net lead to the first off a rebound, and the second off a nifty play taking advantage of indecisiveness in front of the net. Beleskey had the third best shot attempt (+3) and unblocked shot attempt differential (+3) amongst forwards, yet saw more ice time than the two above him. He and Beauchemin were the only players who were on ice for both of the goals.

1st MVD: It was abundantly clear in the early goings that the Ducks were still having issues defensively, and while there were no catastrophic break downs on the order of the games in Florida, John Gibson was a difference maker in the first two periods. As stated on the broadcast his 28 saves through the first two periods seemed a stabilizing force and helped the unit get it's footing back for the final 20 minutes. With Frederik Andersen on the injured reserve list through the weekend, this was the kind of confidence-inspiring performance to help him hold the fort until Andersen is ready to return.

Next Game: Sunday, February 15, 2015 vs Washington, 5:00 PM PT

The Carolina Hurricanes outplayed the Anaheim Ducks Thursday, but it wasn't enough to best one of the top Stanley Cup contenders. All three of the game’s goals were scored in the second period, with Anaheim getting two in the frame’s final six minutes en route to a 2-1 win.

Jeff Skinner finally scored, but that was all Carolina could get by Ducks goalie John Gibson. The Ducks rallied on Carolina again, erasing a 1-0 lead and scoring twice in the second period for a 2-1 win in Raleigh.

Three Observations

1. It was a good night for Victor Rask, who went head to head for much of the night vs. Ryan Kesler and proved up to the task. But the NHL is a league of mistakes, and Rask’s inability to clear a puck in front of Cam Ward led to the Ducks’ game winner. It spoiled an otherwise impressive night for Rask, who finished with nine shot attempts (six on goal) but was on the ice for both Anaheim tallies.

2. Ward lost the goaltending battle against young John Gibson. Gibson stopped 35 shots to Ward’s 15, and while Carolina’s goaltender wasn't the reason the Hurricanes dropped their second straight to the Ducks, he also didn't make any big stops in the game that could have altered the outcome, like Gibson did.

3. Alexander Semin was by no means perfect Thursday, but he did register an assist for his third point in the past four games. What Carolina now needs from its most lethal player is more shots: this marked the second straight game that Semin did not record a shot on goal, and against Anaheim he had his chances and opted to pass instead.

Number To Know

4 — Blocked shots for trade target Andrej Sekera, who leads the team with 94 on the season. It's an underrated aspect of Sekera’s game: he also led the team last season (127) and has improved at the skill since joining the Hurricanes from Buffalo.

Plus

Jeff Skinner — Skinner notched his first point since Jan. 10, had seven shots on goal (11 total attempts) and was credited with three hits in arguably his most inspired effort in months. The fact that Carolina has been as good as it has been of late without contributions from Skinner speaks volumes about how well the team has played since Jordan Staal’s return.

Minus

Brett Bellemore— It was not the best of nights for Carolina's No. 6 defenseman. Bellemore was turned into a red-and-black pylon by Corey Perry in the second, leading to the Ducks’ first goal. On a night when Carolina carried the play, Bellemore was the only defender with a negative Corsi (minus-2), and he also took Carolina’s only penalty of the game.

Bonus

Upon landing in Minnesota this afternoon, the Canes announced that they have recalled defenseman Michal Jordan from Charlotte as insurance for this two-game road swing. Coach Bill Peters told the media after practice this afternoon that Ron Hainsey was suffering from flu-like symptoms and his availability was in question for the upcoming games against the Wild and Senators. This is Jordan's second recall of the season, following a 16-game stint in December in which he was held scoreless. The release from the team is below.

CANES RECALL MICHAL JORDAN FROM CHARLOTTE

Defenseman has played in 16 games with Carolina this season

Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Michal Jordan (MIH-kahl yohr-DAHN) from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Jordan, 24, skated in 16 games with the Hurricanes from Nov. 26-Dec. 31, before he was reassigned to Charlotte on Jan. 8. The Zlin, Czech Republic, native has played in 29 games with the Checkers this season, scoring two goals and earning eight assists. Jordan (6’1", 195 lbs.) is in his fifth professional season, after earning AHL career highs in assists (21) and points (25) in 2013-14 with the Checkers. Carolina’s third selection, 105th overall, in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Jordan has appeared in 21 career games NHL with the Hurricanes.

#28 in the standings, #1 in your hearts. The Canes take on the Wild tonight in a Valentines Day match-up.

Carolina Hurricanes at Minnesota Wild
February 14, 2015 - 8:00 pm ET
Xcel Energy Center - Saint Paul, MN
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Hockey Wilderness

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice
*Note, Dubnyk's stats include Arizona and Minnesota

Game Notes

• The Canes have already wrapped up a number of the Western Conference match-ups for the season, but this is the first time they face the Wild, and they'll play again in Raleigh in a few weeks. The Wild won both games last season, with the Canes picking up a point in a shootout loss in Raleigh.
• The Canes come into tonight's game off a 2-1 loss to the Ducks on Thursday night. They are 2-1-1 so far in February, and 9-4-3 since the calendar turned to 2015.
• The team practiced yesterday before heading out to MSP, and Bill Peters said in his post-practice comments that he asked his players why they lost a game where they led in most statistical categories (face-offs, shots, special teams) but not on the scoresheet. The answers went back to a lack of sustained pressure in the offensive zone and creating traffic in front of the goaltender.
• Peters mixed up the forward lines at Friday's practice, at one point separating the Staals so they both could operate from center. On defense, Ron Hainsey missed practice due to flu-like symptoms, but he is on the trip along with Michal Jordan, who was recalled from Charlotte.
• With Cam Ward taking the loss in net on Thursday, Peters could turn back to Anton Khudobin to start tonight. If so it will be the first time Dobby has faced the team that drafted him in 2004 and gave him his NHL debut in 2010. Fans may recall that Khudobin got his first start against his other former team (the Bruins) on January 4th and that worked out pretty well as he was victorious in a shootout win.
• The projected line-ups are posted from Thursday's game, but there will likely be several changes coming out of the morning skate, so stay tuned for updates.
• By the way, also in yesterday's practice report (N&O), there are comments from GM Ron Francis about the trade deadline. He hopes to be 'fairly active'.
• The Minnesota Wild's season has been a roller coaster of emotion between injuries, mumps, off-ice personal situations, coach drama, and highs and lows between the pipes. On January 14th the Wild were coming off a 7-2 loss to the Penguins, their star defenseman was facing a suspension, and they had dropped to 12th in the Western Conference, eight points out of a wild card spot, in desperate need of something to salvage their season. Enter unlikely hero Devan Dubnyk, who has brought them within two points of a playoff spot, starting in 12 straight games and going 9-1-1 with a 1.48 GAA and .943 save percentage.
• Dubnyk may get a rest tonight, if so Darcy Kuemper will probably get the start over Niklas Backstrom.
• The Wild ended a three-in-four game stretch with a 2-1 win against the Panthers on Thursday night, and didn't practice yesterday, so their projected line-up is based on Thursday's game.
• Jason Pominville (12g, 29a) and Zach Parise (22g, 19a) lead the Wild in scoring with 41 points each. After going five games without a point, Pominville has scored goals in three straight games, and has 26 points in 32 career games against the Hurricanes. Captain Mikko Koivu has seven points (1g, 6a) in his last five games.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Thursday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Ryan Murphy (IR lower body), Chris Terry, Riley Nash

Wild (from Tuesday's game):

Devan Dubnyk - Niklas Backstrom

Injuries and Scratches: Matt Cooke (IR sports hernia), Ryan Carter (IR shoulder), Keith Ballard (IR concussion), Jason Zucker (broken clavicle), Stu Bickel, Darcy Kuemper

For your clicking pleasure, enjoy some Valentines Day sentiments courtesy of the Ducks, Blackhawks, Predators, Penguins, Lightning, and Flyers.

A few NHLers picked their ideal Valentines Day celebrity date. You may recognize a certain All-Star defenseman in this YouTube clip.

Finally, please join Canes Country in sending out a big Valentines Day birthday greeting to Hurricanes play-by-play announcer John Forslund. Hey hey whattaya say, there is none better in broadcasting today. Happy Birthday, John!

Minnesota looks to match a franchise-record with a 10-game point streak.

Tonight the Wild host the Carolina Hurricanes and are trying to accomplish something they have done just once before. Minnesota is 7-0-2 in its last nine and have accomplished a ten-game point streak back in 2007. The Wild have not lost in regulation since January 19th. Carolina is in the basement of the metropolitan division but has played better hockey lately earning a point in twelve of its 16. The Canes (much like the Wild) have been amazing on the penalty killing this season ranking second in the NHL and have killed 46 of its 48 penalties. Minnesota owns the best penalty kill on home-ice this season. So tonight will most likely come down to 5-5 and hopefully, not as boring as the Florida game on Thursday.

Devan (doooooooooob) Dubnyk starts for the 13th consecutive game and will be opposed by a familiar face as former Wild draft-pick Anton Khudobin starts for Carolina. Khudobin appeared in just 6 games for the Wild but has been put up respectable numbers since leaving Minnesota. Charlie Coyle sounds like he'll be okay to play tonight after taking a hit to his upper-body on Thursday. The Wild have been completely deflated by injuries lately with regulars: Matt Cooke, Jason Zucker and Ryan Carter all on the IR. It does not sound like there will be any lineup changes but shuffling is obviously a possibility with Yeolo. We do know Matt Dumba and Nate Prosser will skate together again tonight.

The Wild leads the NHL with a plus-10 first-period goal differential in its last 12 games. Minnesota has won every game in which its scored first during their nine-game stretch. Nino Niederreiter is set to play his 200th NHL game Saturday. El Nino leads the Wild with 97 hits and has already set a career high with 16 goals. With Zucker (18 goals) out, Nino looks to be freed and the HW staff cant wait to rub it everyones face... check back at 6:45 for the gamethread and Go Wild!

Doobs is in as the Wild go for a franchise record tonight.

The Wild have successfully started a second winning streak after having their six game streak snapped three games ago against the Winnipeg Jets. Saturday night, it was a group of former Golden Gophers or Minnesota-bred players that led the Wild to victory on Valentine's Day.

Minnesota had a very successful first period. The Wild scored on its first shot on goal. Justin Fontaine, a University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog. found Mikael Granlund, who found Thomas Vanek, a Gopher, for the slam dunk goal. Granlund's pass set up Vanek with the entire 4 ft x 6 ft goal frame to shoot at. Vanek would do it a second time, again on a play started by Fontaine 7:02 later. Fontaine spun around the Hurricanes goal and found Vanek on the weak side, who then found the space between Anton Khudobin's skate and the right post. Jordan Schroeder, another former Gopher, found the back of the net after streaking down the right side and getting off a hard wrist shot the beat Khudobin blocker side.

All was hunkey-dory in St. Paul until Andrej Nestrasil got one back for Carolina inside the final minute of the first period. Devan Dubnyk made the initial save on a shot by Jay McClement, but the rebound went right to Nestrasil's stick. That goal really changed the complexion of the second period.

Nate Prosser, of Elk River, Minnesota, got his second goal of the season on a centering pass that deflected off Minnesota native, Justin Faulk.

The Wild really let off the gas for the rest of the period as if they thought Carolina would roll over and give up with 38 minutes left to play in the game. Jeff Skinner got one back just under three minutes after the Prosser goal. Then a minute and a half later, Elias Lindholm would tip a Faulk shot past Dubnyk to cut the lead to one. Carolina out-shot the Wild 13-5 in the second period.

Minnesota re-grouped for the third period and came out with more pressure on the 'Canes. Erik Haula, a Gopher by way of Finland, scored the insurance marker for the Wild after the puck went off his skate and up and over Khudobin. The Wild were able to kill all three short-handed tries, including an elongated four-minute double-minor by Nino Niederreiter. The penalty kill has been superb since the trade for Dubnyk. The Hurricanes pulled the goalie with just under three minutes remaining. Zach Parise, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, cinched the win with an empty-net goal.

Minnesota won 6-3.

One thing that continues to boggle the minds of fans came up Saturday. It was a play in which Mikko Koivu was cross checked in the shoulders near the boards in the offensive zone by Andrej Sekera. The Wild continued to pressure for the next 30 seconds on the delayed penalty, but when the whistle finally blew after Khudobin froze the puck, referee Dan O'Halloran decided to call Sekera for cross checking and Koivu for embellishment. How does it make sense for a referee to call both of those? Sure, a penalty can be committed that solicits a reaction by the other player that could be embellished, but call one or the other - not both. The other problem; how is the delayed penalty allowed to go for so long after Koivu's "embellishment?" The play should be whistled dead immediately if there indeed was a penalty on Koivu. What would have happened if the Wild scored on the delayed penalty? Would the goal not count? Very interesting series of events.

Ryan Suter saw 27:26 time on ice and led all skaters. Vanek had three points as he added an assist on Prosser's goal. Jared Spurgeon, Fontaine, and Granlund all had two assists each.

Minnesota heads back on the road to Vancouver for Monday's match-up. the Wild have beaten the Canucks the last two meetings, once at Rogers Center and the other just last Monday at Xcel Energy Center.

Slow start puts Canes behind eight ball early

((This is a brief recap because I lost power for a bit tonight and did not see the game past the opening period.))

The Minnesota Wild jumped on their opponents quickly, opened up a 3-0 lead in the first period and went on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-3 on Saturday night at the Xcel Arena.

Thomas Vanek scored just 1:15 into the game to set the tone as the Carolina defense allowed plenty of time and space throughout much of the first period.  Anton Khudobin would probably like to forget this game as there was no mercy pulling by Bill Peters.  The former Wild goalie allowed five goals on 23 shots in the contest.

Andrej Nestrasil scored fhe first goal for the visitors with just 11 seconds left in the first period to give the Canes some hope going into the first intermission, but the Wild would make it 4-1 just a couple of minutes into the second period.

Jeff Skinner then scored his second goal in as many games and Elias Lindholm tipped a Justin Faulk shot to complete Carolina's scoring.

Early in the third period the Wild upped the score to 5-3 and then finished off with an empty netter.

The Canes will travel to Ottawa to play the Sens on Monday night.

game summary

event summary

It's a three game homestand this week

Lady Luck has been profoundly unkind to the Hurricanse this season. Their 5 on 5 PDO is the lowest in the league.

They can barely buy a goal with the league worst shooting percentage. The only team with fewer goals is (predictably) Buffalo. Eric Staal leads the team with 17 goals, and it drops off to Jiri Tlusty and Jeff Skinner both with 12 after that.

Between the pipes, Cam Ward has been, well, Cam Ward really.  His .912 SV% isn't very good, but it's actually better than his career average.  The real disappointment this season has been Anton Khudobin.  He is still well under 100 NHL games played, but his .909 SV% is a big drop from his .926 in 36 games played for the Canes last season.  Overall Khudobin had been looking better since mid-December, but his last three games have been terrible again.  He was pulled after two goals on three shots against St. Louis, let in five goals and had a .839 SV% against Anaheim and another five goals and a .783 SV% against Minnesota.

One thing that has been going well has been their possession game.  It isn't spectacular but it is solidly in positive territory at 51.3% for 5 on 5, which is good enough for 13th overall.

The other thing that has gone fairly well is a relative lack of injuries. Currently, only Ryan Murphy is out on IR.

Let's face it - the Canadiens success this season comes down mostly to Carey Price.

It's certainly not their possession numbers driving their success.  At 5 on 5, those numbers are 10th worst in the league right now.  It's not the power play either - at 16.8%, it ranks in at 24th overall.

Their shooting percentage is pretty close to the middle of the pack, which puts them in the bottom third of the leauge for goals once you combine it with their 24th place shot generation.  But yet, they've got the second highest PDO in the league thanks to Carey Price.

While Price is carrying (Careying?) the team on his shoulders, his supporting cast isn't completely absent.  Max Pacioretty is in the top 10 in the league for goals, and P.K. Subban is only a point behind the logjam that occupies fourth through ninth in points for defensemen.  Alex Galchenyuk has shown big improvement in his third season, and Andrei Markov hasn't been showing very much decline for a 36 year old.  But have no doubt, it is the #1 save percentage in the league that this team is riding to first in the East.

P.A. Parenteau is on IR for the Habs.

The Panthers are bound to be hungry for every point they can get this week.  Realistically, they're the only team in the East on the outside of the playoffs that stands a chance of getting in.

It is an uphill battle for them, however. Their possession numbers, like Carolina, are solid but not spectacular.  Their PDO is barely below 1, which means they can't expect their luck to improve much.

It's a rough stretch of schedule for them too - they have five games in eight days, with three of them against teams in the top 10 in the league.  Ottawa is their fourth game in that stretch - a bad run before then with some success by Boston could see Florida fall off the bottom side of the bubble by Saturday.

One area that is ripe for improvement is the special teams.  Both their power play and penalty kill is the worst in the league, both by significant margins.  It wouldn't take huge improvements to these to see Florida make it a real race with Boston for that last wild card spot.  Fortunately for their penalty kill at least, they're pretty good at staying out of the box.  They're 10th in the league for fewest times short handed.

Willie Mitchell and Brandon Pirri are both on IR.

The conflict surrounding analytics in hockey is fierce, passionate, and pointless. Here's why.

The nerds won. And are running up the score.

Analytics are entering the mainstream among hockey fans after several years on the margins. The NHL will soon be incorporating some of the more simplistic stats - Corsi, Fenwick, and other metrics used to more accurately track on ice production - on its own website. Teams ranging from the Edmonton Oilers to the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Carolina Hurricanes now employ statistical analysts to try and improve their clubs.

All of these changes were not without some resistance from skeptics within the community who believed that a game like hockey could not be reduced to a spreadsheet. Certain intangibles, like grit, heart, and effort, would always influence the outcome of a game in ways that could never be tracked, plotted, or otherwise calculated.

So who's right? If you go on social media and ask, the answer tends to be "everyone", with "traditionalists" in one camp and pro-analytics types in another. They rarely interact with each other beyond sniping at the other side's worldview.

This is ultimately a shame, because there really should not be any debate at all.

The traditionalists have it right; hockey is not a game that measurements like Corsi and Fenwick can capture. The speed of the game and the relative infrequency of major events (goals, shots, etc.) means that there are plenty of events that occur on the ice that affect the scoresheet without necessarily making the statsheet. Perhaps more in-house player tracking systems will reduce the amount of events that can't be tracked, but certain events will never be more than the luck of the draw.

But here's where most advanced stats critics get it wrong; no analyst, amateur or professional, believes hockey can be reduced to a spreadsheet. None. Zero. No stat minded writer or fan believes that Corsi and Fenwick will be a perfect indicator of future success, or that regression from one season to the next is an inevitability. Those that do are either out to grab controversy (and thus clicks), or are strawmen.

What advanced metrics have to offer the hockey community is an enhanced understanding of what transpires in the course of a 60 minute game. Our eyes are naturally drawn to the goals, the saves, and the scoring chances. But ultimately, everything that stats like Fenwick and PDO capture are events that are easily spotted in a game by the naked eye.

Stats help us make sense of what we're seeing, because most people don't have the interest and/or capability of indexing exactly what's happening at a given moment of the game while comparing that moment to the moments before it. Stats better clue us in to what the bigger picture looks like. They show us how often in a game a team manages to send shots toward the net, or how players enter the offensive zone. That doesn't contradict the eye test; it helps us find new things to look for.

And yes, stats are also meant to be predictive. But sometimes they aren't. And that's okay. Statistical analysis has a lot to do with separating the signal from the noise, as Nate Silver likes to say. That means figuring out what metrics influence outcomes, and how strong their influence is. Not all stats are created equal, and some will produce results that are not repeatable from season to season. That doesn't necessarily mean they're "wrong", but it does mean that there are other factors at work exerting more influence on the outcome.

To me, it seems that the debate about analytics in hockey is far less about analytics themselves and far more about where they come from. Video platforms like Gamecenter Live and readily available game reports from the NHL give anyone with the time and patience to compile stats the ability to garner significant credibility. And more and more often, those people are not long-time journalists, they are bloggers, part-time statisticians with full-time jobs, and simply fans.

Social media and the proliferation of online publishing services (stick-tap to SB Nation) has made it easier for these people who would have once been confined to online forums and local fan groups to connect with an international audience. And inevitably some established media figures have had their view on how hockey is played challenged in ways it has never been before. It shouldn't be too surprising that they have pushed back accordingly.

But there really is no debate to be had. Whether you enjoy tracking games and glossing over war-on-ice all day, or whether you prefer to use the old-fashioned eye test, you're still all watching the same game. Advanced statistics are slowly opening up new ways of understanding the game, but are ultimately all about helping fans learn more about the game they love.

It's cold in Raleigh, and colder in Ottawa. The Canes hope to heat things up on the ice as they take on the Senators tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators
February 16, 2015 - 7:30 pm ET
Canadian Tire Centre - Ottawa, ON
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Silver Seven Sens

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• There's not a lot new to report after a 6-3 loss to the Wild Saturday night that head coach Bill Peters referred to as "It was as bad as we've played in a long time." The Canes arrived in Ottawa late Saturday night/Sunday morning and had a scheduled day off yesterday, so there are no updates as to line-up changes.
• Anton Khudobin, in net for Saturday's loss, is 5-0-0 career against the Senators with a 1.80 GAA, so it is possible he could get tagged again for tonight's game. Since the Canes play again tomorrow night (at home against the Islanders), Khudobin and Cam Ward will likely each get a start over the next two days.
• With two assists Saturday and five assists in his last three games, Justin Faulk now leads the team with 34 points (10g, 24a). Jeff Skinner has goals in two straight games. Alexander Semin is a career point-per-game player against the Senators with 28 points in 25 games played.
• General Manager Ron Francis was in town and took advantage of yesterday's off day in Ottawa, according to Bob McKenzie:

CAR brass, incl GM Ron Francis and HC Bill Peters, at today's OTT-KGN (OHL) game in OTT, where Canes play Sens tomorrow night.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 15, 2015

Logic suggests they'll get good look at 2015 draft eligibles Lawson Crouse (KGN) and Travis Konecny (OTT) but could also have other reasons.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 15, 2015

LAK have interest in CAR rental D Andrej Sekera. LAK have three prospects in OTT-KGN game, incl KGN D Roland McKeown (50th overall in 2014).

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 15, 2015

Kings also have OTT D Alex Lintuniemi (60th overall in 2014) and Jacob Middleton (210th overall in 2014) in that OTT-KGN game today.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 15, 2015

• The Canes have picked up a point in 15 of the last 18 games (12-3-3) played against the Senators, including a 3-2 win in Ottawa on January 17th.
• The Senators come into tonight's game on the heels of a lopsided 7-2 win against the Oilers on Saturday. Milan Michalek, who has eight points (5g, 3a) in his last seven games, scored two goals and tallied an assist, and five other players also scored.
• The Senators are currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, nine points out of a wild card spot.
• With Craig Anderson recovering from a hand injury, goaltender Robin Lehner has made eight straight starts in net, posting a 3-4-1 record. Andrew Hammond played in one NHL game last season but has not seen any action since being called up from Binghamton to back up Lehner.
• Chris Neil injured his thumb in a fight on Saturday and will not be in tonight's line-up. Also, the Senators assigned Jean-Gabriel Pageau to Binghamton after Saturday's game and called up Shane Prince, who will make his first NHL start tonight (we all know what that means).
• The Senators did not hold a practice yesterday, so the line-ups will be updated for both teams after the morning skates.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (Updated 12:30 pm from morning skate)

Injuries and Scratches: Ryan Murphy (IR lower body), Alexander Semin, Victor Rask, John-Michael Liles

Senators (Updated 11:30 am from morning skate):

Injuries and Scratches: Craig Anderson (IR hand), Zack Smith (IR wrist), Chris Phillips, Chris Neil (hand), Mark Borowiecki

A recap of tonight's game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Ottawa Senators.

With Marc Methot finally re-signed and Shane Prince making his NHL debut, it was an upbeat Senators team that took to the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes. The mood quickly changed when the Hurricanes opened the scoring early in the game. Andrej Nestrasil got a bad angle shot on Robin Lehner. Unfortunately, Lehner's trend of giving up a bad goal continued, as he didn't have his stick set, redirecting the puck into his own net. Ottawa started to pressure Carolina in the second half of the period. Milan Michalek continued his hot play with a breakaway attempt late in the period. Unfortunately, he was robbed by Cam Ward, who made a nice glove save on the play. The Sens equalized with a few minutes left in the period. The goal was generated by Prince: he gained the offensive zone, skated deep into the Carolina end and fed an open Erik Karlsson in the slot. Karlsson's shot was stopped but Erik Condra potted home the rebound, giving Prince his first NHL point. The period finished tied at one. Shots 12-9 in favour of Carolina.

Ottawa started the second period with the same type of pressure as the second half of the first period. Midway through the frame Ottawa got into some penalty trouble. First, Patrick Wiercioch took a hooking penalty. With almost a minute still left in the Wiercioch penalty, Jared Cowen was caught for high-sticking. Late on the 5-on-3, David Legwand lost his stick. With the Sens essentially down to two defenders, Jeff Skinner slid a rebound into the net, as Patrick Wiercioch stepped back onto the ice. Unlike the first Carolina goal, Lehner had no chance on this play. At the halfway mark, Ottawa scored a highlight-reel goal when Karlsson danced by two Hurricanes in the Carolina zone and slide a pass back to a trailing Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad corralled the puck and fed Mike Hoffman in front of the net. Hoffman tipped the puck by Ward for his 20^th goal of the season. The tie game lasted less than three minutes. A Nathan Gerbe slapshot from the point was deflected by Karlsson at the last second, beating Lehner. Ottawa answered back 30 seconds later, as Cody Ceci joined a rush, went hard to the net, and the centring pass deflected off him and in for his fifth goal of the season.

The period ended with a Carolina goal and Ottawa injuries. A defensive breakdown by Ottawa led to a Carolina 3-on-1. Wiercioch was unable to stop the pass across and Clarke MacArthur, in the process of tying up the trailer Jay McClement (who did tip the puck in for Carolina's fourth goal), crashed into Robin Lehner, with both players taking significant contact to their heads. Can't fault Lehner for the goal, but that wasn't anyone's primary concern on the play. As they were attended to on the ice, the refs decided to end the period early and send the teams to their respective dressing rooms. It was a great call that let both teams' trainers take time to work on the injuries. Both players skated off on their own power, but MacArthur looked much worse and needed assistance from teammates. The second ended with Carolina up 4-3, shots 19-9 for the Hurricanes in the period.

When the teams came back out, Andrew Hammond took over for the injured Lehner and MacArthur did not return. The third period started with the last 54 seconds of the second period. Two great chances for Mike Hoffman and then the teams changed ends. The third started with an early high-sticking penalty to Eric Gryba. Unfortunately for Ottawa, the Canes capitalized immediately on the PP, as Michal Jordan snapped home his first of the season into an open cage. Chris Terry would add another power play goal for Carolina. Carolina wins 6-3. Shots 36-32 in favour of Carolina.

Sens Hero:Erik Karlsson

Once again, the Captain was amazing. On the day Methot signed it makes sense that a lot of the Karlsson talk centred on his partnership with Methot, but Karlsson's been going well for a few months now. Tonight was no exception. Sure he had a tough deflection passed his goalie, but he added two assists, made a brilliant play on Ottawa's second goal, and once again drove Ottawa's offense. Why wouldn't Methot leave money on the table to play with this guy for the foreseeable future?

Honourable Mention: Shane Prince

Prince had an impressive NHL debut. He had a few nice chances, was noticeable, and made a great play to set up Ottawa's first goal.

Sens Zero: penalties/penalty kill

You can debate the merit of some of the calls with good reason, but the Sens got burned by penalties tonight. It's hard to fault the PK on the not-quite-5-on-3 goal by Carolina, but the Sens gave up 3 goals when Carolina had the man advantage

Shot chart via ESPN:

Game Flow via Natural Stat Trick:

Nestrasil with three point night to lead Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes rebounded after a bad Saturday night in Minnesota with a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Coach Bill Peters complained about too many passengers in the game against the Wild and his team responded as 13 different players had points in this game.  Andrej Nestrasil led the way with a goal and two assists, giving him three goals in the last four games.

It was a pretty wild game to start as the Canes came out with jump early only to be matched by the Sens later in the period.

Nestrasil would get the game started with a backhanded tally which surprised goalie Robin Lehner, who acted like he never saw the puck.  The home team then tied the score before the end of the first period.

With the score tied 1-1, Jeff Skinner kept his scoring streak in tact with a powerplay goal eight minutes into the second period.  The score gave Skinner three goals in the last three games.  This was the first of three powerplay goals for Carolina, the first time they notched three in one contest this season.

A couple of minutes later, Ottawa tied the score again as they made several nice passes in the Carolina zone.

Shortly after that goal, Nathan Gerbe rifled in a shot to make it 3-2, but just 32 seconds later the Sens tied it again as the puck went in the Carolina net off of Cody Ceci's skate.

With less than a minute left in the period, Jay McClement would score a beauty of a goal to give the Canes the lead for good.  Unfortunately for Ottawa, Clarke MacArthur collided with his goalie on the play and after a long delay, both were helped from the ice and did not return.

Andrew Hammond replaced Lehner and allowed two more goals in the third period.

Michal Jordan scored his first career NHL goal when he sneaked in behind the defense during a powerplay chance.  Elias Lindholm found him with a perfect pass.

Chris Terry closed out the scoring with another powerplay goal, a nice looking one-timer from the slot area off of a Ron Hainsey pass.

The coach healthy scratched Alexander Semin and Victor Rask, although he did mention that Rask's benching would be for one night only, he just wanted to give the rookie a break.  Peters did not mention how long Semin would sit.

The Canes will return home for a match against the New York Islanders scheduled for Tuesday night.

Game Notes:

• The only players who did not register a point were Tim Gleason, Eric and Jordan Staal, Brett Bellemore, Jiri Tlusty, and Ward.  The first line for Carolina all finished the game in minus territory.
• Ward made a few outstanding saves, especially in the opening period when the Carolina defense was a bit loose again at times.  He finished the night making 29 saves on 32 shots.
• The Canes blocked 17 shots, led by Jordan and Gleason with three each.
• Faulk had a team high 25:40 of ice time.
• The Hurricanes went 3-5 with the man advantage and did not allow a powerplay goal.
• Event Summary
• Game Summary

Would the Avs be wise to chase the best defender currently available?

Andrej Sekera

#4 / Defenseman / Carolina Hurricanes

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 201

Shoots: Left

Age: 28

2014-2015 Cap Hit: $2,750,000
Contract Status: UFA end of this season

Who is Andrej Sekera?

Andrej Sekera has slowly become one of the crown jewels of this summer's free agent class. While that's probably an indictment of the top-end quality of the class as much as a compliment to Sekera's game, the 28-year-old has certainly enjoyed breaking out at the right time in his career.

Sekera is a solid two-way defender who excels at carrying the puck up the ice and whose defensive game would best be described as "safe." While not quite an aggressive, attacking puck carrier in the mold of Tyson Barrie, Sekera enjoys starting breakouts by controlling the puck himself as opposed to trying to make the pretty pass up the ice. His defensive acumen comes not in the form of physicality but rather in smart positioning and few risky plays.

Highlights? Highlights.

Nice.

Really nice.

Nice defense, Downie.

Why Sekera?

Because the Avalanche defense is terrible, of course. Sekera is a guy who can bring some offensive production to the table as shown by his career best 44-point season in 2013-14 but who would significantly improve the porous left side of the Avalanche blue line.

How good is he? Let's see how he fares on his own team.

While the Hurricanes are pretty terrible this year, that's Andrej Sekera in the top right right there experiencing the same success as Justin Faulk, a highly-touted youngster who just earned his first All-Star appearance this season.

What's HERO chart look like?

Sold.

Why Not?

Cost.

Like TOR with Cody Franson, CAR believed to be looking for 1st round and a prospect for rental D Sekera.  High prices right now.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 11, 2015

Okay, that's the asking price for acquiring him in a trade. How about for a contract extension? The inferior-in-every-way Marc Methot signed a 4-year, $19.6M ($4.9M AAV) deal yesterday. Unless Sekera takes the "hometown discount" in Carolina, Sekera is easily looking at a long-term contract (read: 5+ years) starting at the $5.5M per season range, and even that might be too conservative of an estimate. All told, you're looking at giving up a 1st round pick (in COL's case 2016 and beyond), a prospect (and probably not of the Mitchell Heard variety), and then a long-term contract for at least $5.5M-$6M per season...oof.

Sekera is a good player and a fine defenseman but for all of those prices, the guy had better be outstanding and there are questions about just how good Sekera actually is. His offensive production spiked last year but right now he's on pace for a 23 point season, certainly nothing special along the blue line, and while that wouldn't be a primary focus in Colorado it's still part of what you're paying for. His defense has never been outstanding he's playing with a very good partner in Justin Faulk, which might make him appear better than he is (the Andy Greene Effect that Edmonton is learning allll about right now). The upside there is that he's already playing top pairing minutes and would slot in next to Avs stalwart Erik Johnson very easily (assuming Hejda is not with the team beyond this season. If he is, Sekera plays with Barrie and we have an o-zone start monster on our hands).

Final Verdict:

Oooof. Unlike yesterday with Ryan O'Reilly, I'm really on the fence about dealing for Sekera. The player is nice, fits a need, and may not ding the NHL roster to acquire (something I feel appeals to Roykic very much) but the team whose farm system was ranked dead last in the NHL by ESPN prospect guru Corey Pronman probably shouldn't be trading 1st rounders wily nily, especially because the Avs are currently 21st in the NHL in points. That's the kind of price a buyer pays when they're gearing up for a Cup run. The Avs are neither of those things this year.

If the entire NHL balks at giving up a 1st rounder to acquire Sekera, then I would fully support the Avs doing their best to re-create the Johnny Oduya deadline deal from a few years ago and see if Carolina will take a 2nd and 3rd rounder, picks that should be near the top of their respective rounds. Beyond that, I'm going to say thumbs down on any Sekera deal involving a 1st round pick. The Avs simply can't afford to be giving those away.

The Hurricanes and Islanders face icy conditions and each other tonight in a Metro Division match-up.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders
February 17, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Lighthouse Hockey

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• The Hurricanes and Islanders faced their first challenge for tonight's game as they made their way to the Triangle last night in the midst of icy weather conditions. The Canes were in Ottawa and won convincingly over the Senators by a 6-3 score. The Metro Division-leading Islanders were at home in Long Island and watched a two-goal lead evaporate in the third period as they took a very emotional 6-5 loss at the hands (skates) of the Rangers, snapping a four-game winning streak.
• Tonight's game is the third of four meetings between the two teams this season; the Isles won both games in a home-and-home back-to-back series to open the season in early October.
• Neither team is skating this morning, so there will be no confirmed line-up changes until later this afternoon.
• For the Canes, few if any changes will be made to a line-up that won last night in Ottawa, with 10 players finding the score sheet including Michal Jordan, who logged his first career NHL goal. Prior to the game Bill Peters indicated it would be a priority for Victor Rask to return after sitting out as a healthy scratch, so if he sticks to that plan expect Riley Nash to be the player he replaces. Starting goaltender may be a toss-up though Peters appears to be leaning toward Cam Ward getting the back-to-back starts.
• Jeff Skinner has goals in three straight games, and Andrej Nestrasil (coming off a three-point night) has goals in two straight and in three of the last four games.
• For the Isles, head coach Jack Capuano hasn't made a lot of roster changes to a team on a winning streak, but with last night's loss, there's a good chance Calvin de Haan (facial injury) returns to the line-up, and Michael Grabner (upper body injury) is possible to return tonight as well. Chad Johnson may start in net after Jaroslav Halak was given a hard workout last night and gave up six goals on 42 shots.
• Captain John Tavares leads the team in scoring with 56 points (27g, 29a), and is ranked seventh in the NHL in points. Career to date he has 27 points (14g, 13a) in 20 games against the Canes.
• Ryan Strome has five points in his last four games, including two goals against the Rangers last night, and is a point-per-game player against the Canes with five points in five games.
• Ironically, it's Public Safety Night as tonight's arena promotion. If you have tickets to the game, first and foremost, stay safe and don't take any unnecessary risks (attending a hockey game isn't a necessary risk). Temperatures in Raleigh will hover around the freezing mark all day, and sunshine will cause the ice to start melting, which will create black ice conditions as the roads refreeze, especially on secondary and untreated roads. We'll pass along any game and weather-related updates as they become available.
• Update: Th

Projected line-ups

Injuries and Scratches: Ryan Murphy (IR lower body), Alexander Semin, Victor Rask, John-Michael Liles

Islanders (from Monday's game):

Injuries and Scratches: Michael Grabner (upper body), Kyle Okposo (upper body), Eric Boulton (lower body), Calvin de Haan (facial cut), Matt Donovan

Today we take a look at Andrej Sekera as a potential trade deadline target to help the Dallas Stars' blueline.

The Achilles' heel of the Dallas Stars has been part goaltending and part defense so far this season. With the Stars making the trade for Jhonas Enroth last week, one of those areas has seemingly been addressed for the short term.

Now, the Stars need to look towards their blueline if they want to make the push for the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. A name that has been out in the rumor mill and even associated with the Dallas Stars is Carolina Hurricanes 28-year-old defensman Andrej Sekera.

Sekera is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. On a Carolina team that is very much out of the playoff picture in the East, and looking to rebuild around their younger core guys like Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk, the Hurricanes will be looking towards the future this trade deadline. Moving a guy like Sekera will enable them to get pieces to help their efforts to compliment a potentially really high draft pick this summer.

The left-handed Sekera is very familiar with Lindy Ruff, having played for him for parts of six seasons in Buffalo. He is not much of an offensive dynamo for the most part, though he did have a career year last season with 44 points in 74 games played. He currently has 18 points in the season so far on the 27th ranked offense in the NHL.

One thing appealing about Sekera is that he plays a lot of minutes -- he's averaging 23 minutes a night. That's about what Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski are averaging for the Stars this season. In those minutes, he has positive possession metrics while getting about a 50/50 split on offensive zone starts. So, he isn't playing sheltered minutes and he's driving play. He plays a complete all-around game.

If Carolina moves Sekera, it's possible they'll be looking for defensive help in return. They don't have a player in their system currently that seems to project to what Sekera brings to the table, so a defensive prospect might help them in the long term. Draft picks will also be something they'll most likely be seeking as well.

That's where Dallas seems to be a good fit as a trading partner. With a ton of defensive prospects in the system, and many of them coming up for new contracts in the summer, it's a position of strength the Stars could deal from to get a defensive-minded blueliner that also helps drive possession.

The package Dallas would be willing to give up will most likely depend on whether Sekera re-signs in Dallas before he hits unrestricted free agency. And with similar players to Sekera getting big deals last summer (think Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen type contracts) he'll be looking for an upgrade in salary from his $2.75 million cap hit this year. Canes Country had a great piece on Sekera getting paid last month.

Would the Stars be able to fit that kind of contract on this team next season? We can assume so, with cap hits of guys like Erik Cole and Shawn Horcoff presumably coming off the books this summer.

His addition would create a bit of a logjam at defense, with guys like David Schlemko and Jordie Benn on the roster, prospects like Jyrki Jokipakka looking like they belong at this level, and Patrik Nemeth seemingly on the verge of return from injury. With Jim Nill's tendency to marinate prospects in the minors until they are almost overly-ripened, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to acquire a blueliner that bumps a young guy like Jokipakka back to Texas for additional seasoning.

Whether Dallas sees Sekera as a long-term fit or not, he would definitely have a calming impact on this team in the short term and provide the stability and veteran play on the back end for a playoff run this year.

But are they close enough to warrant giving up something to make that playoff run on a potential rental player? These next two weeks will go a long way to answering that question.

Also: Chad Johnson gets a rare start.

The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes meet in snowy Raleigh (yes, snowy) tonight after flying in last night from games further north. The Isles lost a 6-5 gut punch to the Rangers, while the Canes doubled up the Senators 6-3 in Ottawa.

Islanders (37-19-1, 1st/Metro) @ Hurricanes (20-28-7, 8th/Metro)
7 p.m. EST | MSG+ | WRHU
[bank or boy band or other] Arena
Riding it out: Canes Country

The Islanders have a few lineup changes:

• Michael Grabner comes off IR and slots into the lineup for Casey Cizikas (lower body injury). In previous games, that has meant Ryan Strome centers the fourth plus special teams duty, but we'll see how deployment goes tonight. No morning skate for line hints, etc.
  
• Calvin de Haan returns for the first time since a big skate cut on his face, and Lubomir Visnovsky comes out.
  
• ...that means Brian Strait, who had an awful game last night -- and is generally the Islanders' worst defenseman -- stays in. Less subtly, Visnovsky tipped one puck past his goalie and was weak defending Derek Stepan's goal. Not clear whether the decision is punishment/merit or gentle handling of the older blueliner, but we'll probably never hear which.
  
• Chad Johnson is in goal after Jaroslav Halak played, and got lit up for six goals, last night.

When these two teams last met, the season was young but the direction of things was already strongly hinted: The Isles swept the Hurricanes in the season-opening weekend on their way to battling for first place in the Metro Division all season long (well, at least through the first 57 games anyway). The Hurricanes, already bad and soon beset by injuries, launched a season long flirtation with last place, a position they still hold in the Metro.

For what it's worth, the Hurricanes have an NHL-style "winning" record at home of 11-10-3. They'll have Anton Khudobin in net after Cam Ward played last night.

Grabner flies, Grabovski centers, Nelson breaks the drought.

The New York Islanders rebounded from a chaotic and emotional loss Monday night at home to retain first place in the Metropolitan Division with a methodical 4-1 win over the division's last-place Carolina Hurricanes. A mix of new lines and pairings added some intrigue to compensate for a lack of drama.

No matter the competition, every NHL game's outcome is in doubt, but this one rarely felt that way. A sparse weather-diluted crowd -- with enough of an Isles contingent for some audible "Let's Go Islanders" chants -- and two teams at opposite ends of the standings fed an atmosphere of inevitability, even though the Isles were increasingly outshot after building their lead.

Anders Lee scored a rebound power play goal after nice give-and-go work from Frans Nielsen and John Tavares in the first, Brock Nelson broke his goal slump with a shot from the circle in the second, and Michael Grabner scored on a breakaway(!) in the third to create a comfortable, methodical feel for the visitors.

The most notable hiccup came after Isles-killer Jiri Tlusty got the Canes on the board and broke Chad Johnson's shutout bid 11:14 into the third period. The Hurricanes followed that with some good pressure, enough to awake Islanders fan demons. For a moment, the Canes thought they got another one to really turn the screws, but Nathan Gerbe knocked a shot down with a high stick that the refs immediately spotted, so it didn't matter if he then played it in with his shaft below the crossbar.

John Tavares iced the game with a "I'm John Tavares" empty net goal launched from just outside Johnson's crease with more than four minutes remaining.

With the Isles outshot 38-30 overall, this hockey game could have turned out differently. It just never felt like it would.

[Box | Game Sum | Event Sum | Fancy/Shifts: War-on-Ice - Natural Stat Trick - HockeyStats.ca || Recaps: | Isles | NHL |

Game Highlights

Johnson was steady, and did good work in stopping 37 shots for his win. Does it answer questions about the backup situation? No, but it boosts his save percentage up in the direction it's expected -- and likely -- to be when all is said and done. Returning to a NHL-style ".500" record (7-7) on a 38-19-1 doesn't hurt the confidence either.

Assorted Lineup Notes

• In past games when Casey Cizikas has been out, Ryan Strome centered the fourth line. Tonight it was the snake-bitten Nelson's turn for that role, and at the end of a nice shift by that line he ended up scoring his first goal since Jan. 4, 19 games ago.
• Activated off injured reserve earlier in the day, Grabner had a fantastic, energetic game. He constantly created headaches on the penalty kill -- the good kind, like headaches for the opposition -- and was a relentless forechecker. He was also rewarded with a breakaway goal that gave the Isles a 3-0 lead seven minutes into the third period, one of his four shots on goal.
  
• With Nelson on the fourth line, Grabner formed a scary combo with Frans NIelsen and Ryan Strome. Mikhail Grabovski had a rare (for his Isles tenure) night at center with Nikolay Kulemin and Cal Clutterbuck, where he won 7 of his 12 faceoffs (that's 58 percent, but also one loss from 50 percent for you math novices).
  
• On defense, more novel pairings: Brian Strait stayed with Travis Hamonic, while Hamonic's usual partner Calvin de Haan returned to the lineup paired with Thomas Hickey. The Nick Leddy - Johnny Boychuk pair remained.
• Hamonic took a shot off a finger on his right hand that sent him to the locker room midway through the third period. He was back under 10 minutes later and took a regular turn for three more shifts to the end of the game.
• After missing a sizable chunk of the Rangers game getting facial repairs and a full shield installed on his helmet, Leddy returned to minute-munching with Boychuk, each of them leading the team with over 21 minutes except for...
• ...Brian Strait everybody! He led the way with officially 22:42, boosted by 2:10 on the PK. Honestly, the ranting of fans about this is tiresome, but then so is the deployment itself. It doesn't really make sense in any modern hockey sense, and the Isles otherwise take a pretty advanced approach to the game.

The Isles fanbase had a visible presence, as they often do in Raleigh. The highlight had to be seeing the fisherman era blue jersey with the traditional crest behind the Isles bench, with a complementary white one behind the Canes bench.

Quote of the Night

I would wonder who the hell the Isles are showcasing Brian Strait for, but then I remembered they got 2nd & 3rd rounders for MacDonald so...

— Dan Saraceni (@cultureoflosing) February 18, 2015

Can't blame a gal* for hoping.

*Dan, author of that tweet**, is not technically a gal. It's just an expression.
**Dan is also one of the brains behind this site, so it's totally biased*** for me to pick that as quote of the night. #fixisin
***Why are we even talking about this? Because it takes the mind off, or at least makes light of, the Strait Conspiracy.

Up Next

The Isles jump to 77 points with the win, and the Capitals' 3-1 win over the Penguins tonight means there's a four-point gap between the Isles and the trio of other Atlantic playoff teams.

Lots of season yet to play, but every inch counts...particularly with the Predators next on the schedule, Thursday Nashville back at the Coliseum. The Predators are terrifying for several reasons, most of them rhyming with "Rekka Pinne."

Islanders with third win this season over Canes

The New York Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the road and held on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1 on Tuesday night at the PNC Arena.

Both teams overcame bad weather to make it into town late last night and played the game in front of hearty fans who braved the slick road conditions, especially on secondary roads.

The Islanders scored a goal in each period to make it 3-0, before the home team finally notched one, 11:14 into the third period.  Eric Staal found Jiri Tlusty cutting to the net and Tlusty beat goalie Chad Johnson, who had stymied Carolina up to this point.

Johnson allowed just the one goal on 38 Carolina shots.

Anton Khudobin looked sharp early and made some top level saves in the opening period, but ended up allowing three goals on 29 shots.

Coach Bill Peters pulled his goalie out for an extra skater with more than 4:30 remaining but John Tavares scored with 4:19 left to put an end to that strategy.

Peters scratched Victor Rask and Alexander Semin for the second straight game.

The Canes looked to have some fire later in the third and it appeared that Nathan Gerbe made it 3-2, but he was called for hitting the puck with a high stick before knocking it into the net and there was no goal allowed.  Peters agreed with the call after the game.

Carolina will next play the sinking Toronto Maple Leafs at home on Friday night.

Game Notes:

• The Canes outshot the Isles 38-30 and were led by Jeff Skinner with five.
• The team was credited with 33 hits led by Tim Gleason, who had six.
• Justin Faulk had a team high 23:39 TOI.
• Event Summary