Brian Strait and Travis Hamonic had the worst possession nights, again raising the question about Strait's place in the lineup.

The Islanders took on the Hurricanes, with whom they have had their way so far this season. One would look at this game and expect a bit of a letdown of a game - both teams played last night, both teams traveled, there was a state of emergency due to inclement weather and Carolina was offering ticket exchanges for those that couldn't or didn't want to make it to the game due to the conditions.

Those expecting a letdown weren't necessarily disappointed. The game felt a bit lethargic particularly when compared to the frenetic pace of the Islanders and Rangers game. Islanders fans will take the 4-1 victory nonetheless, though the team was hardly at their best. A fantastic game by Chad Johnson (one goal on 38 shots for a .974 save percentage) and a mediocre at best game by Anton Khudobin (three goals on 29 shots for an .897 save percentage) was ultimately what gave the Islanders the win in this one.

The Corsi Table

The play of Brian Strait and Travis Hamonic once again dragged down the Islanders tonight. Strait's performance in particular was quite abhorrent as he dragged everybody down with him and posted the worst possession numbers in each of the three periods.  The team would have been looking at a decent possession game without him on the ice.  The most concerning thing about that is that he was out on the ice for the most attempts of any Islander player despite the fact that he was having a horrendous game.  As for his minutes, well:

Hmmmmm check out those ice times. pic.twitter.com/7zEOq5C88s

— T (@Riz2525) February 18, 2015

The biggest positives for the Islanders were Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan. De Haan played wonderfully in his first game back and Hickey lead the team in possession.  he two had shown success in the past working together, though they hadn't been paired at all this year.  Michael Grabner led all forwards in possession this game along with Mikhail Grabovski and Cal Clutterbuck.

All in all, the defensive shell that the team seems to go into is rather bothersome, though they seemed to snap out of it in the third period. Their possession numbers actually weren't bad when they went up by three as they led the Hurricanes in Corsi by a total of ten to seven, but when up by two the margin was completely different with 37 attempts for the Hurricanes compared to only nine for the Islanders. That's pretty bad, and yes all of those numbers are at five on five.

The Stats Table

Frans Nielsen and Grabner put up their points and their possession numbers despite getting one offensive zone start, so that's pretty awesome.  John Tavares was very John Tavares-y scoring on a crazy empty net shot from his own zone and adding a power play assist even though the possession numbers weren't great.

Hamonic took yet another penalty, the Islanders actually had better special teams than their opponents for once and nothing else of great significance happened.  Oh...

And Brock Nelson scored!

The W.O.W.Y. Table

Strait's bad game can be seen here.  Strait made just about everybody on the ice worse with the exception of Nick Leddy in the tiniest of sample sizes.  Ironically enough, the only person that Hamonic played worse with than Strait tonight was his regular partner in de Haan.  No score adjusting is done in this chart and it's a lot redder than it normally looks.

Brian Strait - One More Peek

Here are the numbers for each player with and without Strait.  All but three players were positive with him off the ice while one other, Ryan Strome, broke even without him.  What's worse is that the one player better with Strait on the ice than only had a 57-second sample size.  The de Haan numbers might be the most comical - they had 20 seconds of ice time with five attempts against and zero attempts for.  An entire line played over three and a half minutes of ice time with Strait and they were outshot by ten to nothing.  There was just nothing good about his performance.

If Lubomir Visnovsky isn't ready to go then Matt Donovan should get a chance preferably on the right side (not the left) of Hickey where he's performed well in the past.  If that's not an option because the staff has lost all faith in him, they may want to call up Aaron Ness for an emergency call up because performances like these should not be acceptable regardless of whether or not the team won or lost.

The Habs pay a vist to the Canadian Tire Centre for a mid-Feburary tilt with the Sens

The good news is that the Senators have nowhere to go but up after a disastrous outing against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.  The bad news is that they'll have to do it without either of their regular goalies, or Clarke MacArthur. With Craig Anderson already on the shelf, the Sens suffered a serious blow when both MacArthur and Robin Lehner were injured in a collision in the second period of Monday's game. The result is that Andrew Hammond will get his first career NHL start, and Chris Driedger will serve as his back-up. For those of you scratching your heads as to who, exactly, Driedger is, our own B_T had a write-up yesterday.

For Montreal, the beat goes on: a sparkling 37-15-4 mark for 78 points and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. If you're a glass half-full fan of the Habs, you'd have to think they must be doing something right to have that kind of record. If you're a glass half-empty fan, you might point to Carey Price's sparkling .935 SV% as covering up some serious holes. It sounds strange to say, but Ottawa has gotten the better of the play at 5v5 this season, at least when compared to Montreal. With Dustin Tokarski starting in Price's place tonight, don't be surprised if the Sens make more of a game of it than you might expect from glancing at the standings.

Ottawa's projected line-up:

Hoffman - Zibanejad - Ryan

Michalek - Turris - Stone

Prince - Legwand - Chiasson

Lazar - Pageau  - Condra

Methot - Karlsson

Cowen - Ceci

Borowiecki - Gryba

Andrew Hammond (starter)

Chris Driedger

Some notes for tonight's game:

• Shane Prince had a fantastic debut on Monday, getting his first  career point and showing flashes of the speed and skill that earned him the opportunity in the first place
• The revolving door of defensemen continues as Patrick Wiercioch comes out and Mark Borowiecki draws back. It's a shame because the Wiercioch - Cody Ceci pairing had been showing some promise, albeit it in sheltered minutes. Cowen-Ceci has been not so great in their time together but they'll get another kick at the can tonight
• For your Habs-themed preview, check out Eyes on the Prize.

Here are some stats for the two teams tonight. All stats are from NHL.com except for Corsi and Fenwick, which are from naturalstattrick.com.

The Canes won the first two meetings this season against the Leafs, each by identical 4-1 scores. Can they complete the sweep tonight?

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
February 20, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Pension Plan Puppets

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• The Canes and Leafs wrap up their season series tonight. The Canes have won both prior meetings by identical 4-1 scores, the first in Raleigh on December 18th and the second in Toronto on January 19th. In the latter, Eric Staal went beast mode with two goals and a fight, and Anton Khudobin made 34 saves on 35 shots. The Canes haven't lost a season series to the Leafs since 2006-07.
• As expected in a match-up between teams near the bottom of the NHL standings, neither team is bringing a lot of momentum into tonight's game. The Canes are coming off a 4-1 loss at home against the Islanders Tuesday night, giving them three losses in their last four games and a 4-4-2 record in their last ten. As for the Leafs, well... since the loss to the Canes in January their record is 1-8-2, and they have lost 23 of their last 27 games, the latest a 3-2 loss to the Panthers on Tuesday night at the ACC.
• Both teams are playing tonight on the front half of a back-to-back series. After tonight's game the Leafs return home to face the Jets tomorrow, while the Canes will travel to New Jersey to face the Devils.
• Bill Peters is shuffling forward lines again. Alexander Semin and Victor Rask will be back in after missing the last two games as healthy scratches. Rask will center Nathan Gerbe and Elias Lindholm, and Semin will be on a line with Riley Nash and Jeff Skinner. Andrej Nestrasil will move to the wing on the fourth line. Patrick Dwyer and Chris Terry appear to be the healthy extras.
• The Canes are down to six healthy defenseman going into the weekend. With the Checkers in desperate need of blue line help, Michal Jordan was reassigned to Charlotte yesterday in time to make last night's game (which the Checkers won, 4-2). Peters said he was confident Jordan would return return back to the Canes line-up. By the way, injured defenseman Ryan Murphy (IR, leg) was the guest on last night's Canes Corner with Mike Maniscalco, and in his radio interview, Murphy commented that his recovery was progressing to the point where he hoped to get back on the ice as early as today's practice.
• Peters hasn't named a starting goaltender. If it's Cam Ward, it will be his 499th career NHL start.
• Life in Leafs land is, as per usual, filled with much drama. After trading away Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli on Sunday and with rumors swirling that other names are on the trade block, interim head coach Peter Horachek is trying to deal with the frustration and 'negative energy' and generate pride and motivation.
• Phil Kessel (22g, 26a, 48p) and James van Riemsdyk (21g, 23a, 44p) still lead the team in points, but both have struggled in five-on-five play, with only two points each since Horachek took over 18 games ago.
• Captain Dion Phaneuf remains out of the line-up as he recovers from a hand injury. Phaneuf was on the ice for a conditioning skate yesterday but is not practicing with the team. Joffrey Lupul did practice with the team as part of his continuing recovery from a lower body injury, but did not make the trip. Trevor Smith also remains out of the line-up with a lower body injury.
• The Leafs had six healthy defensemen skating at yesterday's practice, but afterwards Andrew MacWilliam was recalled from the Marlies on an emergency basis, which means a change to the line-up either due to illness/injury or pending trade. If MacWilliam is in the line-up tonight it will be his NHL debut.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Thursday's practice)

Injuries and Scratches: Ryan Murphy (IR leg), Patrick Dwyer, Chris Terry

Maple Leafs (from Thursday's practice):

Injuries and Scratches: Dion Phaneuf (IR hand), Trevor Smith (lower body), Joffrey Lupul (lower body), Andrew MacWilliam (recalled yesterday, did not practice)

In other news, the NHL is rolling out new advanced analytics today, so look for the unveiling of their fancy stats (and mourn the death of 'Corsi' and 'Fenwick' as they get replaced with 'shot attempts'  and 'unblocked shot attempts') on NHL.com.

If you're headed to the game tonight, the Canes have several promotions underway. There's special Family Night ticket pricing, and the first 10,000 fans in the building will receive a set of Upper Deck trading cards. Bring packages of diapers to support the Diaper Drive benefitting Diaper Train of Wake County, and enter a drawing to win player-signed memorabilia. Visit the Hurricanes Promotions page for more details. It's another cold one, so bundle up and travel safely.

The Hurricanes defenseman has flown under the radar for much of his career. That should change in the coming weeks.

If you were to search the Internet high and low for information on Andrej Sekera, you might find it difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of his abilities. This would be through no fault of your own. While Sekera is in the midst of his ninth NHL campaign, there remains a significant dearth of analyses on the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman -- at least publicly.

Why? Perhaps because he isn't a flashy athlete by any means, nor is he a big personality apt to give juicy quotes. Rather, he's a guy who goes about his business quietly in a small market, and thus, in the eyes of many, goes unnoticed.

That's starting to change, however, thanks to the looming trade deadline set for March 2 at 3 p.m. ET. Sekera, who's earning a modest $2.75 million salary, is a pending unrestricted free agent, and, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Carolina appears set to trade the left-handed blue liner. And since Cody Franson was mercifully shipped out of Toronto last week, many consider Sekera the best D-man on the block.

As he should be.

The 28-year-old Slovak is a prototypical, puck moving rearguard, one who skates well, is an excellent passer, blocks a lot of shots and isn't prone to costly mistakes. He's extremely disciplined, too, as evident by the fact that he's committed only four penalties this season and hasn't racked up more than 20 PIMs since 2011-12.

The elder half of the Canes' top pairing, Sekera handles a lot of minutes -- averaging 22:49 of ice time in 2014-15. Carolina's lack of depth has force he and Justin Faulk to handle opponents' best forwards without much help, and they've done well in these harsh conditions:

As the blue shade in his bubble indicates, Sekera is a good possession player. This is the norm for him. Except for 2006-07 -- when he played just two NHL games -- Sekera has posted positive shot differentials relative to his teammates in all but one season.

Beyond even strength, Sekera has assumed a big responsibility on the penalty kill, averaging 1:55 shorthanded minutes per game in 2014-15. The Canes' PK has jumped from 17th overall to second under Bill Peters, and Sekera is a huge reason for their success in this regard: Through 54 contests his relative 4-on-5 shot differential is better than any other Hurricane.

He's also gifted offensively, as seen last year when he tallied 44 points (11 goals, 33 assists) in 74 games. His production has recently dipped -- he has just 19 points in 54 contests this season -- which is concerning to some. But there are a few reason to believe he's due for a spike in production.

Sekera's current shooting percentage (2.7) is a career-low and is almost certain to regress; at 5-on-5, his on-ice shooting percentage -- largely out of his control -- is also a career-low at 6.6. Although it would be unfair to expect him to produce at his 2013-14 pace over the long haul, he's certainly capable of more than he's shown of late.

Assessing Sekera's worth

Sekera's value is tough to pin down -- in part because of his notoriety (or lack thereof), in part because of the always-shifting marketplace. Regardless, Carolina is in rare a position of power. Surely Ron Francis has a lot of rival general managers chomping at the bit, and with few other options available, those seeking a quality D-man for rent could engage in a fierce bidding war.

Question is, how much is he worth? That's difficult to answer. Some reports suggest the Hurricanes are seeking a first-round pick and a prospect in return. Others think that may be too ambitious without other pieces to sweeten the deal.

Sekera and his representatives seem to think he's worth a lot:

Also, I said CAR now has Andrej Sekera on the market. CAR tried to sign him but he was looking for "Marc Staal money," aka $5.5M to $6M AAV.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 11, 2015

$5.5 million is a big AAV. Too big, considering his skill set. Nonetheless, he might deserve "Marc Staal money" more than Marc Staal. Here are their HERO charts side-by-side:

It's interesting to see Sekera doesn't take on quite as much ice time, but his underlying numbers and point total are clearly superior.

The objective here isn't to decide who's better, but to show Sekera is in the same class as Staal, which is to say he would be a great option for a contender looking to beef up its top four.

There certainly isn't a lack of playoff-hopeful teams who could use someone of this caliber. If Francis plays his cards right, he should be able to get an impressive return for Sekera and kickstart a much-needed rebuild.

How bad can a team really be?

Look. I'll level with you all. I'm not putting a lot of effort into this Game Preview.

The season is over. Lupul pretty much admitted it!

So what's left? TANKING.

Tanking has some glorious rewards. And this is a must lose game if our tank is to proceed to the Holy Grail

Remember when our buddy Boyd up there fucked up our tank? Not gonna happen this time. We need everyone on board.

Things that will help the tank:

Maple Leafs recall MacWilliam
Andrew MacWilliam is terrible at hockey! He has 13 points in 104 AHL games. Horachek, make him the new Kostka!

Phaneuf still on IR with hand injury

DION ANGRY AND SMASH HAND ON ROCK AND MUCH HURT SO CAN NO PLAY HOCKEY JUST PLAY WITH DION PET CAT AND GO TO RESTAURANT AND EAT RIBS

Joffrey Lupul remains out again tonight with lower-body injury.

— Jonas Siegel (@jonasTSN1050) February 20, 2015

I'm not saying I was responsible for his "lower body" injury. I'm also not saying I wasn't responsible for it.

Lupul: "There's trade rumours on every guy in here so who are we going to put on the ice next year? A bunch of draft picks?"

— Jonas Siegel (@jonasTSN1050) February 19, 2015

NOT YOU, JOFFREY!

Also, Roman Polak is expected to play poorly as he really misses Cody, and while they totally sext all the time, Cody is responding less quickly and frequently than before. Roman can already feel him drifting away and has a sad.

Things that will hurt the tank:

James Reimer starts tonight in Carolina... he was the last Leafs goalie to win in Raleigh back in March 2011

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 20, 2015

I mean I'm all for GBSR, but can't Garret Sparks take this one?

The Canes Suck

They basically started tanking from the first game of their season. Why didn't the Leafs do this?

Tim Gleason Plays for the Hurricanes

You may be wondering why this will hurt our tanking.

It's because he could still be playing for the Leafs! Thanks, Nonis!

Mike Komisarek no longer plays for the Hurricanes

Quit being such a baby, Komi.

Damn it! Imagine how awful their defence corps would be with Liles, Gleason, and Komisarek?

Leafs @ Hurricanes - 7:00PM on SNO

Here are the Hurricanes projected lines, courtesy of our friends at Canes Country

Canes sweep Leafs in season series, Staal brothers each score

The Staal brothers each scored a goal as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 at the PNC Arena on Friday night.

This was a game between two teams who wished they had better seasons and at times it seemed they were going through the motions.  "The game did not seem to have much emotion or desperation to it," admitted coach Bill Peters.

Still, the coach liked the way his top line played.

"They were big and heavy, and good down low", said the coach, when talking about Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, and Jiri Tlusty.  Tlusty finished with two assists.

All of the game's three goals were scored in the first period as things tightened up a bit after that.

With 6:05 left in the first, Justin Faulk sent a puck toward the net that Eric Staal got a stick on.  Faulk was originally credited with the goal, but after review it was given to the Captain, who was also named first star of the game.  The goal was a powerplay tally for the home team who went 1-2 for the game.

About three minutes later, David Booth made a nice move and drew Cam Ward out of the net as the goalie made the save.  Brandon Kozun put the rebound on net, but Brad Malone set up shop and stopped the first attempt.  Kozun did not give up though and sent his next shot past Malone to tie the score.

It was Kozun's first career NHL goal.

The Canes were not done and the Staal brothers combined to take the lead back, just 16 seconds later.  Eric put a shot/pass on goal that Jordan redirected past James Reimer, for the game-winner.

Reimer had a rough first period but settled down after that and ended up making 24 saves on 26 shots.

Ward was a bit better at the other end with a 23 save night on 24 shots.  His best of the game could have been on Nazem Kadri, when the Leaf broke in alone during the second period.

The Hurricanes penalty kill unit continues to be sterling and killed all four Toronto chances while maintaining their first place ranking in the league.  They did not even allow a single shot on goal in the kills.

The team was quick to pack up afterward for the flight to Jersey for a game against the Devils Saturday night.

Game Notes:

• Elias Lindholm led his team with four hits. The Canes were credited with 26 for the night.
• John-Michael Liles and Tim Gleason each had a team high four blocked shots.
• Eric and Jordan led the way with four shots on goal each.  Semin did not have a shot on goal in this one and neither did Nestrasil, Malone, or McClement.
• The team was 59% in the faceoff circle.  Jordan Staal won 60%, (12 of 20).  McClement won 7 of 10 and was at 70%. 
  
• Faulk had a team high 22:00 minutes of ice time with Sekera right behind with 21:25.

Tonight's opponent is one that shares an undesirable place in the standings with the Devils. This game preview tries to give you incentive to watch this matchup of two bad hockey clubs.

Are you ready for the Hurricane?

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

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

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (23-26-9) vs. The Carolina Hurricanes (21-29-7; SBN Blog: Canes Country)

The Last Devils Game: Last night, the Devils started well, out-shooting, out-passing, and generally out-skating the Vancouver Canucks. Patrik Elias took a shot and scored a goal from the side boards, something you typically might not expect, but the Devils haven't been shooting much lately so it was nice to see what can sometimes happen from doing so. It continued into the second period when Adam Larsson made a nice pass to send Jordin Tootoo on his way for a rather soft goal by Eddie Lack. A minute or so later, Mike Cammalleri scored on a power play and the Devils were up 3-0. Done deal, right?

The Canucks got one back moments later on a pretty passing play that started with the Sedins and ended with Zach Kassian all alone in front of Schneider. The Canucks started taking it to the Devils and carried much of the play for the rest of the second period. They would continue doing into the third where Kassian scored again to pull the Canucks within one. The Devils would eventually secure the win with Cammalleri's second of the night, this one into the empty net. John's recap is here.

The Last Hurricanes Game: Last night, brothers Eric and Jordan Staal scored first period goals, which were enough to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their goals were sandwiched around Brandon Kozun's first NHL goal for the struggling Maple Leafs. Carolina had a rather easy go of it as the Leafs failed to mount any serious attempt to get back in the game. They managed only twelve shots over the final forty minutes, and failed to generate a single shot on four power play chances. Carolina should be well rested heading into tonight's game in Jersey. The recap over at Canes Country is here.

The Last Devils - Hurricanes Game: Back on December 23rd, John's recap opened with a definition of insanity. Yea. It was not a pleasant contest between the two teams. Carolina dominated the Devils and were only denied a victory from open play due to the titan between the pipes that is Cory Schneider. Carolina would eventually prevail in a shootout on a goal from Chris Terry after Ron Hainsey tied the game, forcing overtime and subsequent shootout. Stephen Gionta had the Devils lone tally.

The Goal: Just be competitive. Resemble a hockey team that isn't incompetent. Either of those will be fine with me. We know this team is not making the playoffs, despite whatever is reported. As trade deadline talk will be part of any discussion involving the Devils, the team still plays games after March 2nd. The team will still line up and have to play twenty-odd games or so. Resembling a hockey team that can perform basic actions like passing, exiting the zone, getting pucks on goal, any of those would be encouraging signs that this team won't be a horror show each night.

Last night, the Devils were many of those things. They created plenty of chances, were carrying the play for decent stretches of the game, and ended up with some deserved points. That's impressive for this club. Can they do it for two games in a row?

Ruutu and the 'Canes: Last season, the Devils acquired Tuomo Ruutu and then played against his former team just three nights later. He ended up scoring the winner, which was a pretty cool moment for him, I imagine. Can he make a similar impact against his former club this time around?

Not Quite a Hurricane: More like a brisk wind, really. Here's the point totals for the 'Canes skaters. It's an uninspiring list...until you look at the Devils that is. Both of these teams have had horrid offensive seasons and I don't expect much else than a low-scoring affair tonight. Carolina has had the better of the Devils this season, as in both of their previous meetings they outplayed the Devils all over the ice. Will it continue tonight?

The one thing the Hurricanes do excel at is killing penalties, as they are currently tops in the league. Let's see here, league's best penalty kill goes up against a power play led by Jordin Tootoo. Hmm, I wonder how that matchup will turn out.

Continuing the Coaching Audition: Is the next Devils coach already behind the bench? It's difficult to truly assess either Scott Stevens of Adam Oates based on the lack of adequate talent on this roster, but one of the reasons to continue tuning in is to see--once Lamoriello leaves the bench--how the team reacts and performs under their guidance. Have we seen enough of them in the past (Stevens with the Devils; Oates with the Devils and Capitals) to know what to expect from them going forward? Or, should they be given more time beyond this season with, hopefully, better (read: younger) talent on this roster?

Comings and Goings: The deadline is only nine days away. One would hope that several UFAs are sent packing in an attempt to rebuild the team's prospect pool. Jaromir Jagr, Michael Ryder, Steve Bernier, Martin Havlat, Scott Gomez, and Marek Zidlicky are all on expiring contracts that should be moved for something, anything. Another reason to tune in is each game could Jagr's last as a Devil. Regardless of how last season and this season have gone, it has been truly a blessing to watch an all-time great wear a Devils sweater. He is nothing if not the consummate professional and just so damn fun to watch.

Your Thoughts: What will you be watching for? Personally, every time I think of Carolina I think back to Game 7 in 2009 and am filled with rage. I just can't ever not hate this team. I'm all for the Devils staying as close as they can to the bottom of the standings for the best possible chance of drafting a kid like Strome or Marner, but tonight I'd like them to win by a healthy margin. With Jagr's time coming to an end in Jersey, what will you remember most about him? What would you like to see from the coaching staff? Sound off below and enjoy the game!

MJ is back as the Canes wrap up their weekend against the Devils tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils
February 21, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - In Lou We Trust

Fancy Stats

Stats via NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• The Canes and Devils have met twice this season, each winning on the other's home ice. The Devils won in Raleigh on December 8th by a 2-1 score, then the Canes defeated the Devils in a 2-1 shootout on December 23rd.
• The shootout loss was the last for Pete DeBoer, as he was relieved of his head coaching responsibilities the day after Christmas. In his place, general manager Lou Lamoriello has stepped in behind the bench in an interim role, along with Adam Oates and Scott Stevens. Since the coaching change the Devils are 11-9-2 and have climbed one spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 10 points out of a playoff spot.
• Both the Canes and Devils enter tonight's game on the back half of a back-to-back series and with wins in their pockets. Eric and Jordan Staal stepped up on the score sheet, Cam Ward was solid in net with 23 saves, and while it wasn't an 'A' game performance it was good enough to beat the Maple Leafs 2-1.
• For the Devils, it was a special win for Cory Schneider as he defeated his former team, the Canucks, 4-2. His teammates helped by scoring more than one goal for the first time in the last five games. Mike Cammalleri scored two goals to reach 20 for the season, a milestone he's achieved seven times. He leads the Devils in goals scored and is tied for the league lead with eight game-winners.
• Rookie Keith Kincaid has been tagged to start tonight's game, his eighth start of the season. Kincaid has not previously faced the Canes in his NHL career. The Devils aren't skating this morning so any other changes to their line-up from last night's game won't be known until closer to game time.
• Head coach Bill Peters had previously stated he expected defenseman Michal Jordan to re-join the roster, and he did so just a few minutes ago, recalled this morning by the Hurricanes. Jordan was sent to Charlotte earlier in the week to help a depleted Checkers roster, but with a back-to-back scenario and no extra defensemen, his help is needed again with the NHL squad. As to how the roster move affects tonight's line-up, we'll pass along information as it becomes available. The Canes will take the ice for their morning skate at 11:30 am.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Friday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Ryan Murphy (IR leg), Patrick Dwyer, Chris Terry

Devils (from Friday's game):

Injuries and Scratches: Bryce Salvador (back), Damon Severson (ankle), Martin Havlat, Michael Ryder, Mark Fraser

William Karlsson, known as "Wild Bill" while with the Ducks at the beginning of the season, has come alive in his last eight games with eight points (3G, 5A) including scoring both goals in last Saturday's 2-1 OT victory.

1 Defenseman Colby Robak found himself on the score sheet for the first time this season with an assist Tuesday against the Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes). Robak has appeared in eight games with Norfolk this season since being sent down from Anaheim and has one assist, six penalty minutes, and 16 shots on goal.

2William Karlsson scored two goals last Saturday in a 2-1 OT victory against the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning). His fifth goal of the season, coming on the PP, tied the game at one just shy of eight minutes in to the second period. Karlsson secured the weekend sweep of Syracuse with the game-winning OT goal just over three and a half minutes in to overtime, his sixth of the season. Karlsson added a seventh goal to his total in Tuesday's OT loss to the Charlotte Checkers, bringing his season points total to 17 (7G, 10A).

3 Forward John Kurtz kicked off the Admirals' comeback Tuesday with the first of three unanswered Admirals goals, his third of the season. Kurtz, who has appeared in 49 games this season, has five points (3G, 2A) and 137 penalty minutes.

4Emerson Etem added his eighth assist last weekend in the 2-1 OT win over Syracuse just before being recalled to Anaheim. Etem was ranked fourth on the team in points with 21 (13G, 8A) in 22 games prior to his return to the Ducks.

5Stefan Noesen notched his fourth assist of the season last Saturday against the Crunch, getting the helper on the game-tying second period power play goal. Noesen has five points in eight games played this season (1G, 4A).

6Jason LaBarbera, the Admirals #1 goaltender since the recall of John Gibson, got his fifth consecutive start last night in a 5-2 loss to the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks). LaBarbera went 2-2-1 in that stretch getting six of a possible ten points and is expected to see his sixth straight start tonight in a weekend rematch against the Sharks. LaBarbera has started 21 games going 7-9-2-2 with a 2.34GAA and .920SP.

7 Center Matt Bailey scored his fourth goal of the season last night against the Sharks in the 5-2 loss. Bailey, who has seen action in just five games since the beginning of the new year, has seven points (4G, 3A) in 33 games.

8 Andrew O'Brien registered two assists last night in the loss to the Sharks, lending to an impressive three points in two games this weeks and bringing his total assists to eight. O'Brien now has six points in his last ten games (3G, 3A) and 11 points on the season (3G, 8A).

9 Goalie Ryan Faragher saw action in just his third game this season after coming in to relieve starter Jason LaBarbera last night in Worcester. Faragher has allowed nine goals on 50 shots, is 0-2 with a 3.93 GAA and .820 SP.

10Louis Leblanc notched his tenth assist of the season Friday night against the Sharks. Leblanc has 21 points on the season (11G, 10A) and has gone 19 games without a goal with just five assists in that same span.

--Nic Kerdiles has been an injury scratch for three straight games and is not with the team on their current road trip.  Despite no official word from the team, there is only one conclusion (which was reached last weekend)--concussion.  Getting his "first" one this early in his career could have reprecussions for him later on down the road, as successive concussions are always easier to get than the previous one.  His loss couldn't have come at a worse time for the Admirals who are back to the basement of the Eastern Conference and now need 12 points to get to eighth place.

--Apparently Karlsson got the wake up call.  Now let's see how long before he'll need another one.  His point production in the last eight games has been his highest clustered of the season.

--Defenseman Brendan Bell drew back in to the line-up last night for the first time in February with the recall of Josh Manson.  Bell sits third on the team in scoring with 23 points (1G, 22A) and in true form got another assist last night.

--Faragher was recalled to fill the spot left by Frederik Andersen's injury/Gibson's recall.  No sign of Igor Bobkov and I'm fairly certain that will be the case next season when Ducks' fans look at the training camp rosters.  Much like the Ducks' situation with starting Gibson over Ilya Bryzgalov, Norfolk is going to go with LaBarbera so long as he can take it and only then consider putting in Faragher.  One has to wonder though, why bother to even pay a back-up if you're never going to use him?  At least when Gibson is here in Norfolk, there is some semblance of a rotation between he and LaBarbera.  Faragher (and Bryzgalov) may as well take up crochet or scrap-booking.

--Despite sweeping the Crunch last weekend (who are the number one team in the Eastern Conference) and picking up an OTL point Tuesday against the Checkers, the Admirals have managed to go backwards in the standings and the points race, falling to 15th (last place) in the Eastern Conference and have to make up 12 points vice the ten they were behind last week.

Follow me on Twitter: @VAPuckhead

The Canes gave up three goals in the first period and never seriously threatened the Devils on their way to a disappointing loss.

The Carolina Hurricanes facing a rookie goaltender is usually not a recipe for success. But when the team fails to even get off the bus, the opposing goaltender doesn't much matter. Saturday night in Newark, the Canes started skating in quicksand and were unable to pick their game up, falling 3-1 to the New Jersey Devils.

As if they needed reminding they weren't playing a second game in two nights against the woebegone Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canes were flat from the opening faceoff. Jordan Staal took a hooking penalty three minutes in, and while the Canes killed it off the tone was set. The Canes played sloppy with the puck, and it burned them at 10:32 after a turnover when old friend Tuomo Ruutu tipped in an Adam Larsson point shot while setting a screen in front of Anton Khudobin. Ninety seconds later, Adam Henrique doubled the Devils' lead when he beat Khudobin on a breakaway after the Canes bobbled yet another puck.

Alexander Semin looked to put the Canes on the board on a power play with 2:44 to go, but video review determined that the puck bounced off Keith Kinkaid's catching glove, then off the crossbar without crossing the goal line. Predictably, the Devils took advantage, as Andy Greene snuck in off the blue line and scored his first goal in 11 months to make it 3-0.

Canes captain Eric Staal had seen enough, and after taking an uncalled high stick from Marek Zidlicky he slashed the Devils' defenseman and then both players skirmished and earned roughing penalties as the period expired, with the Hurricanes holding an 11-10 shot advantage despite being down three.

Bill Peters stood by Khudobin to begin the second period, and the Canes were able to stem the bleeding by killing Staal's slashing penalty, even getting a shot of their own while shorthanded on a tip chance by Riley Nash.

A quiet period turned dramatic with 6:00 to go. Trying to make a save on Justin Faulk, Kinkaid sprawled awkwardly and needed help to leave the ice, suffering what looked like a groin injury. The Devils were forced to turn to Cory Schneider, who expected to have the night off after defeating the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. The Canes managed five shots on Schneider the rest of the period, for a total of 11, and earned a power play late when Travis Zajac tripped Brett Bellemore with 1:31 remaining.

Having done the necessary damage in a ten-minute span of the first period, the Devils were more than happy to park the bus in front of Schneider and challenge the Canes to beat them. With the amount the Canes were bumbling the puck all night, the strategy paid off. Although the Canes were officially credited with six giveaways, they continually fumbled the puck away and passed to no one in particular the entire game.

However, with 6:00 left, the Canes finally broke through and invalidated Jamie's Twitter prophecy from last night. Jeff Skinner wound up and blasted his 14th, and his fourth in the last six games, past Schneider. The goal woke the Canes up, as they started firing shot after shot on the Devils' goal, prompting the home team to call their timeout with 3:37 to go. Peters pulled Khudobin for the extra attacker with plenty of time left, but the Devils held strong, winning their third in a row while consigning the Canes to their fourth loss in the past six games.

Next update: The Canes get two days off before facing the Flyers on Tuesday at PNC.

The New Jersey Devils didn't need a full 60-minute effort to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1. Just a great first period with three goals, an OK second where they kept the Canes honest, and a third where they just held on. This recap explains how the game went.

Tonight, the New Jersey Devils won a game without playing a full sixty minutes.  They were superior for the first twenty minutes, they were OK in the second twenty minutes, and then they just sat back for the final third.  It was all that was necessary as the Carolina Hurricanes only played really good for that final third and they were down by a significant enough margin that a comeback was unlikely.  That superior first period by the Devils featured three goals amid a lot of errors by Carolina.  Short of total brilliance, the Metropolitan Division's last place team weren't going to come back from that.   And they didn't.

It's not necessarily something the Devils should strive to continue, should they want to stay competitive in future games.  The second period was a good example of what a team with a three-goal lead should do.  They should keep looking for opportunities to counter-attack.  They should strive for getting that fourth goal, especially with how poor Carolina's defense performed.  And they came close.   Carolina cleaned up plenty of their act, but the Devils didn't get so loose that they caught them unaware for a glorious scoring chance.  That's how a team should play with a three goal lead.

The third period, on the other hand, was not.  It was in that final third where Carolina dominated the puck. The shot count reflected this: 2-10 against the Devils.  It's how Carolina ended the game at 19-32 in shots.  In a way, it's understandable.  They're in last place in the division and they're down three goals.  They should take whatever attempts they can get to get back into the game. They have nothing to lose.  Unfortunately, the Devils gave them plenty of chances.  Much of that third period featured the players in red taking the puck up the side after finally getting it back, making a shallow dump-in that's retrieved by a defender, that defender passes it to his partner (usually, the right defenseman), and that player moved the puck up ice to gain an entry on the other wing.   Wash, rinse, repeat, and so Anton Khudobin went from having to make difficult saves and wondering if his defenders had their heads straight to being bored, watching the Canes try to make a game of it.

Jeff Skinner would end the shutout.  He got a pass from Alexander Semin in the slot and he had enough time to recover the puck from his skates and fire a shot past Cory Schneider.  But that would be it.  The Canes pulled Khudobin with three and a half minutes left.  Despite three straight icings (followed by a clearance for a line change and then another icing), the Canes would not make it a one-shot game.  The Devils held on even though they could have made it easier had they put in a similar effort and played with a similar mindset from the second period.

The Canes wouldn't have had to be so offensive and desperate in the third period had they played anywhere decent hockey in the first period.  While the Devils made some mistakes that perhaps should have led to some punishment, the Hurricanes topped that.  It's one thing to have an outlet pass on defense go off a skate and give Adam Henrique a wide open opportunity in front.  It's another when the Devils pick off multiple clearances right at the blueline or right in front of it, catching the Canes by surprise.  The Devils could've had way more than ten shots on net from the turnovers, but it gave the Devils' offense more opportunities than they should've had.  And so the goals came.

One such turnover led to an additional attack for the Devils and eventually the first score.  The Canes would get it out but not that far, so the Devils got back on side and rushed back in led by Scott Gomez.  He tossed it to Adam Larsson.  Larsson dropped a hammer of a shot that Tuomo Ruutu got a piece of in front of the net.   Later, John-Michael Liles couldn't hold the point, Adam Henrique torches him to make it an offensive turnover, and Henrique beats Khudobin for a score.  Travis Zajac begins a counter-attack initially led by Jordin Tootoo, Mike Cammalleri gave it back, Tootoo rounded the net as Michal Jordan went around the wrong way, and Andy Greene cut in to the middle uncovered (Elias Lindholm).  Pass, shot, score.  The Canes weren't out-done entirely from a possession standpoint, but it seemed that every time the Devils attacked, the Canes would make it an adventure in their own end.  No wonder Eric Staal - who did play in this game - got mad, slashed Marek Zidlicky, and took a penalty for it.

Ultimately, that first period and those three goals were well earned.  That dug the Canes in deep.  While the visitors pushed hard and played much better in the third, it was enough.   It may not be good enough when the Devils play a team that A) isn't near the bottom of the league and B) isn't playing like one (Vancouver).  But it was good enough for tonight.  Another game that proves that the Devils are bad, but not among the worst in the NHL.  And one that proves that a "full 60" isn't necessary if enough damage is done during that good period.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Report | The Natural Stat Trick Corsi Charts | The War on Ice Game Stats

The Opposition Opinion: Brian LeBlanc has this recap up at Canes Country, describing how the game went.

The Game Highlights: Tonight's highlight video is from NHL.com.  It features a sweet one-on-one goal and an even sweeter score by Greene:

Kinkaid Hurt: Keith Kinkaid started tonight's game but he did not finish it.  Shortly after Justin Faulk skied a shot off a rebound attempt, Kinkaid went down and play was blown dead.  Kinkaid dove to his left hard, anticipating a shot coming from Faulk.  The concern was that he pulled a muscle.  Instead of persevering through it, the decision was made to replace him as a precuationary measure. I felt bad for him.  Outside of one Hedbergian moment behind the net, Kinkaid was doing quite well in net.  As the #2 guy, he doesn't get a lot of opportunities to play.  He needs games to further establish that he can be relied on as a backup goaltender in the NHL.  Tonight was going rather well in that regard until he got hurt.

The good news is that the injury is not that serious.  As reported in this article by Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice, Lou said that Kinkaid just "felt something in his leg" and he should be fine for Monday.  There are no plans to call someone (Scott Clemmensen) up to be behind Schneider.  It shouldn't be too long before we see #1 back in net.

Improved from Friday Night: I liked how the Gomez line played tonight.  Jaromir Jagr was more active on offense, even if he was setting up Scott Gomez for shots.  Tuomo Ruutu got a deflection and didn't do a Dainius Zubrus impersonation.  Gomez was better at moving the puck and at retrieving passes.  I wish he paid more attention to Skinner, as I believe that was his man in the middle on the goal against. That said, the Gomez line didn't get worked over like they did against Vancouver.  I think they should've received more minutes than what they got, but they weren't as negative.

I appreciated the performance from Andy Greene and Adam Larsson.  They got pinned back quite a bit. However, they didn't get into too much trouble.  They didn't take any penalties.  Outside of icing the puck a bunch of times in a 5-on-6 situation, they weren't undercutting the overall effort.  Larsson's breakout passes for two periods were very nice.  Greene made a great read to drive to the net late in the first and was rewarded with his first goal this season. He nearly got a second off a great pass by Jagr early in the third, but the re-direction attempt went wide.  Their CF% was low, but that's a function of score effect plus playing a lot of minutes.  Each played over 26 minutes and I'll take 5-6 over additional minutes for, say, Peter Harrold and Eric Gelinas.

Not Improved from Friday Night: Whereas the Gomez line did better, the fourth line was not at all better.  Stephen Gionta, Jacob Josefson, and Dainius Zubrus really didn't do a whole lot going forward.  They weren't exactly strong in their own end.  In the bigger picture, not a whole lot happened.  In their defense, they got to play a lot against Eric Staal.  To that extent, perhaps not having a whole lot happening is a positive of sorts.  I would have preferred them to build off their collectively great game from Friday instead.

Mike Cammalleri struck iron hard on a power play - the closest the power play did to doing anything of value tonight - but other than that, his contributions were few and far between.  I found this to be curious as I thought Travis Zajac was helping the cause when the Devils were rolling and Jordin Tootoo played with desirable energy again.  I expect more than just one shot on target and two misses (post included) from the team's leading goal scorer.  Fortunately, others did more than just chip in.  I did like his pass up-ice to Tootoo as opposed to trying a more difficult cross-ice pass to Greene on the play.  I just want more from him.

Just Two, But What a Two: Adam Henrique had a gift of a turnover early and didn't really get it on target.  That said, #14 was ready to get behind the Carolina defense and it worked twice to great effect.  The first was that one-on-one that he scored on.  The second was one of the Devils' two shots in the third period.  Patrik Elias sprung Henrique beyond the defense, Henrique got past him, and his close shot went up and over Khudobin. Alas, it dropped right in front of the goal line next to the post instead of getting over the line.  I'll take a two-shot night if those are the two shots.  Given some recent events from him - that penalty shot against Buffalo comes to mind - I suppose I should be pleased with just a shot on target.  I'm actually pleased he got one goal and nearly got the other.

Icings Remain Bad: The whole sequence after Carolina pulled Khudobin was ripe for additional drama.  The Devils got pinned back, struggled to win the puck in the corner, finally did so - and iced the puck.  The Devils use their timeout.  Another forty seconds - and then the Devils ice it just as they get a touch on it.  After some more pressure, it looks like the Devils can skate it out of the zone.  Then they iced it.   This was dangerous as it meant 5-6-14-26-18 had to stay on the ice forever.  What little break that comes with an icing call is negated by starting in one's own end and going up against either fresh opposing players or opposing players knowing the defenders are gassed.  This was magnified by the Devils losing each of those three icings.   And so the unit that followed were the fourths (ugh) with Zidlicky (who had a good game, actually) and Jon Merrill defending the 5-on-6 for over a minute.  They also iced it in between.   The good news is that Carolina struggled to get a shot through to Schneider.  On another night (and against a better opponent), this could have easily led to another blown or cut lead late in regulation.

A Plea: Stop dumping the puck in on power plays.  Stop dumping the puck in against a defense playing questionable hockey.  Stop shallow dumping the puck when playing with a lead. Stop dumping the puck in so much.  I know I'm not going to see any improvement in that regard.  I can still make my plea.

Deja Vu: Upon writing this, I realized: didn't I see a game like this not all that long ago?  Yes, I did.  The second win against Toronto earlier this month. Just like that game, War on Ice credited the Devils with most of their shots on net being scoring chances.  Interesting.

On the Crowd: Despite more snow, ice, and other Winter messiness hitting New Jersey, the crowd was rather large for a game between two bad teams.  Being a Saturday night game certainly helps with that and the atmosphere.  But the win and how it came about won't hurt the business.  Without the winter storm, I'm sure attendance would've been even better; but I don't think the organization can complain about the gate tonight.  We'll see if that's true on Monday.

Lastly: Yes, the Devils won three straight and are now within ten points of Boston for the final wild card spot in the East. No, the Devils aren't now in a position to push for the postseason.  More on that with the Weekly Metropolitan Division Snapshot tomorrow.  If you're a regular reader, then you have an idea as to why.

Your Take: The Devils won 3-1 with a performance that tailed off as time went on.  What did you make of the game overall for the Devils?  Which of the three goals impressed you the most?  Who do you think was the best Devil? Who do you think was the worst? What would you have done differently in the third period if you were behind the bench?  Isn't this far better than some of the wins from the previous homestand?  Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's win in the comments.

Thanks to those who commented in the Gamethread and followed @InLouWeTrust on Twitter. Thank you for reading.

Tonight's opponent is one that shares an undesirable place in the standings with the Devils. This game stream consists of all relevant posts to tonight's game.

Are you ready for the Hurricane?

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

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

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (23-26-9) vs. The Carolina Hurricanes (21-29-7; SBN Blog: Canes Country)

The Last Devils Game: Last night, the Devils started well, out-shooting, out-passing, and generally out-skating the Vancouver Canucks. Patrik Elias took a shot and scored a goal from the side boards, something you typically might not expect, but the Devils haven't been shooting much lately so it was nice to see what can sometimes happen from doing so. It continued into the second period when Adam Larsson made a nice pass to send Jordin Tootoo on his way for a rather soft goal by Eddie Lack. A minute or so later, Mike Cammalleri scored on a power play and the Devils were up 3-0. Done deal, right?

The Canucks got one back moments later on a pretty passing play that started with the Sedins and ended with Zach Kassian all alone in front of Schneider. The Canucks started taking it to the Devils and carried much of the play for the rest of the second period. They would continue doing into the third where Kassian scored again to pull the Canucks within one. The Devils would eventually secure the win with Cammalleri's second of the night, this one into the empty net. John's recap is here.

The Last Hurricanes Game: Last night, brothers Eric and Jordan Staal scored first period goals, which were enough to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their goals were sandwiched around Brandon Kozun's first NHL goal for the struggling Maple Leafs. Carolina had a rather easy go of it as the Leafs failed to mount any serious attempt to get back in the game. They managed only twelve shots over the final forty minutes, and failed to generate a single shot on four power play chances. Carolina should be well rested heading into tonight's game in Jersey. The recap over at Canes Country is here.

The Last Devils - Hurricanes Game: Back on December 23rd, John's recap opened with a definition of insanity. Yea. It was not a pleasant contest between the two teams. Carolina dominated the Devils and were only denied a victory from open play due to the titan between the pipes that is Cory Schneider. Carolina would eventually prevail in a shootout on a goal from Chris Terry after Ron Hainsey tied the game, forcing overtime and subsequent shootout. Stephen Gionta had the Devils lone tally.

The Goal: Just be competitive. Resemble a hockey team that isn't incompetent. Either of those will be fine with me. We know this team is not making the playoffs, despite whatever is reported. As trade deadline talk will be part of any discussion involving the Devils, the team still plays games after March 2nd. The team will still line up and have to play twenty-odd games or so. Resembling a hockey team that can perform basic actions like passing, exiting the zone, getting pucks on goal, any of those would be encouraging signs that this team won't be a horror show each night.

Last night, the Devils were many of those things. They created plenty of chances, were carrying the play for decent stretches of the game, and ended up with some deserved points. That's impressive for this club. Can they do it for two games in a row?

Ruutu and the 'Canes: Last season, the Devils acquired Tuomo Ruutu and then played against his former team just three nights later. He ended up scoring the winner, which was a pretty cool moment for him, I imagine. Can he make a similar impact against his former club this time around?

Not Quite a Hurricane: More like a brisk wind, really. Here's the point totals for the 'Canes skaters. It's an uninspiring list...until you look at the Devils that is. Both of these teams have had horrid offensive seasons and I don't expect much else than a low-scoring affair tonight. Carolina has had the better of the Devils this season, as in both of their previous meetings they outplayed the Devils all over the ice. Will it continue tonight?

The one thing the Hurricanes do excel at is killing penalties, as they are currently tops in the league. Let's see here, league's best penalty kill goes up against a power play led by Jordin Tootoo. Hmm, I wonder how that matchup will turn out.

Continuing the Coaching Audition: Is the next Devils coach already behind the bench? It's difficult to truly assess either Scott Stevens of Adam Oates based on the lack of adequate talent on this roster, but one of the reasons to continue tuning in is to see--once Lamoriello leaves the bench--how the team reacts and performs under their guidance. Have we seen enough of them in the past (Stevens with the Devils; Oates with the Devils and Capitals) to know what to expect from them going forward? Or, should they be given more time beyond this season with, hopefully, better (read: younger) talent on this roster?

Comings and Goings: The deadline is only nine days away. One would hope that several UFAs are sent packing in an attempt to rebuild the team's prospect pool. Jaromir Jagr, Michael Ryder, Steve Bernier, Martin Havlat, Scott Gomez, and Marek Zidlicky are all on expiring contracts that should be moved for something, anything. Another reason to tune in is each game could Jagr's last as a Devil. Regardless of how last season and this season have gone, it has been truly a blessing to watch an all-time great wear a Devils sweater. He is nothing if not the consummate professional and just so damn fun to watch.

Your Thoughts: What will you be watching for? Personally, every time I think of Carolina I think back to Game 7 in 2009 and am filled with rage. I just can't ever not hate this team. I'm all for the Devils staying as close as they can to the bottom of the standings for the best possible chance of drafting a kid like Strome or Marner, but tonight I'd like them to win by a healthy margin. With Jagr's time coming to an end in Jersey, what will you remember most about him? What would you like to see from the coaching staff? Sound off below and enjoy the game!

A night after putting away the reeling Toronto Maple Leafs, the Carolina Hurricanes were stymied by the New Jersey Devils’ patented shutdown defense in splitting games on back-to-back nights.

The Hurricanes got a look at two different kinds of teams this weekend: one that is resigned to a season out of the playoffs, and another that thinks it still has a chance to reach the postseason. Carolina played their role fittingly, topping struggling Toronto Friday, 2-1, then falling to New Jersey 3-1 the next night.

Three Observations

1. Anton Khudobin’s season has seemingly reverted to earlier this campaign when even on nights when he played well he was victimized by defensive breakdowns that led to breakaways and grade-A chances. Such was the case Saturday when New Jersey capitalized on early mistakes to jump out to a 3-0 lead that Carolina couldn't rebound from. Khudobin deserves better, but right now it seems like the Canes can't help but make mistakes when he's between the pipes.

2. Eric and Jordan Staal showed the importance of net traffic Friday, both earning deflection goals to power the Hurricanes past Toronto. That wasn't as evident Saturday, with Carolina chasing the play after getting behind early and getting sucked into New Jersey’s predictable trapping game. While Carolina has developed an identity as a hard-working team with an excellent penalty kill, they are still looking for consistency at five-on-five. I would expect Andrej Nestrasil to get an expanded role after the trade deadline because his down-low cycling game gives his line a definitive style.

3. Bill Peters’ trend of pulling the goalie early continues. The Devils were unable to capitalize on Carolina’s empty net in more than four minutes of time with Khudobin on the bench, but the Hurricanes also couldn't dent Corey Schneider. There was no harm in trying it Saturday, down two goals and grasping for life in a lifeless game, but Peters will certainly raise eyebrows if he uses it in one-goal games during a playoff race. It will be curious to see if Peters’ philosophy will change if the circumstances do.

Number To Know

0 — Shots on goal for the Toronto power play in eight full minutes withe the man advantage. The Hurricanes now have the NHL’s top penalty kill at 87.8 percent and have allowed just 18 power play goals.

Plus

Cam Ward— Ward came up big early against Toronto, his 499th career game, then settled in to earn his fourth win in five games. Ward's 2.39 goals-against average is the best of his career, and his .913 save percentage is a return to the form that made him a five-time 30 game winner.

Minus

John-Michael Liles— Liles was directly involved in the breakdowns that led to New Jersey’s second and third goals Saturday, turning the puck over to allow Adam Henrique a breakaway, then get caught too high and allowing a pass to get behind him on Andy Greene’s goal. He also had one of Carolina’s four penalties against the Leafs.

Jim Benning has to keep the future in mind while wheeling and dealing at this year's trade deadline.

This is not the Canuck’s year. I think most of us can agree that the Holy Grail, barring some Godsend, will not be making its way to Vancouver in June. That is not to say that the Canucks are not a good team. They are a good team, a very good team, in fact. It is well known that Jim Benning craves a top-6 winger; he made an honest push for Evander Kane back in December. If the Canucks really thought that this was their year, they would’ve shipped off a big package centered around Bo Horvat for a big name winger. I am of the belief that the Canucks need another year or two under Jim Benning’s steady hand before they are ready to return to primetime.

With all that said, there are some small trades that could benefit the Canucks in the short and long-term. Some possible names include Artem Anisimov, Patrick Wiercioch, and Victor Rask.

Artem Anisimov, formerly of the New York Rangers, is currently playing on the third line for the middling Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets look like they’ll be sellers this year so Anisimov might be up for grabs. As most of you might already know, I am a fancy stats fanatic. I think that they are the future of the game. Anisimov fits perfectly into the category of a positive fancy stats player. While he has been sidelined this season with a concussion and a torn triceps, Anisimov has a positive CF% at 51.4% with 13 points through 28 games. Additionally, he is signed at 3.28 million through the end of next season so he is not simply a one season rental. Delving even deeper, Anisimov has a CF60RelTM of 9.12, the highest on the team. For those who do not what this statistic is, it stands for Corsi for per 60 min relative to teammates. As puckalytics.com says, "One could consider TM statistics an expected value for the player if the player had no (positive or negative) influence on his teammates results when he plays with them." Additionally, Anisimov’s CA60RelTM is -4.06, which is spectacular. His overall CF%RelTM is 6.2, good for 3^rd on the Canucks. Obviously, using fancy stats, Anisimov would be a spectacular, albeit expensive, pickup for the Canucks.

Victor Rask is a 21-year-old center playing for the cellar dweller Carolina Hurricanes. While one would think that a 21-year-old center with size would be untouchable, Ron Francis, GM of the ‘Canes, has essentially stated that no one is off limits except the Staals, Elias Lindholm, and Justin Faulk. Rask carries an extremely cheap entry level deal through the end of the 2015-2016 season, at which time he becomes a restricted free agent. Again, this is not your typical rental. While he would solidify the current bottom-6, he is a player that Jim Benning can also potentially factor into his long-term plans. Rask, like Anisimov, is a fancy stats lover’s kind of guy. Playing on a miserable team, Rask has a 52.8CF%, which means that he possesses the puck often and gets shots on net, something the Canucks could use a little more of. Rask would be an under-the-radar pickup for the ‘Nucks, but a pickup that could pay dividends down the road.

Finally, I think it is essential that Jim Benning makes a push for Patrick Wiercioch. He is a possession monster, the Canucks are thin at defense, and he would be a relatively cheap pickup. With 6 points through 32 games, Weircioch is not an offensive dynamo, but he has spent some time on the Sens’ second powerplay unit. With that being said, Wiercioch is a possession animal. His CF% is 56.5%, higher than any other Senator, including former Norris Trophy winning d-man Erik Karlsson. More impressively, Wiercioch’s CF%RelTM is 7.7%, or about 2% higher than other Senator! With all this being said, Wiercioch is still a relatively undervalued player and probably could be had for a second or third-round pick, which is fantastic value for a player with his kind of possession statistics.

There are many players that Benning could bring in. He could swing for the fences and snag Phil Kessel from the sagging Maple Leafs. Who knows? However, the three aforementioned players are realistic, relatively cheap options that would benefit our dear ‘Nucks both in the short-term and the long-term.

Cam Ward is scheduled to start in his 500th career NHL game.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers
February 24, 2015 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - NBCSN
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 play their third of five games this season against the Flyers, and the second at PNC Arena. The Canes stunk up the joint in a 5-1 loss in Philly on December 13th, then won here 2-1 on January 2nd. The teams will play each other twice in April to close out the series.
• The big story for the Canes is that Cam Ward is scheduled to start in net in his 500th career NHL game, becoming the fifth currently-active goaltender to reach the milestone (behind Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Ryan Miller). He ranks first in Hurricanes franchise history in games played, wins (239), and shutouts (22). Congratulations to Wardo on this major milestone.
• Most of the other Hurricanes team news revolves around the trade deadline, and general manager Ron Francis has indicated he plans to move players, especially pending UFAs, but not (I repeat not) Jordan Staal.
• All current Hurricanes players were present and accounted for on the PNC Arena casino floor for Sunday night's Casino Night and Wine Tasting benefitting the Kids 'n Community Foundation. The event is the marquis fundraiser for the foundation, and this year raised a record $291,000. Check out video (ch.com) and photos (mine) of the good time that was had by all.
• The big news on Broad Street is that the Flyers have scrapped their way back into playoff discussions after back-to-back wins over the weekend (3-2 shootout win against the Predators Saturday and a 3-2 win over the Capitals on Sunday). They have only one regulation loss in their last 13 games, and they are only four points behind Boston for the last wildcard spot.
• The other developing story is the Flyers' situation in net for tonight's game. While the Hurricanes will have their tenured veteran manning the crease, the goaltending line-up for the Flyers features two players with eight combined NHL games of experience between them. Steve Mason remains out of the line-up recovering from knee surgery, and Ray Emery participated in an optional team practice yesterday but aggravated a lower body injury and ended up not traveling with the team. Starting tonight for the Flyers is 33-year-old rookie netminder Rob Zepp, who has a 5-1-0 record in eight games played, including the two wins over the weekend. Backing up Zepp is Anthony Stolarz, called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who does not yet have an NHL start. To further weave this goaltending tale, Zepp was a product of the Plymouth Whalers and a fourth round draft pick of the Hurricanes back in 2001 (after a botched pick by the Atlanta Thrashers several years prior), but he never progressed past the AHL while in the system and ended up overseas before eventually hooking up with the Flyers.
• Jakub Voracek leads the Flyers with 63 points (19g, 44a). Claude Giroux is second with 57 points (17g, 40a). Giroux leads the team in power play points (29). The Flyers currently have the third best power play in the NHL (23.6%) with Giroux and Wayne Simmonds (both career point-per-game players agains the Canes) chipping in power play goals in Sunday's win.
• In other Flyers news, defenseman Kimmo Timonen continues to progress with his recovery from blood clots and hopes to be back in the Flyers lineup before the end of the month. Timonen recently began practicing with the team, to much fanfare.
• Oh, Zac Rinaldo says he gets targeted by officials for, um, being Zac Rinaldo.
• Neither team held a full practice yesterday so stay tuned for further line-up information after the morning skate.

Projected line-ups

Hurricanes (from Saturday's game)

Injuries and Scratches: Ryan Murphy (IR leg), Tim Gleason (lower body), Chris Terry, Brad Malone

Flyers (from Sunday's game):

Injuries and Scratches: Kimmo Timonen (blood clots), Steve Mason (knee), Ray Emery (lower body), Vincent Lecavalier, Luke Schenn, Carlo Colaiacovo

With just 22 games left, the Flyers are making one last push towards playoffs in tonight's contest against the divisional punching bag Carolina Hurricanes.

Taking a couple steps away from irrelevancy with two truly impressive performances against good teams, one of which literally sits atop the entire league, the Flyers have had just enough success to drag us kicking and screaming back into the playoff hunt.

Remember when we were talking about McDavid and Eichel? Thank you, Eastern Conference.

Tonight, the Flyers will play the Hurricanes, and they will be intent on proving that this weekend was not just a fever dream or fluke meant to lower our spirits even further than we previously thought possible. Oh god. Please don't lose to the Hurricanes, Flyers. I'm begging you.

I mean, come on. Justin Faulk is the Hurricanes leading scorer. Justin Faulk. The defenseman. Come on. We can't lose to this team. They already have their eyes set on the lottery! The Flyers have hope, no matter how slim that hope is! I demand a win! I demand playoffs!

Not to mention that the last time the Flyers and Hurricanes met, Faulk nearly killed Claude Giroux. Well, no, that's not true. Giroux got cut by Faulk's skate and Giroux was fine, but boy, some tense moments for a while there. Also, the Flyers lost. So we're out for revenge! Or something! Narrative!

And in a season where the Flyers team performance seems to be saved by their goaltenders, it seems only fair that their playoff hopes now rest on two AHL goaltenders. Yeah, uh, that's happening now.

With Ray Emery injured sometime in the past couple of days (the exact timetable of his injury is unclear), the Flyers hands were tied. You have to assume that they wanted Steve Mason to be healthy enough to back up Zepp against the Canes, but with the announcement that Anthony Stolarz was recalled from the Phantoms, it seems like he's a significant amount of time away from returning. That's...not good. Not even #good. Just #bad.

Obviously, it's imperative for the Flyers to pick up two points in tonight's game. The Flyers need to be picking up two points in just about every game for the rest of the season if they intend on making playoffs and not crushing my dreams. There's such a small margin for error here on out, so every point is a necessity. And pity points won't cut it. They need wins and lots of them.

The Bruins aren't exactly making it easy on the Flyers, demolishing the Chicago Blackhawks instead of losing like we hoped. This means that the Flyers are once again four points behind the Bruins for the last Wild Card spot, the Panthers stubbornly just three points out of that spot. Both the Bruins and the Panthers play tonight, so let's recap what needs to happen for tonight to be a big huge win: the Bruins lose, the Panthers lose, and the Flyers win. Only then can everyone celebrate, as the Flyers would be just two points out of a playoff spot once again, this time ahead of the Florida Panthers as God intended.

You would think that the best place for the Flyers to be would be playing against a team scraping the bottom of the barrel, but that didn't prove to work out in the Flyers favor when they played the Sabres. They need to win tonight, though, and if they can beat the god dang Nashville Predators, they can beat the Carolina Hurricanes. It's just logic.

As we heard over the weekend, no one wants to see the Flyers in the playoffs. Let's do the thing just to watch the world burn. Go Flyers.

Through plenty of ups and downs, injuries and slumps, the veteran goaltender has been a lasting presence in Carolina.

The list of goalies who have appeared in 500 National Hockey League games is a relatively short one. It includes fewer than 70 players in total -- many of whom are all-time greats, only a handful of whom are active today.

Now, it includes Cam Ward.

The Stanley Cup- and Conn Smythe Trophy-winning netminder reached this milestone on Tuesday when he took the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers. Ward, a member of the Carolina Hurricanes organization for the entirety of his professional career, is the franchise leader in games (500), wins (240) and shutouts (22).

"I'm thankful to play this many games in this league and with this organization." --Cam Ward #Ward500pic.twitter.com/rsavlt0oFi

— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) February 25, 2015

This season has been a surprisingly good one for the 30-year-old from Saskatoon. Although Ward was expected by many to take on a limited role behind Anton Khudobin, his strong play has thrust him back into a starting job under new coach Bill Peters. And, with solid numbers thus far, he's proved capable of rebounding from several disappointing and injury-riddled campaigns.

Ward has been especially good of late, allowing three or fewer goals in 16 of his last 18 appearances. He went on to beat the Flyers on his big night, 4-1, and has surrendered only 2.12 goals per game since Nov. 26.

Cam Ward with 23 saves in his 500th career NHL game

The Carolina Hurricanes were determined to help Cam Ward win on this night as they held the Philadelphia Flyers to just 24 shots on goal while they defeated the Broad Street Bullies, 4-1 at the PNC Arena on Tuesday night.

Ward was playing in his 500th career NHL game and the home team tried extra hard to make sure it ended on a positive note.

Justin Faulk continued his team leading scoring with a powerplay tally in the first period, a wicked, rising one-timer which Flyers goalie Rob Zepp lost track of.  Faulk now has 38 points (11G 27A) and has nine points in his last eight games.

The Flyers would score later in the period to tie up the contest, but the Canes were the only ones to light the lamp the rest of the way.

In the second period, Jeff Skinner continued his hot streak with a nice goal off of a beauty of a pass by Alexander Semin.  That makes five goals in the last seven games for Skinner.

Jordan Staal would make it 3-1 with another powerplay goal later in the period off of another play by Semin, who was named the game's third star.

Jay McClement closed out the scoring in the third.

The Hurricanes were given a couple of days off the ice after the loss in New Jersey and looked like the fresher team on this night.  Next up will be the Washington Capitals on Friday night at the PNC.

Game Notes:

• Faulk was named the game's first star by the NBC national television crew.  He finished with two points, 22:32 of TOI, three shots on goal, two hits, and one blocked shot.  Ward got the fireman's helmet and was the team's MVP.
• Semin may have played his best game of the season.  He had a team high seven shots on goal and his two assists gave him 100 career points with Carolina.  His play was noticeable at both ends of the ice.
• The Canes outshot the Flyers 35-24 and kept Zepp busy most of the night.  Ward on the other hand was less busy, with 23 saves on just 24 shots in the game.  The team had 15 blocked shots, led by Jiri Tlusty with three.
• Carolina's special teams were superb much of the night.  They went 2-4 with the man advantage and a perfect 2-2, not allowing anything while on the kill.
• Post game audio and stats: Canes PR

The Carolina Hurricanes shipped out one of their most coveted unrestricted free agents, trading winger Jiri Tlusty to Winnipeg for two draft picks.

The Carolina Hurricanes 2015 trade deadline sell-off truly got underway Wednesday when Carolina dealt long-time winger and pending unrestricted free agent Jiri Tlusty to the Winnipeg Jets for a third-round pick in 2016 and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2015. The sixth-round pick becomes a fifth-round pick if the Jets reach the postseason. Sportnet’s Chris Johsnon tweeted that the Hurricanes did not retain any salary.

This is the second trade this season between Hurricanes GM Ron Francis and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff: the duo struck up a deal on Dec. 18 that sent defenseman Jay Harrison to the Jets for a sixth-round pick (originally Ottawa’s pick) in 2015.

Tlusty, the 13th overall pick in 2006, was acquired from Toronto on Dec. 3, 2009, in exchange for 2008 first-round pick Philippe Paradis. While Paradis has bounced around the minor leagues, yet to play an NHL game, Tlusty evolved into a solid two-way performer. His best season with the Hurricanes was in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season when he scored 23 goals in 48 games, ranking tied for fifth in the NHL. Tlusty had 13 goals and 10 assists in 52 games with Carolina this season, and his six power play goals were tied with captain Eric Staal for the team lead.

Tlusty’s 76 goals rank 12th in Hurricanes history, and his 145 points were good for 19th since the franchise moved to North Carolina.

Here is the release from the Hurricanes:

‘CANES ACQUIRE TWO DRAFT PICKS FOR TLUSTY
Carolina receives 2016 third-round pick, 2015 conditional pick for winger

RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the Hurricanes have acquired a third-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft and either a fifth- or sixth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for forward Jiri Tlusty.

"We appreciate everything that Jiri did for our team and our community during his time in Carolina, and wish him the best in Winnipeg," said Francis.

The conditional 2015 draft pick will be in the fifth round if Winnipeg qualifies for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs or the sixth round if they do not.

Tlutsy, 26, spent parts of six seasons with Carolina, totaling 76 goals and 69 assists (145 points) in 322 games with the Hurricanes. He established career-highs in goals (23) and points (38) during the shortened 2012-13 season.

As John Hoven and Elliotte Friedman have reported on Twitter, the Los Angeles Kings have reached a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes for defender Andrej Sekera.

In exchange for Sekera, the Kings will send Roland McKeown and a conditional first round draft pick to Carolina.

Andrej Sekera is a 6'0", 200-pound defenseman out of Slovakia. He has spent most of his career playing for the Buffalo Sabres before transitioning to the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2013/14 season.

Sekera has so far shown himself to be an adequate second-tier offensive defenseman in his career. Last season, he set a career high in goals, assists, and points, (11, 33, and 44 respectively), but has come back down down to ground a bit this season. He has still been productive, notching 19 points in 57 games, but likely won't match his 2013/14 totals going forward.

Most importantly, Sekera has been excellent at driving possession for the Hurricanes. He boasts a 53% corsi this season, and his corsi rel is 3rd-best among Carolina's defenders at +2.4%. Sekera was also a positive possession for the Hurricanes a season ago, so this isn't just some one-off fluke.

Though it certainly helps the team short term, Los Angeles is paying a steep price for Sekera, whose contract expires at the end of this season.

Roland McKeown was a second round draft pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (50th overall). Despite just being drafted, he had already worked his way up to #13 on our Top 25 Under 25 list when we compiled the list last summer.

The first round pick the Kings are sending to Carolina is conditional. If the Kings make the playoffs this season, the Hurricanes receive a 2015 first round pick. If the Kings miss the playoffs, the Hurricanes will instead receive a 2016 first round pick. This offers a bit of protection to the Kings, even though they now sit in a very favorable position in both the Wild Card race and the Pacific Division in general.