A Winning Streak

The Carolina Hurricanes returned to Raleigh, NC to face the Colorado Avalanche and came away with their third win in a row and they have a winning streak. The Hurricanes only put three goals on the board but I see hope for their offense. They are starting to crash the net and are getting several good scoring chances a game now. Jeff Skinner scored his second goal, Justin Faulk scored his fourth goal on the power play, and Kris Versteeg had two assists, one on a beauty to Victor Rask.

The End Of The Road

The Carolina Hurricanes just finished up a seven game road trip with back-to-back wins and a 4-3 record on the trip. The Hurricanes needed to start strong this season and a 6-6 record and eight points is not what the Hurricanes were looking for. The Hurricanes offense has had a hard time getting started, a problem that seems to have carried over from last season. They are only averaging two goals a game but a lack of offense seems to be malady suffered by many NHL teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers are also only averaging two goals a game with as much offensive firepower as those teams have.

The Hurricanes showed signs of breaking out of this offensive slump against the Islanders in their 3-2 shootout win as Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner repeatedly crashed the net for scoring chances. It paid off on the game tying goal as Jordan Staal made a slick pass to Chris Terry to hit the wide open net and then Defenseman Ron Hainsey got the game winner in the three-on-three.

First Win

The Carolina Hurricanes got their first win of the season while handing the Detroit Red Wings their first loss with a score of 5-3. Rookie Brock McGinn got his first NHL goal in his first NHL shift as he scored the first goal of the game as Carolina jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Hurricanes once again took a 3-2 lead over the Red Wings into the third period but made it hold up this time around.

The Hurricanes set a season high for goals scored as Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg had a goal and two assists and Brock McGinn also added an assist. Justin Faulk had a goal, his second, and has scored a point in all four Hurricanes games this season. This was the start of a seven game road trip for the Hurricanes.

Third Period Unkind

The Third Period has been unkind to the Carolina Hurricanes in their 0-3 start. The Hurricanes gave up three third period goals to the Florida Panthers in a 4-1 loss. Eddie Lack was in goal for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes offense is struggling to score goals (only five in three games) and they needed to get off to a fast start this season and avoid a repeat of last season's 0-6-2 start.

This is Bill Peters second season as the coach of the Hurricanes. I have to wonder how much leeway that General Manager Ron Francis is going to give him to turn the Hurricanes around. For that matter, I have to wonder how much leeway Francis is going to be given. The Hurricanes still have a good young nucleus of players. Eric Staal is in a contract year, Jeff Skinner has never been able to match his rookie success in large part due to injury, Justin Faulk is starting to come on strong and has a point in each game this season, and this season's top draft pick Noah Hanifin is off to a solid start. It will be interesting to see what kind of personnel moves the Hurricanes will make, front office and players, in the next few weeks.

New Season, Same Start

The Carolina Hurricanes offense is off to a better start this season. The Hurricanes peppered Detroit Red Wings Goalie Petr Mrazek with 47 shots, 12 on the Power Play, while only giving up 19. The problem with that is the Hurricanes only got three goals by Mrazek while the Red Wings slipped four by Hurricanes Goalie Cam Ward.

Hurricanes rookie Defenseman Noah Hanifin got his first professional point when he assisted on the first Hurricanes goal by Victor Rask in the second period. Nathan Gerbe and Justin Faulk scored the other two goals.

The Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead into the third period but could not make it hold up.

This is the beginning of Bill Peters second campaign as the head Coach of the Hurricanes and the Hurricanes can ill afford to get off to an 0-6-2 start like they did last season. Injuries played a major part in last season's start and James Wisniewski's injury in the first game dealt a blow to the Hurricanes experience on the blue line. The Hurricanes recalled Defenseman Danny Biega who has all of ten games of experience in the NHL to take Wisniewski's place on the roster.

A Loss Plus One

The Carolina Hurricanes lost their 2015-16 opener to the Nashville Predators 2-1 but may have suffered an even bigger loss when Defenseman James Wisniewski went down with a serious knee injury 47 seconds into his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes. His estimated recovery time is six months.

The Carolina Hurricanes came into this season looking to improve on last season's goal scoring average which was third worst in the league but were only able to score a goal late in the third period by Captain Eric Staal on an assist by Justin Faulk. The Hurricanes gave up both Nashville goals in the first period as they caught a bad break when Ron Hainsey had to discard his broken stick and the puck shot by Nashville Predator Craig Smith appeared to go off Hainsey's skate blade shortly thereafter. The Hurricanes were also shaky with the puck in their own zone and Cam Ward had to make several difficult saves.

Rookie Defenseman and top draft pick Noah Hanifin made his NHL debut and logged 18 minutes of playing time and zero on the Power Play and only five seconds of time on the short handed unit. The loss of Wisniewski may push Hanifin into more playing time especially on the Hurricanes special teams.

The Rookie Race

The National Hockey League season begins tonight and all eyes will be on the top two draft picks, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres. Their offensive potential has been opening eyes over the past couple of years and will be what fans are wanting to see.

The Carolina Hurricanes top draft pick, number five overall, Defenseman Noah Hanifin has made the team as one of seven Defensemen on the roster coming out of training camp and he is only 18 years old. Offensively, not much will be expected of him as he learns the game of professional hockey but he has a very high upside. He is not a big bruiser but he plays positional defense and is a solid passer from the blueline. He will be under the tutelage of veterans James Wisniewski, who was acquired over the summer, and Justin Faulk. I look for some good things from Hanifin this season.

Fourth Round Pick Nicolas Roy, Center

Nicolas Roy was projected to go anywhere from the end of the first round to the third round. The Hurricanes may have gotten another steal with Roy in the fourth round, #96 overall. Roy is a Center with some size, (6'4", 205 pounds) and he came into the draft as the 45th ranked North American skater. Roy played his last two seasons with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL where he posted, solid but not spectacular, numbers.

Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects decribed Roy as being "a big-bodied, imposing presence on the ice."

Chris Lund of mapleleafs.nhl.com said of Roy "a tenacious forechecker" who "consistently wins puck battles with his size and stick." Lund went on to say that Roy "owns a good shot and can distribute the puck effectively." He positions himself well in front of the net.

The criticism of Roy's game is that he is not seen as a strong skater. Lund acknowledged that in his assessment of Roy and said that other player's have overcome not being strong skaters to make it to the NHL and his skating would need to become a priority for him to make it to the NHL.

Fourth Round, Callum Booth, Goalie

The Hurricanes drafted Goalie Callum Booth with their first pick in the fourth round, #93 overall. The Hurricanes may have gotten a steal here. He has nice size, 6'3" and 200 pounds, and he was the second ranked Goalie in North America by most scouting services. There were seven Goalies drafted ahead of him.

Booth played the last two season with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and posted a 23-12-5 record last season with a 3.05 Goals Against Average.

Ben Kerr of the website thelastwordonsports.com described Booth as being "a bit of a project as he is likely several years away from the NHL." Kerr described his attributes as "he gets out well to cut down angles and gives shooters very little to look at" and that he had "very good rebound control." Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting said that "he has excellent positional play and net coverage and is strong in all areas."

Among the negatives for Booth is that Kerr does not believe that he will make acrobatic, athletic saves when he is caught out of position and Jensen believes that he can be beat to the high side in spite of his size. It will also be several years before this draft can be evaluated as well.

Sebastian Aho, Second Round Pick

The Carolina Hurricanes selected Finnish Right Wing Sebastian Aho with their Second Round draft pick, #35 overall. I thought this pick was a little bit of a reach for Carolina. Most scouts doubt Aho's offensive upside and with higher ranked wingers Paul Bittner (taken 38th by the Columbus Blue Jackets) and Daniel Sprong (46th by the Pittsburgh Penguins) still on the board, I think the Hurricanes could probably have gotten Aho in a later round. The hockey draft experts had Aho ranked anywhere from the 28th overall prospect down to the 110th but most questioned whether his game could translate to the NHL and its bigger hockey rinks.

Aho played with Karpat and Asaat in Finland's Elite League Liiga last season where he scored four goals and had nine assists in 30 games as a 17 year old. Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects see Aho as being "strong on his skates" with "excellent puck handling ability and finesse." Hockey writer Cole Hamilton on bsndenver.com believed that Aho would go anywhere from the second to the fifth rounds.

Aho is still under contract for one more season to Karpat and so he is a project for the future for the Hurricanes organization. It may be three or four seasons before this pick can be completely evaluated.

Carolina Hurricanes Select Hanifin

Although I wanted the Carolina Hurricanes to go with an offensive player with their first pick, the Hurricanes could not go wrong with Defenseman Noah Hanifin of Boston College. He was considered by many to be the third best overall prospect in a very deep draft and the top defensive prospect. My top pick for the Hurricanes, Lawson Clouse, fell all the way to the eleventh selection to the Florida Panthers.

I look for Hanifin to stay at Boston College for at least one more season and get more playing time under his belt and to get some international experience as well on the United States team at the World junior Championships. I would look for him to be in Carolina's system by the end of next season.

ESPN.com listed Noah Hanifin as one of the players to watch (not named McDavid or Eichel) in the 2015 season because of his size and his advance skill set. They labeled Hanifin as already possibly the best Defenseman in the Hurricanes system (I believe Justin Faulk would have something to say about that) and a really good selection for the Hurricanes.

Mock Draft

My mock NHL Draft
1. Connor McDavid C Edmonton Oilers
2. Jack Eichel C Buffalo Sabres
3. Dylan Strome C Arizona Coyotes
4. Mitch Marner RW Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Lawson Crouse LW Carolina Hurricanes
6. Pavel Zacha C New Jersey Devils
7. Noah Hanifin D Philadelphia Flyers
8. Zach Werenski D Columbus Blue Jackets
9. Kyle Connor C San Jose Sharks
10.Ivan Provorov D Colorado Avalanche

I would like to see more offense in the NHL so my mock draft was heavy on the offense. I do not believe there will be any more Paul Coffey type Defenseman racking up 100 point seasons any more and I would like to see the Hurricanes take Crouse if he's available, then Marner if Crouse is gone, and possibly Hanifin but I want the Hurricanes to think offense first.

Word in the Hockey world is that the Hurricanes might be willing to deal Skinner and Eric Staal and Cam Ward are in the final seasons of their contract. If anyone is dealt tonight I believe Skinner will be the most likely to go. His production has gone down since his Rookie season but he is still a very young player and put into the right system, he could easily regain his scoring touch.

Draft Prospect Mitch Marner

Most of the Hockey World has Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner as interchangeable parts in the upcoming Hockey draft and many have him as the third best overall player behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. The X factor is Marner's playmaking ability. He has spent the last two seasons with the London Knight's of the Ontario Hockey league where he posted video game like numbers of 126 points in 63 games including a few five point games.

The biggest knock on Mitch Marner is his size. He only weighs in at 5-10 and 160 pounds. Dan Marr, the Chief Scout of NHL Central Scouting believes Marner "plays bigger than his size and is not afraid to get involved in traffic or battle for pucks." Marner is seen as being strong in all three zones and an underrated defensive player.

Marner's strength is his playmaking ability. Marr describes Marner as having a "high end skill set with puck handling and playmaking ability." Dominic Tiano of the OHL Writers believes that Marner has the "ability to step up his game." He went on to say that Marner "carried the Knights in the absence of Max Domi" when Domi went down during the season with an injury. Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects believes that Marner "makes the players around him better."

The Toronto Maple Leafs own the number four pick in the draft ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes and Marner was born and raised in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill. It will be interesting to see of new Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock will take a chance on a local player of Marner's playmaking abilities or if he will go with Strome or Hanifin to build his foundation on. The Hurricanes could use someone of Marner's playmaking ability but he may not be around by pick number five.

Draft Prospect Noah Hanifin

The chances are that 6-3, 205 pound draft prospect Defenseman Noah Hanifin of Boston College will have already been taken by the time the Hurricanes step to the podium to announce their pick. He is the top rated Defenseman in the draft and he is widely seen as the overall number three prospect behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. The Hurricanes could definitely use some help on Defense but they need help now. Hanifin, who recently turned 18, just completed his Freshman year at Boston College and at 17, was the youngest player to ever suit up for BC. He does have the option to return to college for another season or he could finish out his amateur career there.

In an interview with nhl.com Hanifin describes his game as being more "of an offensive defenseman; I like to rely on my skating a lot and rush the puck up the ice." He likes to model his game after Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks.

His Head Coach at Boston College Jerry York said in an interview with the Boston Herald that he really believed Hanifin's "offense is going to blossom, with his ability to walk the blue line and find open guys. I think his shot will get better." He is seen as a strong skater.

At 6-3 and 205 pounds, Hanifin is not seen as a bruising defender who is going to go out on the ice and lay the opposition to waste. In the same interview with the Boston Herald Colorado Avalanche amateur scout Neil Shea, who coached Hanifin at an early age and is credited by Hanifin with teaching him a lot of how to play defense, believes that Hanifin "defends by angling guys off the puck, using his stick and he's positionally very sound." Hanifin is seen as a player who will make the smart play on defense versus taking unnecessary risks in his own zone.

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will be the first two players to go in the draft and Hanifin will more than likely go at number three or four but if he does fall to number five, the Hurricanes would not be taking a risk by drafting Hanifin. I do believe it would be a draft pick that would pay more dividends three or four years down the road much like Justin Faulk.

Draft Prospect Lawson Crouse

Power forward Lawson Crouse is widely regarded as a top ten prospect in the 2015 NHL Draft. He is an impressive physical specimen at 6-4 and 212 pounds and 18 years old and plays with a physical edge and toughness that the Hurricanes lacked last season. He doesn't mind dropping the gloves when he feels it is necessary and the Hurricanes could also use some of that.

He spent the last two seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He didn't exactly set the league on fire with his scoring (51 points in 56 games) but neither did Kingston as a team. He played his way onto the Canada team for the World Junior Championships and helped them win the Gold Medal. He is considered an excellent penalty killer and would add to the Hurricanes penalty killing unit that was the fourth ranked in the league last season.

In an interview with Chip Alexander of the News and Observer, Hurricanes director of amateur scouting Tony MacDonald described Crouse as a "physical specimen and will get even bigger and stronger" and that he plays "a power game." Doug Gilmour, former Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and current General Manager of the Kingston Frontenacs said in an interview recently "He's a big body. He can skate, he's got a pro shot-his release is phenomenal." Sportsnet's Jonathan Willis compared him to Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins at this stage in their development.

Gilmour also credits Crouse with another skill that can't be measured on any stats sheet and that is the ability to be a leader. Gilmour said he is great in the clubhouse and "he is going to be a great leader." Crouse picked up the nickname "The Sheriff" from his teammates.

Several mock drafts have Crouse going with the seventh pick to the Philadelphia Flyers but the Hurricanes are taking a serious look at Crouse. The Hurricanes need players that are NHL ready and they need to improve on the 27th ranked offense. Crouse would provide the physical presence they need in front of the net and he is one of the few power forwards available in the draft. Crouse should be available with the fifth selection.

Carolina Hurricanes Draft Prospects

The Carolina Hurricanes have the # five pick in the draft and they can go in any direction they would like to. Prospects at just about every position will be available. The Hurricanes need help on the wings, they need help and depth on defense, and they need to start developing depth at goaltender. These issues cannot be solved in one draft or even free agency so General Manager Ron Francis has his work cut out for him. At #5 the draft is wide open for him.

The Carolina Hurricanes top draft prospects are:
1. Lawson Crouse Left Wing Kingston OHL
2. Noah Hanifin Defenseman Boston College
3. Mitch Marner Right Wing London OHL
4. Mikko Rantanen Right Wing Finland
5. Pavel Zacha Center Sarnia OHL
6. Ivan Provorov Defenseman Brandon WHL
7. Dylan Strome Center Erie OHL

One or two of these players could be gone by the time the Hurricanes make their selection. They will still have quality players to choose from in what is thought to be one of the deepest drafts in years and some of this group may be able to step in and play right away.

2015 NHL Draft

The Carolina Hurricanes needs are too many to be able to fix in one draft but their most glaring need is on offense. Free agency can help address some of those needs as the Hurricanes have $20 million in cap space. The Hurricanes were 27th in the NHL in scoring last season only averaging 2.2 goals per game. Their leading scorer Eric Staal only had 54 points in 77 games. Their second leading scorer was a Defenseman, Justin Faulk, who also led the team in Assists with 34.

The Carolina Hurricanes have the #5 draft pick. The Hurricanes need a player that is NHL ready like Jeff Skinner was in 2010. The Hurricanes need a forward with some size. The Hurricanes got pushed around by the more physical teams last year. I am not saying they need to turn into a reincarnation of the Broad Street Bullies, but someone who can go into the corners with bad intentions would help free up some of the offense.

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will go one and two. That is a given. What happens after that is debatable. I think that Left Wing Lawson Crouse will be available when it comes time for the Hurricanes to pick. He is listed at 6-4 and 212 pounds and is seen as the best, if not only, power forward in the draft. He spent the last two seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He also played his way onto the Canadian World Cup Junior team where he had one goal and two assists in seven games.

The Hockey News has Lawson Crouse as the number eight prospect. The International Scouting Services has him at number four. Several of the mock drafts I have seen has Crouse going to the Philadelphia Flyers at number seven. He is on the Hurricanes radar. It depends on what happens before the Hurricanes get to pick will dictate who they select. Here is hoping the hockey gods are good to the Hurricanes for a change.

Tanking It

A good draft can make or break any professional sports team's next season. The higher the draft pick, the better your chances of getting that franchise player that can help you turn the corner or get you into the playoffs the next season. That player can put fans in the stands, jerseys sell, and put some excitement back into the faithful. This is true of just about all of the professional sports.

The idea of deliberately trying to lose or "tanking it" to ensure that high draft pick when it is obvious a team is not going to make the playoffs has been a big issue in just about all of the professional sports over the course of the past several seasons. From some fans perspective, if you are going to be bad you might as well be the worst so you can get that high draft pick. #2 draft pick Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans had the #1 selling NFL jersey in the month of May. From my perspective, I hate losing more than I love the high draft pick and if I am going to spend money on my team, I want to see them doing everything possible to win.

The NBA is the only professional sports league that has a lottery style system, although it is weighted, to determine the draft order of the teams that did not make the playoffs. In the NFL it became the "Jameis Winston Sweepstakes" and in the NBA there is not a clear cut #1 Draft Pick. In the NHL it is thought to be Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. The Edmonton Oilers have the #1 Draft pick this year. This is the fourth year in six seasons they have had the first draft pick. No one can intentionally stink that bad can they?

The Carolina Hurricanes have the #5 pick in this year's draft so they should be able to draft a player that can help immediately. They were able to do that in the past with Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner.

Keegan Lowe

Keegan Lowe might be my new favorite player on the Carolina Hurricanes. The young Defenseman has the NHL pedigree, being the son of Defenseman Kevin Lowe, of the 1980's Edmonton Oilers. Keegan was a Third Round Draft Pick by the Carolina Hurricanes and played in his first NHL game in the Hurricanes 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

At 18:51 of the first period, he was battling with Flyers star Forward Vincent "Vinny" Lecavalier in front of the Hurricanes net when they decided to drop the gloves. Lecavalier obviously did not like the way he was being shoved around by the rookie. They decided to drop the gloves and Keegan Lowe won the fight decisively. Lecavalier is not one of the better known tough guys in the NHL but he will drop the gloves.

Vincent Lecavalier came after Lowe hell bent on evening the score between the two of them later in the game and I do not like the way Lecavalier went about it. Lowe's back was to Lecavalier and he was sliding along the ice going after a puck and trying to keep it in the Hurricanes zone. Lecavalier threw three or four punches before Lowe ever got his gloves off. The Flyers used the phrase Lecavalier "is a true warrior." He might be but that would be the last phrase I would have used to describe him jumping a rookie from behind. He should have challenged him face-to-face if he wanted a rematch. Lecavalier should have been given an Instigator Penalty and should have been shown the door. I was disappointed that Lecavalier did not follow "the Code" among NHL players.

As it stands, Lowe already has 2 of the Hurricanes 15 Fighting Majors this season and I have said from the beginning of the year that the Hurricanes needed an element of toughness missing from their team and they had a tendency to get pushed around a little more by the more physical teams and it might be too late this season, but Lowe is showing the Hurricanes brass what he can bring to the table.

The Fast, Furious Minute

There is nothing more exciting in sports than the last minute or so in hockey when one team is behind a goal and they pull their goalie, leaving an open net, so they can put an extra attacker on the ice. There is not waiting on the final pitch or hit as in baseball, the two minute drive in football, or the last minute of a basketball game where it can take 20 minutes to play with all of the timeouts being called. In hockey it is six attackers facing five of the opposition and a goalie going after him as hard as they can. It is a constant battle for the puck, the opposition trying to pepper the Goalie with shots, putting men in front of him hoping to get a rebound or a tip, and put in the game tying goal. The defense is trying to gain control of the puck with an open net to shoot at and at least kill some time by firing it to the other end of the ice.

The Carolina Hurricanes had a 3-2 lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets going into the last minute yesterday. Both teams were battling for the puck, the Blue Jackets kept firing shots at Anton Khudobin and he made several good saves. The Hurricanes had a couple of breakout opportunites with the best being Nathan Gerbe. He had a wide open net but one of the Blue Jackets Defenseman intercepted his shot before it got to the crease. The Hurricanes held on for a 3-2 victory but the energy by both teams in the last minute was amazing.

Analyzing The Carolina Hurricanes Trades

The Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis made a flurry of deals before the March 2nd trade deadline and the Hurricanes netted several draft picks and only one NHL player. They traded three veteran players in moves that seemed designed to dump salary and stock pile draft picks. It also signified that the Hurricanes are throwing in the towel on this season and getting some playing time for some of the younger players and see if they are going to fit into the Carolina Hurricanes future plans.

The Hurricanes traded Defenseman Tim Gleason to the Washington Capitals first. Gleason provided an element of toughness for the Hurricanes this season and led the team with 133 hits at the time of the trade. In return the Hurricanes got Defenseman Jack Hillen and a 2015 Fourth Round Draft Pick. In Hillen, the Hurricanes got a younger version of Gleason with the same skill set but not quite as tough. He has not shown the same willingness to drop the gloves when he has to as Gleason has. According to hockeyfights.com, Gleason has dropped the gloves 50 times in his career compared to once for Hillen.

The Hurricanes also traded Defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Los Angeles Kings for a prospect Defenseman Roland McKeown and a conditional First Round draft pick in 2015 or 2016. McKeown was the 50th overall pick by the Kings in 2014 and currently Captains the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.

The last trade the Hurricanes made was trading Left Wing Jiri Tlusty to the Winnipeg Jets for two draft picks- A conditional Fifth or Sixth Round Pick in 2015 and a Third Round Pick in 2016.

The Hurricanes lost an element of physicality with the trade of Gleason and the Hurricanes are not a physical hockey team. Sekera was coming off a career year in 2013-14 when he scored a career high 44 points but he had struggled to find his game this season, scoring only 19 points in 57 games. Tlusty had appeared in parts of six seasons with the Hurricanes but was also having a tougher time fitting into Head Coach Bill Peters system.

The end result is that the Hurricanes traded three NHL veterans for one veteran, a prospect, and four draft picks. The plus/minus to these trades may not be known for several seasons as the Hurricanes are destines to miss the playoffs once again.

A Good Week For The Hurricanes

The Hurricanes finished off a solid week with a 5-3 win over a good New York Islanders team yesterday. They had beaten the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 and the Washington Capitals 3-0 earlier in the week.

The five goals against the Islanders represents an offensive explosion for the Hurricanes. The goals came from some unlikely sources as Defensemen Michal Jordan and Brad Malone had goals and Center Jay McClement had two. The Hurricanes peppered the Islanders Goalie with 41 shots and was able to negate the Islanders team speed by keeping the pressure on the Islanders defense.

The week also saw a flurry of trades by Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis that resulted in Defensemen Andrej Sekera and Tim Gleason and Left Winger Jiri Tlusty leaving the team. The trades netted Defenseman Jack Hillen and Prospect Roland McKeown and four Draft Picks spread out over the next couple of years.

Off To A Good Second Half Start

The Carolina Hurricanes beat a pretty good Tampa Bay Lightning team last night 4-2. That is 4 goals in each of their last two games for the Hurricanes. Eric Staal and Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist and Jordan Staal had two assists. That was Eric Staal's 9th goal in 12 games and Jordan Staal has 8 points in 11 games since his return from injury. The Hurricanes improve to 17-25-5.

The Hurricanes At The All-Star Break

The Carolina Hurricanes carry a 16-25-5 record (37 points) into the All-Star break. They have been playing much better of late going 6-3-1 over their last ten games. They only have more points than the Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers amd are tied with the Arizona Coyotes.

The Carolina Hurricanes biggest problem all season long has been goal scoring. They are 29th in the National Hockey League in Goals Scored ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Staal leads the team with 28 points but has been hot of late scoring 8 goals in his past 11 games. The Hurricanes and Eric Staal's recent hot streak coincide with the return of Jordan Staal from a preseason leg injury. He returned 10 games ago and has 6 points. Jordan Staal's return and getting other players such as Jeff Skinner back on track will be key for the Hurricanes in the second half of the season.

The Hurricanes best unit has been the Penalty Kill where they are 4th in the league at 87.0%. The unquestioned leader of the Penalty Kill Unit is Justin Faulk. He has the Hurricanes only two short handed goals on the season.

The Hurricanes goal tending tandem of Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are only allowing 2.5 goals per game and rank 11th in Goals Against Average.

In the games that I have seen, the Hurricanes have had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. They are consistently out shot by their opponents, and although they rank 13th in the NHL on the power play, they are not getting as many opportunities with the man advantage. They need to be able to put more pressure on the other team's defense and create more opportunities. That is as simple as it can get. Is it puck handling? Team speed? Decision making? not having an offensive mind set?

It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can carry the momentum of the last ten games into the second half of the season.

The Captain To The Rescue

The Hurricanes had quite a game last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Four goals, two fights, and a statement making empty net goal at the end of the game by Captain Eric Staal.

Brad Malone started it off for the Hurricanes by scoring a goal for the second game in a row and he also dropped the gloves with Maple Leafs David Clarkson later in the game. Elias Lindholm scored the second goal and the Hurricanes were comfortably in front 3-0.

Captain Eric Staal scored the final two goals, both on assists by his brother Jordan Staal. Those were his 14th and 15th goals on the season and he has 8 in his last 11 games. After his first goal of the game and with the Hurricanes holding a 3-0 lead, Maple Leaf Dion Phaneuf leveled Jordan Staal with a questionable blind side hit, and Captain Eric Staal immediately challenged Phaneuf and they both dropped the gloves. Fighting is not Eric Staal's strong suit but I think he held his own. Sometimes it is all about standing up.

With under two minutes to go and the Hurricanes holding a 3-1 lead, Eric Staal gained posession of the puck and all that was between him and an empty net was Dion Phaneuf. Staal wound up and fired a slap shot that was aimed more at Phaneuf's family jewels than it was at the empty net. I believe the puck went between Phaneuf's legs and luckily for both, the puck went into the empty net.

Taking Out The Senators

Justin Faulk and Nathan Gerbe both had a Goal and an Assist in last night's 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Faulk finished at a +3 for the game. Brad Malone scored the other goal.

Since the Hurricanes started out the season 0-6-2, they have improved to 15-25-5 and have 35 points in the standings. I believe the Stanley Cup playoffs are a little bit of a reach right now.