SB Nation - Chad LaRose

Canucks-Hurricanes Preview: Gee, Nice Start Time...

Sean Zandberg — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:00:16 -0000

Probably the only good thing going for the Hurricanes these days.

10:29 PM ET Update: WAKE UP YOU FILTHY BUGGERS!

Dan Murphy just tweeted the following: "Aside from Raycroft, no line-up changes expected today. Hansen likely to stay on 2nd line."

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GAME TIME: 10:30 AM PST

TV: Sportsnet

The Opposition: Canes Country

Like Jason Botchford mentioned in the Province today, it was about a year ago that Roberto Luongo played in a morning game (pacific time) against the Penguins. He wrecked his groin on that fateful day. I don't think that plays a role in Andrew Raycroft getting the start against the Canes. Louie has played in 10 straight games, and has a 6-4-0 record in that span, along with a shiny 2.01 GAA and a .929 save percentage.

Raycroft's last start was not very pretty. On November 10th he started a game against the Blues and allowed 4 goals on 13 shots in the first period and was yanked. The Canucks admitted that they hung Raycroft out to dry in that game. They had also just come off a 5-day layoff and were not sharp. Now, with a healthy roster and less days off, the Canucks are kicking some serious ass on this road trip.

So, what on earth is wrong with the Hurricanes?

They have been without Cam Ward since November 7 due to a leg injury. In the 15 games with Ward in the lineup they had only won 2 games. Up to his injury, Ward and his mates had lost 10 straight games. Even so, his numbers were not terrible, according to ESPN.

Since the Ward injury, the Hurricanes have gone with the goalie tandem of Michael Leighton and Manny Legace. In those 11 games they lost 8. Manny Legace will start against Vancouver. Carolina has had 4 days off.

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Manny Legace	8	465	2	4			25	3.23	227	202	.890	0

If you take a look at the Hurricanes' scoring leaders you can see many glaring problems. Tuomo Ruutu is leading the team in scoring with 6 goals and 16 points in 23 games. Rod Brind'Amour is a -19! Eric Staal..where did you go? 3 goals and 9 points in 17 games. He won't stay that lousy forever. Their highest scoring d-man is Joe Corvo with 4 goals and 12 points in 27 games played. He is a -10. Edit: He's also injured.

Will Chad LaRose and/or Jussi Jokinen play?

I wonder how well newly-acquired Jiri Tlusty will fit in.

Let's look at the comparative stats:

-The Hurricanes sit last in the East and the NHL...8 points behind the Leafs! Yikes!

-The Canucks are trying to get into the top 8 in the West and are almost there.

-Goals Per Game Average: Canucks 5th, Canes 30th

-Goals Against Per game Average: Canucks 7th, Canes 30th

-5 on 5: Canucks 5th, Canes 30th

-PowerPlay: Canucks 3rd, Canes 29th

-Penalty Kill: Canes 20th, Canucks 21st

-Shots Per Game: Canes 9th, Canucks 13th

-Shots Against Per Game: Canucks 11th, Canes 16th

-Faceoff %: Canucks 9th, Canes 22nd.

Should be an automatic win, right? Nope. That depends on how lightly the Canucks take these guys. They have to go out there and pretend those guys are wearing Devils jerseys.

Dallas Stars Shut Down Hurricanes 2-0

Brandon Worley — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:07:42 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

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It wasn't always pretty, but overall, it was a solid game for the Dallas Stars as they took care of business against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes in shutting them out and ending their five-game point streak. The Stars received power play goals from Jamie Benn and Brad Richards, while Marty Turco was perfect as he recorded his 38th career shutout.

While he only had one assist, there's no doubt that Brenden Morrow was the best player on the ice for the Stars tonight. Seven big hits, three shots, a perfect screen on Richards' goal and a nice fight in the early minutes of the game. He seemed determined not to allow his team to come out flat against another opponent below them in the standings and when the Stars began to let up in the second and early third periods, Morrow was right there again to inject energy and attitude into the game. It infected everyone on the ice and at one point you even saw Mike Ribeiro getting into a scrum as he came to the aid of a teammate.

Before the game Ribeiro talked about how this team needs to play a full 60 minutes, yet they failed to do that tonight and nearly allowed the Hurricanes to get right back into the game. The Stars failed to cash in on several very close chances to go up by two or three goals in the first period.

And early in the second, it appeared those blown chances had come back to bite the Stars when Ray Whitney appeared to have tied the contest at 1-1. But replays showed he had kicked the puck in and video review took a second look and determined the kick was a distinct kicking motion, thus, nullifying the apparent score.

It was also a turning point in the contest as Carolina never really threatened to score until after Richards' third period goal gave the Stars some breathing room. Penalties to Krys Barch and Karlis Skastins gave the Canes an elongated 5-on-3 advantage and a big chance to get back into the game.

But the offensively-challenged outfit from Raleigh were foiled by some big stops by Turco, some big plays by the Stars' penalty killers, and some missed chances. A tickle off the post off a late shot by Whitney was the only thing that threatened to go in and Turco picked up his 37th career shutout.

Some more thoughts from Brandon BIbb after the jump.

First off, I think there was a raison d'tante for the Morrow fight in the opening minute of the contest. This was the fourth opportunity this month for the Stars to put two consecutive wins together and they started slow in the other three. Morrow was intent on not allowing that to happen tonight and it paid off later in the period when Jamie Benn put the Stars up 1-0.
This is the best I've seen the Stars' power play look all year. They moved the puck all over the ice tonight with the man advantage and I'd be remiss if I didn't give a ton of credit to Stephane Robidas. Last year when he was thrust in the role as a top defenseman on this team thanks to injuries, Robi looked like he was pressing a lot on the blue line. This year, he's looked far more comfortable and confident with the puck on the point.
On the flip side, Jeff Woywitka looked like a number 6 defenseman tonight. At one point, it appeared Chad LaRose made him look like a pylon in the second.
The hit Joni Pitkanen put on Stephane Robidas behind the Carolina net in the third period was worse than the hit that got James Neal suspended. Just sayin'.
Now as for the disallowed goal, they got the call right by the letter of the law. Still, in a league that supposedly sells offense as much as the NHL does, I can't really understand why goals that are kicked in should be disallowed. There's no safety threat on kicked pucks because the skate almost always stays on the ice. And it takes skill to directionally kick the puck.
Clearly, Daryl Reaugh is the key to this all-time series. In games in Dallas at least. The Carolina Hurricanes have never won in Dallas since moving down from Hartford. And when they were in Hartford, they only won once in Big D when Brenden Shanahan was playing for them and Razor was doing color on their' television broadcasts. Razor joined Ralph in 1997 and the the rest, as you know, is history.
Wednesday night, the Stars will hold a pre-game ceremony commemorating Brett Hull's induction into The Hockey Hall of Fame. If you're going to the game, the Stars ask that you be in your seats by 6:50 so you don't miss the ceremony.

Solid Team Effort: Canes 3, Lightning 1

Bob Harwood — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:46:53 -0000

More photos » by Karl B DeBlaker - AP

19 days ago: Carolina Hurricanes' Chad LaRose (59) shoots the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman, center, and goalie Mike Smith (41) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. The Hurricanes won the game 3-1. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

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The Carolina Hurricanes played one of their best overall games of the season Saturday night as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1. The team played well in each zone during every period, held the Bolts to a lowly 21 shots on goal, and generated several scoring chances in just their second regulation win of the season.

After out-shooting the visitors and out-chancing them early in the first period, Tampa Bay would take the lead anyway about 15 minutes into it on a powerplay goal by Martin St. Louis. The winger squeezed his shot in at a very tight angle. Manny Legace joked after the game that the puck went in off of his big butt.

St. Louis always seems to have success against the Canes. That was his fourth point against Carolina in three games so far this season.

The Hurricanes were a little deflated after the goal, but would pick things up in the second period. Tuomo Ruutu continued his torrid scoring pace with a powerplay goal of his own just two minutes into the period. Ray Whitney found the Finn with a perfect cross ice pass and Ruutu roofed a one-timer past Mike Smith, who played an excellent game in goal for the Lightning in a losing effort.

Ruutu now has nine points in his last six games.

The Canes were buzzing much of this period and at one time were out-shooting the Lightning, 9-2. Jussi Jokinen scored yet another goal against the team that put him on waivers last year when he tipped a Joe Corvo shot past Smith at about the 13 minute mark.

That goal turned out to be the game-winner, the second game-winner in regulation for Jokinen this year.

Chad LaRose knocked the gorilla off his back when he scored the last goal of the game and his first of the season, on a wrist shot with just four minutes and change left on the clock. He took a pass from Sergei Samsonov into the clear and took his time for a perfectly placed shot. The helper was Samsonov's 300th career NHL assist.

After the game, the team seemed very pleased with the completeness of their effort and hard work and admitted that it was one of their better overall performances of the season. They now have earned points in their last five games and have won three of their last four.

Next up will be a road game in Dallas on Monday night.

Game Notes:

Manny Legace won his second game in a row with a solid effort in net. He certainly was not over-worked as he only faced 21 shots, but he allowed very few rebounds and was steady when he needed to be.
Give the defense credit as they managed to get sticks on several of the opposition's shots and helped out Legace when he was pressured the most. The team blocked 17 shots, led by Stephane Yelle and Tim Gleason who had three each.
The Canes had 36 hits with Gleason again leading the way with five. Niclas Wallin also had five. Gleason had the hit of the night when he lined up Victor Hedman for a perfect hipcheck.
The home team had scoring chances galore, especially in the first period, and came close but could not connect. Once again, if not for the efforts of Mike Smith, the score could have been much worse for the Lightning.
Joni Pitkanen had five shots on goal in the first period, the most for any Carolina player in a single period all year. He kept trying to ram a slap shot through to the net, and came close a couple of times to making something happen. Pitkanen also had a team high three takeaways and finished with six shots on goal for the game.
Paul Maurice was very happy with the defenseman's game. The coach said that he brings a different dynamic to the team when he is on the ice. Not only is he able to bring the puck out of the Hurricanes' zone by himself if needed, he can create a lot of possibilities in the offensive zone. Now, if he could only stay healthy.
Rod Brind'Amour played on the fourth line and had 11:49 of ice time with only five seconds of powerplay time. He might have played one of his better games.
For the most part, Maurice rotated four lines as everyone got double digits of playing time. Low man was Chad LaRose with 10:19. Even Patrick Dwyer had 11 minutes of ice time. This is the strategy the team wanted to employ all season, but they rarely actually did it.
In his four games this season, Manny Legace has not allowed a goal in the second period. That period used to be the worst for the Canes as the team had allowed more goals in that period than any other one.

The Hurricanes now have a total of 15 points but they are still quite a ways behind the contenders. The team still needs a few more wins in order to claw their way back into the mix. They now have a 5-5-2 record at the RBC. The next step is to win their first road game of the season in either Dallas or Anaheim next week.

Is Chad LaRose Being Shopped?

Bob Harwood — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:51:02 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

about 1 month ago: New York Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson (30) makes a glove save as Carolina Hurricanes' Chad LaRose (59) tries for a tip-in during the second period of a NHL hockey game at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

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Would the Carolina Hurricanes trade Chad LaRose?

Of course anything is possible, especially for a team in a tailspin like the Hurricanes. A source told me yesterday that scouts from a Western Conference team attended a recent game with the primary intent to evaluate the Carolina forward.

Keep in mind that this is a rumor, it has not been confirmed by anyone on the team.

But it should not surprise anyone that management is almost in crisis mode at this point. They might feel the need to do something to shake things up, and LaRose is a popular component in the locker room. Trading him would send a message and might shake things to the very core.

After scoring a career high 19 goals and 12 assists with a +6 last season, LaRose has yet to score a goal in 13 games this year. He has two assists and is -4. The winger just signed a two year contract worth $3.4 million this past summer, a deal that GM Jim Rutherford might be regretting.

Rutherford spoke with Paul Branecky this morning.

"You try to re-sign everybody and you re-sign players, and they get in a totally different position in their career than they’ve ever been," said Rutherford, who re-signed Erik Cole, Chad LaRose, Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu from last year’s team. "Maybe we should have had a little bigger change. Maybe we shouldn’t have gone with as many veteran players as we did. I don’t have the answers for it, nobody does, and everybody can guess. Obviously, whatever I did didn’t work."

His displeasure did not stop there.

"I’ve seen enough to where I’m as disappointed as I’ve ever been in a team," he added. "I still know that there’s enough here to make that turn, but when you watch what we’ve all watched here in the last week, it makes you wonder if it’s going to turn."

Management is firing some warning shots for the players to take note of. Will it make any difference?

Game 7 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes - 10/17/2009

John Fischer — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:30:49 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

The New Jersey Devils were denied quite a bit by Mr. Ondrej Pavelec (seen here stopping Mr. Rob Niedermayer) last night. Can they break through Cam Ward and get their first home win tonight? (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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The Time: 7 PM EST The Broadcasting Info: MSG+ for your TV; 660 WFAN for your radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (3-3-0) vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (2-3-1)

Last Devils Game: The Devils come off a three-game road trip where they took all the points, had a great first period, and then faded away and beat on special teams to lose 4-2. Steve Lepore recapped the game well, so check that out if you haven't. According to this post-game report by Tom Gulitti, Jacques Lemaire wasn't happy with the loss - which should surprise no one at all.

Last Carolina Game: The Hurricanes went down 2-0 at home to Pittsburgh, came back in the third period to tie it up, and (unlike the Devils at Washington) lost in the shootout. Bob Harwood at Canes Country has recapped the game as such.

An Alternate Take: Bob Harwood has a preview up about tonight's game from Carolina's perspective. It's entitled "Crossroads" and for them it really is. Carolina has yet to win on the road this season, they lost their last 2 games, and their last full period of hockey was their best one all season. Will they rise or will they flop? I shouldn't have to tell you which I would prefer seeing. Like what I did for Bird Watchers Anonymous two days ago, I answered a few questions which are also in his preview.

The Goal: WIN. That may seem obvious, but the goal tonight should be to win at any cost. 7-6 in a shootout, a 3-0 shutout, a 2-1 OT win, a 4-2 win, whatever. The Devils have got off to their second worst start at home in franchise history by dropping their first 3 home games. And the Devils have somehow been able to do this in very different ways: getting routed and outplayed all game, not being able to get an equalizer despite the effort, and - most recently - a third period meltdown. I don't need to see either or a brand new way of losing tonight. Going 0-4 at home is awful, not to mention killing all the of confidence built up in the 3 road games prior.

Read on for a guess at lines, other thoughts about the game, and some questions about the Canes answered by Bob Harwood of Canes Country.

A Guess At Lines: Truth be told, I really only want to see changes on the fourth line (read: No more Andrew Peters) and to see Andy Greene in for Cory Murphy. Not that those changes would have led to a win last night, but because I feel there are better players to slot into the lineup. Fortunately, per this post by Tom Gulitti, I will get what I want. Greene, Leblond, and Halischuk are all in; and Martin Brodeur will start. So the lineup will most likely be:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Nicklas Bergfors - Dainius Zubrus - David Clarkson
Jay Pandolfo - Rob Niedermayer - Brian Rolston
Matt Halischuk - Rod Pelley - Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond

Paul Martin - Johnny Oduya
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Bryce Salvador - Andy Greene

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

Now, I have absolutely no problem with Martin Brodeur starting tonight. This is a must-win game at home, in my opinion. As well as Yann Danis looked in preseason, this is a situation where you start the players who give your team the best chance at success. No one can honestly say Danis would give the Devils a better chance to win tonight over Martin Brodeur. Besides, the Devils don't play their next game until Thursday at the World's Most Overrated Arena. No one will be tired for that one, much less Brodeur.

I've just watched last night's game on recording and I really can't add much else to what Steve had to say about that game in particular. Except maybe some additional "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHS" with respect to some of the decisions by the Devils. Let me bring to light that the Devils took another too many men on the ice call. Seriously. This is a boneheaded call to take and to take so many of them so early in the season is a real problem. It's gotten so bad, Gulitti has an entire post about the subject and even inquired Lemaire about this pressing problem. It's quite insightful as the issue lies mainly with the defensemen getting on and off. Regardless, I want to see no early changes.

But discipline is a larger issue. The Devils escaped with handing Washington 5 power play chances with excellent work on the PK and by Brodeur. Last night, the Thrashers got only 3 - but they were avoidable calls: the aforementioned too many men on the ice call, a lazy slash by Mike Mottau, and a lazy trip by Colin White. The Thrashers did well to make those power plays work. Ideally, a player should only be taking a penalty if he has no choice. While being shorthanded 25 times this season isn't much (tied for 16th in the league), it could and should be a smaller number. Yet, the Devils apparently like taking a gun and firing it at their own feet.

And that problem is compounded when the Devils don't build on an amazing 15 shot first period where they looked great (only Ondrej Pavelec looked better) or do much with 6 power play chances. Tonight, the Devils need to give a more consistent effort on the attack and make the most of these chances. There isn't much more to say about that. Changing the lines or the PP units won't be as effective without the right execution. Otherwise, we could be seeing the very same thing tonight from Cam Ward, Eric Staal, and company.

Speaking of, I was able to ask Bob Harwood of Canes Country a few questions about the Carolina Hurricanes to provide further insight on tonight's opponent:

Question #1. The Hurricanes are doing poorly across the board in team stats. A 2.33 goals for game average; a 3.17 goals against game average, a 78.3% PK success rate, a power play success rate of 11.8%, and conceding an average of 33.8 shots per game. What in the world is going wrong in Carolina to start the season? Is it just a slow start, or are some/all of these related to a deeper issue within the team?

Bob: Hopefully, it's just a slow start. There are few new players on defense who are trying to get used to matching up together. The Canes number one defenseman, (as far as average time on ice) Joni Pitkanen has missed all season so far except for two periods. He may or may not play against the Devils, he is questionable. His absence has been missed primarily because he is the best passer on the team and set up man.

As far as the powerplay goes, that might be an all season problem. The Canes struggled in the postseason last year, (10%) and the success rate has not improved yet this season.

Question #2. Which line or player do you think will give the Devils most problems in tonight's game?

Bob: I'm going to make a guess that Chad LaRose will break out and score his first goal Saturday night. He has been shut out so far and is due. Plus, he has had success in the past against the Devils and Brodeur.

Question #3. Let's talk goalies. Cam Ward has been worked hard already and his skill really isn't in doubt. That said, how reliant will Carolina have to be on Ward to have a chance tonight? Will he have to stand on his head, or is the rest of the team currently able to make up the difference if Ward has an average (or worse) not?

Bob: Ward has had to hold the fort in all but one game (7-2 win over Florida), and I doubt this game will be any different. The defense is still shaky at times and the offense has been inconsistent.

Question #4. Tuomo Ruutu is at least enjoying a nice start to the season. In 6 games he has a goal, 3 assists, 24 shots on net, and only one minor penalty. Do you think he'll be an impact player tonight? Over the course of the season, do you see Ruutu as an impact player?

Bob: Yes, Ruutu can be impact player either on the scoresheet or in other ways. Often times he will make a jarring hit which will jump start the team. He's a skilled player who can score, but you better keep your head up while he is on the ice. He should make some type of impact tonight.

Question #5. Lastly, how about a prediction for tonight's game?

Bob: Now that Jersey lost to Atlanta Friday night, I think they will be fired up for this one. Devils 3 Canes 2 in a close game.

That's a prediction I can get behind! Because, hey, this is a must-win home game in my opinion.

What Bob said about Cam Ward is particularly of note considering that the Devils couldn't finish against a goalie that didn't give up much in terms of holes last night. The Devils may have to fire away - and more than just one period - to find them in Ward tonight. With the issues on defense that Carolina has, the opportunities could very well be there. But will the Devils be ready enough to take them for themselves? If they want to succeed, they'll pretty much have to. Big thanks to Bob Harwood at Canes Country for taking the time to respond.

Please leave all your comments, questions, concerns, and thoughts about tonight's game here prior to the GameThread. I'll be at my usual seat for this one (Sec. 1, Row 16, Seat 5), likely screaming "Death or Glory" (the phrase, not the song) at some point in the game. Go Devils!

Open-Ice Hits

Hawerchuk — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:45:56 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

2 months ago: Ottawa Senators' Daniel Alfredsson, of Sweden, is hit by Atlanta Thrashers' Zack Bogosian (4) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

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Most hits occur along the boards. No big surprise there. But how many hits is "most"? I classified any hit inside the red area below as an open-ice hit:

Approximately 75% of all hits occur within 10 feet of the net or the boards, while less than 5% happen in "open-ice." After the jump, the league leaders in open-ice hits...

This table includes both 2007-08 and 2008-09. There isn't much overlap between the two lists - the hitters are big defensemen and aggressive forwards; the guys who get hit include a lot more playmakers and scorers. I was surprised to see both Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery in the top 12 for taking hits - perhaps there are a lot of players in the league who are gunning for them in open ice.

Hit For	#	Hit Against	#
Dustin Brown	47	Alexander Ovechkin	46
Douglas Murray	39	Evgeni Malkin	37
Keith Ballard	33	Sidney Crosby	31
Alexander Ovechkin	30	Dustin Brown	26
Garnet Exelby	28	Derek Roy	22
Brooks Orpik	27	Ales Hemsky	21
Dion Phaneuf	27	Ryan Kesler	21
Cory Sarich	26	Tuomo Ruutu	21
James Wisniewski	25	Alexander Semin	20
David Backes	25	Valtteri Filppula	20
Toni Lydman	24	Darcy Tucker	19
Ed Jovanovski	23	Sean Avery	19
Niklas Kronwall	23	Scottie Upshall	19
Ruslan Salei	22	Matt Stajan	19
Chris Phillips	21	Brooks Laich	19
Dan Girardi	21	Loui Eriksson	19
Martin Hanzal	21	Chad LaRose	18
Dan Hamhuis	20	Mike Richards	18
Freddy Meyer	20	Devin Setoguchi	18
Ryan Malone	20	Alex Kovalev	17
Brent Seabrook	20	Corey Perry	17
Anton Volchenkov	19	Mikhail Grabovski	17
Shane Doan	18	Mike Ribeiro	16
Hal Gill	18	Erik Cole	16
Brendan Witt	18	Patrick O'Sullivan	16
Andreas Lilja	18	Maxime Talbot	16
Colton Orr	18
Steve Ott	18
Tuomo Ruutu	18

Carolina Ends Pre-season on a Positive, Defeats Nashville 5-2

Bob Harwood — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:26:05 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

2 months ago: Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, stretches out as Carolina Hurricanes center Scott Walker (24) closes in during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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The Carolina Hurricanes got contributions from up and down the lineup Saturday night as they defeated the Nashville Predators, 5-2. The win gives the team a 2-2 pre-season record and a two game winning streak heading into the real season.

The time on the ice for the forwards was about as evenly distributed as you could ask for. Rod Brind`Amour led the bunch with over 16 minutes while Tim Conboy was low man with 9:10. Every other player was in double digits.

Jussi Jokinen started the scoring by knocking in his own rebound just 1:13 into the game. J.P. Dumont tied it up later in the first, but Ray Whitney tipped in a shot by Joe Corvo which put the Canes back up once again with just 13 seconds left in the period.

About five minutes into the second period, Eric Staal knocked one in off Rinne to make it 3-1. The goal was the third of the preseason for the new dad. He also has six points and seems poised to start the new season off with a bang.

Nashville scored a powerplay goal later in the second which Chuck Kaiton described as a softie, but Scott Walker would put the game away late in the third as he tucked in a beautiful pass from Staal with less than a minute left. Last but not least, Tim Conboy scored into an empty net and the Nashville faithful went home disappointed.

Michael Leighton ended up making 21 saves on 23 shots and played a solid game.
Jussi Jokinen led the team with four shots on goal while Chad LaRose was right behind with three.
Jay Harrison had five hits. Alberts, Wallin, and Ward had three each.
For the second straight night, Aaron Ward had five blocked shots. Wallin had four.
Tim Gleason, Aaron Ward, and Joe Corvo each had two assists.
Eric Staal had another excellent night in the faceoff circle and won 62% (13 of 21) of his draws. Brind'Amour was back to his normal self with 64%, (9 of 14).

The Canes will take Sunday off, participate in a charity golf tournament on Monday, and will be back on the ice Tuesday to prepare for opening night against the Flyers. Friday night it counts!

Carolina Players Deliver Season Tickets to a few Lucky Fans

Bob Harwood — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:15:11 -0000

Carolina Hurricanes forward Chad LaRose always has something to say. (photo by LTD)

View full size photo »

As C-Leaguer first reported here last week, a few Hurricanes players were out delivering season tickets on September 17th. The club recently released a video showing some of the deliveries and of course Chad LaRose stole the show.

At one home, a fan asked LaRose if (the Canes) made him wear his jersey even while out riding around. Number 59 replied "All the time, I wear this everyday!"

Another man told LaRose that he was the reason the fan renewed his season tickets, to which LaRose turned to the cameraman and said, "All right, get that on camera!"

Catch the video at the link.

Canes Video

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

James Mirtle — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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Who's in: Andrew Alberts, Tom Kostopoulos, Aaron Ward, Stephane Yelle
Who's out: Ryan Bayda, Patrick Eaves, Frank Kaberle, Dennis Seidenberg

Outlook: Carolina's off-season proved to be one of the more quietly effective ones in the league.

With useful forwards in Erik Cole and Chad LaRose both headed for unrestricted free agency, GM Jim Rutherford managed to get both to return to the fold on reasonable two-year contracts soon after July 1. The losses, meanwhile, were mainly limited to the blueline, where minute muncher Dennis Seidenberg left via free agency (only to be replaced by Aaron Ward in a late-July trade) and Frantisek Kaberle was bought out.

Restricted free agent Anton Babchuk, meanwhile, is likely headed elsewhere after a breakout 16-goal performance, and Andrew Alberts was signed on a cheap two-year deal to fill some of his minutes.

The Hurricanes proved to be a fairly stingy team defensively last season, and where coach Paul Maurice will attempt to find more is on offence. Only Ray Whitney and Eric Staal hit the 55-point mark, and more will be expected from Tuomo Ruutu, Matt Cullen and Jussi Jokinen given there are no up-and-coming scoring prospects projected to make an impact.

The biggest rise, however, could come as a result of a full, dominant season by Cam Ward, who at 25 may just now be coming into his own. His .916 save percentage last year was by far a career high and could be indicative of either a blip of stardom or a sign of things to come.

Given he should see at least 70 starts, as Ward goes, so will the ‘Canes.

X-factor: Rod Brind'Amour

For a more in-depth Hurricanes preview, visit 'Canes Country
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the 'Canes finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

9 votes

2

7 votes

3

27 votes

4

37 votes

5

58 votes

6

32 votes

7

30 votes

8

18 votes

9

11 votes

10

11 votes

11

1 votes

12

1 votes

13

0 votes

14

0 votes

15

7 votes

249 votes | Poll has closed

Canes are not Streaming Video for Tomorrow's Game -Updated

Bob Harwood — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:20:25 -0000

It has been confirmed that the Carolina Hurricanes will not be streaming the video feed online for tomorrow night's preseason game against the Nashville Predators. The Canes were able to do this last season and it was a huge hit. You will still be able to listen to Chuck on 99.9 The Fan, if you can't make it to the arena.

The Canes have also released some lineup information. The first two lines, Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruutu, Erik Cole, Matt Cullen, Ray Whitney, and Chad LaRose will be playing tomorrow night for the home team. Joe Corvo, Tim Gleason, Brett Carson, Jay Harrison, and Aaron Ward will play on defense. Cam Ward will start in net. Tim Conboy will also be in the lineup.

The B Group participants will be announced later.

((UPDATE)) Here are the projected lines, according to Paul Branecky at CH.com.

Staal-Cole-Ruutu

Cullen-Whitney-LaRose

Blanchard-Dwyer-Ryan

Sutter-Boychuk-Conboy

Corvo-Gleason

Harrison-Ward

Rodney-Carson

Ward-Peters