The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

[southernmetalhead]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Skinner and Semin are having really good seasons. Tough about the injuries though.

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Skinner and Semin are having really good seasons. Tough about the injuries though.

Yes, injuries have sucked but we are performing on offense. D and Goaltending needs work (and time).

Thanks for the comment.

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

AROUND THE NHL: NOVEMBER 2014

Kyle Okposo has led the New York Islanders to the Top of the League

November Superlatives

BEST TEAM: The New York Islanders sat at 4th place in the East at the conclusion of October. In 14 November games, the Islanders won 11 of them, and only lost three, to vault up to first in the East, six points clear of the 2nd place Lightning. The Islanders haven't had stellar defense or goaltending, but Nick Leddy (16 assists) has provided the bulk of the help to goalscorers Kyle Okposo (16 goals) and Nikolai Kulemin (11). However, star forward John Tavares has disappointed with just 6 goals and 17 points through 20 games.

BEST PLAYER: The Detroit Red Wings are struggling to break through in the East, sitting five points behind the team ahead of them (the Rangers), but not to the fault of Gustav Nyquist. The pending free agent is already raising his stock quickly with 30 points through 24 games this season already. In November he had 11 goals and 10 assists, good for 21 points.

BEST GOALIE: Last month, Jonathan Quick was dominant, leading the Los Angeles Kings to the top of the Western Conference. This month, Quick and the Kings faltered, falling out of the playoff race, but Darcy Kuemper and the Minnesota Wild skyrocketed to the top of the West. Despite a solid start to the season by Devan Dubnyk, Kuemper took over as the starter and was dominant in November, winning five of his eight starts and recording two shutouts. The Wild now has a logjam at goalie, which is an excellent problem to have.

BEST ROOKIE: The Calgary Flames are shocking the hockey world with their excellent play so far, and a lot of that can be credited to Johnny Gaudreau, affectionately dubbed "Johnny Hockey". The 21 year-old former Hobey Baker Award winner has 21 points (11 goals+10 assists) this season in 25 games, leading all rookie skaters by a large margin. In November, he had 14 points in 13 games (7 goals+7 assists).

Standings





Stats

Goals
Assists
Points

Wins
GAA
SV%

Transactions Update

TO RED WINGS

Keith Kinkaid

TO DEVILS

Teemu Pulkkinen

---

TO SABRES

Phillip Danault

TO BLACKHAWKS

Chad Ruhwedel
Rights to Brycen Martin

---

TO FLYERS

Nicklas Jensen

TO CANUCKS

Jay Rosehill
Rights to Radel Fazleev

---

Capitals sign C Travis Boyd (2011 6th round) to 3 year entry-level contract out of University of Minnesota, release C Mike Moore

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Hurricanes Snap Losing Streak with Win Over Predators

Game 24 - Predators at Hurricanes	1	2	3	OT	SO	F
	0	1	0	X	X	1
	1	0	2	X	X	3
Carolina Hurricanes Record: 13-9-2 | Current Standing: 8th in East | Next Game: Capitals

Carolina Hurricanes	Nashville Predators
Cam Ward	Pekka Rinne
22 Shots Against 21 saves	40 Shots Against 37 Saves

Time	Team	Scoring Detail	Score
1st Period
10:51		Jeff Skinner (13) Assists: Jordan Staal, Alexander Semin	1-0 Hurricanes
2nd Period
35:33		Richard Clune (2) Assists: Mike Santorelli, Anton Volchenkov	1-1 Tied
3rd Period
43:57		John-Michael Liles (1) Assists: Jeff Skinner, Ryan Murphy	2-1 Hurricanes
55:10		Alexander Semin (16) Assists: Jordan Staal	3-1 Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes		Nashville Predators
40	Shots on Goal	22
1/7	Powerplays	0/2
5	Hits	19
52.3%	Faceoff %	47.7%
80.8%	Passing	81.5%

[Balrog]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Nice win vs Predators. I don't quiet understand the trade logic for EHM. Wings trade 1 of their top 4 prospect from another goalie?

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Nice win vs Predators. I don't quiet understand the trade logic for EHM. Wings trade 1 of their top 4 prospect from another goalie?

Trade logic definitely needs some work. Trading can either be really easy or really hard, and there is plenty of strange AI trades. My scouts only list Pulkkinen as a 3 star prospect, FWIW.

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

BREAKING: Blackhawks Fire Quenneville

The Chicago Blackhawks have shocked the hockey world and announced the firing of head coach Joel Quenneville today, after a 4–1 loss to the Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks, who sat second in the Western Conference after the conclusion of October, now sit at 11th in the West on December 12th, yet only three points back of a playoff spot.

Quenneville had lead the Blackhawks to two Stanley Cups in his tenure, and the team was expected to compete for the title again in 2014–15. The Blackhawks have not been hurt by injuries, but mainly by a surprising lack of productivity. They have one of the worst penalty kills in the league and also struggle to score. Stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have held their weight but have not been superstars as they have in the past, however, the rest of the team has been very underwhelming. The always-reliable Duncan Keith has been his usual self, but the rest of the defense has not stepped up. Goaltending has also been an issue, with starter Corey Crawford holding a save percentage just over 90%.

It's difficult to pinpoint just what the Blackhawks' issues have been, as the numbers don't appear to be too terrible. Quenneville's firing this early into the season is very surprising, but with a lack of answers, firing the coach is the direction the Blackhawks may need to go. A replacement is expected to be named soon.

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Hurricanes Battling to Remain in Playoff Race

12/4/14 – Capitals at Hurricanes
2–1


Johansson, Brouwer
Holtby: 32/33 saves


Gerbe
Ward: 24/26 saves

12/7/14 – Red Wings at Hurricanes
3–4


Franzen, Abdelkader, Nyquist
Howard: 30/34 saves


Gerbe, Nash, Murphy, Semin
Khubodin: 31/ saves

12/8/14 – Devils at Hurricanes
2–4


Havlat, Zajac
Clemmensen: 27/31 saves


J. Staal, Faulk, Lindholm, Semin
Khubodin: 21/23 saves

12/11/14 – Hurricanes at Lightning
3–5


J. Staal, E. Staal, Skinner
Ward: 18/23 saves


Stamkos, Johnson, Garrison, Hedman, Drouin
Bishop: 25/28 saves

12/13/14 – Hurricanes at Flyers
6–1


E. Staal, Lindholm, Gerbe, Semin, Faulk, Jordan
Ward: 19/20 saves


Couturier
Mason: 32/38 saves

Flyers fired head coach Craig Berube following this beating

HURRICANES RECORD: 16–11–2

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Hurricanes Smash Carey Price, Dominate Habs

Game 30 - Hurricanes at Canadiens	1	2	3	OT	SO	F
	4	0	1	X	X	5
	1	0	0	X	X	1
Carolina Hurricanes Record: 17-11-2 | Current Standing: 9th in East | Next Game: Maple Leafs

Carolina Hurricanes	Montreal Canadiens
Cam Ward	Joey MacDonals
21 Shots Against 20 saves	35 Shots Against 33 Saves (Carey Price: 3 Shots/0 Saves)

Time	Team	Scoring Detail	Score
1st Period
2:11		Jeff Petry (1) Assists: David Desharnais, Tom Gilbert	1-0 Canadiens
2:43		Patrick Dwyer (3) Assists: Victor Rask, Jack Hillen	1-1 Tied
3:57		Jeff Skinner (15) Assists: Eric Staal, Alexander Semin	2-1 Hurricanes
7:44		Nathan Gerbe (12) Assists: Elias Lindholm, Alexander Semin	3-1 Hurricanes
17:05		Eric Staal (10) Assists: Ryan Murphy	4-1 Hurricanes
2nd Period
3rd Period
51:38		Eric Staal (11) Assists: Alexander Semin, John-Michael Liles	5-1 Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes		Montreal Candiens
38	Shots on Goal	21
1/6	Powerplays	0/2
12	Hits	16
46.0%	Faceoff %	54.0%
77.1%	Passing	82.3%

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

BREAKING: Blackhawks Hire John Tortorella

The Blackhawks' firing of Joel Quenneville mere months into the season was strange. Their announcement of his replacement today was even stranger. The Hawks announced the hiring of former Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella to the same role.

Tortorella is one of the most infamous coaches in recent NHL history. His media antics have been well documented, along with his frequent outbursts at press conferences. He won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 but failed to get out of the first round the following three years and was fired, and went to New York. There, he failed to reach a Stanley Cup and was fired after the 2013 season. He then spent one disastrous season with the Canucks, with goalie controversy abound and general struggling performance, leading to the Canucks' first playoff miss in five seasons.

Despite his pedigree, the hiring is a surprising one for a franchise like the Blackhawks that likes to avoid controversy in the media. The Blackhawks have gone 1–0–2 since Quenneville's firing on December 11, and remain 11th in the Western Conference.

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

2015 World Juniors Preview: Group A

The 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship begins this Friday (December 26). Ten countries will send their U-20 teams to two arenas in the Midwestern United States (The Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska and the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri) to compete for the most prestigious title in international junior hockey. This event is also an excellent opportunity for NHL scouts to view top prospects and some of the best prospects for the upcoming draft. Finland will be looking to defend their 2014 title. The capsules for Group A teams are below.


CANADA

2014 Finish: Fourth Place
Head Coach: Shaun Clouston (Medicine Hat Tigers HC)

Canada has the most talented team on paper and anything less than gold will be a massive disappointment. The main attraction for scouts will be a trio of 2015 draft prospects that will likely play on the top line, Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome, and Mitch Marner. All three should go in the Top 10 picks in this year's draft. The defense lacks high end prospects outside of Oilers prospect Darnell Nurse, but 2015 prospects Ryan Pilon and Alexandre Carrier should pique interest. Zachary Fucale, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, will be the starting goalie and is a very good one. The offense also contains some very good prospects such as Coyotes prospects Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, Canucks prospect Bo Horvat, and Flames center Sam Bennett.

Prediction: Gold


FINLAND

2014 Finish: Gold
Head Coach: Juha Pinola (YJK HC)

Finland only has six players with rights tied to NHL teams, but they are a group of excellent prospects such as 2014 Penguins 1st rounder Kasperi Kapanen, Blues goalie prospect Ville Husso, Stars defenseman Julius Honka (the only member of the squad playing outside Europe), and Canadiens prospect Artturi Lehkonen. Perhaps the most notable part of the squad is the omission of elite 2016 draft prospect Jesse Puljujärvi, who was expected to make the squad despite being just 16. There are a number of intriguing 2015 prospects, including forwards Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Sebastian Aho. Even without Puljujärvi, expect Finland to compete in this tournament.

Prediction: Bronze


LATVIA

2014 Finish: Promoted from Division 1A
Head Coach: N/A

Latvia is one of the least talented squads in the field, with no drafted players on the roster and only a few who will even draw any interest from scouts for this years draft, and solely as late round picks: foward Martins Dzierkals, defenseman Karlis Cukste, and winger Rudolfs Balcers. It's an achievement for Latvia to make it this far, but don't expect anything from them. Zemgus Girgensons isn't walking through these doors anymore.

Prediction: Relegation Final


RUSSIA

2014 Finish: Bronze
Head Coach: Pavel Bure

Russian legend and Hall of Famer Pavel Bure, who won a WJC in 1989 with Russia, takes over the talented squad for his first head coaching assignment. Russia has four NHL draft picks on its roster, with a pair of Rangers prospects (Pavel Buchnevich and Igor Shestyorkin), Flames defenseman Rushan Rafikov, and Predators center Vladislav Kamenev. While they are all solid prospects, the highlight of the team is 2015 prospect Evgeny Svechnikov, playing for Cape Breton in the QMJHL, who is expected to be a first round pick. High-end defense prospect Ivan Provorov is absent from the squad, but high-end forward prospect Alexander Dergachyov will look to continue his form after a terrific start in the Russian Minor Hockey League.

Prediction: Quarterfinals


SWITZERLAND

2014 Finish: Quarterfinals
Head Coach: Christian Kung

The first thing you'll notice when you look at the Swiss squad is a puzzling omissions. Kevin Fiala, a top 10 pick in last year's draft, was left out of the squad for no apparent reason. Despite playing in the AHL, he was expected to represent and lead Switzerland in the WJC. Without Fiala, and with Mirco Muller playing in the NHL, 2014 Sharks 2nd rounder Noah Rod is the only drafted player on the roster, and he should lead the first line along with elite 2015 draft prospect Timo Meier. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and forward Denis Malgin are also solid prospects for this year's draft.

Prediction: Quarterfinals

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

2015 World Juniors Preview: Group B

The 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship begins this Friday (December 26). Ten countries will send their U-20 teams to two arenas in the Midwestern United States (The Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska and the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri) to compete for the most prestigious title in international junior hockey. This event is also an excellent opportunity for NHL scouts to view top prospects and some of the best prospects for the upcoming draft. Finland will be looking to defend their 2014 title. The capsules for Group B teams are below.


CZECH REPUBLIC

2014 Finish: Quarterfinals
Head Coach: Jiri Sejba (GKS Tychy HC)

The Czech Republic has a solid squad, one that includes three drafted NHL prospects. Jets defenseman Jan Kostalek and Wild forward Pavel Jenys are both playing in the CHL, and Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek should keep this squad in games. 2015 eligible goalie Daniel Vladar was inexplicably left off the squad, which will force Vanecek to take on a huge role. Pavel Zacha and Jakub Zboril are potential first round picks in the upcoming draft and Filip Chlapik is a good late round prospect.

Prediction: Quarterfinals


NORWAY

2014 Finish: Relegation Final
Head Coach: N/A

Norway barely avoided relegation last year against Germany, but they won't repeat that fate this year. Markus Soberg, a 2013 6th rounder by Columbus, is a decent prospect, but outside of him the team is really weak on elite or even draftable talent. It wouldn't be a surprise if Norway fails to win a game in this tournament.

Prediction: Relegated to Division 1A


SLOVAKIA

2014 Finish: Quarterfinals
Head Coach: Marek Topoli (HK Spisska Nova Ves HC)

Slovakia always puts up a fight in international tournaments, and head coach Marek Topoli has a solid group of prospects to deal with this year. Peter Cehlarik (Bruins), Maximilian Pajpach (Avalanche), and Martin Reway (Canadiens) are all young, drafted prospects who can make an impact. Erik Cernak is one of the better European defenseman prospects in this year's draft and should anchor the blueline. Slovakia should escape the group but don't expect much more.

Prediction: Quarterfinals


SWEDEN

2014 Finish: Silver
Head Coach: Tommy Salo

Sweden's squad isn't as strong as last year's runner-up team, mainly due to several prospects abstaining from the squad while playing in the AHL, but they should still compete for one of the medals in this year's tournament. Oskar Lindblom already looks like a steal for the Flyers in the fifth round of last year's draft, and Tobias Lindberg is a good prospect for Ottawa. The Swedes have a great group of potential 2015 first rounders in Joel Eriksson Ek, Oliver Kylington, and Rasmus Andersson. Expect Sweden to make the title game.

Prediction: Silver


UNITED STATES

2014 Finish: Quarterfinals
Head Coach: Jay Feaster

The United States has a lot of draftable/drafted talent, but very few of them are high end prospects that project as first liners. NCAA prospects Jack Eichel, Zach Werenski, and Noah Hanifin are the highlights of the squad as potential Top 10 picks. In terms of prospects already under NHL rights, Lightning defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and Blue Jackets forward Sonny Milano are talented CHL prospects. The omission of Dylan Larkin could come back to hurt the US.

Prediction: Fourth Place

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Rough Finish to 2014 For Hurricanes

12/18/14 – Maple Leafs at Hurricanes
2–4


Bozak, Lupul
Bernier: 44/47 saves


Semin (2), Skinner, Lindholm
Ward: 17/19 saves

12/20/14 – Rangers at Hurricanes
4–3


Brassard, Stepan, Girardi, Zuccarello
Talbot: 25/28 saves


Skinner, Lindholm, J. Staal
Khudobin: 25/29 saves

12/21/14 – Hurricanes at Rangers
3–4


Gerbe, Jordan, J. Staal
Ward: 29/33 saves


Zuccarello, Brassard, Kreider, St. Louis
Lundqvist: 24/27 saves

12/23/14 – Hurricanes at Devils
4–2


Semin (2), J. Staal, Dwyer
Ward: 18/20 saves


Bernier, Ruutu
Clemmensen: 26/29 saves

12/27/14 – Hurricanes at Lightning
2–3
Lightning win shootout 2–1


Skinner (2)
Ward: 23/25 saves


Morrow, Namestnikov
Bishop: 33/35 saves

12/29/14 – Canadiens at Hurricanes
4–3


Bowman, Pacioretty, Weise, Markov
MacDonald: 35/38 saves


Semin, Jordan, Skinner
Ward: 34/38 saves

12/31/14 – Hurricanes at Penguins
2–5


Skinner, Lindholm
Ward: 15/20 saves
Khudobin: 6/6 saves


Bennett, White, Hornqvist, Ehrhoff, Maatta
Fleury: 18/20 saves

HURRICANES RECORD: 19–15–3

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

AROUND THE NHL: DECEMBER 2014

Valery Nichushkin Having Memorable Teenage Season to Lead Stars

December Superlatives

BEST TEAM: The Dallas Stars sat 7th in the Western Conference at the end of November, but now sit at the top of the conference looking down after going 11–1–0 in December. And the Stars have been getting contributions from unfamiliar faces, with Ales Hemsky having a huge revival season with 36 points in 36 games, and 19 year old Valery Nichushkin putting up one of the best teenage seasons in a long time. He is on pace for more than a point per game – the last teenager to do that Red Wings legend and NHL Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman in 1984. Plus, Jamie Benn hasn't even started to heat up yet after a disappointing start. If he does, this team will be close to unstoppable.

BEST PLAYER: Despite not breaking into the NHL until four seasons after he was drafted, former Minnesota Golden Gopher Blake Wheeler has established himself as a top line winger in the NHL. Currently having the best year of his career, Wheeler is leading a very disappointing Winnipeg Jets club. He added to his offensive output in December with a league leading 18 points (8 goals + 10 assists) in 13 games.

BEST GOALIE: The Columbus Blue Jackets have been right on the edge of the playoff picture all season, and if the play of Sergei Bobrovsky continues, they could push into that top 8 in the Eastern Conference. Besides one dud against the Chicago Blackhawks, Bobrovsky didn't allow more than two goals in any game this month, as well as recording 2 shutouts.

BEST ROOKIE: The Detroit Red Wings are struggling to make a real push up the Eastern Conference standings, mainly because of a boatload of injuries. Thankfully, they have gotten a contribution from Anthony Manta, a 2013 first round pick who spent the first two months of the year in the AHL. The 20 year old has contributed 8 points (3 goals + 5 assists) in his first 10 NHL games, as well as being a solid defensive forward.

Standings





Stats

Goals
Assists
Points

Wins
GAA
SV%

Transactions Update

TO CANADIENS

Louis Domingue
Rights to Christian Dvorak

TO COYOTES

Michael Bournival

---

TO KINGS

Andrew Gordon

TO FLYERS

2015 2nd Round Pick (LA)

---

TO PANTHERS

2015 3rd Round Pick (MTL)
2016 4th Round Pick (MTL)

TO CANADIENS

Shane O'Brien

---

TO FLYERS

2015 2nd Round Pick (MIN)

TO PENGUINS

Ryan White

---

TO BLACKHAWKS

2015 3rd Round Pick (LA)
2015 4th Round Pick (LA)

TO KINGS

Peter Regin

[mitch497]

Re: The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

Flyers Beat Canes in Shootout to Open 2015

Game 38 - Flyers at Hurricanes	1	2	3	OT	SO	F
	1	0	2	0	1	4
	0	3	0	0	0	3
Carolina Hurricanes Record: 19-15-4  | Current Standing: 10th in East | Next Game: Bruins

Carolina Hurricanes	Philadelphia Flyers
Anton Khudobin	Ray Emery
26 Shots Against 23 saves	33 Shots Against 30 Saves

Time	Team	Scoring Detail	Score
1st Period
15:59		Steve Ott (3) Assists: Jason Akeson, Carlo Colaiacovo	1-0 Flyers
2nd Period
30:16		Patrick Dwyer (5) Unassisted	1-1 Tied
33:02		Elias Lindholm (14) Assists: Jordan Staal	2-1 Hurricanes
37:41		Patrick Dwyer (6) Assists: Andrej Nestrasil, Ron Hainsey	3-1 Hurricanes
3rd Period
40:21		Michael Raffl (6) Assists: Jason Akeson, Nick Schultz	3-2 Hurricanes
45:38		Wayne Simmonds (8) Assists: Jakub Voracek, Nick Schultz	3-3 Tied
Overtime Period
Shootout
SO		Alexander Semin (MISS), Eric Staal (MISS), Jeff Skinner (GOAL)
SO		Mark Streit (MISS), Claude Giroux (GOAL), Brayden Schenn (GOAL)	Flyers Win

Carolina Hurricanes		Philadelphia Flyers
34	Shots on Goal	28
0/5	Powerplays	1/5
11	Hits	19
54.5%	Faceoff %	45.5%
80.9%	Passing	81.9%