The Rolling Thunder. (Carolina Hurricanes: EHM EA)

[mitch497]

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

2015 World Juniors Roundup: Canada Takes Gold

Canada got two goals each from Anthony Duclair and Cole Sanford to power a third period comeback to overcome border rivals United States to win the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. The Americans jumped out to an early lead and led 2-0 after the first period, and 3-1 after the second, but the boys up north scored five goals in the third, including two in the closing minute, to win their 16th gold medal, and first since 2009. The United States takes their second silver medal, the first coming in 1997.

Russia used two goals from Ivan Fishchenko to defeat Switzerland to take the bronze, their 8th as a unified Russia. It is their second straight bronze finish.

This year's medalists

Canada
United States
Russia

Awards

Most Valuable Player: Anthony Duclair

All-Star Team:

Goalie: Zachary Fucale
Defensemen: Travis Sanheim, Anthony DeAngelo
Forwards: Anthony Duclair, Sam Bennett, Conor Garland

Final Playoff Tree



Norway defeats Latvia 2-0 in relegation finals, Latvia relegated, Germany promoted from Division 1

Division 1 Standings

[mitch497]

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

Bad Form Continues For Hurricanes to Start 2015

1/4/15 – Bruins at Hurricanes
4–3
Bruins win shootout 2–1


Smith (2), Krug
Rask: 34/37 saves


Semin, J. Staal, Nestrasil
Khudobin: 22/25 saves

1/6/15 – Hurricanes at Predators
2–3


Semin, E. Staal
Ward: 23/26 saves


Ribeiro, Josi, Cullen
Rinne: 25/27 saves

1/8/15 – Sabres at Hurricanes
1–4


Hodgson
Lindback: 24/28 saves


Skinner (2), Semin, Gerbe
Ward: 21/22 saves

1/10/15 – Hurricanes at Blues
3–4


Skinner, Gerbe, Lindholm
Ward: 26/30 saves


Oshie, Tarasenko, Jokinen, Steen
Allen: 25/28 saves

1/13/15 – Avalanche at Hurricanes
3–2


MacKinnon, Landeskog (2)
Berra: 33/35 saves


Skinner, Faulk
Ward: 15/18 saves

HURRICANES RECORD: 20–18–5

[southernmetalhead]

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

Man, this really is a terrible run of form. Skinner and Semin are still producing pretty well, but you're giving up at least 3 goals a game to everyone but Buffalo.

[mitch497]

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

Man, this really is a terrible run of form. Skinner and Semin are still producing pretty well, but you're giving up at least 3 goals a game to everyone but Buffalo.

Defense isn't great. We'll see if we need to make some moves.

[mitch497]

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

Hurricanes Defeat Canucks, End Tenure of Willie Desjardins

Game 44 - Canucks at Hurricanes	1	2	3	OT	SO	F
	1	0	0	X	X	1
	2	0	2	X	X	4
Carolina Hurricanes Record: 21-18-5  | Current Standing: 10th in East | Next Game: at Senators

Carolina Hurricanes	Vancouver Canucks
Cam Ward	Ryan Miller
17 Shots Against 16 saves	25 Shots Against 21 Saves

Time	Team	Scoring Detail	Score
1st Period
4:42		Dan Hamhuis (3) Assists: Henrik Sedin	1-0 Canucks
8:30		Elias Lindholm (16) Assists: Nathan Gerbe, Ryan Murphy	1-1 Tied
14:56		Elias Lindholm (17) Assists: Jordan Staal, Ron Hainsey	2-1 Hurricanes
2nd Period
3rd Period
52:14		Ryan Murphy (3) Assists: Eric Staal	3-1 Hurricanes
58:33		John-Michael Liles (2) Assists: Ron Hainsey, Victor Rask	4-1 Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes		Vancouver Canucks
25	Shots on Goal	17
2/7	Powerplays	0/3
15	Hits	13
52.0%	Faceoff %	48.0%
79.1%	Passing	81.1%

[mitch497]

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

Hurricanes Beef Up Bottom Six With Acquisition of Luke Glendening

The trade deadline is less than two months away and we are going to see more and more deals being completed as the playoff picture starts to become clearer. The Carolina Hurricanes are just 4 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and will need to compete with the Blue Jackets, Canadiens, and Red Wings the rest of the way for the final two spots. With Carolina enduring a mini-slump since the turn of the calendar, Hurricanes boss Mitch Williams made it clear he wanted to improve his lackluster bottom six, and he did so with the pickup of forward Luke Glendening from the Detroit Red Wings.

Glendening didn't have much of a spot in Detroit, with the breakout of Gustav Nyquist and impressive rookie start for Anthony Manta taking up playing time at the right wing position. In return, the Hurricanes will send prospect Brett Pesce, currently playing for the New Hampshire Wildcats in the NCAA, and a 4th round pick in the upcoming NHL draft, originally belonging to Washington, then being sent to Arizona as part of the Martin Erat deal, and then to Carolina for Tim Gleason. Pesce, 20, was a 3rd round pick in 2013 by Carolina and is in his sophomore season for the Wildcats, where he has 22 points in 31 games, third among all defensemen in Hockey East.

The Hurricanes' bottom six forwards have been nothing short of abysmal this season, leading to increased production from top six forwards such as Nathan Gerbe and Elias Lindholm. However, Williams made it a priority to add depth for times where his star forwards need time off the ice. He will slot into the third line at center, with Victor Rask sliding over to the left wing, Andrej Nestrasil moving to the fourth line, and Brad Malone heading to the AHL (assuming he clears waivers, which is likely).

The 25 year old Glendening is a Grand Rapids, Michigan native who went undrafted and signed with his hometown Red Wings in 2012 after four years at the University of Michigan. After a year shuttling between the ECHL and AHL, he played most of the 2013-14 season with the Red Wings, contributing 7 points in 56 games. Even with a decreased role, he has managed 9 points in 38 games so far this season.

In other trade news, the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers made a swap of young, talented players, with Washington sending forward Tom Wilson and prospect Madison Bowey to Edmonton for defenseman Oscar Klefbom. Both players were assigned to their respective AHL affiliates but should contribute at the NHL level later this year. Both are former first round picks (Wilson #16 overall in 2012, Klefbom #19 overall in 2011), and both spent time in the NHL last season.

[mitch497]

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

Hurricanes Slowly Gaining Ground in East

1/17/15 – Hurricanes at Senators
5–3


Nestrasil, Faulk, Lindholm, J. Staal, Skinner
Ward: 16/19 saves


Greening (2), Zibanejad
Anderson: 22/26 saves

1/10/15 – Hurricanes at Maple Leafs
4–5
Maple Leafs win shootout 2–1


Terry, E. Staal, Skinner, Lindholm
Khudobin: 18/22 saves


Kessel, Horton, van Riemsdyk, Rielly
Bernier: 37/41 saves

1/27/15 – Lightning at Hurricanes
4–3
Lightning win shootout 3–2


Callahan, Kucherov, Garrison
Bishop: 29/32 saves


Skinner, Gerbe, Glendening
Ward: 22/25 saves

1/30/15 – Blues at Hurricanes
3–1


Reaves, Steen, Tarasenko
Elliott: 22/23 saves


Jordan
Ward: 17/20 saves

1/31/15 – Hurricanes at Rangers
4–3


Lindholm, Semin, Terry, J. Staal
Ward: 22/25 saves


Zuccarello (2), Yandle
Talbot: 24/28 saves

HURRICANES RECORD: 24–19–6

[mitch497]

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

AROUND THE NHL: JANUARY 2015

Nobody is Stopping Tyler Seguin and Dallas

December Superlatives

BEST TEAM: The Dallas Stars keep winning. They played 13 games in January, and won 10 of them. Dallas is now ten points ahead of the second placed team in the Western Conference. Tyler Seguin is starting to get back into form, as is Jamie Benn, and Valery Nichushkin continues to have a memorable season. Even more impressive, the Stars' defense. Kari Lehtonen has been having a below-average season by his standards, but the defense, which was not highly regarded coming into the season, has been excellent.

BEST PLAYER: Phil Kessel could be the hottest commodity on the trade market this year, whether it be in February or in the offseason. With the Maple Leafs falling farther and farther down the standings, Kessel is scoring more and more. He had 15 points this month in 11 games, raising his total numbers to 60 points (31 goals + 29 assists) in 49 games. He's also got the highest plus/minus of his career and could crack 100 points for the first time.

BEST GOALIE: The Capitals moved from 7th to 3rd in the East this month, thanks in large part to a stifling performance from Braden Holtby. Freshly signed to his contract extension, the Washington goaltender has been nothing short of spectacular this season, and he continued his fantastic form with 9 wins and 3 shutouts in 9 January games. He has 26 wins in 38 games and a 1.69 goals against average this season.

BEST ROOKIE: Everyone was waiting for Jonathan Drouin to put it together. The hyper-talented Tampa Bay Lightning rookie had all the tools but wasn't performing to start the season. He started to heat up in December and really turned the wheels on in January, notching 13 points (5 goals + 8 assists) in 12 games, bringing his season totals to 37 points (20 goals + 17 assists) in 51 games.

Standings





Stats

Goals
Assists
Points

Wins
GAA
SV%

Transactions Update

TO BLUE JACKETS

Scott Harrington

TO PENGUINS

Anton Forsberg
Rights to Nick Moutrey

---

Flyers hire Blackhawks Director of Player Development Barry Smith as head coach

Canucks appoint former Ducks, Capitals, Sharks, and Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson to the same position

Panthers fire head coach Gerard Gallant. No replacement named yet

Sabres claim Eric Nystrom off waivers from Predators

Blue Jackets sign D Mike Reilly (2011 4th round) to entry level contract out of University of Minnesota, assign to AHL Springfield

Capitals sign RW Riley Barber (2012 6th round) to entry level contract out of Miami University, assign to AHL Hershey

Ducks sign G Zane McIntyre (2010 6th round by Bruins) to entry level contract out of University of North Dakota, assign to AHL Norfolk

[mitch497]

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

Hurricanes Pull Out OT Win Over Ducks

Game 50 - Hurricanes at Ducks	1	2	3	OT	SO	F
	0	0	1	1	X	2
	0	1	0	0	X	1
Carolina Hurricanes Record: 25-19-6  | Current Standing: 9th in East | Next Game: at Coyotes

Carolina Hurricanes	Anaheim Ducks
Cam Ward	Frederik Andersen
25 Shots Against 24 saves	22 Shots Against 20 Saves

Time	Team	Scoring Detail	Score
1st Period
2nd Period
35:19		Jiri Sekac (9) Assists: Jakob Silfverberg, Ryan Getzlaf	1-0 Ducks
3rd Period
57:29		Patrick Dwyer (7) Assists: Ryan Murphy	1-1 Tied
Overtime Period
60:30		Eric Staal (14) Assists: Jordan Staal, Ryan Murphy	2-1 Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes		Anaheim Ducks
22	Shots on Goal	25
0/2	Powerplays	1/5
11	Hits	26
78.8%	Faceoff %	21.2%
81.0%	Passing	82.5%

[mitch497]

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

Phaneuf Heads to New York, Byfuglien Goes Home as Trade Season Opens

The first trade dominoes have begun to fall.

With the trade deadline just over two weeks away, and teams positioning themselves as buyers and sellers, deals have began to occur. This week, there were three major deals across the NHL, with impact players making their way across conferences. The Florida Panthers kicked it off by starting to sell of their assests with the trade of Scottie Upshall to the Dallas Stars. The Panthers have the fewest points in the NHL, and by dealing a key contributor in Upshall, have basically confirmed they are trying to win the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. However, for a player who is eligible for free agency following the season, Florida got a pretty decent haul. Dallas' 1st round pick and Detroit's 2nd rounder for the upcoming draft are headed Florida's way. While Dallas' pick is likely to be towards the bottom of the first round, extra first rounders is never a bad thing. With former GM Dale Tallon stepping down last week, assistant GM Simon Olczyk did a pretty good job to start it off.

The Winnipeg Jets are pretty much about to head into a full on firesale. Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd have both been mentioned as possible trade chips, but the Jets started by dealing stalwart defenseman Dustin Byfuglien to the Minnesota Wild, reuniting him with the state he grew up in before moving to Canada to play major junior hockey. Byfuglien lining up next to Ryan Suter makes the Wild's first defensive pairing possibly the best in the NHL. Meanwhile, Winnipeg gets some solid pieces to aid their upcoming rebuild, nabbing the Wild's 1st round pick, and a pair of young, interesting center prospects in Chase Lang and Reid Duke.

Perhaps the biggest move this past week came with the Toronto Maple Leafs. They managed to shed the massive contract of Dion Phaneuf to the New York Islanders, who were looking to upgrade their defense to make a title run, while getting a great return back. Headed to Toronto is former #4 overall pick Griffin Reinhart, who should contribute immediately, boom-or-bust prospect Kyle Burroughs, and perhaps the most interesting prospect in hockey in winger Josh Ho-Sang, known for his crafty moves and scoring knacks. This is an excellent package for what is widely regarded a terrible contract. The Islanders are going all-in.

[mitch497]

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

End of an Era: Eric Staal Headed To Nashville

Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal was seen teary-eyed leaving the team clubhouse in Ottawa last night following the team's win over the Senators, clearly having heard the news of his trade.

Most everyone knew a trade for one of the Staal brothers was coming for Carolina, as the Hurricanes continued to slip further and further out of reach from the playoff race, but most assumed it would be the younger Jordan. Instead, Marc, who was the #2 overall pick in the 2003 draft, the highest pick in Hurricanes franchise history, and spent 11+ seasons with the team. With him closer to free agency, and not performing as well as his younger brother, the Hurricanes took the opportunity to gain value and dealt him to the Nashville Predators, who are trying to make a push up the Western Conference standings.

Carolina receives two highly touted prospects and three draft picks in return. Kevin Fiala was the #11 overall pick in last year's draft by Nashville, from the Swedish League by way of his native Switzerland. He has spent all of 2014-15 in the AHL, with 39 points in 46 games for the Milwaukee Admirals, but will report to Carolina to make his NHL debut. Along with Nashville's top pick last year, the Hurricanes also got the Predators' #2 selection, Russian center Vladislav Kamenev, who is currently playing well in the KHL but is expected to make his way to North America after this season, his age-18 season. The Hurricanes will also grab three draft picks for the upcoming draft: a 2nd round pick and two 4th round picks, one coming from Nashville and the other via San Jose.

Carolina may not be done dealing. Jordan Staal seems set to stay, as does Alexander Semin, but Cam Ward and/or Anton Khudobin could be on the move as the Canes look to shore up their goaltending. They also reportedly had interest in several players from the Buffalo Sabres, and had scouts to see the Sabres recently, sources say. Stay tuned for more deadline coverage.

[mitch497]

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

Carolina Fading From Playoff Race

2/5/15 – Hurricanes at Coyotes
4–3


Semin (2), E. Staal, Nestrasil
Khudobin: 25/28 saves


Bournival, Doan, Erat
Smith: 25/29 saves

2/7/15 – Hurricanes at Sharks
2–3


Semin, Gerbe
Ward: 30/33 saves


Wingels, Hertl, Karlsson
Niemi: 23/25 saves

2/12/15 – Ducks at Hurricanes
2–1


Beleskey, Fleischmann
Andersen: 21/22 saves


Lindholm
Ward: 21/23 saves

2/14/15 – Hurricanes at Wild
1–2


Faulk
Ward: 21/23 saves


Bergenheim, Spurgeon
Kuemper: 32/33 saves

2/16/15 – Hurricanes at Senators
3–0


Skinner, Lindholm, Rask
Ward: 21/21 saves


None
Anderson: 29/32 saves

HURRICANES RECORD: 27–22–6

[mitch497]

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

Hurricanes Falling Quickly With Loss to Islanders

Game 56 - Islanders at Hurricanes	1	2	3	OT	SO	F
	1	2	0	X	X	3
	0	1	1	X	X	2
Carolina Hurricanes Record: 27-23-6  | Current Standing: 10th in East | Next Game: Maple Leafs

Carolina Hurricanes	New York Islanders
Cam Ward	Jaroslav Halak
32 Shots Against 29 saves	24 Shots Against 22 Saves

Time	Team	Scoring Detail	Score
1st Period
18:05		Michael Grabner (17) Assists: Nikolai Kulemin, Ryan Strome	1-0 Islanders
2nd Period
22:27		Nikolai Kulemin (18) Assists: Kyle Okposo. Lubmoir Visnovsky	2-0 Islanders
26:50		Jeff Skinner (30) Assists: Alexander Semin, Ryan Murphy	2-1 Islanders
35:04		Lubmoir Visnovsky (7) Assists: Nick Leddy, Kyle Okposo	3-1 Islanders
3rd Period
42:58		Jordan Staal (12) Assists: Jack Hillen, Michal Jordan	3-2 Islanders

Carolina Hurricanes		New York Islanders
24	Shots on Goal	32
0/2	Powerplays	2/6
10	Hits	17
51.7%	Faceoff %	48.3%
80.1%	Passing	79.8%

[mitch497]

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

Carolina Demolition Continues, Semin Sent to Colorado

Carolina Hurricanes boss Mitch Williams initially stated he planned to keep Alexander Semin on the team for at least the rest of the season, but with Carolina falling out of the playoff picture almost entirely, plans changed, and Williams sent the veteran winger to the Colorado Avalanche in a six-player deal.

Semin, who turns 31 in March, has a lot of money left on his contract (3 more years at 7M per year), but he is leading the NHL in points this season and will join and extremely talented group of forwards in Colorado with Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche are on the outside looking in in the Western Conference at the moment, but with this acquisition, there is no reason for them not to end up in the playoffs. Colorado also acquired 19 year-old defenseman Tyler Ganly, a 2013 6th round pick by the Hurricanes who is currently playing in the OHL.

While they didn't grab a superstar or bluechip prospect, the Hurricanes added four pieces - all players, no draft picks - that can contribute soon and well. Dennis Everberg is a multitalented forward who can play both wings and center, and is a very useful depth two-way forward. Sami Aittokallio is a 22 year-old Finnish goaltender prospect who can contribute right away but, for now, will report to AHL Charlotte.

Carolina also snagged two prospects, the first being American born forward Nick Magyar, the Avalanche's 4th round pick in last year's NHL Draft, who is currently playing in the OHL, where he is having an exceptional age-18 season. Spencer Martin is a 19 year-old goalie playing for Mississauga in the OHL, and while very raw, contains plenty of upside. He was a 3rd rounder in 2013 by Colorado.

The Hurricanes may not be done dealing yet. Goaltending is still an issue, and the addition of Aittokallio may prompt Williams to move one of his two NHL level goalies. For now though, the skaters appear to be set.

[mitch497]

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

Jets Blow It Up, West Loads Up on Deadline Day

The West has generally been considered stronger than the Eastern Conference this season, and on the day of the trade deadline, it got even stronger.

The Winnipeg Jets, sitting towards the bottom of the West, threw their hat into the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, as low as their odds may be, by dealing two key players, with Drew Stafford being traded to the Los Angeles Kings and Andrew Ladd heading to the Nashville Predators.

With the acquisition of Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricanes last week, the Predators beefed up the first line again by getting Ladd, now pairing him with Staal and James Neal, with Filip Forsberg and Viktor Stalberg on the second line as well. However, as with Staal, the price was steep, with the Predators trading two draft picks (a 3rd rounder and a 5th rounder in the upcoming draft), a young wing prospect (Justin Kirkland) and two immediate contributors (wingers Miikka Salomaki and Gabriel Borque). However, this move gives Nashville one of the best top lines in the league.

The Kings also added a piece from Winnipeg, with depth forward Drew Stafford coming over as well as the rights to defenseman prospect Jack Glover. In return, the Jets get winger Spencer Watson, generally considered a better prospect than Glover and two picks (a 2nd rounder in 2016 and a 3rd rounder in 2015 via New Jersey). Other teams getting pieces for their rebuilding efforts are the Buffalo Sabres, who dealt defenseman Andrej Meszaros to the Chicago Blackhawks for defense prospect Ville Pokka and a 3rd round pick, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sent winger David Booth to Boston for two draft picks.

The St. Louis Blues made a pair of minor deals, grabbing veteran defenseman Mike Weaver from the Canadiens, along with wing prospect Nikita Scherbak, for prospect Dmitrij Jaskin and two picks in the upcoming draft. They also traded young goalie Niklas Lundstrom and defense prospect Dmitri Sergeev to the Devils for center prospect John Quenneville (cousin of former Blackhawks head coach Joel) and depth winger Cam Janssen. The Canadiens also sent veteran Manny Malhotra to the Lightning for a 2nd round pick.

With trading season over, we head into the stretch run, with the playoff race getting tight.