The Carolina Hurricanes sat and watched this week as Eastern Conference teams moved ahead of them in the tightly packed race for the playoffs. Almost all teams in the East had games in hand on the Canes, and as Thursday's action ended, one could say Carolina escaped the week about as good as can be expected.
The Hurricanes are now four points out of the final wild card position and seven points from third place in the Metropolitan division. Perhaps more importantly in the above look at the standings is that most teams no longer have games in hand on Carolina. Six clubs still do (each with just one game in hand apiece), and the Canes even have a game in hand over a couple teams themselves. This is a far cry from the past number of weeks, where their position in the standings was looked at with a grain of salt due to several teams having played far fewer games.
Now that things have evened up a bit, it makes this coming #CanesCup weekend all the more important.
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Heading into tonight's big tilt against the Penguins at PNC Arena in Raleigh, Carolina could be without their leading defenseman. Justin Faulk took an apparent spill into the boards with winger Brad Malone in practice on Thursday and no word on his condition was forthcoming from head coach Bill Peters. Obviously his status will be updated throughout Friday - I'll be sure to include those updates here.
If Faulk is unable to play, the Canes will likely look to Michal Jordan to fill the roster spot. Brett Pesce has been resting up a lower body injury than has plagued him for the last few weeks. Ryan Murphy was sent down to Charlotte this week, and if Carolina needs to recall a defenseman for this weekend, a possible candidate is Trevor Carrick. The 21-year old has nine goals and 20 assists to lead all Checker rearguards and is second only to Zack Boychuk in shots on goal (106, a 2.4/game average).
A Carrick debut in a game with such importance might be unlikely, but could be an interesting test of the young defenseman's ability to adapt quickly to what should be a highly contested and competitive 60 minutes (or more). Jordan has improved in his sparing use since the start of the season, but doesn't give the Canes much mobility from the backend - a key part of what makes Carolina a formidable opponent when they are on their game.
At forward and in goal, the lineup should be similar to what Peters utilized in last Sunday's matinee in Montreal.
Versteeg - Staal - Lindholm
Nordstrom - J Staal - Nestrasil
Skinner - Rask - Di Giuseppe
Gerbe - McClement - Nash
Scratches: Brad Malone (healthy), Chris Terry (healthy)
(defense to be updated later on Friday)
Ward
Lack
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I remember quite vividly where I was for three key moments of the 2006 Stanley Cup run.
The first one was Game 5, which I was fortunate enough to attend. I had a free 200-level seat, courtesy of my best friend from my youth who just happened to work for an NHL club. We watched intently through three periods - me, the former Buffalo resident turned Caniac, and him, the die-hard Sabres fan who would become a staple in the Sabres community development area.
During the intermission after the third period, I got to meet Ric Flair. I shook his hand and went back to my seat. I told my friend that I had a feeling we were going to witness the Cup presentation that night. Carolina was up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series at that point, and all it would take was one goal to bring them the richest prize in all of sports.
I don't remember how long into the overtime period it was. It felt like it was almost instantaneous. I saw Bret Hedican in his own zone attempt to make a cross-ice pass. There was no one else around him. We watched from the opposite end of the arena as Fernando Pisani raced into the passing lane.
As Pisani grabbed possession, my friend grabbed my left arm. "THIS IS IT!" he screamed to me as nearly 20,000 people all rose at the same time. I didn't want to believe him, but somehow I could feel in that single second of time that we weren't going to see the Stanley Cup on this night.
My dread was confirmed a few seconds later as Pisani roofed a pinpoint shot over Cam Ward's glove. The Edmonton Oilers jumped off their bench and surrounded the hero of the moment. I was dejected, but I reasoned that the odds of Carolina dropping two more games was long. I was still confident we would win, even if I didn't get to see it in person.
(I also got to meet Ty Conklin that night, oddly enough. Apparently back then he was quite a bar hopper.)
The next memory was Game 6. I was one of several hundred people who went to the then-RBC Center to watch the game on the jumbotron. I recall seeing Erik Cole on the ice during the warmups, which was a shock to everyone as no one publicly knew he was going to be back.
The arena was buzzing despite the lack of a sold out building. It was almost summer, the Canes were a game away from the Cup, and the vendors were offering reduced priced fare. What wasn't to love about it?
Carolina summarily dropped Game 6 in lopsided fashion. But still I held my head high. Maybe it was just destined to happen here, I figured.
The final memory was probably the best of the bunch. I wasn't able to score a ticket to Game 7. But I was glued to the television at a tavern not far from downtown Raleigh. Everyone in the building, from the bartenders to the patrons, watched every second of the action. I had to step back a moment and take it in - hockey had officially took hold in the area. It was surreal, and it was a moment I'll never forget.
Justin Williams. The tap in, the jump, and the euphoria of being around a hundred people in a tightly packed sardine can of a tavern. I wouldn't trade that experience and those memories for the world.
As the Hurricanes celebrate their historic Cup win from 2006 this coming weekend, I invite anyone reading this to look back on a big hockey memory that sticks out in your mind. Take a minute or two out of your day to relive how you felt, and remind yourself why or how you became a fan of the team or teams you follow.
I have been fortunate. I grew up in Buffalo during the Hasek era, and moved to Raleigh the season after the Hurricanes moved from Hartford. Hockey has been a big part of my life, a companion through the ups and downs we all go through in our adulthood.
So I'll celebrate a little bit with the Canes this weekend and remember how it felt those ten long years ago. And what a ride it was.
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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