Greetings from chilly Raleigh/Durham as we're just coming out of #SnowIcePocalypse2016 here in the central NC area. I've been held up in my apartment enjoying the company of my fiance since Thursday night - but we will be venturing out to the PNC Arena late this afternoon to take in the Canes and the Flames.
The Hurricanes suffered a lopsided 4-1 loss to the Rangers on Friday night after a grueling 1-0 OT victory in Toronto the night before. The loss and Saturday's subsequent action in the Eastern Conference dropped the Canes five points out of a playoff spot and six points behind the Islanders for third place in the Metro division.
Carolina will look to get back on the horse tonight against Calgary, a team in the midst of a five-game road trip that sits nine points out of the eight seed in the West, but enjoys games in hand over every other team in their conference.
Brett Pesce (lower body) and Riley Nash (illness) will both be game time decisions tonight. Eddie Lack is expected to man the pipes, though it's not out of the realm of possibility that Daniel Altshuller could get his first NHL start. There was no morning practice today due to the early 6pm start time.
The lines for the Hurricanes have been changed up in-game to promote more scoring, so expect that trend to continue if things aren't clicking against the Flames. One of the more interesting combinations is Phil Di Guiseppe lining up with Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg, while Elias Lindholm slides onto the Jeff Skinner/Victor Rask line. I wouldn't be surprised to see that again from the Canes this evening.
Versteeg - E Staal - Di Guiseppe Nordstrom - J Staal - Nestrasil Skinner - Rask - Lindholm Gerbe - McClement - Malone
Liles - Faulk Hainsey - Hanifin Jordan - Slavin
Lack Altshuller
Possible Scratches: Chris Terry (healthy), Riley Nash (illness), Brett Pesce (LBI), Cam Ward (IR - concussion), James Wisniewski (IR - torn ACL)
A final thought: Jordan Staal, who has been the best player for the Canes over the past number of weeks, has emerged (in my opinion) as the front-runner for the Carolina captaincy.
We know that Eric Staal is the captain and will remain as such through this season. Obviously a new captain will be named if Eric leaves, either via trade or free agency. But even if he stays, it seems clear a change is needed.
Enter his brother Jordan. He's played with a renewed vigor, with three game-winning goals in overtime, a sterling 58.5% faceoff win rate, and a presence and hustle that rubs off on the team.
That's what a captain does: they lead, even in times of struggle. We don't know what's said in the locker room on a day to day basis, but we do know what happens on the ice counts for something as well. And if this season has been any indication, it's time to freshen up the leadership - even if it might be a little odd shifting the captaincy from brother to brother.
This is no knock on Eric Staal. Eric's been the face of the franchise for ten years and has carried this team through some pretty hard times. But times change, and Carolina needs to change with them in order to excel.
I've long believed that Justin Faulk is the prime candidate to lead the Hurricanes into the future. And I wouldn't be surprised if Faulk is named captain, either next season or down the road. But for now, despite his contract and despite some of the bally-hoo that comes with it, Jordan Staal has earned more than just his spot on this team.
And go Panthers too! (Carolina of course)