Hello, Caniacs, that time of the week again! This week we’ve got three games, along with some roster moves to talk about so let’s get to it.

Canes get a point in New Jersey- The Canes were able to survive a rough first period in New Jersey, only giving up one goal.  They then got a power play goal from Jordan Staal and Klas Dahlbeck’s first goal as a Hurricane to go up 2-1 in the second. The team then gave up an early goal in the third to allow the Devils to tie it at two.  Despite some strong chances for the Canes late in the third period and in overtime, the game headed to a shootout, where the Devils outscored Carolina 2-0 for a 3-2 victory. The biggest story in this game for me was Cam Ward, who made several strong saves especially in a lackluster first period to allow the Canes to stay in the game and grab a point in the standings.  Matt’s recap of the Devils game is here.

Canes comeback falls short against Anaheim- Starting a five game homestand against a Ducks team that had played the night before, the Canes had a strong first period but could not capitalize with a goal. In the second, the same bad breakdowns and sloppy turnovers that have plagued the Canes for much of this season gave the Ducks a 3-0 lead before Teuvo Teravainen salvaged the period a bit with a late goal to make it 3-1. Victor Rask then scored early in the third to make it 3-2. The Canes pressed hard the rest of the way but could not get the equalizer, despite a power play with about six minutes left. The ending of this game saw a bit of controversy, as it appeared Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner may have covered the puck in the crease with his hand, which would have resulted in a penalty shot, but it was either too close to call or the refs did not see it. This game will obviously be marked by the poor second period. In today’s NHL, especially against a strong defensive team like the Ducks, it is very difficult to come back from a three goal deficit. My colleague David Kehrli at Technician’s recap of the Ducks game can be found here, and Matt’s can be found here.

Friday Roster Shakeup- Friday’s roster shakeup started with the awful news that Bryan Bickell has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Bickell is a great guy who just does not deserve this, but he has the support of his team and fans behind him. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Next up, the Canes sent forward Phil Di Giuseppe and defenseman Jakub Nakladal to Charlotte, and recalled forwards Derek Ryan and Brock McGinn and defenseman Matt Tennyson. Ryan and McGinn have been playing very well for Charlotte, and Tennyson had a hat trick the night before his recall, so the hope is they can spark the Canes’ lineup. Last year, it was a slew of call ups that sparked the Canes run starting in December, so here’s hoping they can get the ball rolling earlier this year.  Matt’s story on the call ups can be found here.

Canes blowout Capitals in great all around effort- In a game that featured a lot of great individual performances, Saturday night’s 5-1 win over the visiting Washington Capitals was a total team effort for the Canes. The new line of Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Teravainen combined for 11 points, and Aho scored his first and second NHL goals in a night he will never forget, with his parents in the house. Victor Rask also scored for the Canes. This was truly a great effort from top to bottom, as the Canes outshot Washington 38-21 and probably could have been up 5-1 after the first period. The big story from here is the emergence of the Staal line. If they can keep that up and Skinner and Rask keep doing there thing, it would be huge for the Canes to get two scoring lines going. Matt’s recap of the Washington game can be found here, along with mine here.

That’s all for this week, join me again next week for another busy slate of games!