CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS November 21, 2016

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1 Successful homestand puts Canes in playoff hunt DeCock By Luke DeCock RALEIGH It s been a good week for the Carolina Hurricanes, and not just because they won four straight games, as welcome a turn of events as that was. They somehow managed, in the space of nine days, to exorcise almost all of the demons they spent the first month of the season creating. They pounded five goals past the Washington Capitals, ground out a 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks and let the Montreal Canadiens cut a late two-goal lead in half, but held firm. That gave them three sorely needed wins over three of the best teams in the NHL to help atone for the loss to the Anaheim Ducks that started the five-game homestand. And finally, on Sunday, they held a late lead against the Winnipeg Jets, the team that sent their season spiraling in the wrong direction on the very first evening when they came back from three goals down to beat the Hurricanes in overtime, matching the feisty Jets hit for hit without wilting during a rough-and-tumble second period. Even Elias Lindholm finally scored, a mere 17 games into the season, and it was a pretty goal, too, walking out of the corner to beat Connor Hellebuyck over the right shoulder, the first goal in a resounding 3-1 win. We talked about it coming into this homestand, Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner said. Obviously we didn t get off to the start we wanted to, but we had a big chance with this extended homestand to pick up some points and establish the brand of hockey we want to play at home for the rest of the season. We did a good job of that. So much of what went wrong for the Hurricanes to start the season went right for them on this homestand, starting with the goaltending Cam Ward had a 1.41 goals-against average and.947 save percentage in the five games and extending to a defense that has gone from disorganized to stable with the addition of AHL call-up Matt Tennyson, who arrived in an effective three-player package with Derek Ryan and Brock McGinn that kicked off the winning streak. Tennyson has combined with Noah Hanifin to give the Hurricanes the more reliable third pairing they sorely lacked in October when the Hurricanes ran through Klas Dahlbeck, (the departed) Jakub Nakladal and Ryan Murphy without success. Ryan and McGinn have helped as well, and McGinn s hit on Tobias Enstrom rattled the Jets and began a parade to the penalty box that led to two Carolina power-play goals. The Hurricanes have unquestionably benefited from the schedule, resting at home while their recent opponents have dealt with travel and back-to-backs the Jets played Saturday in Boston and teeing off on a series of backup goalies while the Hurricanes have been able to let a confident, capable Ward handle a moderate workload without being forced to roll the dice with Eddie Lack. The first order of business in the NHL is winning the games you re supposed to win, when the schedule permits, and the Hurricanes have done that this week. That has gotten them off the bottom of the standings and closer to the postseason conversation, even if they re not quite there yet, but they re among the dozen or so in the chasing pack now. One of those teams is going to make the playoffs, Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. Why not us? Now it gets tougher, with a three-game trip through eastern Canada brace yourself for more Quebec rumors ahead of Thursday s game in Montreal followed by a stretch of six games in nine nights to kick off a very busy December that includes a California jaunt. They exited to a standing ovation from the 10,809 in attendance that started with five seconds to play and escorted the Hurricanes off the ice and onto the road after the best run of home games in a long, long time. Canes get hard-fought 3-1 win over Jets By Chip Alexander calexander@newsobserver.com RALEIGH When Elias Lindholm scored Sunday for the Carolina Hurricanes, he quickly cast his eyes to the heavens. At first, for a few milliseconds, Lindholm wasn t sure if the puck was in the net. For the first 16 games of the season, nothing had gone in for the Swedish forward. But Lindholm got his first one Sunday. So did defenseman Noah Hanifin. And center Victor Rask added to his growing collection as the Canes topped the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 at PNC Arena to run their winning streak to four games in ending a successful homestand. It was a game that was entertaining, that had a little of everything. Goalie Cam Ward won again for the Canes, continuing his November to remember. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck was the Jets best player much of the game, facing 40 shots. Lindholm had gone the first 16 games of the season hunting his first goal, shooting and waiting. But he walked out of the corner with the puck Sunday and blasted a shortside shot past Hellebuyck for a 1-0 lead in the first period.

2 I didn t really believe it at first, Lindholm said, smiling. Then I saw the crowd standing and cheering. It was nice to see it go in. Lindholm looked upward after scoring, a look of sudden joy on his face. What was flashing through his mind? I don t even know, Lindholm said, still smiling. I think I blacked out. It was such a relief to get the first one. Rask and Hanifin both scored on power plays as the Canes (7-6-4) had a decided edge on special teams. Rask s goal, at 2:39 of the third period, made it 2-0 and Hanifin s score with 1:43 left in regulation was the clincher. The game took on darker, chippy tone after the Canes Brock McGinn walloped Tony Enstrom with a big, forechecking hit early in the second period. It was a clean hit but the Jets took offense. That got us going, picked up the pace, Hanifin said. The penalty-box doors swung open often after that as roughing, cross-checking and high-sticking penalties were called. The Canes Jordan Staal hit and was hit, although Jets rookie Patrik Laine may regret taking a run at Staal, taking the brunt of the blow. At one point, Scheifele went off, crosschecking everyone in a Canes jersey, or so it seemed. Rask scored his eighth of the season when Jeff Skinner got off a shot, then Lee Stempniak collected the rebound and made a nice pass to Rask in the slot. Mark Scheifele s goal at 9:33 of the third pulled the Jets within 2-1, rekindling memories of the season opener in Winnipeg. The Canes led 4-1 with 15 minutes left in regulation at MTS Centre only to lose 5-4 in overtime on a Scheifele goal. But the Canes penalty killers got the job done down the stretch, killing off a penalty against Viktor Stalberg. The Jets, 0-3 on the power play, did come within inches of tying the score on a shot by Jacob Trouba, the puck bouncing over Ward and near the post before the Canes Joakim Nordstrom knocked it away. A high-sticking call against Laine, who got the stick up on Justin Faulk, led to Hanifin s goal. It was a fun game tonight, old-school hockey, Hanifin said. They played physical, but we matched it. We didn t back down, we kept playing our game. The Jets (9-10-2) were playing the third of five straight road games, and a day after a 4-1 beating by the Boston Bruins. They re beat up, they re sore, they re tired, Jets coach Paul Maurice said of his team. They played as hard as they could, gave what they had. The Canes now go on the road for the next three games and nine of the next 11. But they ll do it off their first four-game home winning streak since January If we continue to play the way we ve been playing, we all know we can play with anybody in this league, Hanifin said. Canes McGinn makes an impression By Chip Alexander calexander@newsobserver.com Brock McGinn went into the zone not with the intent to harm, but with a clear intent to hit. It was almost seven minutes in the second period Sunday and the Carolina Hurricanes leading the Winnipeg Jets 1-0. McGinn was the first forward into the Jets zone on the forecheck and Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom was playing the puck. McGinn put a shoulder into Enstrom s chest, knocking him into the boards. It was a clean, hard hit, the kind that brings fans out of their seats and energizes the players on the ice and on the bench. The Canes Derek Ryan wound up getting a shot. McGinn, who then hustled after the puck, wound up engaged with Andrew Copp of the Jets, who seemed more than willing to drop the gloves. But McGinn kept his cool, let Copp do most of the pushing and heavy breathing. Copp soon was headed to the penalty box and the Canes on the power play. Hits like that definitely get the energy up on both teams, so it brings more fun to the game, I think, McGinn said. Everybody gets that intensity up and just gets angry out there and makes those two points more deserving. The Canes got the two points and the Jets left the game tired and angry. Carolina s 3-1 victory extended its winning streak to four games and made for a happy locker room Sunday. McGinn, 22, made the most of his 7:49 in ice time, the lowest of the Canes skaters. Of that total, 2:20 came shorthanded, as a part of the Canes penalty killers who now have killed off 19 straight penalties and lead the NHL in penalty-kill percentage (91.3). Penalty killing really brings momentum to the team, McGinn said. We really grab energy from those, brings energy through the whole lineup. Had McGinn scored on a three-on-one rush earlier in the second period his attempt hit the post it might have been a perfect night for the former second-round draft pick. But he made an impression, both with his three hits ask Toby Enstrom and shorthanded hustle. He had that big hit, he had a couple of real good looks, Canes coach Bill Peters said. He s a good two-way player. Recalled with Ryan on Nov. 11 from the Charlotte Checkers, the Canes AHL team, McGinn was a part of the four straight victories that have pushed the Canes up the Eastern Conference standings. That ll keep you around. When the Canes edged the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Friday, McGinn did not play in the third period as Peters shortened the bench. But he played in the third Sunday as Peters used four lines.

3 He plays so hard, Canes defenseman Noah Hanifin said. He s a real physical, tough kid and it s awesome having him in the lineup, with the way he plays. McGinn gained instant attention last season when he scored his first NHL goal on his first shift of the first game, against the Detroit Red Wings. Fifty-five seconds in and he had a goal. And while the Canes would like offensive production from him, more rough-and-tumble, sandpaper play also is needed from the 6-foot, 185-pounder. I think we did a good job tonight of not backing down and not losing our cool when the game got a little chippy, McGinn said. We just stayed on pucks and kept going. That s his intent for now stay on pucks, keep going. It could keep him in the NHL. Rask, Hanifin help Hurricanes win 4th straight, beat Jets Posted 9:00 p.m. yesterday Updated 9:34 p.m. yesterday RALEIGH, N.C. Carolina's kids have the Hurricanes rolling, and now they get to take the show on the road. Victor Rask got his eighth goal of the season and Noah Hanifin scored his first, helping the Hurricanes beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win. The 23-year-old Rask was the oldest of Carolina's goal scorers in this one, backed by the 19-year-old Hanifin and 21-year-old Elias Lindholm. All but one of the Hurricanes' 12 goals during this winning streak have been scored by players 24 or younger. The stretch has helped Carolina find its footing after a start to the season. "It's a great bunch of guys," said goalie Cam Ward, who is the fourth-oldest player for Carolina at 32. "It's a fun group. It's an exciting group. There is a lot of potential in this locker room. It's great to see us putting it together. Guys want to score goals." Carolina finished this homestand and now starts a three-game swing through Canada. Lindholm also got his first goal this season in the first period, and the Hurricanes kept up the pressure from there, challenging goalie Connor Hellebuyck with 40 shots. "We got the first one early," Lindholm said. "Hopefully for me, it will build some more confidence. I turned down some opportunities in the last two games and didn't believe in myself and my shot. Hopefully now I can get some more and take some more." Carolina's young legs took advantage of the Jets in the third period after Winnipeg played the night before, a 4-1 loss in Boston. It was the third game all losses of a five-game trip. "It's going to be big to get a couple of days between games," captain Blake Wheeler said. "It's been a pretty big grind, one like I've never experienced before. We're a tired hockey team, there's no question about that. But we've got a group that can fight through it. We just need to get our rest." Winnipeg's next game is on Wednesday. Rask made it 2-0 on a power play early in the third, and after Mark Scheifele got his 11th goal for the Jets, Hanifin put it away with a power-play score with 1:43 left. Lindholm got on the board 6:45 in. He swept in from the left side along the goal line and ripped a shot past Hellebuyck on the short side. The goalie was screened by defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and couldn't find the puck. Rask stretched the lead by taking slick pass from Lee Stempniak in close and lifting it past Hellebuyck. Scheifele took over the NHL points lead (23) when he narrowed the deficit to 2-1. The 23-year-old one-timed a pass from Nikolaj Ehlers after Ehlers chased down a loose puck in the corner. Hanifin restored the two-goal lead with a hammered onetimer from the right point. The teams also played to open the season, when Winnipeg rallied from two goals down to win 4-3 in overtime. Ward stalled the effort for a similar rally Sunday with 28 saves. He helped kill off a hooking penalty on Viktor Stalberg with about six minutes left by stopping three shots. Carolina was perfect on the penalty kill for the ninth straight game. It killed three penalties Sunday and leads the NHL with a 91.3 percent success rate, including 19 straight. The Hurricanes have allowed only four power-play goals, killing off 42 of 46 tries. NOTES: Carolina D Ron Hainsey picked up an assist in his second straight game.... Scheifele has a point in 14 of Winnipeg's 21 games.... Rask recorded his second straight game-winning goal. UP NEXT: Jets: Continue trip at Minnesota on Wednesday night. Hurricanes: Play at Toronto on Tuesday night.

4 Recap: Canes Edge Jets to Win Fourth Straight by Michael / CarolinaHurricanes.com November 20th, 2016 Analysis from Raleigh The Carolina Hurricanes punctuated their five-game homestand by stretching their winning streak to four games with a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask and Noah Hanifin netted goals for the Canes, and Cam Ward made 28 saves in his fourth straight win. "That was the best we've played with all four lines having positive contributions," head coach Bill Peters said. "Everyone found a way to be a part of it and contribute." If you ask Peters, he'll tell you: Elias Lindholm has done just about everything this season except score - until tonight. In his 17th game of the season, Lindholm finally found the back of the net, and after doing so, he looked to the ceiling and smiled a smile of relief before being mobbed by his teammates. Lindholm walked out of the corner from below the goal line with the puck and hung onto it, drawing Connor Hellebuyck enough off the post to sneak it the puck in short side. "I couldn't really believe it went in. It was nice to get the first one early," Lindholm said through perhaps the same relieved smile. "Hopefully now it will turn around." "He's a good player," Peters said of the 21-year-old Swede. "He's been doing good things all year. I'm not worried about him one bit." The physicality in this game amplified in the second period, and it seemed to begin with Brock McGinn's legal leveling of Toby Enstrom behind the Jets net. "It was a good hit there by Ginner, and then all of a sudden there were hits all over the place," Lindholm said. "We handled it pretty good and got the win." From there, it both legally and not-so-legally escalated. The Jets began running around a bit recklessly and incited some scuffles after whistles that resulted in 18 penalty minutes for the visitors. "We have a really competitive group in here," Noah Hanifin said. "When teams want to try to pick it up like that, I think we can answer anytime." "We stayed disciplined and didn't get too caught up in the heavy hitting, but at the same time we didn't back down from anything. It was great to see guys sticking up for one another," Cam Ward said. "I think it brought out the intensity and the atmosphere in the crowd, too. The place was buzzing watching that. It was great to see the guys not back down. At the same time, I felt like their focus may have shifted into more of a running around kind of style. The objective of the game is to win, and our focus remained the same, even though it got pretty aggressive at times." It was a chippy period, and it spilled over a bit into the third when Mark Stuart (somewhat, at least) legally wiped out Jordan Staal below the goal line. He then just continued to cross-check him, illegally of course, and the Hurricanes made the Jets pay on the ensuing power play. Jeff Skinner took a shot through a Lee Stempniak-provided screen. Stempniak then fed the rebound to Victor Rask, who was parked in the slot, for his eighth goal of the season. When the Jets scored to make it a 2-1 game about midway through the third period, you couldn't help but think of the last meeting between the two teams, when Winnipeg erased a 4-1 deficit in the last 15 minutes of the game before winning 5-4 in overtime. "We didn't forget what happened in game one, so we wanted to make sure we kept our foot on the gas for the full 60 minutes," Ward said. Tonight it was Mark Sheifele spoiling Ward's shutout and bring his team within a goal, but unlike in the season opener, the Hurricanes clamped down and held on for the win. With the league's best penalty kill, the Canes even dispatched a 5-on-4 man disadvantage in the final six minutes of the game. Hanifin then scored his first of the season on the power play late in the third period to seal the victory for the Hurricanes. "The power play came up huge, especially to get that third one, too, just to give us a little bit of a breather to get the twogoal lead and finish the way we wanted to," Ward said. "I was proud of the guys and the way they competed and played." Ward continues to be a steady mainstay for the Hurricanes in net. The 32-year-old netminder is now in November with a 1.59 goals-against average and a.944 save percentage in that stretch. He made 28 saves tonight and earned third star honors. "He's played unbelievable. He's been the best player on our team over the past few games," Hanifin said. "He's been huge for us. It makes us feel a lot more comfortable back there in the D-zone knowing how he's been playing." "He's been outstanding," Peters said of Ward. "He's been good, and he gives us a chance. He's given us a chance to win every night for a long time now, and that's all you can ask for." "I'm doing what I can to prepare and take care of the body. I certainly feel like I'm in a rhythm," Ward said. "It's a great group of guys, a fun group and an exciting group. There's a lot of potential in this locker room, and it's great to see that we're starting to put it together." Some miscellaneous notes: Tonight marked the Canes' second of 12 games in the third sweaters, and they've won

5 both contests this season. The team is now in the black alternates. The Hurricanes' penalty kill has now dispatched 19 straight, including three tonight, and ranks top in the league at 91.3 percent. That concludes an immensely successful five-game homestand for the Canes. Carolina will now play nine of its next 11 games on the road beginning with a three-game jaunt through Canada this week. "It's fun to win. Guys come to the rink, and everyone is contributing. You can take pride in that and build on the confidence in our game," Skinner said. "We've talked about it a lot, but this homestand was big for us. We wanted to pick up as many points as we could. We did a good job tonight closing it out, and now our job is to take it on the road and continue that brand of hockey we've been building towards." "This winning streak has been fun, and it's important that we keep our foot on the gas and keep playing well as we go on the road," Ward said. "This game that we're playing right now can go on the road and win," Peters said. "It's a good team game. It's four lines deep." The Hurricanes are now and have 18 points through 17 games as they begin to climb the standings ladder. "There were 11 teams going into tonight that were either one game above, at or one game below.500. We're one of them," Peters said. "Out of those 11 teams who's going to get traction? Somebody's making the playoffs out of that group. Why not us?" Hurricanes flex their muscle in 3-1 win over Jets Peter Koutroumpis, Managing Editor RALEIGH, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes were not intimidated or overpowered when they beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 in front of a rambunctious crowd of 10,809 at PNC Arena on Sunday. In winning their fourth game in a row, the Hurricanes contended with a rabid Jets team that was licking its wounds from a 4-1 loss in Boston the night before and wanting to exact revenge accordingly. They couldn t as Carolina used effective puck possession and poise to stand its ground and take advantage of the opportunities they were presented with. Elias Lindholm scored his first goal of the season, Victor Rask posted his eighth, and Noah Hanifin notched his first to lead Carolina while goaltender Cam Ward made 28 saves to earn his sixth win of the season. The win also split the two teams season series at 1-1 after the Hurricanes fell 5-4 in overtime to the Jets in their seasonopener back on Oct. 13 Both teams have a lot of skill and pace, Carolina head coach Bill Peters said. I thought it was a very well-played game both ways. I really liked the quality of the chances we generated, and then the fact that we scored the game winner and the insurance marker on the power play is very encouraging moving forward. Connor Hellebuyck made 37 stops and kept Winnipeg close throughout the contest, making many exceptional glove saves to keep the puck out of the net. Mark Scheifele tallied his 11 th goal of the season, the lone marker for the Jets who lost their third game in a row. While the number of goals scored was low, the amount of body checks thrown, 83 in total, and 129 shot attempts that both teams unleashed at both ends kept everyone s attention for the full 60 minutes. It was arguably the most exciting hockey game played at PNC this season. Ward agreed. I think it (the physicality) brought out the intensity and I think it brought out the atmosphere in the crowd too, he said. The place was buzzing watching that. It was great to see the guys not back down. While it had the offensive output of a soccer match, it was livened up with the intentional and reactionary brutality of a MMA match, but with less blood and no one knocked out by the end of it. There were ample power play opportunities 10 of them in total of which Carolina drew more as a result of Winnipeg s overzealous action to hit first and ask questions later. Carolina finished 2-of-7 with the man-advantage as the Jets tactic to physically overpower the Hurricanes didn t equate into a winning strategy. I felt like their focus might have shifted into more of a running-around style, Ward pointed out. The objective of the game is to win, so our focus remained the same. But it got pretty aggressive at times.

6 Lindholm scored at 6:45 of the first period when he took a pass from defenseman Ron Hainsey and dangled the puck unopposed from the corner to Hellebuyck s right into the low slot. Using Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien as a screen, he let a wrist shot go that beat the Jets netminder to the blocker side, just inside the post, and put the Hurricanes ahead 1-0. He looked upward, thankful that his first goal of the season had finally been recorded. Yeah, you could see his eyes go to the sky there, teammate Jordan Staal said. I ve been there. It s not a fun feeling. It s always nice to get that first one get that goose egg out of the way. When you get the first one out of the way, it s always nice, a relieved Lindholm said. Hopefully, now for me, I can build some more confidence. The last few games I ve been turning down a few opportunities to shoot. I haven t believed in myself really and in my shot. Hopefully now I can get some more (chances) and shoot more. After a scoreless second period, Carolina extended its lead to two goals as Rask went top-shelf over Hellebuyck with a power play marker 2:39 into the third period. Lee Stempniak and Jeff Skinner earned assists on the play. Both teams continued to spar in and around the puck in all zones, with the Jets never relenting in trying to throw Carolina off its pace. For a moment, it paid off as a chip up the boards from Josh Morrissey put the puck in the neutral zone for Nikolaj Ehlers to pick up and carry into the Hurricanes zone before feeding Scheifele in the slot. The Jets center outskated Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce and beat Ward high with a one-timer that cut the score to 2-1 with 10:27 to play. It was the only blemish on the night for Ward who s play has been pivotal in extending the team s current win streak further. He s always been a great goalie, Staal said. He s gone through some ups and downs like a lot of us, but has come through for us as of late and we ll continue to play well in front of him. Taking yet another penalty, the Jets afforded the Hurricanes one final man-advantage which Hanifin converted on and finalized the score at 3-1. Justin Faulk and Tuevo Teravinen set him up and allowed him to wire a point shot high past Hellebuyck. Talking about it, the second-year pro said he enjoyed being part of such an exciting game and being able to contribute offensively. It was a fun game tonight, Hanifin said with a smile. Ron Hainsey was sayin it was old-school hockey. It was pretty physical out there. I think they were losin their cool more than us. We were movin the puck really well, playin our game. Their answer to that was to play physical and I think we matched it. We didn t back down, kept playin our game. Me individually, you re just playin your game. If guys are hittin ya, you just gotta play through it that s hockey. With the positive vibes and emotion emanating from young and veteran players alike, Peters has been pleased with what he s seen with his team recently as it prepares for a more grueling stretch of its schedule that continues on the road starting in Toronto on Tuesday. This game that we re playin right now can go on the road and win and be successful, Peters said. It s a good team game, four lines deep. That was the best we ve played with all four lines havin positive contributions. I think this group is confident, he added. What I like is our group is real energetic right now; I think they re havin fun and they re excited about bein at the rink. Boxscore: Carolina 3, Winnipeg 1

7 Hurricanes close homestand with fourth straight win Victor Rask, Noah Hanifin score power-play goals in victory against Jets by Kurt Dusterberg / NHL.com Correspondent November 20th, 2016 RALEIGH, N.C. -- Slowly but surely, the offense is coming for the Carolina Hurricanes. Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin each scored his first goal of the season, and Cam Ward made 28 saves to help the Hurricanes to a 3-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets at PNC Arena on Sunday. Carolina (7-6-4) closed out a five-game homestand with four straight wins. "The last two games I haven't been shooting as much," Lindholm said. "Obviously when you haven't scored for 14 or more games, it's hard to keep going, believing in yourself. Hopefully now it will turn around." Lindholm gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 6:45 of the first period. He skated in from low in the left faceoff circle and shot between defenseman Dustin Byfuglien's legs to beat Connor Hellebuyck high to the short side. Hellebuyck made 37 saves for the Jets (9-10-2), who have lost three in a row to start a five-game road trip. "These three games are done," Jets center Mark Scheifele said. "You can't worry about them anymore. Just focus on the next one. Learn from the last three and come back stronger for the next one. We worked hard and played more of our game." Carolina pushed the lead to 2-0 in the third period with Mark Stuart in the penalty box for cross-checking. Rask scored his team-leading eighth goal after Lee Stempniak gathered a shot near the crease and quickly set up Rask for an easy finish at 2:39. Scheifele cut the Carolina lead to 2-1 at 9:33 when Nikolaj Ehlers tracked down a long chipping attempt and centered for Scheifele charging through the slot. Hanifin made it 3-1 with a one-timer on the power play set up by Justin Faulk at 18:17. "[Lindholm] got one tonight, I got one tonight," Hanifin said. "It feels good obviously. I think it speak volumes about how our team is playing. We're competing really hard and winning games. Good things like that happen." The Hurricanes had the top-rated penalty killing unit before the game (90.7 percent) and didn't allow the Jets to score on three attempts, extending their streak of kills to 19. Goal of the game Lindholm took advantage of Byfuglien, using him to screen Hellebuyck. The goal seemed to lift a burden for the 21-yearold forward, who later blocked three shots and made several nice passes. Save of the game Jordan Staal had a point-blank chance with 12:48 to go in the second period. Lindholm made a quick touch pass to Staal between the circles, but Hellebuyck stopped the snap shot with a quick glove. Highlight of the game Hanifin's goal was a glimpse of what the Hurricanes are hoping for from the 19-year-old defenseman. His end-overend one-timer from above the faceoff circle was the fifth goal of his NHL career. Unsung moment of the game The Carolina penalty kill needed to be at its best with 6:50 remaining when Victor Stalberg was whistled for hooking. Ward made strong stops on Patrik Laine and Scheifele to preserve not only the unit's streak, but Carolina's one-goal lead. They said it "They gave what they had. They can barely see straight, can't pass the puck as well as they would like. They've got nothing left. They did what they could. That team played 17 [games] in 29 [days] and they've been all over God's green earth, playing a 5 o'clock game today. They're beat up and sore and tired." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice "Good sign, good player. He's been doing good things all year. I'm not worried about him one bit. There's things to worry about in the world, and that's not one of them." -- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters on Elias Lindholm scoring his first goal of the season "We've talked about it a lot, but this homestand was big for us. We wanted to pick up as many points as we could and we did a good job tonight closing it out. Now our job is taking it on the road and continuing the brand of hockey we've been building towards." -- Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner Need to know

8 Staal won 19 of 22 faceoffs...the Jets skated shorthanded for 10:29...The Hurricanes had scored two power-play goals in the previous nine games...ward extended his record against Winnipeg to Byfuglien skated a game-high 28:43. What's next Jets: At the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SNP, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV) Hurricanes: At the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, FS-SE, NHL.TV) TODAY S LINKS Carolina Hurricanes Canes get another shot at Jets BY CHIP ALEXANDER calexander@newsobserver.com It has been more than a month and the Carolina Hurricanes have traveled thousands of miles since they last encountered the Winnipeg Jets. Not that the Jets have been completely out of mind. The Canes opened the season in Winnipeg on Oct. 13 and appeared on their way to a complete-game victory with 15 minutes left in regulation, leading 4-1. But Jets captain Blake Wheeler scored shorthanded, rookie Patrik Laine scored on the power play, the MTS Centre began to rumble and the Jets rallied to win in overtime 5-4. Just one game, one loss, but the Canes six-game road trip to begin the season started sourly. Now, more than a month and 15 games later, the two teams face off again Sunday at PNC Arena. The first game, a lot of it went the way we wanted, Canes coach Bill Peters said. There s a big segment of that game that was real good. So we ve just got to clean up some details. We re a different team and they re a different team. That was our first game of the year and we re a much different team now, and they re a good team, too, playing quick. We look forward to playing them again and we should have a little bit of revenge on our mind. -- The Canes (6-6-4) are after a fourth straight victory to end their fivegame homestand while the Jets (9-9-2) have lost their past two after a 4-1 loss Saturday at Boston in the second game of a five-game road trip. Jets coach Paul Maurice, no stranger to Raleigh or PNC Arena, accepted all of the blame for his team s poor performance against the Bruins, telling the Winnipeg media, That team wasn t prepared to play and that s on me. We ve got to answer for this with our effort and our mental preparation. I ve got to find a way to get that hockey club ready. The Jets were after an overtime loss on the road Nov. 3 against the Washington Capitals, but then went in an eight-game stretch that ended with a 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. But the road trip began with a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, then the 4-1 loss to Boston. Peters switched up the lines Friday in the Canes 3-2 comeback win over Montreal, putting Jeff Skinner on Jordan Staal s line with Sebastian Aho and moving Teuvo Teravainen off the Staal line to play with Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm. That s the way the lines looked again Saturday at the Canes practice. Center Jay McClement and wingers Joakim Nordstrom and Brock McGinn were not used in the third period against the Canadiens as Peters shortened the bench and went with three lines. It s not a recipe we want to use on a consistent basis and it s not one that s going to lend itself to long-term success, Peters said of using three lines. Peters said there would be no lineup changes for the Jets, meaning Andrej Nestrasil, Ryan Murphy and Klas Dahlbeck again would be scratches. Cam Ward will start his sixth straight game in net, having gone in his last seven games and allowing 12 goals in that span. -- After Sunday s game, the Canes will play the next three games in Canada against Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa and nine of the next 11 on the road. But first, the Jets.

9 Defenseman Brett Pesce smiled Saturday when asked if he recalled much about the season opener. Yep. We were up big and lost the lead, he said. And Sunday s game? It s a big one for sure, for carrying some momentum into the road trip, Pesce said. News Observer LOADED: Carolina Hurricanes Successful homestand puts Canes in playoff hunt DeCock By Luke DeCock ldecock@newsobserver.com DURHAM It s been a good week for the Carolina Hurricanes, and not just because they won four straight games, as welcome a turn of events as that was. They somehow managed, in the space of nine days, to exorcise almost all of the demons they spent the first month of the season creating. They pounded five goals past the Washington Capitals, ground out a 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks and let the Montreal Canadiens cut a late two-goal lead in half, but held firm. That gave them three sorely needed wins over three of the best teams in the NHL to help atone for the loss to the Anaheim Ducks that started the five-game homestand. And finally, on Sunday, they held a late lead against the Winnipeg Jets, the team that sent their season spiraling in the wrong direction on the very first evening when they came back from three goals down to beat the Hurricanes in overtime, matching the feisty Jets hit for hit without wilting during a rough-and-tumble second period. Even Elias Lindholm finally scored, a mere 17 games into the season, and it was a pretty goal, too, walking out of the corner to beat Connor Hellebuyck over the right shoulder, the first goal in a resounding 3-1 win. We talked about it coming into this homestand, Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner said. Obviously we didn t get off to the start we wanted to, but we had a big chance with this extended homestand to pick up some points and establish the brand of hockey we want to play at home for the rest of the season. We did a good job of that. So much of what went wrong for the Hurricanes to start the season went right for them on this homestand, starting with the goaltending Cam Ward had a 1.41 goals-against average and.947 save percentage in the five games and extending to a defense that has gone from disorganized to stable with the addition of AHL call-up Matt Tennyson, who arrived in an effective three-player package with Derek Ryan and Brock McGinn that kicked off the winning streak. Tennyson has combined with Noah Hanifin to give the Hurricanes the more reliable third pairing they sorely lacked in October when the Hurricanes ran through Klas Dahlbeck, (the departed) Jakub Nakladal and Ryan Murphy without success. Ryan and McGinn have helped as well, and McGinn s hit on Tobias Enstrom rattled the Jets and began a parade to the penalty box that led to two Carolina power-play goals. The Hurricanes have unquestionably benefited from the schedule, resting at home while their recent opponents have dealt with travel and back-tobacks the Jets played Saturday in Boston and teeing off on a series of backup goalies while the Hurricanes have been able to let a confident, capable Ward handle a moderate workload without being forced to roll the dice with Eddie Lack. The first order of business in the NHL is winning the games you re supposed to win, when the schedule permits, and the Hurricanes have done that this week. That has gotten them off the bottom of the standings and closer to the postseason conversation, even if they re not quite there yet, but they re among the dozen or so in the chasing pack now. One of those teams is going to make the playoffs, Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. Why not us? Now it gets tougher, with a three-game trip through eastern Canada brace yourself for more Quebec rumors ahead of Thursday s game in Montreal followed by a stretch of six games in nine nights to kick off a very busy December that includes a California jaunt. They exited to a standing ovation from the 10,809 in attendance that started with five seconds to play and escorted the Hurricanes off the ice and onto the road after the best run of home games in a long, long time. News Observer LOADED: Carolina Hurricanes Canes get hard-fought 3-1 win over Jets By Chip Alexander calexander@newsobserver.com RALEIGH When Elias Lindholm scored Sunday for the Carolina Hurricanes, he quickly cast his eyes to the heavens. At first, for a few milliseconds, Lindholm wasn t sure if the puck was in the net. For the first 16 games of the season, nothing had gone in for the Swedish forward. But Lindholm got his first one Sunday. So did defenseman Noah Hanifin. And center Victor Rask added to his growing collection as the Canes topped the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 at PNC Arena to run their winning streak to four games in ending a successful homestand. [Successful homestand puts Canes in playoff hunt DeCock] It was a game that was entertaining, that had a little of everything. Goalie Cam Ward won again for the Canes, continuing his November to remember. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck was the Jets best player much of the game, facing 40 shots. Lindholm had gone the first 16 games of the season hunting his first goal, shooting and waiting. But he walked out of the corner with the puck Sunday and blasted a shortside shot past Hellebuyck for a 1-0 lead in the first period. I didn t really believe it at first, Lindholm said, smiling. Then I saw the crowd standing and cheering. It was nice to see it go in. Lindholm looked upward after scoring, a look of sudden joy on his face. What was flashing through his mind? I don t even know, Lindholm said, still smiling. I think I blacked out. It was such a relief to get the first one. Rask and Hanifin both scored on power plays as the Canes (7-6-4) had a decided edge on special teams. Rask s goal, at 2:39 of the third period, made it 2-0 and Hanifin s score with 1:43 left in regulation was the clincher. The game took on darker, chippy tone after the Canes Brock McGinn walloped Tony Enstrom with a big, forechecking hit early in the second period. It was a clean hit but the Jets took offense. That got us going, picked up the pace, Hanifin said. The penalty-box doors swung open often after that as roughing, crosschecking and high-sticking penalties were called. The Canes Jordan Staal hit and was hit, although Jets rookie Patrik Laine may regret taking a run at Staal, taking the brunt of the blow. At one point, Scheifele went off, cross-checking everyone in a Canes jersey, or so it seemed.

10 Rask scored his eighth of the season when Jeff Skinner got off a shot, then Lee Stempniak collected the rebound and made a nice pass to Rask in the slot. Mark Scheifele s goal at 9:33 of the third pulled the Jets within 2-1, rekindling memories of the season opener in Winnipeg. The Canes led 4-1 with 15 minutes left in regulation at MTS Centre only to lose 5-4 in overtime on a Scheifele goal. But the Canes penalty killers got the job done down the stretch, killing off a penalty against Viktor Stalberg. The Jets, 0-3 on the power play, did come within inches of tying the score on a shot by Jacob Trouba, the puck bouncing over Ward and near the post before the Canes Joakim Nordstrom knocked it away. A high-sticking call against Laine, who got the stick up on Justin Faulk, led to Hanifin s goal. It was a fun game tonight, old-school hockey, Hanifin said. They played physical, but we matched it. We didn t back down, we kept playing our game. The Jets (9-10-2) were playing the third of five straight road games, and a day after a 4-1 beating by the Boston Bruins. They re beat up, they re sore, they re tired, Jets coach Paul Maurice said of his team. They played as hard as they could, gave what they had. The Canes now go on the road for the next three games and nine of the next 11. But they ll do it off their first four-game home winning streak since January If we continue to play the way we ve been playing, we all know we can play with anybody in this league, Hanifin said. News Observer LOADED: Toronto Maple Leafs Alexander Radulov an essential part of this year s Montreal Canadiens SEAN GORDON MONTREAL The Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Nov. 20, :28PM EST Last updated Sunday, Nov. 20, :30PM EST The obvious benchmark for Radulov s contribution is the point total he has 16 in 17 games and set up both goals in Saturday s 2-1 win against the Leafs, a 12th-successive triumph against Toronto that snapped a three-game losing skid. But Radulov is beloved by his teammates and Bell Centre fans, who need little prompting to chant his name for more than goals and assists. All of us have been around people that have that energy that upbeat, positive attitude, and I think guys feed off that. It s not an act, it s just who he is, said defenceman Shea Weber, who also played with Radulov in Nashville (a less happy stage in the latter s career). Coach Michel Therrien joked the former Quebec Remparts forward even appears to love meetings (in hockey, as in life, nobody loves meetings). By now, everyone knows about Radulov s speed and offensive creativity. At one point in the first period Saturday he chopped at a pass up the middle with the heel of his stick and neatly directed the puck between his legs to onrushing centre Alex Galchenyuk. Later, he threw a blind, spinning backhand pass through the Toronto slot that plainly caught his other linemate, Paul Byron, by surprise. What s less heralded in Radulov s game is his defensive relentlessness, Jagr-esque ability to protect the puck and surprising physicality. In a recent game against the Los Angeles Kings, he played a secondperiod shift that encapsulates his season: it started with a blocked shot, followed by a crafty pass to create a clean zone entry and some grinding corner play that ultimately resulted in a reverse check that sent defenceman Andy Greene sprawling, followed by a scoring chance. Somewhere Peter Forsberg, Radulov s former Predators teammate, nodded approvingly. Asked this weekend if he revels in the rougher side of hockey, he said, It s hard not to enjoy it when you play in the Bell Centre in front of 20,000 fans every night. On the whole he d rather talk about wins and losses and the team than himself. That s left to people such as Byron, who recently called Radulov a member of the very elite of world hockey and to Galchenyuk, who in mid-praise on Saturday yelled over his shoulder that Radulov owed him dinner for all the nice things he was saying. Galchenyuk has come into his own as a bona fide first-line centre in his past 50 or so games, but has kicked into high gear with Radulov on his right side (going into Sunday s games, he was tied for fourth in league scoring). He referred to the 30-year-old Radulov, whose one-year, $5.75-million (U.S.) contract looks a bargain after 20 games, as an energizer. Another word also comes to mind: indispensable. The first example began life as a shout for a stretch pass, which moments later resulted in an epic 175-foot backcheck to break up a play. The next came just after the 12-minute mark of the second period, when he took a healthy run at the Toronto Maple Leafs Nazem Kadri, who had just clocked Montreal Canadiens defenceman Nathan Beaulieu with a hard, clean hit. And at the waning stages of the third period, he was a one-man mob to welcome a still-smarting Andrew Shaw to the bench after the Habs forward had blocked a shot with his hand. Much has justifiably been said and written about the importance of goaltender Carey Price when it comes to assessing Montreal s championship potential. It s time we talked about Alexander Radulov. The league-leading Habs have won 42 per cent of the games Price hasn t played this season; they ve won zero per cent of those in which Radulov was absent. Sure, it s a tiny sample (two games this week while the Russian was battling a virus), but the Habs forward alignment looks decidedly off-kilter without him. The trickle-down of having Radulov on the top line creates match-up headaches and allows all sorts of possibilities, such as moving long-time top scorer Max Pacioretty to the second or third line. Globe And Mail LOADED: Toronto Maple Leafs MONTREAL Lou Lamoriello s plans have encountered an unforeseen roadblock. Staff Report It is a sun-splashed Saturday in downtown Montreal and the Maple Leafs general manager is in a cab heading back to the team hotel from the Bell Centre, where his team has just completed its morning skate. At least that was his intention, anyway. It seems there has been a wrench tossed into Lamoriello s aspirations. Montreal s Santa Claus parade has forced the closure of Rue St. Catherine, resulting in a traffic-clogged detour.

11 Finally, at one point, Lamoriello asks his cabbie how far they are from the hotel. The answer: Six blocks. There is only one thing to do. Lamoriello gets out of the cab and walks. Such is the world of Lou Lamoriello. Even at age 74, there are no shortcuts whether it be getting back to the hotel or running a hockey team. To that end, there is a school of thought among some in the NHL including Leafs coach Mike Babcock and Detroit Red Wings GM Kenny Holland that being in or near a playoff spot on American Thanksgiving usually translates into favourable odds for reaching the post-season. The Leafs entered play Sunday within striking distance, with 19 points (8-7-3), just two out of a playoff spot. Given that the team has, at times, featured seven rookies in its lineup, some fans are satisfied with the performance of the young Leafs as the first quarter of the regular season comes to a close. Not Lamoriello. While he s been very encouraged with the development of the roster thus far, he keeps shoving the bar higher in order to push his players. I think anyone that becomes satisfied, well, that s the closest step toward complacency, he says. And once you are complacent, that s the next step to failure. I don t think any of us whether it be ownership, management, players, coaches, support staff will ever be satisfied. And I think that s something that shouldn t be in our DNA. In order to delve further into what the Leafs GM feels has gone right and, yes, wrong with his team, Postmedia sat down with Lamoriello for a one-on-one interview this past weekend. A variety of topics were discussed: ON AUSTON MATTHEWS While the 2016 first-overall draft pick assisted on the Leafs' only goal in Toronto s 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre Saturday night, he hasn t scored a goal in the past 12 games. Matthews admits it s weighing on his mind. Fans are becoming concerned. Lamoriello isn t. Not in the least. In fact, the opposite is true. Remember his first game in Ottawa when he had four goals? He could have had six, Lamoriello said. There have been other nights he could have had six. What Auston is doing, he s playing extremely well. I don t know of anybody within our organization or our players who think anything different from what is expected or was expected. We re extremely pleased. I don t even know where the questions come in. He s had opportunities. You go through stages. I don t like comparing people to other people but there are a lot of exceptional players who go through it. I ve had 500-goal scorers who have gone through it. But in Auston s case, he s been playing excellent defensively and had excellent progressive success on the systematic part of the game and on faceoffs. Remember, he s up against the best and had the best playing against him. He s been great. ON MITCH MARNER According to Lamoriello, no one in the Leafs' hierarchy is surprised at the way in which the diminutive Marner has adapted to the NHL, complete with flair and pizzazz. That s because assistant GM Mark Hunter who was the GM of the London Knights when Marner was drafted to the OHL always had confidence in the kid. Mark said right off the bat this year that Mitch was ready, Lamoriello said. It s obvious Mark knows what he is talking about. But we knew that already. ON THE KIDDY CORPS When it comes to Matthews, Marner, William Nylander, Connor Brown and the rest of the Leafs rookies, Lamoriello has been impressed. At the same time, he warns there will be bumps in the road, adversity that will make these youngsters better in the long run. Our young players have done everything we could have expected of them, he said. That s the reason we find ourselves in the position we re in right now... Every night we have the possibility of seeing something extraordinary. We can t rush anything right now, however. We re still in a process. We can t get high, we can t get low. There are times things are going to go the way we d like to see them. And there are times it s not going to go that way. Our coaching staff led by Mike Babcock has done a tremendous job of handling things. When things go a little bit off the rail, when things don t go exactly as planned, Mike the next day comes with the excitement and enthusiasm that is needed with this group to go forward. ON FREDDIE ANDERSEN In October, Andersen s dismal save percentage of.876 caused widespread panic throughout the team s loyal fanbase, one that wondered when it would see performances worthy the five year, $25 million US deal the Leafs gave the former Anaheim Duck over the summer. The answer has come in November, a month in which he is stopping pucks at a.930 pace. In reviewing Andersen s body of work, Lamoriello is quick to point out that Andersen came to training camp having missed the World Cup because of an upper-body injury, Freddie s exceptionally talented. He s very athletic. He s a great puckhandler. He s calm. None of us felt he wouldn t come around, Lamoriello said. There s no question he struggled early on. But you re right. He came to training camp late because of his injury. We put him right in there. And right now he s still finding his game. I don t think right now he s where he can be yet (but) his past success speaks for itself. We re pleased with Freddie. ON GOALS MOVING FORWARD In typical Lou fashion, there are no bold predictions here. That s just not his way. I think our goal should be to do exactly what we ve been doing, he said. We have part of a process I know that s an overused word. But we need to be committed to that each and every day, do the best we can do in each and every part for every part whether it be players, coaches, management... and let the rest take care of itself. You don t look at the end result and how do we get there. That will take care of itself. And not just sometimes. All the time. ON BEING REINVIGORATED IN T.O. I don t know how you could not be with the excitement the sport creates in the city. The support that the fans give you. The excitement the word that I hate, 'potential' and the backing ownership has given us and the support they have given us to do the things that are right. And the fact that you can be surrounded by such quality and talented people who are committed to the same goal, enjoy working with each other. You can see it in the excitement the players have for each other. Zach Hyman scores his first goal, and what could be more exciting and invigorating than to see the smiles on the other young players who were so happy for him? That s what it s all about. ON POTENTIAL RETIREMENT How long does Lamoriello see himself running an NHL team? When does he think he ll close the book on his illustrious career? I don t think about anything like that, he chuckles. The most important thing is that you have to have the health and the stamina and the enthusiasm to feel that what you are doing is contributing toward an end result that will take care of itself. Right now I m enjoying being around the people I m around.