CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS October 28, 2016

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1 NEWS CLIPPINGS October 28, 2016 Canes in must-win mode for home opener By Chip Alexander Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sound the warning siren Friday before the Carolina Hurricanes long-awaited home opener against the New York Rangers. The Canes could have used Junior, and the siren, in their locker room before Tuesday s game in Detroit. The Canes were late-starters while the Detroit Red Wings had their motors revved up early at Joe Louis Arena, jumping to a 3-0 lead that had Canes goalie Cam Ward flinging his paddle in frustration. They were quicker than us early, that was apparent, Canes coach Bill Peters said. Too many easy goals, too many soft plays. The Canes, playing the last of six road games to start their season, were without injured forward Jeff Skinner. But after regrouping during the first intermission, they did work their way back into the game, getting goals from Jordan Staal and Victor Rask in the second period to pull within 3-2. Guys were quite aware we were in danger of getting blown out, Peters said. You ve got to man up and you ve got to go to work and you ve got to find a way. Rask s goal, a little more than 13 minutes into the second, was his fourth of the season and gave him points in each of the first six games. Ward had steadied in net, stopping the Wings Steve Ott on a second-period breakaway, and the defense was tighter. But the Canes then stunted their own momentum. A penalty for too many men on the ice, less than a minute after the Rask goal, handed the Wings a power play. The Canes killed off that penalty, but the Wings then scored a dagger of a goal with 2:56 left in the period. The Wings Luke Glendening won a scrum for the puck along the boards in the Carolina zone, passing to forward Andreas Athanasiou for an open shot from the right circle that he buried. The 4-2 Detroit victory left the Canes after the muchdiscussed start. The Canes are the only NHL team to open with six road games a product of the World Cup of Hockey and the annual N.C. State Fair run and will go into their home opener last in the Metropolitan Division and in a mustwin mode. We re going to have to fix a few of the things that ailed us today, Peters said. Home openers usually are a joyous time. It s a new season. So much is fresh. There s a team identity to be shaped. For 22 of the NHL teams, their home openers fell in either the first or second games of the season. Eight teams began the season with two or more games away, and the five road games by the Anaheim Ducks deserve an asterisk four were opponents home-openers. But the Ducks did play at home this past Sunday at the Honda Center. The Canes Oct. 28 opener is the latest in the league. A year ago, the Canes were beaten 4-3 by the Wings in the home opener. Carolina last won its first home game in PNC Arena on Oct. 10, 2008, beating the Florida Panthers 6-4. The Canes follow up the Rangers game with another home game Sunday at 5 p.m. against the Philadelphia Flyers. Then it s on the road again for another two games at Ottawa and Nashville. The Canes had a scheduled off-day Wednesday and return to practice Thursday at Raleigh Center Ice. It could be quite a working session. We re going to have to find a lineup that works for us, Peters said. We re going to have to find an identity we can be proud of. Canes Skinner to honor local teachers From staff reports Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner is launching an initiative to honor local educators. 53 s Difference Makers will recognize teachers at 15 Hurricanes home games in the season beginning with the team s home opener Friday against the New York Rangers. Education has always been something that is important to my family and to me, Skinner said. I know from my own personal experiences the type of impact that a great teacher can have on a person, and I wanted to give back to some of this area s true difference makers. Through his initiative, Skinner will provide each teacher with: four tickets to a Hurricanes home game, a $1,000 donation to the teacher s school, a postgame meet-and-greet, a Jeff Skinner jersey and a $100 gift certificate to Stone s Education & Toys. Stone s Education & Toys is a local, independent retailer of educational toys, games, books and teacher supplies.

2 NEWS CLIPPINGS October 28, 2016 Hurricanes finally get some time at home By Chip Alexander Bill Peters, a country music man at heart, said he wished he had time to take in the Alan Jackson concert Thursday at PNC Arena. It s just that the Carolina Hurricanes coach has more on his mind than hearing Jackson sing Don t Rock the Jukebox or any of his other hits. With October quickly coming to an end, the Hurricanes play their first home game Friday against the New York Rangers. After six straight games on the road, resulting in a disappointing record, the Canes have a chance to play before their fans, on home ice. Outstanding, Peters said Thursday. It s outstanding to be at home. Granted, there will be a lot of Rangers fans and blue shirts in the crowd. There always are with the Rangers in town. But it will be nice for Peters, the coaches and players to finally hear Let s Go Canes a few times. The Canes have the latest home opener of any NHL team. In the season, Carolina opened with two games against the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland, in the NHL Premiere. The first game at PNC Arena that season didn t come until Oct. 27 against the Washington Capitals as the Canes played five road games once back in North America. Jeff Skinner was an 18-year-old rookie forward in the season. He s now in his seventh NHL season let that sink in for a minute and the forward hopes to be in the lineup Friday against the Rangers. Skinner missed Tuesday s game against the Detroit Red Wings, a 4-2 Canes loss, with what Peters called a middlebody injury. Skinner skated but did not go through all of the Thursday practice at Raleigh Center Ice, but Peters said he s probable for the home opener. I hope so, Skinner said. That s the goal, to get back as soon as possible. I think I had a good skate. We ll see how things progress. It ll be a great atmosphere. It s always exciting. Hopefully we can get off to a good start and establish home ice as a tough place to play. Skinner is serving as an alternate captain for the home games this season while center Victor Rask wears an A on the road. Center Jordan Staal and defenseman Justin Faulk are permanent alternate captains for the Canes, who do not have a team captain. Skinner said he was injured Saturday during the Philadelphia Flyers game but couldn t point to a specific play or situation. He did not specify the injury but said it slowly worsened, forcing him to miss Monday practice and then the Wings game. Skinner laughed when told Peters used the term middle body, leaving a lot of guesswork. I guess somewhere between the chin and the shins, Skinner said. Skinner s absence Tuesday was felt. His line, with Rask and right wing Lee Stempniak, carried much of the Canes offense the first five games. While Rask did score his fourth goal against Detroit, the line wasn t as dangerous with Skinner out. Skinner said Stempniak had been heavy on the forecheck, leading to scoring chances, goals and points. A consistently effective forecheck has been generally missing for the Canes, as a team, while tighter defensive play in the Carolina zone and better goaltending also are musts. Two seasons ago, the Canes were on the annual road trip during the N.C. State Fair. They returned to go in their next six games, winning four straight at home, and would like to duplicate that turnaround. We want to get that winning feeling in our building, goalie Cam Ward said. It s important for the Canes, Faulk said, to understand the season is just six games old. The record is not what anyone wants, but it was a six-game segment, all on the road. We re confident in our group that if we play well and put together a full 60 minutes, we ll be fine, Faulk said. As for the late home opener, Faulk grinned and said, It will be weird to do our (team) introductions seven games into the season.

3 NEWS CLIPPINGS October 28, 2016 He was one of the NHL s dirtiest players ever; now he coaches the Charlotte Checkers By Scott Fowler sfowler@charlotteobserver.com The new coach of the Charlotte Checkers certainly seems like a nice guy a Swedish fellow with four children and a quick smile. But hockey-star-turned-coach Ulf Samuelsson has long had an alter ego a dark side that came out on the ice for 17 years during a lengthy NHL career that ended in A 1993 Sports Illustrated headline called Samuelsson Mr. Dirty. The New York Times Magazine proclaimed him a thinking-man s thug. A Pittsburgh sportswriter named Dave Molinari wrote in the 1990s that Samuelsson was the kind of guy who would elbow Mother Teresa if she strayed near his net. Then cross-check her when she tried to stand up. Maybe spear her behind the knee as she hobbled away. You know the Mayhem guy in the Allstate commercials? That was Samuelsson when he played. He caused accidents. Fans in Boston were once so incensed after Samuelsson, a defenseman, injured one of their star players that they hung banners that read Kill Ulf. I asked Samuelsson recently if he thought that long-ago Sports Illustrated headline and story were accurate. Yeah, I would say there s probably a little truth to that article, he said. I noticed in my career that if I would play three or four games in a more relaxed way, letting them off the hook when I could hit a player hard I wouldn t do it the other team s forwards would all of a sudden be a little more confident and make me look bad. So I found the way I could do my job was stay hard and stay aggressive as far as the rules would let me. And sometimes a little bit over. And now? Samuelsson, whose Checkers will play their home opener Friday night, is entrusted with the hearts and minds of impressionable young hockey players. He was hired to coach the Checkers by Ron Francis, the Carolina Hurricanes general manager who as a player teamed with Samuelsson on two Stanley Cup winners in Pittsburgh. The two are good friends, and Francis has handed the reins of the Hurricanes top minor-league team to Samuelsson. Samuelsson, 52, said he has two goals this season: To prepare players properly for the call-up to the Hurricanes all of them seek, and to win. It s very important for us to develop players, he said, but our goal is to make the playoffs this year. Samuelsson is a rarity at the higher levels of hockey: a European-born head coach. He has been an NHL assistant before, and he ultimately would like to return to the NHL as a head coach. But for now, I am very happy where I am, he said. Samuelsson and his wife have moved to Charlotte. Their four children, ages 16 to 25, are involved in hockey and pursuing their own dreams either on college, pro or developmental teams. 15 fights, 14 losses Before Samuelsson entered the NHL, hockey players from Sweden were generally known as finesse guys. There was an old hockey joke about how a Swedish player could skate through a game with six eggs in his pocket and come out with all of them unbroken. Samuelsson changed that. He was an enforcer. My first year in the NHL I had 15 fights and probably got beaten up 14 times, he said. I came from overseas, and no one expected a Swede to come out and play hard. He played hard, all right so hard that he was unpopular with everyone but his own teammates. In a story once told in The New York Times, another hockey enforcer named Tie Domi shed a glove and decked Samuelsson with a fist to the mouth, knocking him cold while the game was still in progress. The action was seemingly unprovoked. When asked about what sort of action the NHL should take against Domi, one of his teammates replied: For hitting Ulf? A bonus. (Domi was actually suspended eight games). Samuelsson, who ranks 26th all-time in most NHL penalty minutes, was an expert at getting under other players skin. The rules were different then, he said. You could play more physical there was a lot more clutching and grabbing. Holding, grabbing, hitting people when the referees weren t looking a lot of stuff that you got away with, and it was effective. I was kind of a pest out there. But I did really enjoy the challenge of playing against top players. I got pumped up when I could play a game against (Wayne) Gretzky or a (Mario) Lemieux. All hockey enforcers get beaten up at some point. Samuelsson said he lost count of the number of concussions he sustained, although he believes it was more than three and less than a dozen. They should study me when I get older, he said, speaking of medical researchers. Concussions were treated so differently then. If you could see one finger instead of two, you were back on the ice. Working for NHL call Samuelsson said he wants his first Checkers team to stick up for itself, but he would not advocate any of his players leading the league in penalty minutes. A lot of my penalties were stupid ones, he said. The Checkers will play an on-ice style that closely mirrors the Hurricanes, making the transition easier when players shuttle back and forth between Raleigh and Charlotte. As for Samuelsson himself, he seemed quite mild-mannered and businesslike during the practice I watched for a couple of hours this week. He is trying to instill mental toughness into the Checkers, but not by himself (the team has several assistants and also a team psychologist to help things out). Samuelsson is no longer Mr. Dirty, though. Now he is Mr. Determined. He wants to improve these players enough so that both they and their coach eventually get called up to the NHL for good.

4 1-5 Canes return for Friday home opener Posted 12:29 a.m. Wednesday Updated 5:49 p.m. yesterday By Adam Gold Raleigh, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes started the season with a six-game road trip through Central and Western Canada with stops in Philadelphia and Detroit at the back end and to put it bluntly, it was an underwhelming start to the season. Carolina allowed a half dozen soft goals, played undisciplined defensively and coughed up multi-goal leads on three occasions. Let s review, shall we. Winnipeg 5, Carolina 4 (OT) The Hurricanes played well, but blew a 4-1, 3rd period lead that began when Jeff Skinner inexplicably gave away the puck as Carolina was starting out on a 2nd consecutive power play. Vancouver 4, Carolina 3 (OT) Canes grabbed another 3- goal lead, but the Canucks scored once in the middle of the 2nd then early in the 3rd they capitalized on a Justin Faulk defensive zone giveaway and ultimately won in overtime on a Brandon Sutter goal yes, THAT Brandon Sutter. Edmonton 3, Carolina 2 Canes tried it the other way, spotting the Oilers a 3-0 lead before waking up and nearly coming back. Cam Talbot in net for the Oil was the difference. Carolina 4, Calgary 2 By golly, we re gonna get this 3-goal lead thing right, once and for all. Victor Stalberg s 1st goal of the season was a beauty thanks to a picture perfect stretch pass from Klas Dahlberg. But, late in the 2nd, Faulk coughed up the puck just beyond the blue line and it was fingernailbiting time. Skinner s late power play goal sealed the first win of the year with 34 seconds left. Eddie Lack was excellent and earned a second straight start two nights later. Philadelphia 6, Carolina 3 For the fourth time in five games the Canes found themselves with at least a 2-goal lead. 3:07 into the second period, the Canes were up 2-0. Then the defense ordered take out and the Flyers scored four straight times as Carolina completely fell apart defensively and Eddie Lack s string of four stellar periods came to a screeching halt. Detroit 4, Carolina 2 I m not sure I ve ever seen a worse first period. I mean, I m sure the Hurricanes have played worse than that in the 1st before, but I just can t recall when. Suffice to say that Cam Ward wasn t amazing, by any stretch, but he made about three incredible saves to avoid a 6-0 deficit. Wings led 3-0 after 1. Carolina closed within a goal, but ultimately fell back to close out the trip So, let s try a little report card as the Canes ready for Friday s home opener Victor Rask, A Carolina s road A has scored in all six games and his seven points lead the team. Only his struggles in the face off circle prevent him from adding the plus to his grade. Lee Stempniak, A Four goals and six points through the first five games of the trip. Finally shut down in Detroit, but a wonderful addition after the free agent frenzy died down. Jaccob Slavin, A Carolina s steadiest player on the blue line. Hasn t been perfect, but rarely makes mistakes with the puck and slows the game down like a 10-year vet. Brett Pesce, A- Just a tick behind Slavin, but very similar players. Maybe not as smooth as his teammate, but smart and poised as well. Jeff Skinner, B+ Were it not for the head-scratching turnover in Winnipeg and the mistake of aggression in overtime that led to the Brandon Sutter game-winner in Vancouver, Skinner would be at A+ level. He ll wear an A Friday night and has responded to the leadership role. New amenities await hockey fans at Canes home opener Friday Posted 12:49 p.m. Wednesday Updated 1:52 p.m. Wednesday Raleigh, N.C. New premium seats, new concessions and an upgraded LED ribbon board await Carolina Hurricanes fans at Friday's season home opener. The team on Wednesday also announced the "Homegrown Series," a festival of music, art, clothing, food and beer to be featured at eight home games in the coming season. At games on Nov. 18, Dec. 30, Jan. 8, Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 11, March 18 and April 8, four local clothing partners will sell custom T-shirts, local breweries will pour four-beer flights and bands will play during each intermission. Local artists will design game poster for each of the games. When the Hurricanes host the New York Rangers in their regular-season home opener at PNC Arena on Friday (7:30 p.m., FOX Sports Carolinas, 99.9 FM The Fan), fans on the club level will have access to two new lounges, each with three full bars, four culinary stations and 65-inch flat-screen televisions. The team has also added two new loge boxes that offer suite-style accommodations for four groups of four guests each. With an annual lease, guests receive an all-inclusive experience, including VIP parking, high-end buffet, a private restroom and a fully stocked and staffed bar for every PNC Arena event. All fans will see enhanced color and clarity in the new 360- degree LED ribbon boards that circle the PNC Arena seating bowl.

5 Gameday: Rangers vs. Hurricanes by Michael / CarolinaHurricanes.com 6:00 AM The Hurricanes are (finally) home! This is the gameday hub, where you can find all the latest news and information related to tonight's home opener featuring the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes in one handy location. Make this a regular stop throughout the day, as we update it with notes, videos, photos and more as puck drop draws near. The Hurricanes will be on the ice at PNC Arena at 10:30 a.m. for their first home morning skate of the season. We'll be rinkside, as always, to provide you with live updates. Last updated: 6:00 a.m. CANES SET TO OPEN AT HOME 6:00 a.m. The National Hockey League's regular season is now more than two weeks old, and the Carolina Hurricanes are finally back in Raleigh to open their 41-game home schedule against the New York Rangers. After playing their first six games of the season on the road, the Hurricanes are the last team in the NHL to make their home debut. "Outstanding to be at home," head coach Bill Peters said after practice at Raleigh Center Ice on Thursday. "Can't wait. "It's nice to come back and play in front of your fans," Jeff Skinner said. "It will be a great atmosphere. We have a lot of guys in here who haven't played here yet so it will be exciting for a lot of guys." The Hurricanes are hoping a weekend of home cooking can help them re-discover their team identity after a disjointed road trip. The team brings home a record and four points in the standings. "We're scoring, but we're reckless in order to score. I want to tighten up our game. Last year we had an identity as a team," Peters said. "We haven't gotten there yet. You'll know when it's clicking. Right now it's not clicking. It's not clicking for 60 minutes. We're well aware of that, and we're working toward fixing those problems." "We've got to keep maintaining the focus of getting better. Since camp, that's been our focus," Skinner said. "Now that the games have started for real, you want to lead that into getting points. The road trip's behind us, and we want to take what we can from it." The Canes are also hoping to have available the services of Skinner, who ranks tied for second on the team in scoring with six points (2g, 4a). Skinner missed Tuesday's game in Detroit with what was described as a middle-body injury. The 24-year-old winger skated at Raleigh Center Ice on Thursday but did not participate in the full team practice. Skinner's status is still to be determined, but he's hopeful he can get back into the lineup. "The goal is to get back as soon as possible. We'll see how things go," he said. "I think I had a good skate today, so I'll see how I progress." "There's a chance he can go," Peters said. "We'll know a lot more in the morning." The New York Rangers are riding a three-game winning streak, having defeated Washington, Arizona and Boston in the last week. The team is in its first seven games. "They've got unbelievable speed," Peters said of tonight's opponent. "They are going to push the pace and be hard to play against." CANESPR NOTES: Victor Rask owns the fifth-longest point streak (six games: 4g, 3a) to start a season in franchise history. Only Keith Primeau had a longer streak (seven games) since the organization's relocation to North Carolina. The Rangers have defeated the Hurricanes in 14 of the last 16 meetings between the two teams.

6 Canes Make Final Tuneups Before Home Opener by Michael / CarolinaHurricanes.com October 27th, 2016 At long last, the Carolina Hurricanes are set to host the New York Rangers in their home opener on Friday. Finally back in Raleigh for a period longer than 36 hours, the Hurricanes practiced at Raleigh Center Ice on Thursday in advance of Friday night's match-up at PNC Arena. The Canes will be the last of the NHL's 30 clubs to open at home. "Outstanding to be at home," head coach Bill Peters said. "Can't wait." "It's nice to come back and play in front of your fans," Jeff Skinner said. "It will be a great atmosphere. We have a lot of guys in here who haven't played here yet so it will be exciting for a lot of guys." The Hurricanes bring home a record and four points after spending the first six games on the road, where NHL teams have not fared well in the first two weeks of the season; thus far, road teams are a combined Carolina topped Calgary by a 4-2 margin on Oct. 20 for their lone victory of the road swing. They also snagged a point in each of their first two games of the season, but ceded threegoal leads in each game, as well. "We're scoring, but we're reckless in order to score. I want to tighten up our game. Last year we had an identity as a team," Peters said. "You'll know when it's clicking. Right now it's not clicking. It's not clicking for 60 minutes. We're well aware of that, and we're working towards fixing those problems." Scoring hasn't been the question mark it was last season, but suddenly the team defense is. "We'll fix it," Peters said, confidently. And the defensive pairings? The Hurricanes are still searching for the right combinations. "We'll fix that, too," Peters asserted. More than perhaps Peters expected to have to sort out six games into the season. CAROLINA HURRICANES "More, yeah," he said. "I don't know the order, but the three bottom teams in goals against are Arizona, Toronto and Carolina, three coaches that have a lot of pride defensively and are wounded, so let's fix that. And we will fix it." "We want to respond from our last game," Skinner said, referencing Tuesday's 4-2 loss in Detroit in which the Canes fell behind 3-0 in the first period. "On the road trip, there are some real good things we had and there are some things we want to work on. We want to keep building on the good things and learn from the mistakes." Playing games at home could ideally alleviate some of the problems the Canes have faced in the early season. "It's huge for this team, especially with how young we are right now," Peters explained. "When you're at home you can try to help those guys a little bit more with favorable matchups and zone starts. We'll definitely be doing that for the next two games." Not among the Hurricanes practicing on Thursday was Skinner, who missed Tuesday's game with a middle-body injury. Skinner did put in some individual on-ice work as practice was winding down, and he's hopeful that he can play in Friday's home opener. "The goal is to get back as soon as possible. We'll see how things go," he said. "I think I had a good skate today, so I'll see how I progress." "There's a chance he can go," Peters said. "We'll know a lot more in the morning." What exactly is a middle-body injury? "It's a good way of keeping everyone guessing," Skinner smiled. "It's somewhere between the chin and the shins." After playing six straight games on the road to begin the season, the Hurricanes will play eight of their next 11 games at PNC Arena, a stretch that includes a five-game homestand in mid-november. "We've got to keep maintaining the focus of getting better. Since camp, that's been our focus," Skinner said. "Now that the games have started for real, you want to lead that into getting points. The road trip's behind us, and we want to take what we can from it." Hurricanes intend to fix it during home-opening weekend RALEIGH, N.C. Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters has viewed the blueprint, pulled out his tools, and intends to present a remodeled version of his team when it opens play at home this weekend. Can t wait, Peters said of the Hurricanes taking to the ice at PNC Arena in front of their fans for the first time this regular season. It s huge for this team, especially with how young we are. When you re at home, you can try to help those guys a bit more with favorable match-ups and zone starts. We ll definitely be doin that for the next two nights. Following Tuesday s 4-2 loss in Detroit, Carolina now focuses on posting wins over Metropolitan Division opponents, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

7 Peters goal is to piece together more productive combinations of lines to not only score goals, but prevent the other side from tallying more than his team. With a current record, the Hurricanes have allowed a total of 24 goals, four per game, while scoring three per game. The math is simple. The reason as to why this has happened to a team led by a coach who prides himself on sound defensive principles couldn t be answered in any detail. No; we ll fix it though, Peters said promptly when asked the question following Thursday s practice. One significant change fans should expect is a reset of the defensive pairings Carolina started the season with. We ll fix that too, the coach continued while assessing the team s offensive play. We re scoring, but we re reckless in order to score. I wanna tighten up our game. Last year we had an identity as a team. I really liked the identity we forged. It took us a while to get there. Unfortunately, this year, it s taken us longer to get there. We haven t got there yet. You ll know when it s clickin. Now, it s not clickin for 60 minutes, we re well aware of that, and lookin to fix those problems. At this early point in the season, both Peters and the team s pride is self-described as wounded. So let s fix it. We will fix it. Backup plan: The case to play goalies on consecutive nights By JOHN WAWROW Oct. 26, :17 PM EDT If NHL coaches want to provide goalies quality downtime during a constricted schedule, Martin Biron believes he has an ideal backup plan. Rather than split starts as teams often do when playing on consecutive days, the former netminder suggests it might be more beneficial to have the starter play both and then sit out the next game. "If your goalie is going to play Friday, have Saturday off and play the Tuesday game, there's never a time to check out in that time off," said Biron, who spent 16 NHL seasons as a starter and backup. "I'm of the school that thinks it's almost better to play your starter on Friday-Saturday and then not play him until next Friday, and then he has six days of preparation and rest." It's not as if goalies aren't accustomed to playing twice in two days. "Most of the guys that are young played three (games) in three (days) in the American League. They can handle that," Biron said. "I can't speak for (skaters), but as a goalie, once you get your mindset into a game, if you have to extend it for another 24 hours that's fine." The goalie balancing act is never simple. And how much increased playing time backups get will be a pressing issue for a league squeezing in an 82-game schedule in a shortened calendar. The season began a week later than usual because of the World Cup of Hockey and the schedule, for the first time, features each team enjoying a five-day bye week. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby tends to agree with Biron, saying there's too much concern placed on goalies playing on consecutive nights when, in actuality, the entire team is tired. "Historically, teams aren't as good on back to backs in general, and goalies go hand in hand," Holtby said. "Goalie stats are a lot to do with how your team performs. That's just the way it is. It's a little bit harder, but it's a little harder for everyone." And, Holtby added, it's also hard on a backup goalie being thrust into action with negligible on-ice time because teams don't normally practice the morning before playing their second game. Holtby's production bears him out. Over the previous two seasons, Holtby is when playing both nights, including a mark on Day 2. He's given up a combined 23 goals on each night. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick's record is even more impressive. In the 14 times he's played back to backs over the past two years, Quick has allowed 20 goals the first game and just 12 the next with a record. The only straggler of the 10 goalies' records analyzed by The Associated Press is Tuukka Rask. The Boston starter is (plus one no decision) and allowed 18 goals in the first game. He is with 29 goals allowed the following night. What's never been up for debate is how critical the backup's role is during a busy stretch or when the starter is sidelined. Last year, the Montreal Canadiens unraveled once Carey Price went down with a season-ending knee injury in late November. After opening , Montreal finished The Canadiens addressed their backup spot this offseason by signing veteran Al Montoya in free agency. The move has already paid off. The eighth-year player is after Price opened the season sidelined by the flu.

8 On the other hand, minor leaguer Matt Murray led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship after being called up in March once starter Marc-Andre Fleury was sidelined by a concussion. This year, the Los Angeles Kings are banged-up in net with Quick and backup Jeff Zatkoff both sidelined by groin injuries. They're now leaning on 11-year journeyman Peter Budaj, who won his first two starts. Biron said it's not uncommon for minor league call-ups to find their groove because they're already accustomed to a starter's workload as opposed to the primary backup who's had less game action. BY THE NUMBERS Last season, 85 goalies appeared in at least one game. There have already been 60 goalies who have made an appearance through the first 92 games this year. Since 2006, only two goalies have led their team to win a Stanley Cup when playing 60 or more regular-season games. Quick played 69 times when the Kings won title in 2012, and Fleury played 62 for the 2009 Cup-champion Penguins. On the low-end of the scale, Murray played only 13 regularseason games for Pittsburgh last year. Cam Ward played just 28 during his rookie year in leading the Carolina Hurricanes to the championship in '06. Of the 10 netminders who played 60 or more games last year, two missed the playoffs: Rask and Ottawa's Craig Anderson. And only two reached the conference finals: Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop and Martin Jones, whose Sharks lost the Cup Final to Pittsburgh. SLUMPING The Chicago Blackhawks penalty killers. In allowing two goals on five power-play chances in a 3-2 shootout loss to Calgary on Monday, Chicago has allowed 14 power-play goals on 24 opportunities. STREAKING A year after opening 9-0, the Canadiens are and the NHL's only team yet to lose in regulation. LEADERS Goals, Auston Matthews (Toronto) and Richard Panik (Chicago), 6; Points, Matthews, 10; Time on ice, Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 29:30; Wins, Cam Talbot (Edmonton), 5. GAME OF THE WEEK A showdown of the past two No. 1 draft picks takes place at Toronto on Tuesday, when Edmonton's Connor McDavid faces Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews. AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Arlington, Virginia, contributed to this report. Stempniak Stepping Up October 27th, 2016 Mark Shiver Lee Stempniak is stepping up. In this freshly minted NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes forward is tied with Victor Rask for the team lead in goals scored (4), and shares second with Jeff Skinner in total points (6). In what has been a somewhat of a languishing start for the Canes, one of the few bright spots has been the play of Stempniak. Who is Stempniak? Stempniak, the 33-year-old veteran from West Seneca, New York, can best be described as a journeyman NHL player. Drafted 148th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth Round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Stempniak is now with his 10th team. During his NHL tenure, he has scored 188 goals and 238 assists. While never rising to the level of elite status such as Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews, Stempniak can legitimately be characterized as steady or reliable. He has been able to be counted on most seasons to put up double-digit goals and plenty of ice time. When the Hurricanes announced that they had inked a deal with Stempniak last July, they noted that, Stempniak has appeared in 28 career Stanley Cup playoff games, totaling 14 points (6g, 8a). Canes general manager Ron Francis said, Lee is a veteran, skilled forward who will provide offense for our team, as well as leadership on and off the ice. Here in the early stages of this season, Stempniak is doing as Francis predicted, scoring and providing real veteran leadership. Top-Line Guy As you may know, I am a huge fan of Rask s play. He skated his way onto the Hurricanes a few years ago and has not looked back. He has earned a spot not only on the team, but now on the Canes top line. Rask, Skinner and Stempniak are developing a strong early season chemistry. The recent mid-body injury to Skinner, however, may mean that Viktor Stalberg or Andrej Nestrasil will move to that line, with

9 Nestrasil having recently been somewhat displaced by Sebastian Aho on the line of Nestrasil, Jordan Staal and Joakim Nordstrom. The thing about Stempniak that stands out is his aggressive approach to the net. This is something the Hurricanes have lacked and needed for some time. Skinner used to charge the net before his multiple concussions, and has begun to be more aggressive. Stempniak is bringing the kind of go for it nature that Carolina needs: If the Canes can keep their top line playing as they have shown they can over the first few games of the season, they should have quite the offensive production over the course of the season. Of course their woes in goal are another story, and may torpedo what was supposed to be a season with a legit playoff chances for the team. Notebook: Answering The Consistency Questions Written by Nicholas Niedzielski Created: 26 October 2016 After an up-and-down weekend in Iowa, there are some question marks facing the Checkers as they head into their home opener: offensive consistency. The Checkers exploded offensively in their lone win this season, pumping in eight goals against the Wild, but have totaled just five goals over their three losses, including a onegoal showing the next night in Iowa. Heading into the weekend looking to turn things around after this slow start, it s clear that the biggest answer to those lingering questions will be putting the puck in the net. Some games when a team decides to play as tight as [Iowa] did [last Friday], you have to rely on your specialty teams and play a patient game, said Samuelsson. But we always need to be thinking about offense. Even when the other team has the puck, we need to be thinking about how to get it back. So the question is, how does the team create that consistency? It s a good question, said head coach Ulf Samuelsson. First of all, we re going to need four lines out there. Some nights the top lines are going to be shut down so we need all four lines contributing. The offense needs to come from many different sources. Getting that distribution of scoring will be a big step for the Checkers to take, as seven of their 13 goals this season have come off the sticks of rookie Andrew Poturalski and captain Derek Ryan. That raises the next question: what does the team need to do to produce that secondary scoring? According to forward Connor Brickley, there can be a blueprint to scoring in the AHL. The key is adjusting your play. You just have to keep doing the little things, said Brickley. In this league, you re going to score goals by going to the net. Maybe in other leagues you can be a bit more pretty, but the teams that put up consistent goals are the ones that go to the net and get rebounds, tips and greasy goals like that. Some other news and notes from this week: SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS The Checkers will be in for a challenge this weekend as the Grand Rapids Griffins come to town. The perennial Western Conference power is off to another hot start, coming out of the gates with a record. Though there isn t a ton of game tape to draw from this early on in the season, the coaching staff has a grasp on what they ll be facing. We saw them up in Traverse City and we watched their last two games and they re off to a good start, they re playing well, said Samuelsson. It s a team that s going to forecheck hard when they have the opportunity and it looks like they play good defensively when they don t have the puck. It ll be a good challenge for us. We worked on a couple specific things in practice this week so hopefully we ll be ready for a good weekend. The Griffins boast no shortage of star power, headlined by the AHL s goal leader, Anthony Mantha. The third-year pro combines with a mix of hotshot prospects like Tyler Bertuzzi and established AHL scorers like Eric Tangradi to give Grand Rapids a dynamic attack up front.

10 They have some high skill guys who have scored on every level, said rookie blue liner Roland McKeown. It will be important to be focused and ready to shut those big guns down. The good news for the Checkers is that, come Friday, they ll have had a week in their own building to regroup and devise a game plan to knock off the Griffins and get back in the win column. We need to set the pace early, said Brickley. You need to have your four lines rolling so you can come at them in waves. Skill teams try to slow things down and fuel off of transition plays, so we re going to have to limit our turnovers in the neutral zone. We had a little bit of trouble with that over the weekend, but things are starting to settle down for everyone. We re going to limit the turnovers, put pucks in the offensive zone and grind it out. MCKEOWN FITTING IN A bright spot over the season-opening road trip has been the play of McKeown. After a short four-game stint two seasons ago, McKeown has kicked off his rookie year with some solid play along the blue line for the Checkers while navigating the transition to the pro game. It s an adjustment for sure, but I wouldn t say the game is incredibly faster, it s just more organized, said McKeown. Guys are in the right position, they move the puck up better and they re positionally sound. When breakdowns do happen, that s when the goals happen because guys don t miss on chances in this league. Coming off a stellar OHL career with Kingston, one that saw him lead team defenseman in scoring for three of his four seasons, McKeown fits nicely into a young Charlotte defensive corps that is high on talent. fellow defensemen. We move the puck well back there. I think we re coming together as a group, guys are starting to mesh, it s all starting to come together. That s the key nowadays, defensemen have to be able to skate and they have to be able to move the puck up to the skilled forwards That skill set on the blue line will be called upon this season, as Samuelsson mentioned the need for the defensemen to be involved and firing from the back end as a means to getting more offensive consistency. With McKeown helping lead the charge of new blood, it looks like the Checkers blue line is up to the challenge. That s the key nowadays, said McKeown. Defensemen have to be able to skate and they have to be able to move the puck up to the skilled forwards. COMING HOME Friday s home opener, which you can still get tickets for here, is obviously an exciting time for fans who have been waiting all offseason to get back to the friendly confines of Bojangles Coliseum. But it s not just the fans who are looking forward to it. It s huge, said Brickley. Especially with it being the first game at home, it s fun to show the fan base the new team and the new look and what to expect this season. Hopefully we come out strong. Performance-wise, playing on their home ice could give the Checkers the boost they need to get back on track. It s going to be nice, said McKeown. To get in front of your fans on your ice, you get this sense of familiarity, it s great. And sometimes when you feel more comfortable the confidence comes with that. When you re at home everything feels a bit better. It s a young, smooth skating group, said McKeown of his TODAY S LINKS

11 Carolina Hurricanes He was one of the NHL s dirtiest players ever; now he coaches the Charlotte Checkers By Scott Fowler The new coach of the Charlotte Checkers certainly seems like a nice guy a Swedish fellow with four children and a quick smile. But hockey-star-turned-coach Ulf Samuelsson has long had an alter ego a dark side that came out on the ice for 17 years during a lengthy NHL career that ended in A 1993 Sports Illustrated headline called Samuelsson Mr. Dirty. The New York Times Magazine proclaimed him a thinking-man s thug. A Pittsburgh sportswriter named Dave Molinari wrote in the 1990s that Samuelsson was the kind of guy who would elbow Mother Teresa if she strayed near his net. Then cross-check her when she tried to stand up. Maybe spear her behind the knee as she hobbled away. You know the Mayhem guy in the Allstate commercials? That was Samuelsson when he played. He caused accidents. Fans in Boston were once so incensed after Samuelsson, a defenseman, injured one of their star players that they hung banners that read Kill Ulf. I asked Samuelsson recently if he thought that long-ago Sports Illustrated headline and story were accurate. Yeah, I would say there s probably a little truth to that article. Charlotte Checkers coach Ulf Samuelsson, on an old Sports Illustrated article that called him Mr. Dirty. Yeah, I would say there s probably a little truth to that article, he said. I noticed in my career that if I would play three or four games in a more relaxed way, letting them off the hook when I could hit a player hard I wouldn t do it the other team s forwards would all of a sudden be a little more confident and make me look bad. So I found the way I could do my job was stay hard and stay aggressive as far as the rules would let me. And sometimes a little bit over. And now? Samuelsson, whose Checkers will play their home opener Friday night, is entrusted with the hearts and minds of impressionable young hockey players. He was hired to coach the Checkers by Ron Francis, the Carolina Hurricanes general manager who as a player teamed with Samuelsson on two Stanley Cup winners in Pittsburgh. The two are good friends, and Francis has handed the reins of the Hurricanes top minorleague team to Samuelsson. Samuelsson, 52, said he has two goals this season: To prepare players properly for the call-up to the Hurricanes all of them seek, and to win. It s very important for us to develop players, he said, but our goal is to make the playoffs this year. Samuelsson is a rarity at the higher levels of hockey: a European-born head coach. He has been an NHL assistant before, and he ultimately would like to return to the NHL as a head coach. But for now, I am very happy where I am, he said. Samuelsson and his wife have moved to Charlotte. Their four children, ages 16 to 25, are involved in hockey and pursuing their own dreams either on college, pro or developmental teams. 15 fights, 14 losses Before Samuelsson entered the NHL, hockey players from Sweden were generally known as finesse guys. There was an old hockey joke about how a Swedish player could skate through a game with six eggs in his pocket and come out with all of them unbroken. Samuelsson changed that. He was an enforcer. My first year in the NHL I had 15 fights and probably got beaten up 14 times, he said. I came from overseas, and no one expected a Swede to come out and play hard. He played hard, all right so hard that he was unpopular with everyone but his own teammates. In a story once told in The New York Times, another hockey enforcer named Tie Domi shed a glove and decked Samuelsson with a fist to the mouth, knocking him cold while the game was still in progress. The action was seemingly unprovoked. When asked about what sort of action the NHL should take against Domi, one of his teammates replied: For hitting Ulf? A bonus. (Domi was actually suspended eight games). Samuelsson, who ranks 26th all-time in most NHL penalty minutes, was an expert at getting under other players skin. The rules were different then, he said. You could play more physical there was a lot more clutching and grabbing. Holding, grabbing, hitting people when the referees weren t looking a lot of stuff that you got away with, and it was effective. I was kind of a pest out there. But I did really enjoy the challenge of playing against top players. I got pumped up when I could play a game against (Wayne) Gretzky or a (Mario) Lemieux. I was kind of a pest out there. Ulf Samuelsson on his 17-year NHL playing career. All hockey enforcers get beaten up at some point. Samuelsson said he lost count of the number of concussions he sustained, although he believes it was more than three and less than a dozen. They should study me when I get older, he said, speaking of medical researchers. Concussions were treated so differently then. If you could see one finger instead of two, you were back on the ice. Working for NHL call Samuelsson said he wants his first Checkers team to stick up for itself, but he would not advocate any of his players leading the league in penalty minutes. A lot of my penalties were stupid ones, he said. The Checkers will play an on-ice style that closely mirrors the Hurricanes, making the transition easier when players shuttle back and forth between Raleigh and Charlotte. As for Samuelsson himself, he seemed quite mild-mannered and businesslike during the practice I watched for a couple of hours this week. He is trying to instill mental toughness into the Checkers, but not by himself (the team has several assistants and also a team psychologist to help things out). Samuelsson is no longer Mr. Dirty, though. Now he is Mr. Determined. He wants to improve these players enough so that both they and their coach eventually get called up to the NHL for good. News Observer LOADED: Carolina Hurricanes Canes Skinner to honor local teachers

12 From staff reports Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner is launching an initiative to honor local educators. 53 s Difference Makers will recognize teachers at 15 Hurricanes home games in the season beginning with the team s home opener Friday against the New York Rangers. Education has always been something that is important to my family and to me, Skinner said. I know from my own personal experiences the type of impact that a great teacher can have on a person, and I wanted to give back to some of this area s true difference makers. Through his initiative, Skinner will provide each teacher with: four tickets to a Hurricanes home game, a $1,000 donation to the teacher s school, a postgame meet-and-greet, a Jeff Skinner jersey and a $100 gift certificate to Stone s Education & Toys. Stone s Education & Toys is a local, independent retailer of educational toys, games, books and teacher supplies. News Observer LOADED: Carolina Hurricanes Hurricanes finally get some time at home Skinner laughed when told Peters used the term middle body, leaving a lot of guesswork. I guess somewhere between the chin and the shins, Skinner said. Skinner s absence Tuesday was felt. His line, with Rask and right wing Lee Stempniak, carried much of the Canes offense the first five games. While Rask did score his fourth goal against Detroit, the line wasn t as dangerous with Skinner out. Skinner said Stempniak had been heavy on the forecheck, leading to scoring chances, goals and points. A consistently effective forecheck has been generally missing for the Canes, as a team, while tighter defensive play in the Carolina zone and better goaltending also are musts. Two seasons ago, the Canes were on the annual road trip during the N.C. State Fair. They returned to go in their next six games, winning four straight at home, and would like to duplicate that turnaround. We want to get that winning feeling in our building, goalie Cam Ward said. It s important for the Canes, Faulk said, to understand the season is just six games old. The record is not what anyone wants, but it was a sixgame segment, all on the road. We re confident in our group that if we play well and put together a full 60 minutes, we ll be fine, Faulk said. As for the late home opener, Faulk grinned and said, It will be weird to do our (team) introductions seven games into the season. News Observer LOADED: By Chip Alexander New York Rangers Bill Peters, a country music man at heart, said he wished he had time to take in the Alan Jackson concert Thursday at PNC Arena. It s just that the Carolina Hurricanes coach has more on his mind than hearing Jackson sing Don t Rock the Jukebox or any of his other hits. With October quickly coming to an end, the Hurricanes play their first home game Friday against the New York Rangers. After six straight games on the road, resulting in a disappointing record, the Canes have a chance to play before their fans, on home ice. Outstanding, Peters said Thursday. It s outstanding to be at home. Granted, there will be a lot of Rangers fans and blue shirts in the crowd. There always are with the Rangers in town. But it will be nice for Peters, the coaches and players to finally hear Let s Go Canes a few times. The Canes have the latest home opener of any NHL team. In the season, Carolina opened with two games against the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland, in the NHL Premiere. The first game at PNC Arena that season didn t come until Oct. 27 against the Washington Capitals as the Canes played five road games once back in North America. Jeff Skinner was an 18-year-old rookie forward in the season. He s now in his seventh NHL season let that sink in for a minute and the forward hopes to be in the lineup Friday against the Rangers. Skinner missed Tuesday s game against the Detroit Red Wings, a 4-2 Canes loss, with what Peters called a middle-body injury. Skinner skated but did not go through all of the Thursday practice at Raleigh Center Ice, but Peters said he s probable for the home opener. I hope so, Skinner said. That s the goal, to get back as soon as possible. I think I had a good skate. We ll see how things progress. It ll be a great atmosphere. It s always exciting. Hopefully we can get off to a good start and establish home ice as a tough place to play. Skinner is serving as an alternate captain for the home games this season while center Victor Rask wears an A on the road. Center Jordan Staal and defenseman Justin Faulk are permanent alternate captains for the Canes, who do not have a team captain. Skinner said he was injured Saturday during the Philadelphia Flyers game but couldn t point to a specific play or situation. He did not specify the injury but said it slowly worsened, forcing him to miss Monday practice and then the Wings game. Rangers to get one weapon back but are waiting on another By Brett Cyrgalis What was a good start to his North American career now seems like a long time ago for Pavel Buchnevich. But after suffering back spasms following the second game of the season Oct. 15, the Rangers 21-year-old Russian winger was set to return to the lineup for Friday night s game against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. Pavel is fine, coach Alain Vigneault said after Thursday s practice, the first time since the injury that Buchnevich fully participated with the whole group in more than a morning skate. He s good to go. We re going to take him off IR and he s going to be in the lineup. Buchnevich had one assist in his first two games, but showed the offensive creativity Vigneault so covets. The team s 2013 third-round pick began the season on the right side of a line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, but after some shuffling, it s unclear who Vigneault is going to start him with. Vigneault was optimistic about Kreider, who was set to miss his third straight game with a neck ailment and still has not practiced with the team. But Kreider skated on his own Thursday morning and the coach said things are coming along very well there. Because of a scheduling change, Vigneault said Kreider was probably not going to play in Sunday night s home game against the Lightning. Originally, Vigneault had planned a practice on Saturday and off day on Monday, but he switched the two, thus not allowing Kreider the necessary practice time to test his neck. He needs at least one practice with the team, contact, see how he is, Vigneault said. Morning skates, when you ve been out this long, don t count. Forward Josh Jooris was set to be placed on injured reserve after Thursday s MRI exam showed a Grade-2 separation in his left shoulder. Vigneault said the injury would keep him sidelined three-to-four weeks.