Canes end winless streak with 4-3 victory over Kings By Chip Alexander calexander@newsobserver.com RALEIGH It was just the kind of game the Carolina Hurricanes have been unable to win of late. The Canes had the lead, then saw it slipping away. A lot of the third period was played in their end, the Canes whacking at pucks, relying on their goalie, trying to hold on. But the Hurricanes held on Sunday. They topped the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 at PNC Arena, playing with grit, protecting the lead in the final minutes to end a five-game winless streak. Justin Faulk had a pair of power-play goals for the Canes (7-10-3), and rookie defenseman Brett Pesce scored his first NHL goal and added an assist for his first multi-point game. Jeff Skinner scored his fourth of the season and goalie Cam Ward made just enough stops in a game that was both bruising and entertaining. It was nice to get the victory the way we did, with some resiliency, Canes forward Kris Versteeg said. It s never easy against the Kings (12-8-0), who were leading the NHL s Pacific Division. The Kings were tough along the boards and tried to muscle up in front of Ward, who had 26 saves. Canes forward Nathan Gerbe was injured in the first period after a big hit by Kyle Clifford causing Canes forward Brad Malone to drop the gloves and fight Clifford. Carolina coach Bill Peters had no update on Gerbe s condition after the game. They re a heavy team and play a hard game, said Versteeg, who had two assists. More than any other team in the league, you ve got to keep your head up all 60 minutes. Pesce scored in the first period with a blast from the point, and the Canes pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second as Skinner converted a tight-angled shot and Faulk unloaded from the point on a 5-on-3 power play. Faulk has eight goals this season, all on the power play, to lead NHL defenseman in scoring. Carolina s Eric Staal then had a chance to make it 4-0 on a breakaway, but Kings goalie Jonathan Quick got the shaft of his stick on the shot and the momentum turned. With about seven minutes left in the second, Canes defenseman Noah Hanifin was called for covering the puck in the crease. Ward and Hanifin both tried to smother the puck near the post after Ward stopped the Kings Dustin Brown on a rebound. Brown was awarded a penalty shot and scored as Hanifin, watching from the bench, smashed his stick in anger. Hanifin later said Ward covered the puck with his glove and that he had his hand on top of Ward s glove. The Kings Anze Kopitar scored the first of his two goals 58 seconds later, and the Canes lead was 3-2. But the Canes responded with Faulk s second power-play score with 2:14 left in the second. Quick stopped Faulk s point shot, but the puck glanced off the skate of Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, who had whiffed on it trying to clear. You ve got to rely on special teams to win games sometimes and Justin Faulk has one of the best shots in the league, Pesce said. The Kings replaced Quick in net with Jhonas Enroth in the third and Kopitar s second goal, on a power play with 10:45 in regulation, made it 4-3. The Kings pulled Enroth in the final minute and Carolina s Jordan Staal was penalized with 18 seconds left but the Kings couldn t tie it. The Canes had coughed up leads in recent games and lost. This time, they won. We need to be hungry for points and we found a way to get some points today and scored some goals, Peters said. I believe in our group and like the way we re going.
Faulk, Pesce help Hurricanes end 5-game slide, beat LA 4-3 By JOEDY McCREARY, AP Sports Writer RALEIGH, N.C. When Justin Faulk winds up for his slap shot, the defenseman is making it hurt for Carolina's opponents both physically, and on the scoreboard. Faulk scored two power-play goals, and the Hurricanes stopped a five-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. "There's probably four or five guys in the league that (defenders) don't quite find the shooting lane on because it hurts, and I think he's in that group," coach Bill Peters said, adding with a wry smile that "sometimes guys just miss that lane." Brett Pesce scored his first NHL goal and added an assist, and Jeff Skinner also scored for Carolina, which led 3-0 in the second period. Faulk scored each of his goals in the second, giving him an NHL-best eight with the man advantage. "I just try to shoot and get pucks on net if it goes in, it goes in," Faulk said. "Just trying to do the same thing every time. Create momentum, create chances and hope for the best." Cam Ward finished with 26 saves for the Hurricanes. Anze Kopitar scored two goals for Los Angeles, including one 58 seconds after Dustin Brown scored on a penalty shot. Jonathan Quick allowed four goals with 17 saves in two periods before Jhonas Enroth replaced him and made eight stops. The Kings have lost two straight for the first time since mid-october. "I think there's a lot of unhappy players, quite honestly," Brown said. "A lot of us were here last year when we let it slide, and as a result we're not playing at the end of the year. We have an opportunity to right the ship (Monday) night and that should be our focus." The Kings had an impressive rally, with Kopitar making it a one-goal game with 10:45 to play on a slap shot from the circle that might have clipped Carolina defenseman Ron Hainsey on its way past Ward. Ward stopped everything after that, including a slick save on Drew Doughty with about 5 minutes left. The Hurricanes entered with 15 points tied with Colorado and Edmonton for the fewest in the league but earned their first regulation win since beating the Avalanche on Oct. 30. They have earned points in four of five games, with three losses in that span coming in overtime or a shootout. That includes Friday night when they allowed Toronto to score the tying goal with 3:33 to play and lost in the tiebreaker. "We're a quarter of the way through the season, I like our group and I like the way we're going," Peters said. It seemed as if another lead might slip away when Los Angeles scored two goals less than a minute apart late in the second period to make it 3-2. Brown was awarded his penalty shot when the officials ruled Carolina rookie Noah Hanifin touched the puck with his hand in the goal crease. The winger beat Ward high to his glove side to make it 3-1, and Kopitar made it a one-goal game with 6 minutes left when he ripped a high wrist shot past Ward. Faulk then put the Hurricanes up 4-2 with his shot from the right circle with 2:14 left in the second a goal that so frustrated Alec Martinez that the Kings defenseman whacked the goal post with his stick. Faulk put Carolina up 3-0 earlier in the period by scoring with a two-man advantage. That came after Pesce had a hand in the Hurricanes' first two goals. Carolina was 2 for 6 on the power play. "Hard to win games when we're killing (penalties) as much as we killed tonight," Brown said. NOTES: Carolina C Brad Malone and Los Angeles LW Kyle Clifford fought with 7 minutes left in the first, after Clifford's hard hit on Carolina LW Nathan Gerbe in the corner. Gerbe suffered a lower-body injury and did not return.... The 5- minute fighting major given to Malone for that dustup was the Hurricanes' first of the season.
Faulk, Canes Defeat Kings Sunday, 11.22.2015 / 4:56 PM Michael Smith Tracking the Storm: Analysis -- A three-goal second period propelled the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Justin Faulk scored two goals, while Jeff Skinner and Brett Pesce also tallied for the Canes, who snapped a five-game winless streak. At the end of the day, we battled hard to the very end, Pesce said. Got some breaks and got a win. It was good for the guys to respond, keep pushing and keep playing the way we were, Faulk said. It was nice to come out on the right side of things. Every game is big, head coach Bill Peters said. We need to be hungry for points. We found a way to get points here today, and it was nice to score some goals. -- Justin Faulk is a power play machine. The 23-year-old defenseman scored his seventh and eighth power-play goals of the season in the second period, already topping his career-high of seven power-play goals scored last year in just 20 games. The first goal was a howitzer of a shot on a 5-on-3 advantage that gave the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead. The second goal was aided by a failed clear attempt by Alec Martinez after Faulk s shot leaked through Jonathan Quick. Faulk is now just a goal shy from tying the team record for power-play goals by a defenseman in a season, set by Anton Babchuk in 2008-09 (9). There s four or five guys in the league that guys don t quite find the shooting lane on because it hurts, and I think he s in that group, Peters said of Faulk. He s got a great, quick release. Justin Faulk has one of the best shots in the league, Pesce simply echoed Peters. -- Brett Pesce netted his first-career NHL goal in the first period, beating Quick with a slap shot from just inside the point to give his team a 1-0 lead. Brad Malone recorded an assist and delivered the puck to the bench for safe keeping. I walked to the middle, fired away and got rewarded, Pesce said. The rookie blue liner also posted the secondary assist on Jeff Skinner s second-period goal that he banked off Quick and in from below the goal line to give the Canes a 3-0 lead. -- A curious set of events resulted in the Kings first goal of the game and helped establish a bit of momentum from the otherwise quiet visitors. Cam Ward sprawled across the crease to deny a scoring bid and smother the puck at least, that s what it looked like. The officials ruled that Noah Hanifin, who was falling to the ice, covered his hand on the puck in the crease, thus awarding a penalty shot to the Kings. From what I could glean from the replay, what actually happened is incredibly tough to decipher. Both Ward and Hanifin s hand are moving in the vicinity of the puck, Ward to cover it with his blocker and Hanifin, from what I can tell, to brace his fall. I briefly spoke with Hanifin after the game, and he said he did not touch the puck. As he s going to brace his fall, his hand lands on Ward s blocker, he said. I believe him. It looked like it was Wardo. It looked like Wardo s blocker was there, Peters said. That s what I see, but I m not right there. Hopefully it was the right call. In any case, Dustin Brown took the penalty shot and scored to get the Kings on the board and make the score 3-1. The Kings got a bit of life from there, as Anze Kopitar made it a one-goal game on an unassisted tally just 58 seconds later. We just need to prove to ourselves that, if we keep pushing, we ll be all right, Faulk said. We obviously gave up some wins when we had the lead, and once we got the lead tonight, we had to keep going and prove to ourselves that we could do it if we kept playing the right way. Indeed they did. The Kings would again draw within a goal late in the third period, but the Hurricanes held on for the 4-3 win. -- Nathan Gerbe left today s game in the first period and did not return. He was on the receiving end of a heavy check from Kyle Clifford and landed awkwardly. He had to be helped off the ice and was ruled out with a lower-body injury. Peters did not have a further update on Gerbe after the game. Right after the hit, Brad Malone jumped to the defense of his teammate and tangled with Clifford, the Hurricanes first fighting major of the season. -- Victor Rask skated in his 100th career NHL game today. He posted the secondary assist on Faulk s second powerplay goal of the game and has 45 points (16g, 29a) in his young career. -- The Hurricanes will now travel to Philadelphia to face off with the Flyers tomorrow night in the latter half of a back-toback set.
This five-game homestand, we got points in four of five and leads in those games that we only got the single points in, Peters said. I like the way we re going. We re a quarter of the way through the season. I believe in our group, and I like the way we re going. Brind'Amour Honored in Flyers Hall of Fame Monday, 11.23.2015 / 8:30 AM ET / Tracking the Storm By Michael Smith PHILADELPHIA At the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia faithful, who are notorious for making their voices heard, jeered every team that wasn t the Flyers. But then the Carolina Hurricanes took the stage to announce the seventh overall pick, and Rod Brind Amour stood at the podium. He wasn t even able to finish an entire sentence before applause overwhelmed him. Brind Amour was and still is a fan-favorite in Philadelphia, even 14 years after he was a key piece moved from Philadelphia to Carolina in one of the more seminal trades of Canes franchise history. That s the thing about Philadelphia sports fans, Brind Amour says: they never forget. It s a great fan base, he said. Some players they just adore and love, and other players, for whatever reason, they get on them. I think it s more that they just don t ever forget, so if you ve done something in the past that upsets them or puts you in a bad light, they re going to remember that. I guess I never did that, so I m lucky. That s because Brind Amour, above all else, worked, perhaps harder than anyone else. Playing for a franchise that prides itself on that very element, Brind Amour was the embodiment of Flyers hockey. It s just a great pro sports town. They back their teams and differently than a lot because they re there and loyal but they ll give it to you if the effort s not there, Brind Amour explained. It was a perfect fit for me with the way I played. They appreciated, win or lose, if you brought the effort. That s really what it was about, and that s what really is special about that city. Tonight, the Flyers will honor Brind Amour with a pregame ceremony and induct him into the team s Hall of Fame. Brind Amour s wife, Amy, and their son, Brooks, in addition to his daughter, Briley, and two sons, Skyler and Reece, made the trip to Philadelphia. It s real special, he said. It s nerve-wracking having to go talk in front of 20,000 people, but it s a nice honor they are doing for me. The hard part is you re sitting there thanking a lot of people and telling them how great they are, and then you have to go try and beat them. It would be way harder if I was actually playing, he continued. At that point, my work is done in that we ve prepared the guys and hopefully they execute. It will be a little bit of mixed emotions, but it s just great that they see fit to do this for me. Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters is giddy for his assistant coach, and is, of course, ribbing him in a friendly manner. I m excited about the ceremony for Roddy. I really am, Peters said after Sunday s game. They re awesome. I m excited about that. I was grilling him about what was going on. I can t wait. It s going to be an emotional evening, and we re going to feed off that energy. On September 22, 1991, Philadelphia acquired the then-21- year-old Brind Amour in a multi-player swap with the St. Louis Blues. Brind Amour spent parts of nine seasons with the Flyers, qualifying for postseason play in five straight seasons from 1994-95 to 1998-99 and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 1996-97 season. In 633 career games with Philadelphia, Brind Amour recorded 235 goals and 366 assists, totaling 601 points. He posted a career-best 97 points (35g, 62a) in the 1993-94 season and notched 51 points (24g, 27a) in 57 playoff games with the Flyers. The only regret I have playing there is that we didn t win [a Stanley Cup], he recalled. We were primed, I think, to have a real good team for a long time. It s all hindsight now. We got beat pretty good in the Finals, but to get there was the easiest year I ever had in my life. We blew through everybody. We were a young team at that time, and they dismantled it a little bit too early. I think if that group had stayed together to really fight through that, I think we could have done something special. From February 1993 to October 1999, Brind Amour played in 484 consecutive games, a Flyers team record that remains untouched to this day. It s worth noting, of course, for its statistical significance, though Brind Amour points to a simple lesson learned on day one as a Flyer. They had a high standard of preparing. It was the way a Flyer was supposed to play. Every organization has that, but they had their way, he said. I think it was a perfect fit for how I liked to play and how I became a player. It s kind of what I patterned myself after, the Flyer mode just coming to play hard every night and not worrying about the outcomes because they ll take care of themselves. That s what they re about. The Flyers mantra not only helped to describe Brind Amour s character but also shaped him as a player as he progressed in his career with Carolina and captured Lord Stanley's Cup in June 2006. It s the way I always played, he said. I think I learned that there and instilled in me there, but it s something I definitely brought through the rest of my career. That s the way I had to play, and it s the way I found success. If nothing else, it was his unquestionable commitment and unparalleled work ethic that endeared Rod Brind Amour to the city of Philadelphia and made an indelible mark on the Flyers franchise, just as he would do with the Hurricanes years later.
For that, he is rightly honored tonight among the Flyers greats. I have nothing but great memories about being a Flyer, Brind Amour said. This is a special night, and I m very grateful. Gameday: Hurricanes at Flyers Monday, 11.23.2015 / 6:00 AM ET / Tracking the Storm By Michael Smith PHILADELPHIA Congrats, Rod! This is the gameday hub, where you can find all the latest news and information related to tonight s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers 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. Important programming note: this game is denoted as a typical 7 p.m. start time on the schedule, but puck drop is slated for 7:59 p.m. This is due to the pregame ceremony that will be held, beginning at 7 p.m., to induct Canes assistant coach Rod Brind Amour into the Flyers Hall of Fame. A preview of tonight s Metropolitan Division showdown can be found below. The Hurricanes will be on the ice at Wells Fargo Center at 11:30 a.m. for their morning skate, and we ll be rinkside to bring you updates. Last updated: 6:00 a.m. CANES BRIEFLY HIT THE ROAD 6:00 a.m. For the first time in nearly two weeks, the Carolina Hurricanes are back on the road, albeit briefly, as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the latter half of a back-to-back set. The Canes put a bow on their season-long, five-game homestand Sunday afternoon with a 4-3 victory over what was the Pacific Division s top team, the Los Angeles Kings. And while the homestand didn t deliver the knockout results the Canes were looking for the team tallied a 1-1-3 record and five points there is reason to be encouraged, and it culminated with Sunday afternoon s win over a notoriously heavy team. We got points in four of five and [had] leads in those games that we only got the single points in. I like the way we re going, head coach Bill Peters said after the game. We re a quarter of the way through the season. I believe in our group, and I like the way we re going. Trailing 3-0 in the second period, Los Angeles twice pulled within a goal, once at 3-2 and again at 4-3. In both instances, the Hurricanes dug in and preserved their advantage, something they were unable to do in each of their three overtime losses during the homestand. We just need to prove to ourselves that, if we keep pushing, we ll be all right, said Justin Faulk, who scored two powerplay goals, including the game-winner, on Sunday. We obviously gave up some wins when we had the lead, and once we got the lead tonight, we had to keep going and prove to ourselves that we could do it if we kept playing the right way. Nine days after getting edged 3-2 in overtime by the Flyers at PNC Arena, the Hurricanes are in Philadelphia for the first of two times this season looking to even the score. In that Saturday night match-up in Raleigh on Nov. 14, the Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals off the sticks of Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask. Luke Schenn halved Carolina s advantage prior to the second intermission, and with just 3:09 left in regulation, Wayne Simmond s net front presence tied the game at two and forced overtime. 37 seconds into the extra frame, Jakub Voracek delivered the Canes their second straight overtime loss. Since defeating the Canes, Philadelphia is winless in three straight games and has been shut out in two straight. Martin Jones made 34 saves in San Jose s 1-0 overtime win over the Flyers, and Craig Anderson turned away 36 shots in a 4-0 win for Ottawa. The Flyers rank last in the league in goals scored with just 35 in 20 games. Every game is big, Peters said. We need to be hungry for points. On his fourth shift of the game Sunday, Nathan Gerbe was on the receiving end of a heavy check from Kyle Clifford. Gerbe s right leg landed awkwardly on the ice, and he had to be helped off the ice. He did not return to the game with a lower-body injury and is not with the Canes in Philadelphia, so expect to see Chris Terry, who was a healthy extra Sunday, draw back into the lineup, unless Peters opts to dress seven defensemen. CANESPR NOTES: Justin Faulk leads the Hurricanes in goals (8), points (15) and power-play goals (8). He also ranks first in the league among all skaters in power-play goals, and he s already eclipsed his power-play goal total from last year (7) in just 20 games. Brett Pesce scored his first NHL goal Sunday vs. Los Angeles and also added an assist on Jeff Skinner s second-period tally in his first-career multi-point game.
Hurricanes-Flyers Preview AP Nov 22, 2015 at 10:26p ET Piling up as many injuries as they are points, the Philadelphia Flyers have had trouble scoring since beating Carolina for their only victory in the last two weeks. Wayne Simmonds thinks he has the answer for the ailing Flyers to avoid being shut out for a team-record third straight game Monday night against the visiting Hurricanes. Philadelphia (6-9-5) has dropped 11 of 13, but its 1-3-2 stretch over the past two weeks has proved costly beyond the standings. Over that span, the team has put forwards Ryan White (upper body) and R.J. Umberger and defenseman Mark Streit (groin) on injured reserve. And now center Scott Laughton could be out with an upper-body injury he suffered on a hit by Alex Chiasson early in Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Ottawa. Injuries aren't the only concern as the Flyers try to snap a three-game slide (0-1-2) since Jakub Voracek scored his only goal this season 37 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 win at Carolina on Nov. 14. Philadelphia has been outscored 8-2 since that victory and been shut out in the last two games. The Flyers, trying to avoid becoming the first team to be shut out in three straight since Arizona in March 2013, are averaging a NHL-low 1.70 goals and been held to one or none in 10 games. "We have to make it a consistent thing and have traffic 100 percent of the time and not 85 percent of the time," Simmonds said. "There has to be second and third opportunities. The first shot, if the goalie sees it, he's going to stop it. If we don't take his eyes away it's not going to go into the back of the net." Perhaps that's why Simmonds has scored just three goals after leading the Flyers with 28 last season. The right wing doesn't have a point in three straight games after finding the net against the Hurricanes (7-10-3). Simmonds has 16 points in 17 career meetings with Carolina, collecting three goals and two assists in the last three at Philadelphia. Voracek has seven points in his past six home matchups, while Claude Giroux - the team leader with six goals and 13 points - has 14 over his last 10. The Flyers, though, have dropped three of their last four (1-2-1) at home against the Hurricanes. Carolina is trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since a season-high three-game winning streak Oct. 27-30. Coach Bill Peters is feeling encouraged after the Hurricanes capped a 1-1-3 homestand with Sunday's 4-3 victory over Los Angeles. "We're a quarter of the way through the season, I like our group and I like the way we're going," Peters said. Defenseman Justin Faulk has been a positive, leading Carolina with 15 points. His team-high eight goals have all come on the power play and he leads the NHL in that category. He scored twice with the man advantage in the second period Sunday, getting one on his trademark booming slap shot. "There's probably four or five guys in the league that (defenders) don't quite find the shooting lane on because it hurts, and I think he's in that group," Peters said. Faulk has just three assists in seven career games at Philadelphia, tough he did set up Victor Rask's tally Nov. 14. Rookie Brett Pesce is looking to build on his goal and assist Sunday. The defenseman had just one point through his first 12 games and recorded none against the Flyers earlier this month.
Hurricanes end home stand with 4-3 win over LA Kings Peter Koutroumpis RALEIGH, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes finally earned a win at home. Justin Faulk s two power play goals helped fuel a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings at PNC Arena on Sunday. The victory ended a five-game winless streak during which Carolina held leads, but didn t hold on to them to secure two points each time. It also ended a home slate of games on a positive note with four goals scored, the most the Hurricanes (7-10-3) have tallied since their 5-3 win at Detroit on Oct. 16. This home stretch we had points in four out of five, Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters said. I like the way we are going. I believe in our group. It was a full 60 minutes tonight. In addition to Faulk s output, Brett Pesce and Jeff Skinner each scored to bolster the offensive effort that helped goaltender Cam Ward earn his sixth win while making 26 stops against the Kings (12-8-0). With numerous icing and offside whistles sounded during the game s opening minutes, the pace of play eventually picked up. An offensive possession during which captain Eric Staal slapped the puck forward to Victor Rask and then Elias Lindholm in the slot almost made it through, but Kings netminder Jonathan Quick (17 saves) denied the shot attempt from the young Swede. It wasn t long after that Pesce scored his first NHL goal to give Carolina the 1-0 lead at 3:31 into the opening period. Brad Malone earned the assist on the play that originated with the forward winning the draw back to the rookie defenseman who s low shot was slightly tipped upwards off Kings winger Tanner Pearson s stick and continued forward to beat Quick. It was a good play, Pesce said. I think it was (Nathan) Gerbe kinda holding him up a bit and gettin in his way, so it gave me time to walk up the middle and fire away and I got rewarded. Malone later got back into service and came to the aid of linemate Gerbe who fell awkwardly after taking a hit from Kings defenseman Kyle Clifford. Malone and Clifford tussled, exchange punches, and pulled each other around for a minute or so before they were escorted to the box to serve offsetting five-minute majors for fighting. Gerbe glided cautiously towards the Hurricanes bench, not putting any weight on his right leg, and was helped to the dressing room. He didn t return for the remainder of the game and was listed with a lower body injury. Carolina carried its 1-0 lead into the first intermission. It didn t take long for the Hurricanes to extend their advantage once play resumed. Skinner scored at 1:48 when he one-timed the puck towards the net from behind the goal line. Playing it from the bank off the boards as a result of a redirected shot from Pesce which tipped off Kris Versteeg, Skinner managed to hit Quick s right pad to score his fourth of the season. Anytime you can see some pucks hit the back of the net, it s gonna be a confidence booster, Eric Staal said. Every game before this one has been close, it s been tight, it s been not a lot of offense both ways. You need to except that and know the type of game its gonna be and tonight they didn t give up a lot either. Tonight, I liked the way that we were aggressive and kept playin, the way we re supposed to. Tonight we got rewarded with some good bounces and got the result. Soon after Skinner s goal the Hurricanes had a two-man advantage as a result of back-to-back infractions to the Kings Drew Doughty (interference) and Anze Kopitar (delay of game faceoff violation). Versteeg quickly rifled a shot off the post to Quick s right just after the puck dropped to restart play. It didn t take much longer for the puck to end up in the net as Faulk scored his seventh goal of the season to put Carolina up 3-0. After Lindholm couldn t get his stick on the puck, it was swiped back to Faulk who sniped a shot under the cross bar over Quick s stick-side shoulder at the 4:26 mark. Versteeg also earned his second assist of the game on the play as Faulk maintained his league lead in power play goals scored and goals scored by a defenseman. Hopefully, it s a confidence builder from the PP, and also holding the lead goin into the third, Versteeg said. It s always nice when you get rewarded for a lot of hard effort. Play continued to work in the Hurricanes favor as Doughty returned to the box for delay of game after batting the puck over the end glass with his glove. What looked like another optimal advantage to score was quickly negated when Skinner was whistled for interference at 5:57. LA worked to get shots on net, but Ward stayed focused to deny any of them from getting past him as both teams skated through the midpoint of the period.
Quick stayed just as sharp as his stick got in the way of a breakaway attempt from Staal. The game then hit a turning point for the Kings. As Ward lunged for a loose puck in his crease with the help of rookie defenseman Noah Hanifin, they denied Kings captain Dustin Brown from slapping it into the net. Apparently from the referee s vantage point, Hanifin got his hand on the puck and the play was called a penalty shot was awarded. Brown took advantage of it, deked Ward to the right, and fired the puck under the cross bar to put the Kings on the board, trailing 3-1 with 6:58 remaining in the period. Hanifin s reaction to the goal was three violent slaps of his stick against the boards on the bench. I was obviously pretty upset about it, I didn t want to let the team down, he said. There was a lot of arguments of what happened. I personally thought Wardo covered the puck and my hand ended up on top of his. It was just kind of a big scrum, and I think the ref thought I covered it with my glove. I m pretty sure I knew what happened. When he called it, I was pretty disappointed he (Brown) scored. In that moment, I think did a pretty good job of bouncing back getting the power play goal. The Kings kept the pressure on as Kopitar beat Ward after Faulk s clearing pass through the zone didn t make it past the blue line. In just 58 seconds, Carolina s lead was cut to one goal, 3-2. While goal-mouth scrambles continued, Ward threw his body from side-to-side in his crease, Glenn Hall-style to keep the puck out of his net. Another power play gave Carolina the bounce and goal it needed as they gained one back off a Quick miscue with defenseman Alec Martinez. Faulk s point shot was stopped by the goalkeeper and as the puck dribbled to his right in the crease, Martinez s attempt to clear it was misplayed with him pushing the puck past the goal line with his skate. Hanifin and Victor Rask helped set up the power play goal, Faulk s eighth of the season. I got pretty lucky on the second one, Faulk said. I think it went off Martinez,or whatever there in front. The first one, the same thing I got pretty lucky that the puck popped out to me there, and I had some room to shoot. I just try to shoot to put pucks on net if it goes in, it goes in. Even while being outshot and outscored in the period, the Hurricanes carried a two-goal advantage, 4-2, into the final 20 minutes of regulation time. Goaltender Jhonas Enroth began the third period for LA and was faced with defending Carolina s power play. The Kings Pearson was called for high sticking just eight seconds into the period and was soon followed by Brown, who went to the box for hooking. The Hurricanes had a 33-second 5-on-3 advantage with which to test Enroth with, but eventually didn t put many pucks on net during either man-advantage. Carolina continued to maintain possession in the Kings end until a breakout led by Jeff Carter put a threatening sequence together that eventually drew a penalty as Victor Rask served two in the box for slashing. Los Angeles put a few passing sequences together and eventually connected successfully off a faceoff to Ward s right. Kopitar s second of the game made it through traffic and between the keeper s pads, and cut the Hurricanes lead to 4-3. With time running down, Jordan Staal took a penalty for closing his hand on the puck with 18.4 seconds. It was a potentially costly act of desperation to clear the puck as the Kings had pulled Enroth for the extra attacker. Fortunately for Staal and Carolina, LA was unable to tie the game as the two teams split their season series with a win apiece. Hanifin s thoughts echoed many of the 10,154 watching who witnessed it all play out. It s a pretty big relief, Hanifin said. In these types of games, momentum s huge. We ve had a lot of close games recently, but we haven t been able to get the win. Today we played a really big, heavy team in LA and we got a huge win. I think we re pretty pumped about it and we re gonna try to carry it into tomorrow.
The Carolina Hurricanes Remember Jim Connors By Donna Walton Monday, November 23, 2015 at 06:14 AM EST RALEIGH- At PNC Arena on Sunday, a somber round of applause was heard as a video tribute to Raleigh Sports Director Jim Connors played in the jumbotron above the ice. Jim passed away unexpectedly on Saturday at the age of 51. The Carolina Hurricanes paid tribute to Connors during their game against the L.A. Kings. "Jim was a huge Flyers fan growing up, so he had a connection to hockey. Especially with Rod Brind'amour as our captain, and then as a coach. Jim's always felt a connection to Rod from his Flyers days. [He] was always enthusiastic about covering the team," said Mike Sundheim, Vice President of Communications and Team Services for The Carolina Hurricanes. Former Carolina Hurricanes captain turned coach, Rod Brind'Amour remembered Connors well. "It just shows you how fickle life is. Jimmy was always around with a smile on his face [and] a great story to tell always about sports or anything. I just love the guy to be honest. He was a real good, just great man. It's a big tragedy." Current Captain, Eric Staal took time to remember him as well. "It caught me off guard. Jim was a great person. He kind of had an energy and a light to him any time you talked to him. It goes to show, life is short. Anything can happen at any time. I respected what he did and really cared for him as an individual." The Hurricanes went on to beat the Kings, 4-3. Brind'Amour to be inducted into Flyers Hall of Fame Monday, 11.23.2015 / 3:00 AM / NHL Insider By Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor PHILADELPHIA -- Rod Brind'Amour felt he never had a proper chance to say goodbye when the Philadelphia Flyers traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes. Prior to the game between Flyers and Hurricanes on Monday at Wells Fargo Center, Brind'Amour will have the opportunity to thank the people that were most important to him during his nine seasons with the Flyers when he is inducted into their Hall of Fame. "I left Philadelphia and it kind of felt kind of weird," Brind'Amour said. "One day I was there and then I was gone and that was it, and I never got the chance to thank the people that meant so much to me there. So this is kind of a long time coming for that. But it is great for me to do, to be able to thank the people that made Philadelphia great for me." Brind'Amour played 633 regular-season games with the Flyers, and ranks in their top 10 in goals (235), assists (366) and points (601). He scored at least 30 goals four times, represented Philadelphia in the 1992 NHL All-Star Game, and his 484 consecutive games played is a Flyers record. He also had 24 goals and 51 points in 57 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and was the second-line center on teams that went to the 1995 Eastern Conference Final and the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. As strong as his play was, Brind'Amour was renowned for his work ethic on and off the ice. "He's probably as hard a working athlete as certainly I'd ever seen," said Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, a teammate for six seasons. "On the ice, off the ice, in-season,
offseason. He worked at his game after practice off the ice, after practice on the ice, before practice; he was a machine. It was phenomenal to watch as a guy and what a great example for everyone else.... It was day after day. There was never a day off. There was never a time where his intensity or work ethic ever dropped off. It was almost machine-like." For Brind'Amour that mentality began long before he got to Philadelphia. "I started that kind of trend when I was younger and it was just instilled to me as a kid that if I wanted to make the NHL or just to be good as a hockey player I knew that I had to do more than the next kid," he said. "The one thing I could control was how hard I worked. I just never wanted to leave anything on the table so I just always found myself kind of finding the hardest-working player and trying to make sure I was working harder than him." Brind'Amour's work ethic made him a leader in Philadelphia and a role model for his teammates. "He was a quiet leader who led by example," said NBC Sports analyst Keith Jones, who played two seasons with Brind'Amour. "When he did have something to say he wasn't shy about saying it but that wasn't very often. Rod was very focused on his own preparation. And the way that he prepared was something that other players, younger players especially, would look at and go, 'Wow.' He was an eyeopening player for younger guys that were entering the League in what it took to become as good as he was. It wasn't about what he was born with. It's what he worked with." Brind'Amour broke his foot during a preseason game in 1999, which sidelined him for three months and ended his consecutive-games played streak. He returned just before Christmas, and after 12 games the Flyers traded him to the Hurricanes on Jan. 23, 2000, for Keith Primeau. Though Brind'Amour was disappointed to leave the Flyers, he had some of his best seasons with the Hurricanes. He captained them to the 2006 Stanley Cup and won the Selke Trophy in 2006 and 2007. Since retiring in 2010 he has worked for the Hurricanes and is in his fifth season as an assistant coach. He's focused on helping the Hurricanes but for one night will recognize his past. "Honestly I was just really disappointed to be traded from Philadelphia," Brind'Amour said. "It took me a while to get over it but I should have known better; it s hockey [and] I had been traded once before.... There was no animosity, at least for me. For me it's just an honor and I m just thankful that they're even having this night." Di Giuseppe Caps Furious Comeback For Checkers Nicholas Niedzielski The Checkers were able to halt their losing skid Sunday night with a furious comeback victory over the powerhouse San Antonio Rampage, 4-3. Things weren t looking good for the Checkers midway through the second when Joey Hishon found the back of the net to give the Rampage a 3-0 advantage. Trevor Carrick quickly responded by taking a Zach Boychuk dish and ripping his sixth goal of the season, pulling the visitors within two heading into the final period of play. The two squads battled back and forth to start the third until Phil Di Giuseppe found twine and made it a 3-2 game with under seven minutes to go. The Checkers jumped on the stunned Rampage again 22 seconds later when the captain Derek Ryan buried his team-best eighth goal of the year, knotting the contest. The game looked as if it was progressing toward overtime, but Charlotte continued to apply pressure to San Antonio. With just under two minutes to go in regulation, Boychuk collected a turnover in the San Antonio zone and threw it to Di Giuseppe, who dangled around the lone Rampage defensemen and slid the puck in for the game-winner. The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for the Checkers. The win saw the emergence of a Checkers offensive attack that had been missing as of late. Today marked the first time that Charlotte has scored more than three goals in a game since their six-goal outburst on Halloween in Lake Erie. It also saw the team get production from their big guns, something that head coach Mark Morris noted this week was needed to turn things around. Di Giuseppe, who was coming off a stretch that saw him record just one point in four games, now has three in his last two thanks to his pair of strikes today. Boychuk, who was held off the scoresheet during the team s three-game slide, led the club with three helpers in the game, including the game-winning feed to Di Giuseppe.
The team also benefitted from the continued consistent play of Carrick and Ryan. Carrick, who set franchise records as a rookie last season, moved into second among AHL defensemen in goals with his second tally in as many games, while Ryan has now recorded a point in 10 of the Checkers 16 games this season and hasn t been held scoreless in consecutive games. Rookie Rasmus Tirronen manned the crease for the visitors and earned his third win of the season. He shook off a bumpy start and came up with several key stops down the stretch, but was also helped by the Checkers defense, as they held the Rampage to just 18 shots in the game. The win comes against a Rampage team that hadn t lost at home in regulation this season and had only lost once in regulation overall. The Checkers are now back at.500 and will head to Charlotte looking to keep this momentum rolling on home ice. They will face a tough four games in six days this week, beginning Tuesday against the San Jose Barracudas. TODAY S LINKS http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article45913930.html http://www.wralsportsfan.com/faulk-pesce-help-hurricanes-end-5-game-slide-beat-la-4-3/15128744/ http://hurricanes.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2015020304&navid=dl CAR home http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=789236&navid=dl CAR home http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=789198&navid=dl CAR home http://www.foxsports.com/nhl/story/hurricanes-flyers-preview-112215 http://trianglesportsnet.com/archives/9817 http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2015/11/23/carolina-hurricanes-remember-twc-news-raleigh-sports-director-jimconnors.html http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=789014 http://gocheckers.com/game-recaps/1387-di-giuseppe-caps-furious-comeback-for-checkers 984183 Carolina Hurricanes Canes end winless streak with 4-3 victory over Kings By Chip Alexander It was just the kind of game the Carolina Hurricanes have been unable to win of late. The Canes had the lead, then saw it slipping away. A lot of the third period was played in their end, the Canes whacking at pucks, relying on their goalie, trying to hold on. But the Hurricanes held on Sunday. They topped the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 at PNC Arena, playing with grit, protecting the lead in the final minutes to end a five-game winless streak. Justin Faulk had a pair of power-play goals for the Canes (7-10-3), and rookie defenseman Brett Pesce scored his first NHL goal and added an assist for his first multi-point game. Jeff Skinner scored his fourth of the season and goalie Cam Ward made just enough stops in a game that was both bruising and entertaining. It was nice to get the victory the way we did, with some resiliency, Canes forward Kris Versteeg said. It s never easy against the Kings (12-8-0), who were leading the NHL s Pacific Division. The Kings were tough along the boards and tried to muscle up in front of Ward, who had 26 saves. Canes forward Nathan Gerbe was injured in the first period after a big hit by Kyle Clifford causing Canes forward Brad Malone to drop the gloves and fight Clifford. Carolina coach Bill Peters had no update on Gerbe s condition after the game. They re a heavy team and play a hard game, said Versteeg, who had two assists. More than any other team in the league, you ve got to keep your head up all 60 minutes. Pesce scored in the first period with a blast from the point, and the Canes pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second as Skinner converted a tight-angled shot and Faulk unloaded from the point on a 5-on-3 power play. Faulk has eight goals this season, all on the power play, to lead NHL defenseman in scoring. Carolina s Eric Staal then had a chance to make it 4-0 on a breakaway, but Kings goalie Jonathan Quick got the shaft of his stick on the shot and the momentum turned. With about seven minutes left in the second, Canes defenseman Noah Hanifin was called for covering the puck in the crease. Ward and Hanifin both tried to smother the puck near the post after Ward stopped the Kings Dustin Brown on a rebound. Brown was awarded a penalty shot and scored as Hanifin, watching from the bench, smashed his stick in anger. Hanifin later said Ward covered the puck with his glove and that he had his hand on top of Ward s glove. The Kings Anze Kopitar scored the first of his two goals 58 seconds later, and the Canes lead was 3-2. But the Canes responded with Faulk s second power-play score with 2:14 left in the second. Quick stopped Faulk s point shot, but the puck
glanced off the skate of Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, who had whiffed on it trying to clear. You ve got to rely on special teams to win games sometimes and Justin Faulk has one of the best shots in the league, Pesce said. The Kings replaced Quick in net with Jhonas Enroth in the third and Kopitar s second goal, on a power play with 10:45 in regulation, made it 4-3. The Kings pulled Enroth in the final minute and Carolina s Jordan Staal was penalized with 18 seconds left but the Kings couldn t tie it. The Canes had coughed up leads in recent games and lost. This time, they won. We need to be hungry for points and we found a way to get some points today and scored some goals, Peters said. I believe in our group and like the way we re going. News Observer LOADED: 11.23.2015 984254 Philadelphia Flyers Flyers searching for offense JEFF NEIBURG, Daily News Staff Writer jneiburg@phillynews.com POSTED: Monday, November 23, 2015, 3:01 AM SURE, THE numbers are pretty bad. The Flyers haven't scored in more than 138 minutes of play. Their 35 goals scored is a franchise-worst through 20 games in the near 50-year history of the organization. They're scoring fewer goals per game than any other team in the league. In 10 games in front of their home crowd at Wells Fargo Center, they have just 15 goals. Saturday, in a 4-0 loss at Ottawa, they went scoreless for the second game in a row. They've scored just seven goals in their last six games and have fallen to 6-9-5. But despite the lack of goal-scoring, coach Dave Hakstol is more concerned about the Flyers' play in the defensive zone and their play without the puck. The past two games, the Flyers got a combined 70 shots on goal. But none of those attempts got by San Jose's Martin Jones or Ottawa's Craig Anderson. Hakstol said after Sunday's optional skate that he wants the focus to be more on what the Flyers can control. "All the focus coming out of the last two games, and certainly coming out of (Saturday) night, is on the lack of goal-scoring," Hakstol said. "That's what I feel. That's where all the focus is at. I'm going to flip that 180 degrees. We had 81 shooting attempts (Saturday) night and zero goals, so obviously we have to do a little better. We have to be hungrier around that net. But I think if we have 81 shooting attempts the next game, we'll probably get one. "My focus is on the attention to detail without the puck. How did we give up the first goal? Why did we give up the second goal? Why did we give up the third goal? Those are the things that are part of a foundation that I believe we need to do a better job of. And those are the things that are always within your control. The play of another goaltender, the bounce of the puck, a play around the net, sometimes those things are not in your control. The plays that led to our goals against (Saturday) night, those are foundational items that are always within our control." That's not to say Hakstol is content. Certainly any coach whose team is struggling to score this badly has a high level of concern. But he thinks the signs are there for the team to break out of its scoring slump, at least when looking at the last three games. The Flyers have 108 shots on goal in those three games. They entered Sunday second in the league in shot attempts per game. It's just a matter of getting those shots through the goaltender and across the goal line. Easier said than done. "When you look at the last couple of games, you'd be able to make an argument that we deserved a better fate," Hakstol said. "But I'm not in the business of making that argument. I think we can and have to be better in areas of the offensive game. There's no question about that. But, No. 1, first you have to deal with the things that give you long-term success." That is something the Flyers are desperately searching for. Laughton skates Less than 24 hours after getting hit and leaving the game Saturday night in Ottawa, Scott Laughton was back on the ice at the Flyers' practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. Two minutes into the game, Laughton hit the sideboards awkwardly after being struck from behind by Senators forward Alex Chiasson. Laughton, who has a concussion history, appeared to suffer a shoulder or head injury. He was evaluated in the locker room and the Flyers ruled him out for the rest of the game with an upper-body injury. "Any time you're kind of in a dangerous area, it's scary," Laughton said. "All is good. I watched it a couple of times and I don't really know if it was clean, but it's a tough play." With Laughton in pain on the ice, linemate Sam Gagner came to his defense and dropped the gloves with Chiasson. The much smaller Gagner held his own in the bout, but was given an instigator penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. So the Flyers were down two forwards for an extended portion of Saturday's game. "I really appreciate that," Laughton said of Gagner having his back. "I went up to him and said thank you. I would do the same for him and he knows that. I really appreciated that. It really means a lot when you get hit like that and a smaller guy comes in and fights a 6-foot-4 guy, or whatever it is." Laughton said he felt good and would be evaluated after skating Sunday. He was unsure if he'd be in the lineup Monday night against Carolina. Slap shots There were five Flyers on the ice at Sunday's optional skate: Scott Laughton, Vincent Lecavalier, Taylor Leier, Shayne Gostisbehere and goalie Michal Neuvirth... Former Flyers forward Rod Brind'Amour, who is now an assistant coach with the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, will be inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame Monday night... The Hurricanes (7-10-3) snapped a five-game losing streak with a win Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.23.2015 984255 Philadelphia Flyers Brind'Amour newest Flyers Hall of Famer Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer POSTED: Monday, November 23, 2015, 3:01 AM Rod Brind'Amour spent parts of nine seasons with the Flyers, including six years with defenseman Chris Therien as his teammate. Make that his appreciative teammate. Therien watched Brind'Amour's fanatical devotion to fitness with wide eyes. "Nobody worked harder," said Therien, now a Flyers broadcaster. "When I think of Roddy Brind'Amour, the first thing I think of is dedication and work. I know he has a lot of accolades - the Stanley Cup, captain of a team - but to me, the work and the professionalism he brought to the rink every day is what stands out. He was committed to helping his team and committed to himself." That commitment will land Brind'Amour in the Flyers' Hall of Fame on Monday before the Flyers face Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center. Brind'Amour, now a Hurricanes assistant, was one of the NHL's physicalfitness pioneers, Therien said. He was always in the weight room, always pushing himself.