Team Finland Falls Short: Capitals 4, Hurricanes 3 (OT)
The Carolina Hurricanes had a slow start but battled back to push the Washington Capitals to the limit before falling in overtime last night at the Verizon Center, 4-3.
Alexander Semin started things off just two minutes and change into the game as he got behind the Carolina defense and roofed a backhander past Manny Legace to make the score 1-0.
The Canes were able to draw a couple of penalties in the period, but the powerplay was abysmal as the team was unable to generate any offense at all while with the man advantage. The Caps nearly scored a couple of times, but Legace made some fine saves to keep his team in it.
Then Carolina took a couple of penalties and the Capitals were more than happy to take full advantage. Mike Green would score on their second chance to make the score 2-0 with 2:01 left in the period.
But the Hurricanes youth would come charging back.
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Hurricanes Sign Kyle Lawson To Entry-Level Contract
From the Hurricanes:
‘CANES AGREE TO TERMS WITH DEFENSEMAN KYLE LAWSON
2005 draft pick recently completed senior season at Notre Dame
RALEIGH, NC—Jason Karmanos, Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Kyle Lawson on a two-year, entry-level contract. Lawson receives an $80,000 signing bonus and will be paid $500,000 on the NHL level and $50,000 on the American Hockey League (AHL) level in 2010-11 and $525,000 on the NHL Level and $50,000 on the AHL level in 2011-12. He will join the Hurricanes’ AHL-affiliate Albany River Rats for the remainder of the 2009-10 season, on an amateur tryout contract.
Lawson, 23, recently completed his senior season at the University of Notre Dame, leading all Irish defensemen and ranking third on the team in scoring with 22 points (4g, 18a) in 38 games. The Southfield, MI, native ranked fourth among CCHA defensemen in scoring, notching three goals and 15 assists (18 points) in 28 conference games, including one game-winning goal and three power-play tallies. Drafted by the Hurricanes in the seventh round, 198th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Lawson completed his collegiate career with 17 goals and 73 assists (90 points) in 161 games. He was named the CCHA’s Top Defensive Defenseman and earned Second-Team All-CCHA honors in 2008-09, after totaling four goals and 19 assists (23 points) and registering a +14 plus/minus rating in 40 games during his junior season.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Lawson has represented the United States in international play, including service as an alternate captain for Team USA at the 2007 World Junior Championship in Sweden, helping the Americans capture the bronze medal. A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Lawson also represented the U.S. at the Four Nations Tournament and the Under-18 World Championships during the 2004-05 season.
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Reunited --- Hurricanes at Capitals, Game Day Preview
The surging Carolina Hurricanes, (27-31-7) will have a good opportunity to see exactly how far they have come this season as they take on the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals, (44-13-9) tonight at the Verizon Center.
The Canes have been one of the hottest teams in the league during the last month or so and have won eight of their last nine games, as well as 13 of their last 17. The Caps have been one of the best teams in the NHL all season long and are almost unbeatable at home, although Carolina did win the last time the club visited the Nation's Capital.
The game also marks the first time the teams have met since last week's trade deadline deals were completed which had each respective franchise swap a couple of players each.
Scott Walker and Joe Corvo will face their old buds while Brian Pothier and Oskar Osala will go against the franchise which, more or less, gave them up for a short term improvement. Depending upon the circumstances regarding each player's departure, the athletes could use a matchup like this one as extra motivation.
For instance, feeling somewhat slighted by one particular ex-franchise, Corvo always used to love to face the Ottawa Senators and lit them up for a hat trick his first game against them. Although according to reports, the defenseman has yet to play up to his potential with his new team.
Walker, on the otherhand, scored two goals in his fIrst game with the Caps and seems to have fit right in.
Pothier has been a steady presence so far and seems to like the "simple" system in Carolina. On more than one occasion he has commented about how the forwards "back-pressure" here. Perhaps he is not used to that phenomenon?
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Oskar Osala Recalled From Albany
Newly acquired, Oskar Osala has been recalled from Albany today and will play tonight against the Washington franchise that just traded him away. Osala was included in the trade that sent Joe Corvo to the Capitals.
The Hurricanes are reporting that Erik Cole is ill and will not be able to play tonight.
We will have more information in our game preview after lunch.
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Manny Legace Still Fighting For Respect
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Manny Legace has faced a fair share of adversity in his career. After being drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the eighth round of the 1993 Entry Draft, the franchise apparently gave up on him and traded the young goalie to the Los Angeles Kings in 1998 for a conditional draft pick.
The Kings let him go shortly after that and he was eventually signed as a free agent by Detroit in 1999, but they put him on waivers early that season. The Red Wings had not completely given up on him though and claimed him back off the waiver wire a bit later. He stayed with the Wings for several years after that.
Playing the role of backup is nothing new to the veteran. While he was in Detroit, he served as understudy to the likes of Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, and Curtis Joseph. Not only was he a suitable backup, he stepped up and played a major role when one or more of the star goalies went down to injury.
In the 2000-01 season, he had a 24-5-5 record. In 2005-06, when Joseph and Hasek both fell to injuries, (and each had respective salaries of $8 million and $10 million), Legace held the fort with a 37-8-3 record at a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately for the goalie, when the Oilers eliminated the Wings in the first round of the playoffs that postseason, Legace got the brunt of the blame and was released that summer.
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Hurricanes Have Pieces In Place To Build An Elite Defense
I try to not look too far in the future simply because you never know what will happen. But when I look at what the Carolina Hurricanes defense could be next year and beyond, I can't help but quiver with anticipation. An outsider might look at the Canes’ blueline and think the group could have the kind of success the 2006 Stanley Cup-winning defense had: effective, but essentially a no-name group that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Such outsiders would be wrong. This defense — from skating and offensive potential to physicality and defensive positioning — has the potential to be good. Really, really good.
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A Belated Look At The Carolina Hurricanes’ Trade Deadline Moves
A five-day trip to Buffalo — where I tried but failed to keep the Sabres from making the best buyers' move of the deadline — kept me off the radar for this season's NHL's annual swap meet. But have no fear! I'm still going to weigh in on the moves GM Jim Rutherford made — and didn't make — and what it means in the long and short term for the franchise.
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