The last two games that the Carolina Hurricanes played looked as different as night and day. Saturday night in Washington, the team looked listless and played without energy. Tuesday night in Toronto, they looked the exact opposite and dominated most of the game. Many Caniacs are wondering which team they will see tonight in Ottawa? I'm guessing that we will see more of what we saw against the Leafs. First off, the Canes should have plenty of motivation behind them. The Senators have been one of the best teams in the NHL so far this season and with a record of 5-0, have yet to lose a game. It would be sweet to knock them off their perch! Carolina also has the distinct advantage of being the more rested team because Ottawa had to play in Atlanta last night, then take the long flight home after the game. The Sens won that game 3-1 behind the solid goaltending of their rookie, Brian Elliott. Notice who they were saving for the big game tonight? Ex-Cane Martin Gerber will be in goal for this one to face his old team-mates.
The Hurricanes lineup shouldn't look any different than it was Tuesday night. Mike Commodore and Andrew Ladd are still injured, while Cory Stillman and Bret Hedican are looking good enough to play again. The red hot Cam Ward will be between the pipes for the Canes. This game should be a real barnburner whether it's the 2nd game of a back to back for the Sens, or not! It starts at 7:30 and will be shown on FSN, with a pre-game show starting at 7. For those of you wanting to watch the game with other loyal Caniacs, the Hurricanes are sponsoring the first "Cool Bars" night of the season at the Carolina Ale House in Wake Forest. I've only been to one of those functions myself, but it was a lot of fun.
Before I sign off, another ex-Cane, Jesse Boulerice, who surprisingly made the Philadelphia Flyers roster this fall, is in trouble and soon to be suspended. He crossed checked the Canucks' Ryan Kesler in the jaw during last night's game and drew a 10 minute "attempt to injure" game misconduct. I liked Jesse when he played here, but this was a stupid and ugly incident. There's no place for it in hockey. He's never going to leave his past behind as long as he continues with those type of cheap shots.
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