The Pittsburgh Penguins will invade the RBC Center for a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night tied for the Eastern Conference lead with a record of 5-1. The Pens are 4-0 on the road and have won three straight. Needless to say, this match will be a huge test for the Hurricanes, who are presently 2-3.
Will the home team come out with a chip on their shoulders and with something to prove after being swept in last year's Eastern Conference Finals?
We will have ample discussion about this game right up until the puck drops.
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Jussi Jokinen missed Monday's practice because of a possible cold. (respiratory issue). He is still expected to play Wednesday. Joni Pitkanen also missed practice, although he skated alone beforehand. He is still questionable with a sore knee. We will keep an eye on the status of both of these players.
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SB Nation had an exclusive interview with Hall of Famer Mark Messier recently to discuss the new, improved M-11 helmet he is marketing. You can check out the interview here. Kudos to Brandon Worley for doing a fine job with that.
Aaron Ward is trying out the new helmet and reportedly likes it so far.
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Brian LeBlanc, from The Big Tailgate, covers the Hurricanes for Curtis Media Group's WPTF and posts his articles and other information at a section of the site called "Puck Drops". If you listen to 96 Rock, you probably have heard of the site.
A couple of weeks ago, Brian started a hockey podcast and previously has had guests such as Tripp Tracy and Puck Daddy's own Greg Wyshynski on his show. This week, he was nice enough to invite yours truly to give it a try, so on Monday after lunch I joined Brian and his co-host Phil and we discussed a few Hurricanes related topics, such as the slew of recent penalties, Joni Pitkaken's injury, and the Pittsburgh game coming up.
Brian and Phil are real professionals and I did my best to try to keep up with them. While we did not officially solve any of Carolina's problems, we did have a lot of fun and hopefully we can do it again soon. If you would like to take a listen, check the link below.
For previous shows, you can reference this link. "Puck Drops Podcasts".
Thanks again, Brian and Phil and see you at the next game!