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Clicks and Clippings: Game pucks, Headshots and Half-price pizza

By Carolyn Christians

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Don't forget, after more than two weeks of winless hockey, today you can get half-price pizza delivered from PapaJohns.com using the discount code "CANIAC" .

After speculation all day on the consequences Andy Sutton would face for his egregious check on Alexei Ponikarovsky in last night's game, the word was handed down late today:

  • Sutton Suspended Indefinitely - Edmonton Journal He’s been tagged as a repeat offender, he just finished serving a suspension for another dangerous hit, and this is the kind of situation where league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan is unlikely to take a lot of flack for a harsh sentence. The only question is exactly how many games Sutton is going to miss.

  • Plus this: Twitter / @DarrenDreger: Sounds like Andy Sutton will waive right to in-person hearing. 1 of few with passion last night, but he'll earn a big susp for a bad hit.
  • On Ovechkin's spear and Sutton's hit to the head - Kerry Fraser, TSN.ca ★★★★★ Thoughts from the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers last night. The retired NHL official addresses the actions of both Andy Sutton and Tim Gleason (toward the bottom).
  • If you missed it: Video: Andy Sutton’s leaping headshot on Ponikarovsky - Puck Daddy ★★★★ EJ Hradek of NHL.com wondered if this hit would warrant "double digits" in a suspension for Sutton. It's hard to imagine something that didn't result in a player being helped off the ice resulting in 10 games or more, even for a repeat offender with the frequency of Sutton.

And much different and more refreshing storylines:

  • Chip Alexander spoke with Mike Murphy yesterday after his first NHL appearance in Calgary the night before: Murphy makes history in debut - NewsObserver.com ★★★★★ Mike Murphy said he was up at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday to grab a flight, made two connections and got into Calgary in the early afternoon. He said he checked his cell phone after the game to find 68 Blackberry instant messages and another 30 texts. He said his Facebook message inbox on was full.
  • Friday morning UPDATE: via @LukeDeCock Kirk Muller echoes Badger Bob - Eric Duhatschek, The Globe and Mail ★★★★ Carolina’s optimistic new head coach says ‘nobody has to be Superman’

After the jump, must-watch video from Jim Rutherford on NHL LIve earlier this hour, plus looks at the last game, the next game, Charlotte, prospects, and this whole realignment explained and evaluated.

This is must watch with Jim Rutherford talking about the challenges of changing coaches, why Kirk Muller, expectations for Eric Staal, where he goes from here, particularly in light of the new four-conference NHL: ★★★★★



Recaps and analyses from last night's "Dub"



Postgame - the perspective from Edmonton

Just some excerpts, because it's been so long since the Canes won a game:

  • Oil derrick blown away by Hurricane, 5-3 - Bruce McCurdy, Edmonton Journal My own observation was that Edmonton was fortunate to have only ceded five goals, heck, Jeff Skinner could have had that many all on his own if only he had brought his goal-scoring stick. The slippery teenage star left befuddled Oilers in his slipstream all night long. The Oil couldn’t handle Chad LaRose and Patrick Dwyer, let alone a talent like Jeff Skinner.
  • Oilers struggling - Terry Jones, Edmonton Sun ★★★★ The slogan Edmonton fans adopted, when the Oilers managed to get out of the gate great this season, was more along the lines of "We don’t suck anymore." Well, hello. They’re back to sucking again.
  • Still hoping to find a photo of this, but here's a nice lede in Oilers hand Muller first win - Edmonton Sun Kirk Muller can’t remember the last time he was awarded a game puck.
  • This would be the argument explaining how Sutton earned a third star in last nights game: ’Canes blow through Oilers- Edmonton Sun Losing is one thing, but losing without passion or push back or energy is something else -something dangerous and familiar in Edmonton. When the momentum needed changing, they didn't have anyone who could do it — didn't seem to have anybody other than Andy Sutton (who laid out a handful of Canes), who tried.



Looking ahead

  • Update on the Jets game: Mason to get call against Hurricanes- Winnipeg Sun The veteran netminder, Chris Mason, will be appearing in only his sixth appearance of the season, but he’s already posted two wins over the Hurricanes.

  • Can Jets avoid letdown against Hurricanes? - Ken Wiebe, Jet Stream ★★★★ "They’ve played us tough," added Jets forward Kyle Wellwood. "Skinner has been their top guy and if (Eric) Staal gets going, they’re going to be a lot more dangerous. We’re just looking to stop their top guys and play a good team game."

  • If you're on twitter and don't already follow Patrick Williams (@PWilliamNHL) add him for tomorrow. He promised me he'd be at the skate at MTS and would push the Canes coverage hard since the updates have been so slow in coming on this trip.



Charlotte updates

  • Accidentally left it out last time but a big deal: Peters named AHL Goaltender of the Month (November) On Thursday, the AHL named Justin Peters its Goaltender of the Month for November after a stellar period in which he posted a 5-1-1 record with a 1.63 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.
  • Sanguinetti nearing Return - Paul Branecky, gocheckers.com ★★★ "It was one of those things where it just wasn’t getting better," said Bobby Sanguinetti, who had taken a hard shot off the foot during the team’s 5-2 loss that night. "We had the X-rays and even then they couldn’t really tell what it was, so then we had the CT scan and that’s when it showed the break."
  • Checkers Reassign Justin Shugg to Florida with too many healthy forwards, back he goes to Naples.
  • Shaya's 10 thoughts (Dec 7) ★★★ Questions about why it was Murphy and not Justin Peters were answered by Sr. VP Derek Wilkinson: "Peters is subject to both re-entry and regular waivers. In this case, the Canes would not have had time to get him through re-entry waivers and get him the line-up given the time frame."
  • And a video interview with Chris Terry is worth a look as we try to key on his future with the organization. Specifically discussed playing on the point in the powerplay and other defensive learning experience courtesy of Jeff Daniels.




    • Prospects and the WJC

    Realignment and the Neo-Patrick Diviference

    • NHL overhaul shuffles Canes to new conference - NewsObserver.com An explanation.
    • What Realignment Means for Canes - Michael Smith, Tracking the Storm ★★★★★ Another really in-depth explanation.
    • Perspective from the Big Apple: NHL realignment amps up rivalries - ESPN New York ★★★

      • "Starz on the Horizon": In the "old" Atlantic Division, the Islanders seemed to have a monopoly on top-of-the-draft talent. No longer. The Canes will bring Jeff Skinner and dynamic D-men Justin Faulk and Ryan Murphy with them, while the Capitals could introduce their next high-profile Russian prospect, Evgeny Kuznetsov, as early as next season.

      "Family Ties": Starting in 2012, all four Staal brothers will play in the same division -- if youngest brother Jared should get the call up to the Canes. In case you're wondering, there will be a 42 percent chance that a Staal brother will reach the NHL semifinals each year.

    • In which I suggest that the modern economics of the Salary Cap may mitigate the Old Time Hockey Dynasty: Red Light District: Why salary cap makes realignment work But I’m not so sure that this is actually a case where history will be repeating itself. A very familiar principle guiding so much of what happens in today’s NHL didn't exist back in the 70s and 80s: The Salary Cap.