NHL: Canes Blow Away Competition

Last week, the Carolina Hurricanes set a new franchise record with their eighth consecutive win, a 5-3 triumph at HSBC Arena over the Buffalo Sabres. The streak reached nine games before coming to an end.

Sparkling sophomore Eric Staal has been a main cog behind Carolina's surge as he sits among the league scoring leaders with 29 points.

The Canes sport three lines that combine speed, skill and a scoring punch. Rod Brind'Amour and Erik Cole have rebounded from poor seasons, while off-season acquisitions such as Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman and Oleg Tverdovsky have fit in seamlessly and solidified offensive depth.

Eric Staal (Car), C

Sat second in league scoring with 26 points and 11 goals which already equals his rookie output .. extended scoring streak to nine games (6-7-13) .. possess excellent hand-eye coordination and is able to bat down pucks with ease .. big long reach makes him extremely difficult to play against .. able to stickhandle and turn defenders inside-out with his super-quick hands .. displays patience and ultimate control of the puck .. always knows where his linemates are on the ice and shows strong chemistry with Erik Cole and Cory Stillman .. made a slick move on a drop pass which opened space for Mike Zigomanis's goal, plus countless other setups throughout the game .. seemingly had the puck on a string and was distributing faster than the defense could react .. commands loads of attention now as defenders focus on minimizing his available space, yet he is still able to make plays .. confidence level is soaring and seems to be fuelled by the comfort of having a supporting cast of contributors .. looked dangerous all night with the puck, which seemed to follow him around the ice .. getting very strong on his skates and more adept at protecting the puck with his huge frame and using it to bulldoze his way to the net .. his shot really zings off his stick, powered by a superb release .. robbed of a sure goal by Biron's glove late in the contest .. demonstrates great anticipation of where to position himself in the offensive zone .. defensively, he backchecks adequately well, though has difficulty at times quickly identifying his man and can appear a little lost .. took relatively shorter shifts and registered no shots in the middle stanza and appeared almost ordinary .. perhaps the NHL's biggest emergence so far this season.

Erik Cole (Car) RW

A force all game as his strong skating and determination earned him a pair of penalty shots in one game to set an NHL record .. connected on the first with a great backhand but failed to score on the second .. so aggressive on the puck, creates extra room for himself from a near-reckless style of play .. constantly moving his feet and was rewarded with a number of quality scoring chances .. displays a consistently strong work ethic .. showed particularly good imagination behind the net where he set up two goals from .. patiently took an extra second to survey the situation before centering passes .. boasts an effective one-timer and a nice release .. plays a solid two-way game as well, often coming back deep and doing the little things like tying up a players stick .. always looking to dish out hits and playing the high-energy kind of game that should make him a 30-plus goal guy in the new NHL.

Cory Stillman (Car) LW

Underrated player steadily gaining recognition as a creative offensive wizard .. quietly putting up points similar to his stay with the Lightning last time where he finished among the league's top 10 scorers .. a gifted passer who possesses unique on-ice vision that enables him to develop plays .. utilizes space exceptionally well, productive in small spaces where he usually makes an effective play .. excellent acceleration with a smooth effortless stride .. excels in PP opportunities where he can really slow the game down and has time to find and deliver the perfect pass .. made one particularly nice cross-ice pass to Eric Staal that was denied by Biron .. takes passes equally well on both the forehand or backhand .. not a shutdown defensively where he struggles and is often too eager to join the offensive rush at the expense of his defensive duties .. though it might be premature to predict another top 10 finish this year, he is certainly well surrounded by talented linemates in Staal and Cole, and starting to make multi-assist games a habit.

Rod Brind'Amour (Car) C

Normally strong on faceoffs however tonight won less than half his draws in critical areas of the ice .. seemed to excel more in PK situations than even-strength as the majority of his scoring chances where generated via his hard work while killing penalties .. shows a decent first step still, though isn't an overly dynamic skater and has lost some quickness with age .. however his willingness to compete for the puck continues to be what separates him from many peers .. relies on sound positional play in all three zones .. his experience is also a definite plus as he demonstrates a firm understanding of the game - a smart hockey player .. played with Justin Williams and Josef Vasicek, though the trio were often forced to defend as they were unable to contain Buffalo's forecheck .. a model of consistency and a strong leader for a relatively young Canes team that will lean heaviest on him come playoff time.

Matt Cullen (Car) C

One of the most impressive aspects of Cullen's play this season has been his intensity and competitive nature .. refuses to let pucks escape his control and will fight, claw and hit to gain possession .. aggressive forechecker, showed a knack for managing to keep puck in the offensive zone using any means necessary .. boasts a healthy stride that allows him to join the rush and be effective in creating and setting up offensive chances .. tough along the boards and now harder to knock off the puck as his frame also looks noticeably sturdier .. possesses a laser wrist and slapshot .. equally adept as a playmaker as he made several nice short passes and really fed off his linemates making plays .. can certainly see that he has worked hard at set plays in practice and it has paid off in games .. hard to believe that Cullen was in coach Keenan's dog house in Florida due to a subpar work ethic .. additionally, his skill level is a valuable commodity in today's league .. well on his way to eclipsing a personal best of 48 points.

Oleg Tverdovsky (Car) D

Swift-skating Russian defender should almost be a forward as his defensive approach is almost non-existent .. struggles to contain streaking forwards as he lacks the strength .. experienced difficulty all night in clearing the puck from his zone, gingerly flicking it up and rarely backing it up with his body .. an explosive skater who prefers to skate with the puck and/or make a quick outlet pass .. shows good vision and made a number of nice two-line passes for fast breaks .. possesses a rocket of a shot and uses it well on the PP .. pinched often and really excelled in this area, always looking to keep it in the offensive zone .. the new rules certainly flatter a player of Tverdovsky' talent as he had grown ineffective in the old NHL .. guaranteed to log lots of powerplay minutes as Carolina's blueline core tend to be relied upon more for their defensive prowess.

Derek Roy (Buf) C

Juggled around the lineup a bit early in the game, playing with Gaustad, Mair, Afinogenov and Vanek .. versatile player who can easily slot onto any line as he brings speed, skill and a conscientious two-way game .. really developing nicely as a penalty-killer and was used regularly by coach Ruff on the PK .. rushed back to break up a 2-on-1, stole the puck and then skated up the ice 150 feet the other way to develop a play .. uses an active stick defensively, closes the ice down well with his fast feet, and has a firm grasp of where to position himself .. the Sabres coaching staff have done well to develop and fine tune this aspect of his game .. looked a little tentative when he had the puck however and needs to make quicker decisions than he showed tonight .. Roy has worked diligently in the minors to round out his game and follow what the coaches ask of him, such as utilizing his speed advantage more effectively against pro competition .. based on this performance, it would be difficult for management to send him back to Rochester, though economics could force their hand as Roy can still freely clear waivers.

Ales Kotalik (Buf) RW

Emerged as one of Buffalo's more consistent performers this season .. second on the team with eight goals and tied for second in points with Thomas Vanek .. boasts a laser of a shot that he can fire from either wing with considerable sting .. exceptionally strong on his skates, rarely gets knocked off his feet .. a fluid and swift skater for a player of his size .. more of a finesse player who makes good decisions with the puck .. shows strong internal drive as he assumes increasing responsibility for being a goal-scorer who his team relies on .. heavily committed to his two-way game as well, came back on one specific play to pick up Erik Cole on a 2-on-1 nearly intercepting a Stillman pass with his deceptive top speed .. continues to get better with every game and making a name for himself around the league with his impressive size and sensational skill-set.

ICE CHIPS

After much talk about being returned to Rochester for further seasoning, Thomas Vanek finally got the monkey of his back by scoring his first two NHL goals. The first was a magnificent individual effort as he managed to slither through three Carolina players and roof a perfect shot over the shoulder of a fallen Martin Gerber. Vanek also added an assist and was named the game's first star. On the downside, the sad saga of Josef Vasicek continued. The giant Czech tore knee ligaments in the next game and will miss at least one month or up to four months if surgery is needed. The injury comes at a time when he was struggling mightily to find his game. Against the Sabres, he was again erratic and looked lost in the defensive zone. He was consistently exposed by the strong skating of Buffalo's forecheckers, while his decision-making with the puck was most perplexing.