Last week, the Hurricanes had three games and finished 1-2. Carolina finally got to play on home ice and took advantage of it besting the New York Rangers on Friday night. The first month of the season is over and the Hurricanes are sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference with six points. the Canes play three games in the first week of November.
Tuesday, November 1st at Ottawa Senators (7:30 PM)
Expect to see Eddie Lack get the nod Tuesday in Ottawa. After finally coming home for a few days, expect Carolina to be ready for this game and put together a solid 60-minute effort.
Saturday, November 5th at Nashville Predators (8:00 PM)
Nashville has been struggling mightily in the first month of the season, much like the Canes. Come Saturday, both teams will be desperately in need of a two points. If Carolina wins in Ottawa, expect Lack to play again in Nashville. Nashville has had trouble scoring this year and is tied for the worst goal differential in the league (-9).
Sunday, November 6th vs New Jersey Devils (6:00 PM)
This is the most important week of the game for two reasons: 1) this game is the only home game and the only Metropolitan Division game of the week. Carolina Likes to play on home ice and needs to take advantage of every chance to defend it. The Devils have yet to win on the road, so this is a good opportunity for Carolina. New Jersey has benefited from great defense and goaltending. Carolina has the offensive potential to make those points mute.
Roster Updates
The club announced this morning that forward Martin Frk was placed on waivers. Frk appeared in a few games and did little to impress. He was recently claimed after being waived by the Detroit Red Wings, who acquired him via a second round pick the NHL Entry Draft. This move could mean that defenseman Ryan Murphy is nearing a return. When healthy, Murphy will fill the blue line spot that has been shared by Klas Dahlbeck and Jakub Nakladal. The past two games, Dahlbeck has inhabited that role. Both games, coach Peters elected to run five defensemen down the stretch, leaving him on the bench. Running with five defensemen is an obstacle for any team to overcome. It is unclear why Dahlbeck is dressing if Peters has assessed he cannot play important third period minutes. The return of Murphy should help this team mightily on defense and translate to and offensive production as well.
Despite playing two-thirds of their games away from home so far, this week can be a successful one for the Canes. They should shoot to get four points over this three-game stretch. Less than four points would be a real disappointment and five or six points would have this team back where they want to be. Look for Jeff Skinner to stay hot and continue to lead the team offensively. Also, keep an eye on rookie Sebastian Aho to possibly score his first career goal this week.
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