Staff photo by Chris Seward
After Wednesday’s practice at the RBC Center, Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward stuck around to play a little one-one-one with Paul Webb, a Special Olympics athlete from Raleigh.
Webb, 18, skated around the goal and did a get a few pucks past Ward.
“It was fun,” Webb said after the skate, laughing with Ward before the TV cameras. “It was easy. Real easy.”
“You’re killing me here,” Ward joked.
The Canes' Eric Staal put in 26 minutes of ice time Monday in the 3-1 loss to Detroit, leading Red Wings coach Mike Babcock to say Staal's play was impressive but that "he's going to be dead by Christmas" with that kind of workload.
Staal said today that it was a matter of being caught up in a competitive game, against the defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Canes trailing by a goal most of the second and third periods.
"It was one of those games where we were going over the boards, looking to get that goal to tie it up," he said. "They're a tough team to play against and it was tough to generate some chances. We were pushing as hard as we could to get it, but it wasn't close enough."
How about this: Joni Pitkanen on a wing? The defenseman was on a line with Eric Staal and Ray Whitney and in a forward's white jersey today at practice.
Rod Brind'Amour sat out the workout. So, too, Tuomo Ruutu.
UPDATE: Pitkanen was just a fill-in because of injuries, noting later that he had not played the wing "since I was a little guy."
Ruutu's situation is more concerning. He missed much of training camp, saying he had a groin injury, but coach Peter Laviolette indicated it may be more than a groin.
RALEIGH — The Hurricanes didn't make it easy on themselves in a 3-1 loss to the Red Wings, committing six penalties — four of which came in the second period.
The Red Wings' first two goals both came during power plays.
"We came out with a better stride in the second period and started to generate a little more chances, but then you have guys sitting for six minutes," said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette. "You're out of the role of the bench and out of the synch of the bench."
The Canes' Eric Staal turned in some staggering numbers in the 3-1 loss to the Red Wings.
Staal had 30 shifts and more than 26 minutes of ice time. He played 19:31 at even strength and 3:05 on the power play, but he also was used for 3:40 on the penalty kill.
On one shift, the Canes center was on the ice for 1:45. It seemed it was all he could do to get back to the bench.
"I thought Staal was fantastic," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "He's going to be dead by Christmas if you play him that much, but he was really good."
Staff photo by Chris Seward
Third period: Red Wings 3, Hurricanes 1. FINAL.
Detroit center Henrik Zetterberg scores an empty-netter with 16 seconds left. ...
Canes unable to get off any great shots in closing minutes and Red Wings close it out. ...
The crowd wakes up with five minutes left after the Canes put the pressure on and fire off a handful of shots. The RBC Center had been quiet for much of the third period. ...
Samsonov is back on the ice. ...
Samsonov returns from the locker room and is back on the bench. ...
Samsonov injured his right foot about five minutes into the third period when Brad Stuart's shot deflected off his foot. He had to be carried to the locker room. ...
To be sure, Scott Walker didn't want to injure his left hand and be out six weeks. But, he said, he'd do it again, without hesitation.
The Canes forward injured a ligament in his hand during an exhibition game fight with Nate Guenin of the Philadelphia Flyers after Guenin blindsided Carolina's Matt Cullen. He had surgery on the left hand Oct. 6, with a recovery time of six weeks.
"Obviously six weeks is a good guideline but I'd like to get back in five," Walker said today. "I tried my hardest not to go through it (surgery). I thought it was sprained and we had the injury to Willy (Justin Williams) and I went a week and played that last (preseason) game.
"But it almost seemed like it was getting worse and that's what kind of scared me. I didn't want to get into the season and it be a problem. Sure enough, it was worse than I thought."
Zach Boychuk, his left wrist fully healed, is getting closer and closer to getting into his first NHL game.
The rookie forward, the Canes' first-round draft pick, was medically cleared today to join contact work in practice. He hopes to play on the Canes' West Coast swing later in the week, either against the L.A. Kings or Anaheim Ducks.
"It was great to hear from the doctor today that everything has healed just perfectly," Boychuk said this morning after an on-ice workout at the RBC Center. "It's a new bill of health, like a brand new bone."
From Talking Points:
Too soon? Too early? Not at all.
After watching the first two games of the Hurricanes' season, it can be said that this team is showing the same kind of character it did to open the 2005-06 season.
Read more here.
Canes general manager Jim Rutherford keeps talking about adding a forward. It seems he's intent on making a trade.
If you were Rutherford, what would you do? Who would you trade, and for whom?
Or, given the Canes' start, is a trade necessary?
The floor is open.
