From Talking Points: 

It will be four or five years before we know how the Carolina Hurricanes did in the draft last weekend, although they deserve credit for breaking new ground, by their standards, in terms of location (their first-round pick was from Quebec and three out of six picks were Europeans) and philosophy (all six were 6 feet or taller).

Whether first-round pick Philippe Paradis will be regarded as a steal or a bust is yet to be determined, but the record is already clear on many of the Hurricanes’ past drafts, at least those from 2005 and earlier.

We all know the misses — Igor Knyazev, Jeff Heerema, Nikos Tselios — but among the hits, here are the Canes’ five best draft picks since the team moved to North Carolina, not necessarily in overall talent, but in terms of how well they did with the pick.

Eric Staal, for example, was a relative no-brainer at No. 2 in 2003, but Cam Ward was not late in the first round a year earlier, which is why they bookend Tuesday’s Top Five.

Read more here. 

It will be four or five years before we know how the Carolina Hurricanes did in the draft last weekend, although they deserve credit for breaking new ground, by their standards, in terms of location (their first-round pick was from Quebec and three out of six picks were Europeans) and philosophy (all six were 6 feet or taller).

Whether first-round pick Philippe Paradis will be regarded as a steal or a bust is yet to be determined, but the record is already clear on many of the Hurricanes’ past drafts, at least those from 2005 and earlier.

We all know the misses — Igor Knyazev, Jeff Heerema, Nikos Tselios — but among the hits, here are the Canes’ five best draft picks since the team moved to North Carolina, not necessarily in overall talent, but in terms of how well they did with the pick.

Eric Staal, for example, was a relative no-brainer at No. 2 in 2003, but Cam Ward was not late in the first round a year earlier, which is why they bookend Tuesday’s Top Five:

From Talking Points: 

For Craig Adams, of all people, who never scored a playoff goal in 29 appearances with the Hurricanes, to put the final stamp on the sweep with his second of the series — that only made it sting all the more.

But the sting of this sweep will fade with time, and what the Hurricanes will remember is not the 4-1 loss that ended the series Tuesday but the remarkable run down the stretch that got them into the playoffs, and what they did once they got there.

“That’s going to take some time,” said Eric Staal, who answered the call Tuesday and played his best game of the series. “This hurts. It doesn’t feel good, especially being swept in the third round. That’s never nice. It just doesn’t feel nice right now.”

Read more here. 

Sixteen games into the playoffs, the Canes are 8-8 going into tonight's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Eric Staal has scored a goal in seven of those games. As you know by now, the Canes are 7-0 in those games, which means they're 1-8 when he does not score.

Staal hasn't scored in five games and, not surprisingly, the Canes are 1-4 in those games.

Staff video by Chris Seward

PITTSBURGH — The Hurricanes are being diplomatic in what they say publicly about Erik Cole's injury in Game 1 and the knee-to-knee hit he took from the Penguins' Matt Cooke.

Here's what center Eric Staal had to say today about the hit:

"I think when a guy doesn't see you coming and you're in a vulnerable position, it's one of those plays where you should maybe just get out of the way instead of coming across. But things happen quick. You're coming across the ice, I understand that. But I think when a player doesn't see someone coming and you finish him, it's a difficult play."

Staff video by Chris Seward

BOSTON — Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart sat in front of his locker today after the morning skate, trying to make sense of it all.

The Bruins led the Eastern Conference with 116 points. They're top-seeded in the East in the playoffs. Yet, here they sit, trailing the Hurricanes — a team they beat four times in the regular season and 4-1 in Game 1 — 3-1 in the series, a game away from elimination.

"We haven't played our best, we know that," Stuart said, echoing the comments of several of his teammates and coach Claude Julien.

But why?

"That's a good question," Stuart said.

From Talking Points:

When Eric Staal stepped into a one-timer to open the scoring Friday, Zdeno Chara wasn’t on the ice. It was one of the rare occasions Staal didn’t have the full attention of the gargantuan Boston Bruins defenseman, and he took full advantage.

After Game 1, there was plenty of talk that the Staal-Chara matchup might decide the series. So far, that matchup has been the fulcrum, but not in the way that everyone expected.

Staal has dominated, helping the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-1 win and 3-1 lead in the series with five points in the past three games. Chara, the likely Norris Trophy winner and a 6-foot-9 pillar of stability during the regular season, is a surprising minus-4 against Carolina.

Read more here.