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Who's wearing Raanta's uni?

Conceding a game for first place. Anderson was very slow during the late minutes of the Nashville game. Maybe he's gassed.

Last Time Out: Despite allowing two goals to Nashville with the extra attacker on Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes were the better team in a 5-3 victory over Nashville on Friday. Andrei Svechnikov paved the way with a three point performance, bringing his recent tear to 21 points in his last 14 games. Frederik Andersen made 28 stops along the way for Carolina, earning his 26th win of the year. We Meet Again: The Canes are 48 games into their 82-game season and have yet to take on the Penguins, despite being in the same division. This means that the two sides will get together four times in the final 34 games, each with valuable points on the line for playoff positioning. Pittsburgh has made quite a nice year for themselves, especially given that both superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have missed time due to injuries. On top of those two being out for extended periods of time, several other key pieces missed time due to COVID-19. Trocheck TBD: After departing Friday night's victory with an upper-body injury after one period of play, Vincent Trocheck's status remains up in the air for today's battle. A Pittsburgh native, the right-handed center was being evaluated yesterday morning as the team practiced at Wake Competition Center and following the skate Rod Brind'Amour said that he was unsure if Trocheck would be traveling with the team on the trip. The head coach is expected to speak with the media at 10:45 a.m. to share more info. Next Man Up: When Trocheck came out the lineup Friday, Jesperi Kotkaniemi was offered perhaps his biggest opportunity as a member of the Canes, sliding up to center Steven Lorentz and Martin Necas on the second line. "KK" would go on to lead all Carolina forwards in ice time and received some strong compliments post-game from his head coach. Brind'Amour said that he thought 21-year-old did well in the spot and kept him in that same position at Saturday's practice. Derek Stepan slid into the fourth line, centering Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook. Skjeisy Baby: After opening the scoring against Nashville Friday, Brady Skjei became the first defenseman to record six goals since the turn of the calendar year. 700 For Nino: Nino Niederreiter is expected to play in his 700th National Hockey League game today. It will be his 202nd as a Hurricane. The former first round pick has totaled 348 points in the league and is currently on pace for a career-high 28 goals this season. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Milestone Watch: Antti Raanta is one win shy of 100 in his NHL career. Derek Stepan is one point shy of 500 for his NHL career. What Are We Wearing?: The team will be wearing their white sweaters today.

See what can happen when you don't need to depend on an O-line and a moron head coach?

Fug.....

Another poo production night. 1-2-1 since the break?

His attitude is infectious. He brought physicality and the rest of the team is taking it on.

Meh... he's at $1M now, a bargain for sure. But it's not like he'll jump to 8.

"Lorenzen"??? Really?

TNT... maybe I'll try ESPN+

No TV tonight?

You're thinking of Abraham Lincoln. oooohhhhh........ too soon?

And I'm not sure that's a bad thing? I prefer a smaller venue, only because the experience is better. And at my age, the experience is everything. Bands are more conscientious about their product in a smaller venue because the screw-ups are magnified. They're less concerned with sound quality and a tight performance when they have a stage the size of a football field to run around on and 20,000 fans going nuts. I've seen a lot of bands in small venues who have packed 'em in around the world and it's a completely different experience. Saw Santana last year in a small theater- great show. I've seen Blackberry Smoke many times, none of them outdoors or in a large venue- mostly all concert bars like the Ritz in Raleigh or the Bucked Up Saloon in Kernersville, Ziggy's in Winston, etc.

Saw Mustaine play with the Jimi Hendrix Experience tour in Raleigh a couple years ago. Him and Zakk Wylde doing Hendrix tunes was surreal. Seen most of the bands you mentioned- Anthrax, Sepultura, Alice in Chains; Ozzy a few times, inlcuding Black Sabbath's second trip to the States; Testament very underrated; Pantera.... And don't forget, I'm the old guy who yells at clouds.

Fast & Furious- Injured Reserve.

We've all made comments about his age (33), how slow he's gotten and his decreased productivity. His 3 goals and 11 assists this season are far from previous years, but let's take a moment to appreciate what he brings to the ice night in and night out. He's the face-off guy, whether it's regulation, PP or OT, if there's an opportunity for him to be in the circle, he'll be there. He's the heavy guy who will go in deep and play below the net so the lines can change. He may not be fast, but his experience and instinct make up for all that. How many times have we seen him handling the puck in the corner following his own dump & chase while surrounded by 2-3 opponents and he's able to muscle his way out. I've spent lot of the last few games watching him with and without the puck and the amount of work he puts in, the grinding, the heavy pressure and you begin to understand why RBA wants him on this team. Sure, there are a lot of players to be had for his $6M salary, but it's not all about putting the puck in the net. I don't know there are a lot of veteran centers at his age who are major role players on the 4th line while wearing the "C" on their sweaters. There are a lot of veterans who wouldn't accept that. Jordo has another year left on his deal and I won't be surprised when he probably decides to retire. But make no mistake, his sweater belongs hanging from the rafters in PNC Arena.

Keep pounding = kids. DON'T DO IT! Seriously, keep your head (and zipper) up. We're here for ya.

They're done for the night. There's nothing to suggest they'll even get close in this one. If they do, I'll find out later tonight or tomorrow morning. I'm out, guys.

6 penalties against in less than 4 periods to 1 for. Canes are 2 steps slow and chasing the puck from behind. Watch them go 0-4 on this trip

Terrible.

Maybe they'll take it out on Ottawa tonite. Maybe even give Raanta a shutout?

I've noticed the same tendency even during regulation. As many road games as these guys played, they still seem to get caught when their bench is on the wrong side of the line.

Tough loss. I thought Carolina outplayed Toronto and the outcome of the game was ultimately decided by a couple bad calls, one of which gave the Leafs a PP goal. They got a point and remain on top 4 points behind Florida, 1 point up on with NY and 4 games in hand to both.

Give Tony D a nice contract and let Jake go and still save a few bucks.

Steps now at 499 career points.