Game 22: Carolina Hurricanes (12-8-1) vs. Buffalo Sabres (9-12-2)

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Game Recap

The Carolina Hurricanes (13-8-1) kicked off the Ellis/Peters era in style with a big win over Buffalo. The Canes led throughout and the Sweet TEA line (Tlusty, Eric, Semin) was in it's original form as they accounted for 7 points tonight which brigs their total to 27 points in their last four games. Thanks to a Winnipeg loss to Florida, the Canes now hold a commanding six point lead in the South East division. The Canes are back at it on Thursday night as they take on Eastern Conference beast, Montreal at PNC Arena.

Three Stars

1. Alexander "Sasha" Semin: 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, +2, 2 hits, 1 takeaway

2. Just "Pete Dawg" Peters: 40 shots, 37 saves, 3 goals against, .925 save percentage

3. Eric "Staalsy" Staal: 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, +2, 1 hit, 4 takeaways

Goals

Goal 1: Jiri Tlusty (11), Assists: Eric Staal (14), Alexander Semin (16)

Goal 2: Joe Corvo (3): Assists: Bobby Sanguinett (2), Jussi Jokinen (4)

Goal 3: Jussi Jokinen (5): Assists: Eric Staal (15), Alexander Semin (17)

Goal 4: Alexander Semin (6): Assists: Eric Staal (16), Tim Gleason (4)

Stat Leaders

Eric Staal: 12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points, +17

Alexander Semin: 6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points, +17

Jiri Tlusty: 11 goals, 7 assists, 18 points, +15

Jordan Staal: 5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points, -3

Jeff Skinner: 8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points, +1

South Eastern Division Standings

1. Carolina Hurricanes, 27 points (Carolina 4 - Buffalo 3)

2. Winnipeg Jets, 21 points (Winnipeg 1 - Florida 4)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning, 21 points (Tampa Bay 5 - New Jersey 2)

4. Washington Capitals, 19 points (Washington 4 - Boston 3 OT)

5. Florida Panthers , 19 points (Florida 4 - Winnipeg 1)

Eastern Conference Standings

1. Montreal Canadians, 32 points

2. Pittsburgh Penguins, 30 points

3. Carolina Hurricanes, 27 points

4. Boston Bruins, 31 points

5. Toronto Maple Leafs, 28 points

6. Ottawa Senators, 28 points

7. New Jersey Devils, 25 points

8. New York Rangers, 24 points

GO CANES!!!

[iamcline]

Hate to see us without Larose, but oh well...

[kman72]

Come on Peters show up big tonight, need to get another win tonight to keep a lead in standings

[Jakob]

if Thomas Vanek is out, this will be the PERFECT game to test Peters, GO CANES

[Sapper]

I love seeing those 1st 3 lines.

Go Canes!

[Goosfraba21]

Go Canes! Time to step up Pete dawg

[Goosfraba21]

That line is epic!!!

[kman72]

Staal with his 600th point... that 1st line chemistry is amazing!

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

That line though!!! The BIG LINE!!!

[beuer1]

Good to see the team being aggressive with Peters in net.

[Goosfraba21]

God I hope we can get a deal done with Semin past this season

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Great start for the boys tonight.

[lightsout]

We are such a good team. It's ridiculous. Best start to a game that we've had all season. This game could EASILY be 3-0 right now if we had a couple of bounces go our way. We keep this up and we'll win just by virtue of puck possession. Forecheck is absolutely unreal.

[lightsout]

God I hope we can get a deal done with Semin past this season

Oh we will. That chemistry for that line is too good to break up. We HAVE to keep that line. Keep that line in tact and keep Jordan Staal. If we let anybody go for cap space, Jussi and Rosie are odd man out. Semin has been SO big for us.