Showing posts tagged “Dan LaCouture”
Kate Shefte ·
10 Oct 2008, 10:31 PM ·
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Florida’s Nathan Horton brought the Cats within one, but Matt Cullen lobbed an empty-netter in from the boards and sealed the game for the Hurricanes, giving his team the payback that they badly needed. Florida single-handedly decided Carolina’s postseason fate last year, and the ‘Canes have five more games against the Panthers to do what they can in returning the favor.
The ‘Canes miraculously escaped the night without any major injuries to important players. Bryan McCabe’s status is unknown after he made an attempt at Dennis Seidenberg and hit the boards awkwardly. (Perhaps the injury bug has passed? Or, instead, it is now contagious?)
Ray Whitney (Gregg Forwerck, Carolina Hurricanes)
Ray Whitney was named the first star of the game after scoring his 200th point as a Hurricane, not exactly “offensive-minded” defenseman Tim Gleason tallied three assists, and Frank Kaberle showed the ‘Canes staff why they’ve kept him around this long to the tune of two assists. Zero-to-hero Dan LaCouture, the feel-good story of the early season, wound up with the game winner in his first game with Carolina.
“He worked hard to get himself back into this position, and he got an opportunity to step in,” Laviolette said of LaCouture after the game. “He does whatever you’ve asked of him, and everyone’s happy to see him score a goal.”
The ‘Canes allowed two power play goals, which was a concern, but Laviolette strayed from last year’s formula of veteran penalty killers and went with the largely untested Brandon Sutter, who played 3:37 short-handed.
“(The Penalty Kill) certainly could have been better, but it was the first game of the season,” Sutter said. “We’ll take the win.”
One of those power play goals went to Cory Stillman, a former Hurricane with a bone to pick. Stillman also assisted on Horton’s goal.
Cam Ward was sound in net, but not exceptional, allowing four goals on 33 shots. He said that he hopes to get the start tomorrow night, but there is a good chance that Caniacs will see backup goaltender Michael Leighton in his “official” No. 2 debut. Leighton had a brief stint with the Hurricanes last season while John Grahame took his place in the minors.
The Hurricanes will face 2008 Stanley Cup Winners Detroit on Monday night at home, when fans will see their gothic third jerseys up close and personal for the first time. The team will then head off on a 6-game road trip in order to get out of the way of the State Fair.
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey back injury, Bryan McCabe, Cam Ward, Dan LaCouture, Detroit Red Wings, Peter Laviolette, Ray Whitney
Kate Shefte ·
10 Oct 2008, 9:15 PM ·
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Former free agent try-out Dan LaCouture and 2007 draft pick Brandon Sutter wasted no time in impressing the Caniacs, combining for an even-strength tally three minutes into the third period. The goal was a stunner; Niclas Wallin walked in alone and fired a shot directly at Vokoun. The rebound shot off his pads and directly into the trailer LaCouture, who buried the goal in the top of the net. It was LaCouture’s first goal since the 2005-2006 season, when he played for the Boston Bruins, and Sutter’s first NHL point.
And it’s not often that the one delivering the hit is badly injured while the recipient skates away unscathed, but Panthers all-star defenseman Bryan McCabe, sent to Florida in a blockbuster trade a month ago, missed his hit on Dennis Seidenberg in the second period and injured his back. He will not return.
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Brandon Sutter, Bryan McCabe, Dan LaCouture
Kate Shefte ·
6 Oct 2008, 3:51 PM ·
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The Hurricanes completed a home-and-home sweep of the Nashville Predators Sunday afternoon to close out their preseason schedule, tying it up 3-3 and soothing panicky fans who were worried that Carolina’s two pathetic-looking losses to Washington – 4-1 and 5-2, respectively – were a sign of things to come. The ’Canes dropped their first three games, but once they got a team on the ice that will more closely resemble the one on opening night, they started to pull it together. Eric Staal found his way onto the score sheet without overexerting himself: Two of his three goals were empty-netters. Ray Whitney, newbie Brandon Sutter, and Ryan Bayda—who has made the trip from Albany to Raleigh and back so many times he could probably pilot the plane himself—all scored in the Nashville series, and Anton Babchuk returned from injury in time to add two assists in Thursday’s game, something the defenseman is not usually known for. Best of all, Cam Ward dusted off the cobwebs and a few shaky preseason performances and recorded his first shutout since March 12 at Chicago. In other exciting news, Rod Brind’Amour returned more quickly than anticipated after undergoing knee surgery (did anyone honestly expect anything else from him?) and logged 15:04 of ice time.
With the roster, for the most part, finalized and a promising finish to the preseason under their pads, hopefully the ‘Canes can get the strong start they desperately need (winning their season opener for the first time in half a decade wouldn’t hurt, either.)
Photo by Gregg Forwerck/ Carolina Hurricanes
However, that strong start will be tougher achieve now that Carolina has lost a huge chunk of their grit and motivation in physical, penalty-killing, goal-scoring veteran winger extraordinaire Scott Walker, who had surgery on his left hand this morning. Walker presumably injured his hand in yesterday’s game, and will miss six weeks of action. This one of the worst things that could happen to the ’Canes at this point. Walker came over from Nashville two seasons ago, and quickly established himself as a fan favorite with his gruff, cheerful demeanor and willingness to drop the gloves for his teammates at a time when Carolina was sorely lacking in team toughness. Walker is one of the very few vets on the team not to have won the cup, and the guy never seems to take a night off, even when the rest of the team looks flat. Although Walker hasn’t put up huge numbers as a ‘Cane, he has almost instant chemistry with whomever he’s with. With all of the roles he fills, he’s a tough one to replace.
Not that the ’Canes aren’t trying. Assistant GM Ron Francis announced shortly after Walker’s surgery, saying that free agent tryout Dan LaCouture was signed to a two-way deal that will pay him $475,000 on the NHL level or $50,000 should he be sent down to Albany. Journeyman LaCouture had a strong showing at camp, overshadowing ’Canes hero Jeff O’Neill and the surprisingly good Matt Murley, and earned his way from a free agent nobody to contract-toting somebody—something the Hurricanes brass doesn’t allow often. LaCouture will be used to patch up Carolina’s offense, or put on hold in case another player goes down. Matt Cullen and Ray Whitney look healthy enough to play, and Tuomo Ruutu is expected back this week, although it is unknown whether he will make it in time for Friday’s game against Florida.
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Dan LaCouture, hand surgery, Nashville Predators, Ray Whitney, Rod Brind'Amour, Scott Walker
