Hurricanes musings

Second game of the road trip tonight in Atlanta versus the Thrashers. A couple of observations:

• One of the best games I've seen the 'Canes play in a while. Considering we've been playing well regardless, that's saying something. The Canes seemed to really dominate all three zones most of the night. Great effort by all lines and the defensemen.
  
• Cam Ward made everything look very easy. He's looked very solid as of late.
  
• Atlanta is very chippy. I've come to expect this of any team coached by Bob Hartley, who seems to have a penchant for "sending a message", even if that message is sent with dirty play. Lots of cheap shots and needless posturing.
  
• The game on Saturday should be pretty heated. Not only are we retiring Ron Francis's jersey in the rafters, but Atlanta will be coming in with a chip on their shoulders.
  
• In five games against the Thrashers this season, Carolina is leading the series 3-2. Each road team has won so far, so it'll be important for the Canes to carry over the momentum from the game tonight into the contest on Saturday.
  

The best news is that the team is playing through injuries and seems to be getting healthier. Things will be very interesting once the team hits the Olympic break. I'll be curious to see how it all sorts out - the guys on the low end of the depth chart are making good cases for staying on the roster.

Craig Adams, a player we waived then reacquired minor league depth has a wonderful chemistry with Kevyn Adams and they are the core of our fourth line. He played on the first line tonight as a fill-in and potted a goal (through a Herculean effort of Erik Cole).
Chad LaRose was an injury callup and has played well. He doesn't have as many points as he should by the level of his effort, but he's playing very good hockey.
Andrew Ladd was another injury callup and he has been producing points at a good enough pace to deserve consideration for staying up.
Anton Babchuk is a defenseman we acquired from Chicago. He's only played a few games, but he's played very solid hockey. He's a big kid with a heavy shot that has tremendous upside. If the team is patient, he could turn into a really good one.

Combine these with the guys coming back from injury at various points and it gives the team an interesting (but good) dilemma. The trade deadline is approaching and I can't wait to see what roster moves are made.