Three more gone

Out: Leighton, Gillies (Albany); Sutter (Red Deer)
The battle for the call ups is on between Carson and Borer. Should be a good one. Anyone left as far as forwards are concerned will have to clear waivers to be assigned to Albany, but that decision shouldn't have to be reached until LaRose is healthy.

Goaltenders: Cam Ward (30), John Grahame (47), Michael Leighton (49)

Defense: Glen Wesley (2), Dennis Seidenberg (4), Frantisek Kaberle (5), Bret Hedican (6), Niclas Wallin (7), Mike Commodore (22), Brett Carson (33), Tim Gleason (42), Casey Borer (53).
Centers: Matt Cullen (8), Eric Staal (12), Rod Brind'Amour (17), Jeff Hamilton (51).

Wings: Justin Williams (11), Ray Whitney (13), Brandon Sutter (14), Andrew Ladd (16), Ryan Bayda (18), Trevor Letowski (19), Scott Walker (24), Erik Cole (26), Craig Adams (27), Trevor Gillies (32), Chad Larose (59), Cory Stillman (61)

Tonight's lineup

Player
2 Glen Wesley (A)
4 Dennis Seidenberg
5 Frantisek Kaberle
7 Niclas Wallin
8 Matt Cullen
13 Ray Whitney
14 Brandon Sutter
16 Andrew Ladd
17 Rod Brind’Amour
18 Ryan Bayda
22 Mike Commodore
24 Scott Walker
27 Craig Adams
30 Cam Ward
32 Trevor Gillies
33 Brett Carson
37 Keith Aucoin
39 Patrick Dwyer
43 Noah Babin
47 John Grahame
49 Michael Leighton
51 Jeff Hamilton
53 Casey Borer
56 Jakub Petruzalek
61 Cory Stillman (A)

It looks like Hedican, Gleason, Forrest, Williams, Staal, Letowski, Cole, and LaRose are sitting. I don't think the "official" list sent by the Hurricanes is completely accurate. Three goalies are on the list and, even with that, there are four more skaters than should be allowed to sit on the bench.

It's nice to see Frankie on the roster though.

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Updated: Canes win 3-0! I figured out the extra scratches and verified it on the 'Canes site. A good win by the boys in red, despite the sluggish start. The Preds came out early fast and hard hitting and the Canes didn't really get things going until the second. Once they got it going, they pretty much had a handle on the rest of the game.

Very strong showing by Cam Ward - he looked calm and in control the entire game and made even the hardest saves look effortless. Casey Borer was very strong on both ends of the ice and started the scoring off, adding an assist later for the second goal. I also liked Sutter's play and Seidenberg. It was nice seeing early chemistry between Matt Cullen and Scott Walker.

The power play (well, all one chance) in the first didn't look impressive. In the latter half of the game, it was a different story. It looked dangerous and the Preds did a good job killing the penalties off.

Some side notes: Jordin Tootoo is a punk. Also, I had no idea that Shane Willis was out on the ice tonight, despite his late penalty. That pretty much sums up what kind of night he had. The only Preds I noticed consistantly were Tootoo, Erat, and Radulov. Radulov was everywhere it seemed. I remember Yonkman because his name is funny and he took a stupid penalty. He was charged with interference technically, but what he really did was swipe Aucoin (I think) across the face with the butt end of his stick as Keith tried to get past him deep into the zone.

Thoughts on the game

I was able to pay attention to most of the game today. I got my boss's seats at center ice, but found that my kids thought it would be hilarious to try and dog pile as early and often as possible. Taking into account that my son apparently doesn't care for the crowd screaming after a goal, it was an interesting afternoon (and I haven't even discussed the game yet).

The simple breakdown? The first two periods we played OK, but not good enough to really make an impact. Grahame was a bit shaky and the guys mimicked his play with their own. Leighton, on the other hand, was solid and had some energy. Sometime in the middle of the third, the guys responded and started scoring in quick succession. A 2-0 game turned into a 3-3 game, including the late third period "back breaker" by the Caps followed by the tying goal with a minute left.

I can't say I really noticed Sutter out there. In fact, the only prospect that really stood out to me at all was Noah Babin. He pinched in naturally on the cycle and pushed the puck forward with purpose. He even scored a goal.

Considering we three of our four goals (if I recall correctly) were on the power play, I don't really think the power play units did all that well. I know it's strange to hear in that context, but it could have been a lot crisper. Our goals were primarily effort-driven (not that it's a bad thing) and that will go along way to helping the team stay in games even when they're slumping. It gives me hope.

As a side note, there was a fight - Nicholas Blanchard vs. Ben Clymer. I say "fight" because nominally that is what they were given penalties for. When my three and a half year old daughter can look at the fight then tells me "They're hugging. That's silly!", you know it's not really that much of a slugfest.

Boxscore. Funny, they list Babin's goal at even strength, but you can track the penalties and see it should have been a power play marker. Odd.