BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA TOOLS TO VICTORY
8:15 p.m.
Mike Maniscalco presents tonight's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina three Tools to Victory.
1. Don't Slow Down
The Hurricanes are at their best playing up tempo. The Sharks want to use their size and grind. The LA game was a perfect example of the fact that when the Canes are skating with pace, they can dictate how the game is played. That needs to be the case tonight.
2. Primary Scoring
It has been six games for Jeff Skinner and three for Victor Rask since they lit the lamp. A good way to finish this California swing would be to have the Hurricanes' top scorers share in the goal explosion the team has found on the West Coast.
3. Play Nice
The Hurricanes have the best penalty kill in the NHL, and the Sharks has the 13th best power play. At home, the Sharks' power play ranks fourth-best in the league. Even though the Canes have the best road PK, a good way to keep it there is by staying out of the penalty box. Penalties slow down the game and jumble the line combinations, so avoid silly penalties.
ROAD ENDS IN SAN JOSE
7:30 a.m.
It has felt, at times, like the Carolina Hurricanes have been on the road for three straight weeks. Sure, two home games have been played in that stretch, but they were brief stop-overs on the tail end of back-to-back stretches, only to be followed by the team leaving once more.
This stretch, which featured three separate three-game road trips through various parts of North America and saw the Hurricanes play nine of 11 games away from home, ends tonight in San Jose.
The Hurricanes earned three of a possible four points in the first two games of this California swing. After dropping a stinging 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, the Hurricanes rebounded with a commanding 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings a night later. Derek Ryan scored two goals and Cam Ward made 21 saves, as the Hurricanes climbed back over hockey .500 on the season.
Ward will likely get the nod in net again tonight. The Canes' veteran netminder is 6-1-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and one shutout in eight career appearances against San Jose.
Tonight's opponent, the Sharks, were in action on Friday night in Anaheim, where they fell 3-2 to the Ducks, who now lead the Pacific Division. The Sharks have won five of their last seven games at home.
CANESPR NOTES: Victor Rask tallied his 100th NHL point on Thursday in Los Angeles with an assist on Brock McGinn's third period goal. … Speaking of McGinn, who had his second career multi-point effort on Thursday: the Hurricanes are 7-2-2 with him in the lineup this season.
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