The Fifth Liners

News broke recently that Raffi Torres has signed a PTO contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and will attend training camp next month. Torres is an controversial character who's earned nearly twice as many penalty minutes as he has points since joining the NHL way back in the 2001/02 season (260 points, 497 PIM). Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2000, Torres has also plied his trade for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes and most recently the San Jose Sharks. As well as a raft of AHL teams. Currently an Unrestricted Free Agent; Torres hasn't played a game in the NHL since October 2015 when he was suspended for 41 games after an illegal check on Jakob Silferberg: Not cool. Who can forget Torres' hit on Marian Hossa that earned him a 25 game suspension? Later reduced to 21 on appeal. So the fella isn't going to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy any time soon, but he's still a skater who needs...

Once more life in Raleigh, NC is a dull and barren affair! Again the Carolina Hurricanes failed to add more proof that their cup win in 2006 was little more than a fluke. About the only interesting activity that fluttered around PNC Arena was the persistent trade rumors surrounding aging star, Eric Staal. Sadly Staal decided to keep underwhelming himself in Carolina and the wheel kept on spinning backwards. Misfiring at both ends, the Hurricanes limped home 14th overall in the Eastern Conference. Sporting the 3rd worst goal difference with only 188 goals against. There sparks of life such as the form of young gun Justin Faulk and Elias Lindholm . Eric Staal as per usual was top scorer- but who exactly is his competition these days. Cam Ward in net continued to be one of the few good elements of a bad team. But his GAA of 2.40 is a little alarming. In front of him his defense saw a whopping 226 goals goals against for a goal difference of -38! The Hurricanes are a team who these...

Once more fans of the Edmonton Oilers, will be celebrating as their side have received first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery! Seems Connor McDavid will be spending some cold winters over in Alberta in years to come! Buffalo Sabres were no doubt disappointed to land the second overall pick, but will no doubt take consolation that this will probably mean Jack Eichel will be in the state of New York! In what could be one of the biggest depth quality drafts, it could well mean that each team has some great talent for the future. My only real doubt with this decision is that Edmonton has had its fair share of number one picks in the last few years, and still nothing has come of it! People paint McDavid as if he is the next Sidney Crosby of hockey, I just worry that this team is the wrong fit for his talents? Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are starting to show the leadership qualities required for the Oilers- but Nail Yakupov has only shown glimpses of what he is capable o...

Last night in the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf found out why you never pick on one of the Staal Brothers. After a questionable hit on Jordan Staal , big brother and fellow captain Eric Staal decided to stick up for his brother and drop the gloves! Though Princess Dion would have the upper hand physically, it was Eric would have the last laugh as late in the third with an empty net at his mercy- he ripped the shot through Phaneuf's legs to seal a 4-1 win! Revenge is a dish best served ice cold!

The trade rumour mill has been grinding vigorously of late and one name that has been at the centre is that of Carolina Hurricanes captain, Eric Staal .  Word has been that Staal would be happy to waive his no trade cause and join the Toronto Maple Leafs instead. At 30 years old and with only one year left on his contract, this would certainly help lift $8 million off the Hurricanes salary cap. But the real question is, what would be the long term effect of letting one of their stars leave? Ever since their remarkable run to the 2006 Stanley Cup win, the Hurricanes have struggled to be any where near competitive and Raleigh, North Carolina is unlikely to see another cup banner raised any time soon. Eric Staal since being a second overall pick in 2003 has been a solid player for them over the years. His 690 points from just 770 NHL games reads very well, but his plus/minus figures have been consistently dropping recently. Last season amidst a lengthy knee injury, Sta...

The Vancouver Canucks bounced back from a loss by the New York Rangers last night to score a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena tonight! Ryan Kesler got Vancouver started with a goal from a rebound off a Jason Garrison shot on the power play after 3 minutes of the 1st period. Tom Sestito then doubled the advantage after 15.48 after he deflected in another Garrison shot! The Canucks were then hit twice by Carolina with goals less than 10 seconds apart at the beginning of the second period as Jordan Staal scored on 39 seconds past Eddie Lack then Nathan Gerbe tucked home a rebound on 49 seconds to tie the scores at 2-2! But this game was to be decided early when Kessler scored his second after only 01.16 played following an error from Cam Ward in net. But Vancouver had Eddie Lack to thank for this win as he single handedly kept the Hurricanes at busy for the remaining two periods and his 29 saves proved vital! The young Swede is becoming a solid backup goalie f...

Here we looked at the teams in the Western Conference, now let's look at the Eastern. Detroit and Columbus move from west to east and Winnipeg makes the trip the other way. So what does this look like in reality? Metropolitan Division Carolina Hurricanes Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Atlantic Division Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Tampa Bay Lightning Toronto Maple Leafs

Whilst in the midst of a busy workday this saturday just gone, Mike pointed out a fact which is not only fascinating but deeply puzzling, he said "You know a Canadian team hasn't lifted the cup for 20 years?" This is a damn good point and one that ultimately leaves us baffled- but what is the reason for this current drought? Let's have a look in more detail, Cast your mind back to the night of June 9th 1993 where the Montreal Canadiens swept aside a Wayne Gretzky inspired Los Angeles Kings by four games to ones to claim their 24th Stanley Cup win and as Habs Captain Guy Carbonneau hoisted the cup at the Montreal Forum, little did we know that this would the be the last time to date that a Canadian team would be engraved on the trophy!  Since then the cup has been an all American affair and in between these twenty years we have seen four deserved wins by Detroit Red Wings , three Scott Stevens inspired cup wins by the New Jersey Devils and two cup wins each b...

Nathan Mackinnon was selected as the 1st overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in New Jersey last night, after an impressive season with the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior League it came as little surprise to many and capped an impressive comeback after a knee injury during the World Junior Championships had threatened to lower his ranking. Young Finnish centre Aleksander Barkov was chosen as the second selection by the Florida Panthers and Mackinnon's Halifax team mate, Jonathan Drouin was picked as the third overall choice by Tampa Bay Lightning . Biggest surprise of the night came when original number one prediction Seth Jones was only selected fourth by the Nashville Predators . Swedish centre Elias Lindholm was the fifth choice for the Carolina Hurricanes while Sean Monahan was added to the Calgary Flames at sixth overall. There was a shake up at  the 9th overall pick as the Vancouver Canucks unexpectedly traded Cory Schneider to the New Jersey...

New York Rangers will definitely be appearing in the Eastern Conference playoffs after a 4-3 Overtime win against Carolina Hurricanes confirmed them as the 7th overall seed! Early goals from Derek Stepan and Derek Brassard made it appear that it would be an easy night for the Broadway Blues, but Carolina rallied in the second period and goals from Jiri Tlusty and Tuomo Ruutu tied the game! Early in the 3rd period Tlusty scored again to put the Hurricanes 3-2 in front and things were beginning to look worrying for the Rangers! Brad Richards however, scored on a powerplay near the end of the period to push things to overtime. It was left here for Captain Ryan Callahan to shoot high into the next and give great reward to the Rangers hard work! This year we have a rare distinction of having both teams from the Big Apple appearing in the Eastern Conference! A potential match up between these two would be one of great interest as we know what both can do offensively. The Stanley Cup race...

Let's be honest, the Philadelphia Flyers are having a season that can best be described as 'challenging'. The Flyers are currently 25th in the league, 12th in the Eastern Conference and last in the Atlantic Division. Since 1994, the Flyers have only failed to appear in the playoffs once, in the disastrous  06/07 season when the team's points total was the worst in franchise history (56 points if you're wondering). If we conveniently forget about that shocker, the Flyers actually have a respectable record in the post season, having only failed to make the playoffs 8 times since the team's creation in 1967. So what's going on now? The Flyers are 17/21/3. Only the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche have lost more games (in regulation). Let's look at some numbers. These are definitely not numbers which set the world on fire. The Flyers do have goal scorers, quite a few, only 9 of the 31 rostered skaters haven't scored. There's be...

Pittsburgh became the second team to solidify a play off place with a 5-3 win over Carolina Hurricanes and in doing so clinched the Atlantic Division! The Penguins three newcomers, Brendan Morrow, Jussi Jokinen and Jarome Iginla all contributed to the win and also aided by great performances by 1st star Pascal Dupuis and Evgini Malkin, it gives hope that the team can cope in the absence of Crosby. The Eastern Conference playoffs promises to be an entertaining affair and with a strong offensive line like The Penguins, the goals are sure to flow!

Trade day continues and Pittsburgh have traded Jussi Jokinen with the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  Helmets spoil his hair.  Marian Gaborik has moved from the New York Rangers to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This now means that Columbus have a chance to score some goals. Something that's currently lacking. The Rangers pick up Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore in exchange.  9/10 for synchronised skating.

So... After a week which has seen transfers and sackings, here's 5 teams who've had a good week, and 5 who haven't. For a list of all results, click  here for the Western  and  here for the Eastern  Conferences. Good Week 1. Pittsburgh Penguins . Not only are the Pens top of the Eastern and only a point behind league leaders the Blackhawks, but they've now picked up Stars captain Brenden Morrow. 2. Detroit Red Wings . The good ship Detroit has been anything but steady but 2 wins against the Ducks has seen the Wings rise up to 5th in the Western Conference. Justin Abdelkader bagged his first career hatrick. 3. Minnesota Wild . 3 wins and 0 losses this week see the Wild sat comfortably in a playoff place. Captain Mikko Koivu and D-Man Ryan Suter are both playing superbly and lead the team on 26 points apiece. 4. Washington Capitals .The Caps may still be 2 places outside the playoffs but Alex Ovechkin is back on form. He scored in all four games last week as...

Boston Bruins Wins Senators 2-1 Losses Jets 3-1 Maple Leafs 3-2 Buffalo Sabres Wins Canadiens 3-2 Maple Leafs 5-4 Canadiens 2-1 Losses Carolina Hurricanes Wins Losses Rangers 2-1 Panthers 4-1 Devils 4-1 Florida Panthers Wins Hurricanes 4-1 Rangers 3-1 Losses Devils 2-1 Islanders 3-0 Montreal Canadiens Wins Islanders 5-2 Losses Sabres 3-2 Sabres 2-1 New Jersey Devils Wins Hurricanes 4-1 Panthers 2-1 Losses Rangers 3-2 NY Islanders Wins Panthers 3-0 Losses Senators 5-3 Canadiens 5-2 Penguins 4-2 NY Rangers Wins Hurricanes 2-1 Devils 3-2 Losses Panthers 3-1 Capitals 3-2 Ottawa Senators Wins Islanders 5-3 Lightning 5-3 Losses Bruins 2-1 Philadelphia Flyers Wins Losses Lightning 4-2 Penguins 2-1 Pittsburgh Penguins Wins Capitals 2-1 Islanders 4-2 Flyers 2-1 Losses Tampa Bay Lightning Wins Flyers 4-2 Losses Maple Leafs 4-2 ...

We've got about a quarter of this shortened season left and one thing that's jumped out is how the different divisions have performed. The chart below shows the average points per division and it's clear that the Southeast Division is under scoring compared to the others. Looking at the overall league (at time of writing, you know how quickly it changes) there isn't a Southeast team in the top 10. The Eastern Conference is being dominated by the Northeast Division with 4 of the 8 playoff places currently going to Northeast teams. Only Buffalo are currently looking at an extended post season break. Today we're going to look at a two different ideas.  Location, Location, Location This one is easy, Florida isn't known for its ice. If you want a game of football, soccer or baseball, you need a field. Plenty of those in the South east. Not so much ice. Hockey was first played on natural ice, that's how the sport evolved in the frozen north. When Gary...