Hurricanes Team Report

INSIDE SHOTS

The Hurricanes on Wednesday welcomed back goalie Cam Ward(notes) to the nets after he missed 13 games.

Not much really changed for the Hurricanes without Ward around because they weren’t winning when he was playing earlier this season. But he was holding things together to some degree during stretches of the first five weeks of the season.

With him back in the lineup, there should be a dose of confidence running through the Hurricanes. Anything in that category ought to help because this team has become fragile in many areas, both mentally and physically.

Even with Ward back in the net, the Hurricanes were unable to duplicate their only road victory of the season when they played Wednesday night at New Jersey. They’ll try again for their second road win of the season when they play Friday night at Washington.

Coach Paul Maurice has expressed the desire to be cautious with players after injuries, refusing to rush some players back into the lineup. Now we’ll see how hard he runs Ward because Maurice tends to stick with a goalie.

A good early judge of this comes later this week because after the game at Washington the Hurricanes play the next night at Ottawa.

Devils 4, Hurricanes 2:   The Hurricanes scored twice within a two-minute span of the second period to cut into a 3-0 deficit before falling when they were unable to pull even and the Devils tacked on a short-handed empty-net goal. It marked the return of G Cam Ward to the lineup more than a month after a leg laceration forced him to miss an extended stretch. He was peppered with three goals in slightly more than 26 minutes before settling down. C Brandon Sutter(notes) and RW Tuomo Ruutu(notes) scored for the Hurricanes.

NOTES, QUOTES

• The Hurricanes chose G Manny Legace(notes) ahead of G Michael Leighton(notes) after they both filled in for G Cam Ward, who missed a month with a leg laceration. Both goalies had their shortcomings, but the Hurricanes liked the direction that Legace’s performances were headed and probably appreciated his experience as well. “Manny has come in and really just built,” coach Paul Maurice said. “He has gotten better and better.”

• The Hurricanes have moved C Rod Brind’Amour(notes), the team’s captain, to the fourth line. While this isn’t a new move for Brind’Amour this season, it’s appearing to be more permanent. Brind’Amour seems unable to settle in this season and is dogged by a team-worst and league-worst minus-19 rating. He has been tried at wing and has centered various lines. For a player once considered one of the league’s best defensive forwards, this is another sign that his career is in serious decline.

Quote To Note:   “In the second and third, I settled down. By the end of the game, I felt like my normal self. … It’s just another game against the Devils.”—G Cam Ward, who made his return from a leg laceration after missing more than a month. Ward has gone 12 games (0-8-3 plus one no-decision) without a victory.

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Cam Ward, Manny Legace.

Defensemen:   Aaron Ward(notes), Tim Gleason(notes), Andrew Alberts(notes), Joni Pitkanen(notes), Jay Harrison(notes), Brett Carson(notes).

First Line:   Ray Whitney(notes), Eric Staal(notes), Erik Cole(notes).

Second Line:   Jussi Jokinen(notes), Matt Cullen(notes), Tuomo Ruutu.

Third Line:   Chad LaRose(notes), Brandon Sutter, Tom Kostopoulos(notes).

Fourth Line:   Rod Brind’Amour, Stephan Yelle, Scott Walker(notes).

Player Notes:  

• C Brandon Sutter scored his seventh goal of the season Wednesday night at New Jersey, putting him one off the team lead despite playing in only about two-thirds of the Hurricanes’ games. He has been the team’s most impressive player overall for the last three weeks.

• G Michael Leighton’s future with the organization is in doubt after he was placed on waivers when it was determined that G Manny Legace would stick on the NHL roster as G Cam Ward’s backup. Leighton began the season as Ward’s backup for the second year in a row. But when Ward was injured and Legace was signed, the pecking order became altered.

• LW Sergei Samsonov(notes) became the latest of the non-productive forwards to sit out a game. He had played in the first 29 outings, but he wasn’t in the lineup Wednesday night at New Jersey.

Medical Watch:  

• D Niclas Wallin(notes) (upper body) has missed the last two games. He’s listed as day-to-day.

• D Joe Corvo(notes) (lower leg cut) left the Nov. 30 game in the first period against Washing-ton after he was cut on the leg by the skate of Washington’s Karl Alzner(notes). He required surgery and he could miss up to two months, so a pre-Olympic break return might be optimistic.

• LW Michael Ryan(notes) (concussion) was injured in the Sept. 21 preseason game at Atlanta. He’s on injured reserve and he’ll be a likely candidate for a minor-league assignment when he’s ready to return.