TUCKER NETS HAT TRICK, CANES UNDEFEATED IN 16
Carolina
Rookie netminder Robert Gherson got the call to take on the powerful Montreal Canadiens, a former CLUTCH powerhouse. What seemed like a legitimate shot to take down the impressive 15 game undefeated streak turned into an opportunity for the youngster to prove his worth. Gherson stopped 23 of 27 and there was no doubt that the Carolina offense wanted to give the kid his shot to win the game.
Darcy Tucker buried his first hat trick of his short Carolina career as well as adding an assist. Tucker, 29, now sits fourth on the team in scoring with 22 points in 24 games. It is truly a remarkable number, however, as the gritty veteran had but 2 points in 10 games previous to being acquired.
"Tuck has picked up 20 points in 14 games for us," said head coach Joel Quenneville. "We expected energy and we expected defensive commitment. I'd be lying if I said I knew he’d be one of our best offensive producers, not on this team."
The often documented line of sophomore center Kyle Wellwood, speedy sniper Jeff Friesen and Tucker has made a lot of waves in the CLUTCH as of late. Friesen currently sits tied for the league lead in goals with 15, is the league's leading scorer of left wingers, and has been indispensable for his ability to keep defenses on edge.
"The key here is balance," said Quenneville. "That line keeps a lot of teams guessing because it possesses a lot of everything. Speed, creativity and defensive commitment. I feel comfortable putting them out in any situation."
The Canes scoring goes like this at the moment:
Jeff Friesen 24gp 15g 13a 28p +12
Cory Stillman 24gp 10g 17a 27p +3
Alexei Kovalev 21gp 9g 14a 23p +1
Darcy Tucker 24gp 8g 14a 22p +15
"The idea is to go out and make things happen," said Friesen. "I don't step on the ice and expect to score every game but I do want to make sure we win. That may be by forechecking hard, it may be by containing the puck and it may be by getting a goal or two. I don't set personal goals for points, I just want to win."
The Hurricanes are off today.
Rookie netminder Robert Gherson got the call to take on the powerful Montreal Canadiens, a former CLUTCH powerhouse. What seemed like a legitimate shot to take down the impressive 15 game undefeated streak turned into an opportunity for the youngster to prove his worth. Gherson stopped 23 of 27 and there was no doubt that the Carolina offense wanted to give the kid his shot to win the game.
Darcy Tucker buried his first hat trick of his short Carolina career as well as adding an assist. Tucker, 29, now sits fourth on the team in scoring with 22 points in 24 games. It is truly a remarkable number, however, as the gritty veteran had but 2 points in 10 games previous to being acquired."Tuck has picked up 20 points in 14 games for us," said head coach Joel Quenneville. "We expected energy and we expected defensive commitment. I'd be lying if I said I knew he’d be one of our best offensive producers, not on this team."
The often documented line of sophomore center Kyle Wellwood, speedy sniper Jeff Friesen and Tucker has made a lot of waves in the CLUTCH as of late. Friesen currently sits tied for the league lead in goals with 15, is the league's leading scorer of left wingers, and has been indispensable for his ability to keep defenses on edge.
"The key here is balance," said Quenneville. "That line keeps a lot of teams guessing because it possesses a lot of everything. Speed, creativity and defensive commitment. I feel comfortable putting them out in any situation."
The Canes scoring goes like this at the moment:
Jeff Friesen 24gp 15g 13a 28p +12
Cory Stillman 24gp 10g 17a 27p +3
Alexei Kovalev 21gp 9g 14a 23p +1
Darcy Tucker 24gp 8g 14a 22p +15
"The idea is to go out and make things happen," said Friesen. "I don't step on the ice and expect to score every game but I do want to make sure we win. That may be by forechecking hard, it may be by containing the puck and it may be by getting a goal or two. I don't set personal goals for points, I just want to win."
The Hurricanes are off today.
posted by Lohaus at 10:19 AM
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