Eric Staal Leads The Carolina Hurricanes To A Big Win Over The Phoenix Coyotes
By Brett Finger
The Carolina Hurricanes finished their four game Western Conference road trip in Phoenix on Saturday night. The Canes picked up a big 3-1 win over the Coyotes. It was a great effort by the team in the desert, and they picked up a well deserved victory.
Scoring Summary
The Phoenix Coyotes scored first thanks to Paul Bissonnette’s first goal in 72 games. Connor Murphy took a wrist shot from the point, and Bissonnette was there to deflect it past Justin Peters to make it 1-0 at 6:14 of the first period. Connor Murphy and Jeff Halpern got the assists.
Nathan Gerbe scored on a 2-on-1 at 8:50 of period two to tie the game at one. Nathan Gerbe and Justin Faulk came in on a 2-on-1, and Nathan Gerbe ripped it past Mike Smith to tie the hockey game. Eric Staal and Tim Gleason got the assists on Gerbe’s seventh goal of the year. Tim Gleason’s assist was his 100th point as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jeff Skinner continued his unbelievable goal scoring tear at 3:00 of the third period to give the Canes a 2-1 lead. Off an Eric Staal offensive zone face-off win, Jeff Skinner picked up the puck and put a bullet past Mike Smith. Eric Staal got the only assist.
Eric Staal finished it off with an empty net goal at 19:54 of the third period. Jordan Staal picked up the assist.
Game Recap
The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a big 3-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. The Canes earned the win. This game was the Canes best of the Western Road Trip. Big players played big for the Carolina Hurricanes, and they dominated the Phoenix Coyotes in 5-on-5.
Justin Peters played a marvelous game. He made a huge save on a break away late in the second period to keep the game tied. That turned out to be the biggest save of the game. Peters continues to play at an elite level. He has been terrific. He made 37 saves on 38 shots against the Phoenix Coyotes.
Jeff Skinner continues his unbelievable goal scoring with another goal against the ‘Yotes. He scored the game-winning goal early in the third period. The goal was his eighth goal in the last seven game for the 21-year-old forward. He is playing like an all-star lately, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
Eric Staal had a three point night in Phoenix. He played a very “Eric Staal-like” game. He played with a lot of tenacity, and he’s been a big reason for Jeff Skinner’s great goal scoring as of late. The first line of Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, and Tuomo Ruutu has turned into one of the league’s best forward lines.
The big key to success for the Carolina Hurricanes is big players playing big games. Players like Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, and Justin Peters need to play well for the Carolina Hurricanes to win. Tonight, all of those players played great games, and in turn, the Carolina Hurricanes picked up a big win.
The Carolina Hurricanes power play is still a problem. If the Carolina Hurricanes had any kind of power play, they would have won by way more than two goals. The Canes went 0-4 on the man advantage, and it’s obvious that a move needs to be made by Jim Rutherford to remedy the power play.
On the road trip preview, I said the Hurricanes needed at least two wins on the four game road trip to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division, so that would be four points. The Carolina Hurricanes went 1-1-2 on the trip, so that is four points. After the win, they are in 3rd place in the Metropolitan division with 35 points. They are just two points behind the Washington Capitals, who sit in 2nd place.
The Carolina Hurricanes dominated in 5-on-5, and that ultimately leaded to the win. The Canes will get a big break now. They are off until Friday night, when they will play the Washington Capitals on home ice. This will be a good time for the Canes to get some rest and work on the areas that need work, like the power play.