The Hurricanes made a surprising move today by deciding to send down forward Zac Dalpe to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League and recall Tim Wallace. Dalpe had two points in six games and is the only forward on the team who can go to the AHL without needing waivers, so he was sent down in favor of Tim Wallace who could possibly add some grit to the team. Wallace sometimes played in the top-six for the Charlotte Checkers, can kill penalties and has 20 goals and 43 points with them. He hasn't been much more than a fourth liner at the NHL level. Wallace can be useful to Carolina, so I don't have an issue with being called up, the problem is that Dalpe deserves to be on this team.

Dalpe was playing on a line with Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner for most of the year, so sending him down opens up a hole in the top-six. That alone makes this move a bit perplexing because the Hurricanes are already starved for secondary scoring and don't have many candidates who can slide up into Dalpe's spot. Not only that, but Dalpe was a contributing member to the second line.

Second Line Scoring Chance Numbers

Dalpe's two points in six games do not look like much, but whenever he was on the ice during five-on-five play, scoring chances were going in the Hurricanes favor. Dalpe was also creating a high amount of offense relative to the minutes he was playing. Oh, and he managed to do this while playing alongside Jordan Staal, which means that he was being given some of the toughest assignments on the team. I try to keep rants and complaints out of this blog, but demoting a forward who can drive the play, produce offense and is competent enough to play the toughs makes little sense, especially with Carolina's need for secondary scoring.

So now the question is who slides up into Dalpe's spot? Chad LaRose was playing there for most of the third period on Saturday night against Philadelphia but he didn't do much of anything at even strength, so I'm not sue if he'll stay there. The other candidates are Drayson Bowman and possibly Patrick Dwyer all of which are good third liners but not ideal top-six options. That's the same problem Carolina had with their top-six last year, though. They were overslotting third liners into top-six spots because they didn't have much else to turn to, something that many thought wouldn't happen this year. With Ruutu's injury, Boychuk being lost on waivers and now Dalpe being demoted in favor of a fourth liner, the scoring depth Carolina once had is now in jeopardy.

The good news is that Dalpe can be recalled at any time, but sending him down doesn't make much sense in the first place.

Once again, the Hurricanes were involved in a game where they were playing from behind and ended up having a huge lead in shots and scoring chances partially because of it. Don't get me wrong, Carolina having an advantage in shots and scoring chances for yet another game is a good thing in the long-run, but it's still very early in the year and I'm not sure how much stock can be put in these numbers since the Hurricanes are being forced to play catch-up in almost every game they've played in. The good news is that Carolina had the slight upper-hand at even strength when the game was close and that should lead to more wins down the line. The bad news is that it may not matter as much if their special teams continue to be as bad as they've been this season.

Even strength play is often what leads to more wins but it's worth noting that there are more penalties being called this year, so special teams play could have a bigger impact than usual. Not being able to score on the powerpaly or kill penalties could be the difference in a team making the playoffs and the Hurricanes are currently on the wrong end of that.

Scoring chance breakdown coming after the jump.

History is beginning to repeat itself for the Carolina Hurricanes, as they once again outplayed their opponent tonight but ended up taking a loss because of some terrible special teams play. They outshot the Flyers 42-24 (30-16 at even strength) but went 1/6 on the powerplay and had multiple opportunities to get back into the game in the third period. Unfortunately, they still look completely disoriented when playing with a man-up despite all of the talent present. To make things worse, Carolina failed to kill off all all three Flyer powerplays and that ended up being the dagger in this game.

All losses are frustrating, but this one was particularly maddening to watch because just about every time the Hurricanes had a chance to get back into the game, something went wrong and they found themselves down by two or three goals again. That's just the way that the dice has been rolling for the Hurricanes this season, though. Some of it is bad luck but a lot of it is related to this team's lackluster special teams play and tendency to have some defensive lapses. Sure, some people might point a finger at the spotty officiating tonight or not getting the goaltending they needed from Dan Ellis, who was pulled after allowing four goals on 12 shots, but most of Carolina's errors tonight were self-inflicted and the reason why they find themselves below .500. Again.

Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers
Wells Fargo Center, 7 p.m.
TV: FS-Carolinas, CSN-Philadelphia

Tonight's game begins what is easily the toughest part of the Carolina Hurricanes schedule. Not only is it a back-to-back on the road, but it's also the first game of a six-game road trip featuring two games on back-to-back nights. It's good to get this part of the schedule out of the way early in the year, but the Canes are going to need to make the most of these games and try to escape this road trip with at least a .500 record. Their record at the moment isn't that bad at a 3-3-0 but a losing streak or a bad record on this road trip could put them in a bit of a hole, especially when you look at the start the Tampa Bay Lightning are off to. Tonight's game is a good chance for them to get this road trip started on the right foot as they will take on a struggling Philadelphia Flyers team.

The Flyers have already been hit hard by the injury bug and their record of 2-6-0 reflects that. They are also on a three-game losing streak and have scored only two goals per game, which is a surprisingly lower average than what the Hurricanes have posted thus far. The Flyers have also played only two of their games at home, which might be why the team is struggling so much, so tonight's game might be more of a challenge than some think. Philadelphia has given this team a lot of trouble in the past, so I'm sure that's on the minds of the Canes right now and they will come out strong tonight.

Sometimes desperate teams can be dangerous if the opponent takes them lightly, so that will be one of the many things to watch for in tonight's game. 

Carolina's 1-0 win over the Ottawa Senators might be seen as another game that goaltender Dan Ellis "stole" for them because he recorded a shutout and the Hurricanes were outshot at even strength. While both of those points are true, the Hurricanes defense also deserves a lot of credit for Ellis' shutout as they did a fantastic job of not allowing many scoring opportunities against to the Senators. Carolina was outshot at even strength, yes but they had the upper-hand in scoring chances with a 17-13 advantage during five-on-five play and 23-16 overall. Don't get me wrong, Ellis was good when he needed to be and he came up big a few times in the third period, but this was a great defensive effort from the Hurricanes. The Canes offense also did their part in creating a healthy number of scoring chances, too but they had a tough time trying to solve Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson and could only get one past him.

That one goal ended up being enough to win the game, though and the Hurricanes did their part in protecting the lead so there won't be many people complaining about their performance last night. The only thing that needs to drastically improve is the powerplay, which we will discuss and more after the jump.

Carolina's game against the Ottawa Senators had all the makings of a disappointment for the home team. We've seen the Hurricanes get shut down by opposing goalie a few times this year and it looked like it was going to happen again tonight as Senators goalie Craig Anderson played about as good of a game as you can ask for. Carolina played their best first period of the season, outchancing Ottawa 7-2 at one point, but Anderson turned down just about everything that was thrown his way. It took a deflection by Eric Staal to finally beat him with less than five minutes remaining in the first period and after that, Carolina played a very smart game in all three zones to take home 1-0 win.

The biggest complaint i had with the Hurricanes performance against the Bruins on Monday was that they were playing "not to lose" in the third period rather than trying to win. This wasn't the case tonight. There were some moments where Ottawa controlled the pace of play, but Carolina did continue to press and create chances for themselves in the second and third periods. They just couldn't get anything past Anderson, something that many other teams have struggled with this season. The defense also did a nice job of keeping most of Ottawa's shots to the outside and when they did let them slip through, Dan Ellis was there to backstop them. Ellis definitely played a good game and made more than a few great saves, but the team in front of him also did a great job of keeping Ottawa's top players in check. This was just the kind of game the Hurricanes needed before their two-week road trip which begins tomorrow night in Philadelphia

Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes
PNC Arena, 7 p.m.
TV: FS-Carolinas, Sportsnet-East

The sense of optimism in Raleigh after their back-to-back sweep of the Buffalo Sabres didn't last long as the feelings of gloom and doom returned after the Hurricanes 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday night. A bad third period performance is usually a good way to lose confidence in your team, but it's important to be rational in these types of situations. I'm sure that most people had Carolina starting their year better than 2-3-0 and their special teams work has left a lot to be desired so I can understand why some fans are disappointed. That being said, five games is a little too early to hit the panic button and the team has shown signs of improving. The team is right back at .500 if they win tonight's game against Ottawa so they could be in a much worse situation. If they still have only two wins through 10 games, then it's time to start worrying.

Another thing to keep in mind is that their last two losses have come against teams that have dropped only two total games in regulation (Tampa Bay and Boston) so the Canes haven't exactly had the easiest road thus far. It won't get any easier tonight when they take on the rolling Ottawa Senators. Ottawa has won two games in a row and has lost only one game in regulation, so tonight's game is going to be a very tough challenge for the Hurricanes. There are a few reasons to be confident, though with the main one being Justin Faulk's return to the lineup tonight. We could also see some new forward lines and a new-look powerplay if the reports from practice are any indication.

Carolina is going to embark on a two-week road trip after tonight's game, so getting at least a point tonight against Ottawa will be critical. A further breakdown of this game is coming after the jump.

One of the reasons why the Hurricanes acquired Jordan Staal this summer is because he is the type of player who can make the rest of your roster better. We've been over this hundreds of times before, but J. Staal's ability to drive the play and create offense despite playing the toughest minutes on the team allows Kirk Muller to free up some of his other lines to easier minutes. We've seen Muller utilize this strategy by giving Jordan Staal's line the majority of tough minutes while Eric Staal's line has gotten easier zone starts against secondary competition and the third line of Jussi Jokinen, Chad LaRose and Drayson Bowman have gotten some of the "easiest" assignments on the team.

In theory, this strategy makes a lot of sense because the Staal brothers are good enough to handle the toughs and Jokinen was able to efficiently move the puck forward last year in a similar, protected role. So far, one side of this plan has worked out well as Eric Staal's line has done a marvelous job of creating offense and scoring chances but the third line has struggled. One would think that Jokinen, LaRose and Bowman should be able to thrive in a third line role where they aren't being matched up the best that the opposing team has to offer but they haven't been getting the job done. No one on this line has a point yet this season and all three are on the losing end of the scoring chance battle at even strength.

The most alarming thing about their performance thus far is the fact that they haven't been able to push the play forward despite the easier assignments they've been receiving. That and they've been pretty brutal at both ends of the ice in terms of creating and preventing scoring chances.

Jamie McBain's goal on Monday night's game against the Boston Bruins was a bit of a milestone for the Hurricanes. Not only was it the young defenseman's first goal of the season, but it was also the first time all year that the Hurricanes scored in the first period. That's right, it took five games into the year for the Hurricanes to finally score in the first period and they've scored the opening goal only once in those five games, too.

Obviously, this is a very small sample size to work with and it could end up not meaning a lot in the big picture, but I think most Carolina fans would agree that this team has had a problem with slow starts this year. They've been outscored 1-8 in first periods this year and have spent the majority of three games battling back from holes that they dug themselves into. Just what is going wrong for the Canes at the beginning of games, though? Some might say that the team has a tendency to come out sleeping for the first ten minutes like they did in the Bruins game on Monday but getting into penalty trouble is what sunk them against the Florida Panthers on opening night.

Whatever the case is, the Hurricanes really need to start playing better in the opening 20 minutes because a poor start usually sets the tone for the rest of the game. I've mentioned before that the Hurricanes play at 5-on-5 has been pretty solid this year but it would mean a lot more if the team wasn't playing from behind for most of their games. Teams usually outshoot the opposition when they are playing from behind so Carolina having the advantage in shots and scoring chances during even strength play would mean a lot more if they were either tied or leading for most of their games.

Just what is the root of the problem for the Hurricanes in the first period, though? After the jump, we will take a look at how Carolina has played in the first 20 minutes compared to the rest of the game to see if we can find any answers.

The development of former Carolina Hurricanes first round pick Zach Boychuk has been scrutinized heavily in recent seasons. This is his fifth year in the organization and in that time, he has been able to succeed in the AHL but that hasn't translated to success at the next level as Boychuk has played only 73 games in the NHL, scoring seven goals and 18 points during that span. This year was sort of seen as a "final chance" for him with the Hurricanes because he was extended on a one-year contract and he is nearing the age where most high end prospects either reach their peak or fizzle out. Despite leading the AHL's Charlotte Checkers in scoring and entering this season with a lot of promise, it appears that history has repeated itself for Boychuk because he was waived yesterday morning while Andreas Nodl was called up. 

Boychuk has only gotten to play one game with the Hurricanes this season where he was placed on the first line and failed to make much of an impact. He was benched the next game in favor of enforcer Kevin Westgarth and hasn't been used in the lineup since then. You can argue that Boychuk was never given much of a chance with the Hurricanes and this is a valid point because he was stuck on the fourth line for most of Paul Maurice's tenure and was abruptly bench and sent down to the minors after playing a few games with Kirk Muller as head coach. I'd like to think that Boychuk could succeed if he's given top-six minutes but it is clear that opportunity isn't going to happen for him in Carolina and he might be better served either in the AHL or getting a fresh start with a new team who will give him top-six minutes.

It seems like the team was hesitant to waive Boychuk for awhile in fear of him getting claimed off waivers. No team ever wants to lose their players for nothing, especially a former first rounder, but it isn't fair to Boychuk to keep him on the bench for the rest of the year when he could still provide a lot of help to another organization. Boychuk getting claimed off waivers wouldn't be the worst thing in the world either since the Hurricanes weren't using him (although it's a bad reflection on the team's drafting history). Some say that he may have fetched a decent return in a trade but the time to deal him was either one or two years ago when his value was still somewhat high. No one is going to give up much for a player they could have on waivers for nothing. I still think he has a future as an NHL-er, but it's clear that he wasn't a fit in Muller's system and would be better off somewhere else. Whether that place is the AHL or the NHL is to be determined.

The whole Boychuk situation has been frustrating for awhile because his previous track record in the AHL hasn't been terrible in terms of his ability to drive the play forward and the door is somewhat open for him to make the NHL. Boychuk could probably still have a shot at being a third-liner on the Hurricanes with the starts that Chad LaRose and Jussi Jokinen are off to but like I said earlier, Muller does not see him as a fit for his system which is why he was sitting the last few games and why Nodl was called up. Nodl is a player who Muller knows pretty well and fills a need for this team as a defensive forward and someone who can kill penalties. He would thrive in a third or fourth line role while Boychuk has always needed top-six minutes to succeed.

If Boychuk manages to pass through waivers without anyone claiming him, then that's a plus for the Checkers since they get their leading scorer back but what happens if he continues to tear it up in the AHL? If he receives yet another call-up will this whole process be again? Or better yet, will the Hurricanes keep him in the AHL and possibly use him as trade bait in another month or so?  Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens with him in the next 24 hours and I wish him the best.