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Maniscalco: More Staal means more for the Canes

Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes moves the puck up the ice against the Detroit Red Wings on October 13, 2008.

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By Mike Maniscalco
Jan 23, 2009

With the NHL All-Star break upon us, it's a good time to run down where the Carolina Hurricanes stand. Let’s look at some numbers that could predict the Canes' future:

• The Carolina Hurricanes enter the stretch run of the NHL season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 51 points.

• Since the lockout, the point total for the eighth-place team in the East has been 92 in 2005-06, 92 in 2006’07 and 94 in 2007-08.

• Carolina has 34 games left, which means the team has to win at least 21 of its remaining games to make the post-season.

• The Canes have been outscored 142 to 121 on the season. Translation: the team scores 2.52 goals per game and gives up 2.95 goals, yet they are three games above .500. (Carolina is the only team with a minus in goal differential in the top eight in the East)

• Ray Whitney is the team's leading scorer with 39 points (15g, 24a), which is tied for 40th in the league.

So, with the schedule quickly evaporating, the Canes have a big task in front of them. If you were wondering, under Paul Maurice the team has gone two games above .500, posting a 11-9-3 record.

It was this time last year that Eric Staal picked up his game after picking up the MVP trophy of the All-Star game. He understands that he has to bring his game back to the level at which he finished last year, and there is every indication that should happen. What people need to back away from is the expectation that he is going to be a player who scores 150 points in a season. He can be and should be a consistent 100-point player, but that takes some help.

What he is, and the last two games have shown us this, is a player who is very good in all three zones of the ice. Paul Maurice is giving Staal more ice time killing penalties (a move that will improve another center’s game, which I’ll explain in a moment).

You always want your best players on the ice as much as possible.

Staal is a natural goal scorer who has 20 on the season and should easily eclipse the 35-goal mark. There is one problem to Staal’s offensive game: he only has 15 assists at the break. You can blame that on the loss of Erik Cole as his primary winger, but the addition of Justin Williams to the top line should boost the helper totals.

Staal needs to play like an all-star, but if Williams is on track, the team should have a strong finish to the season.

Expanding Staal’s role will also benefit the captain Rod Brind’Amour.

Instead of taxing the captain with 19-20 minutes a night, Maurice can play the veteran for 15-17 minutes in each contest and get more out of him. I’m not very big on saying pro athletes are heroes, soldiers, etc., but in Brind’Amour’s case, I have to say he is a warrior in the way how he brings maximum effort every night while not at 100 percent.

Not playing doctor here, but it is clear he is not his usual self. Still, he won’t make any excuses for his play, and I won’t either. Brind’Amour has had fewer minutes in the last two games and hasn't complained once. With the reduced ice time, his play should improve, as he can go all out for the 22-25 shifts he does play.

The role players for the Canes have been great. Chad LaRose should end up with a career year, and he deserves it. Scott Walker and Tuomo Ruutu are doing the little things to help win games. Joe Corvo is having an outstanding season and playing with confidence, and his four game-winning goals lead the NHL among defensemen.

The back six have been steady, going back to the third period in Buffalo, but they will need to be better down the stretch to play Maurice’s grinding style of hockey. If the defense continues to pick up its play, it will only help Cam Ward. And until Carolina proves it can score more than 2.5 goals a game, Cam will have to be one of the top players every night.

The finish to the season should be a wild ride. If you're a Canes fan, just hope it isn’t a rollercoaster.

Mike Maniscalco does the Carolina Hurricanes' pregame and postgame shows on 99.9 FM The Fan ESPN Radio. He is also the host of the Sports Lunch every weekday on The Fan from noon to 1 p.m.