With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up is the Carolina Hurricanes, who have a fresh start with new general manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters at the helm. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Metropolitan GM: Ron Francis Head Coach: Bill Peters 2013-14: 36-35-11 (7th in Metropolitan) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 205 (22nd) Goals Against: 226 (19th) PP: 14.6% (28th) PK: 81.7% (17th) That Was Then: The 2013-14 season stretched the Hurricanes run of early summers to five straight years. The last time the franchise missed five in a row was when they found themselves on the move from Hartford. The first half saw the Hurricanes fall into extended lapses. While the 15-16-9 record they posted as the calendar rolled over might that bad on paper, beneath it was three losing streaks of at least four games. The Canes seemed to be perfectly capable of equaling the opposition for 60 minutes, but of the dozen games they forced to an extra frame or shootout they only emerged with the bonus point in three. And one of the biggest issues for the Canes in 2013-14 was between the pipes. Long seen as a franchise pillar in net, Cam Ward may have had his worst year as a pro. He battled injuries all season long and missed 23 games with lower body injuries. When he was in net, the results were rarely stellar, as the 30-year-old posted a seven-year low .898 save-percentage and a goals-against average of 3.06. To make matters worse, back-up Anton Khudobin was hurt in early October, forcing Justin Peters into regular duty as the Canes starter for extended stretches in November and December. The Canes kept pace in the new Metropolitan Division through October. But once November struck, a steady downfall kicked in and despite a 10-4 January run, the team was out of playoff positioning for the rest of the season and earned its fourth Top 10 draft position in five years. Scott Cullens Analytics Hurricanes 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 1.85 2.45 5.3 .931 48.0% .500 21-41 2.76 2.95 7.5 .914 49.5% .500 42-62 2.43 2.38 6.9 .927 51.5% .550 63-82 2.65 2.65 7.4 .932 47.3% .500 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Couldnt score, and every win was by a one-goal margin, yet goaltending kept them treading water. Games 21-41: Possession improved a little, scoring jumped, but goaltending fell as Cam Ward went through a rough patch. Games 42-62: Continued to improve possession, goaltending bounced back, but scoring was still subpar. Games 63-82: Continued their break-even ways, with below average possession and shooting, countered by above-average goaltending, thanks to Anton Khudobin. Key 2014 Additions: D Tim Gleason, LW Brad Malone, G Drew MacIntyre, C Jay McClement Key 2014 Subtractions: D Matt Corrente, C Manny Malhotra, G Justin Peters, LW Brett Sutter This Is Now: The dominos fell on the Canes front office and coaching staff in the spring. The only general manager the Hurricanes have ever known moved to a divisional rival in Pittsburgh. Jim Rutherford, who was there so long he may still have business cards kicking around that read, Whalers, stepped aside and former franchise player Ron Francis began his managerial career. Kirk Muller was also out as head coach, replaced by Bill Peters - a former Detroit Red Wings assistant who has never been an NHL head coach but was in demand this off-season. Francis didnt make any major moves over the off-season, leaving the core to kickstart the road to improvement. They arent lacking talent with scorers like Eric Staal, Skinner and Alexander Semin forming the front end of their ranks. Jordan Staal had a down year in 2013-14, posting 40 points despite logging 82 games for the first time since 2009-10. Jiri Tlusty, too, suffered a drop-off after enjoying a breakout season in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign. After a career-best 23 goals in 48 games, Tlusty netted just 16 in 68 games with the Canes in 2013-14. If the two of them can lift their offensive games, it should provide a much needed second attack wave for the Canes. The Canes also have options from the point when it comes to scoring with 28-year-old Andrej Sekera enjoying a career-best 44 points last season while Justin Faulk continued to develop with 32 in his third NHL campaign. If Ryan Murphy can contribute full-time minutes for a whole year and John-Michael Liles can re-discover his 30-point form, the Canes could resuscitate their 28th-ranked power play. Of course, the team needs to keep goals out of the net, too. The addition of PK-specialist Jay McClement helps, but their defensive fortunes will come down to what kind of year they get in net. With two years left at a cap hit of $6.8 million, trading Ward is next to impossible. If he doesnt bounce back, Khudobin is ready. He was extended for two years at a total of $4.5 million after passing his one-year audition last season. His .926 save-percentage and 2.30 goals-against suggests the Canes can compete well with him. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Jeff Skinner Eric Staal Alexander Semin Jiri Tlusty Jordan Staal Elias Lindholm Nathan Gerbe Riley Nash Pat Dwyer Zach Boychuk Jay McClement Brad Malone Chris Terry Victor Rask Greg Nemisz Brock McGinn Phil Di Giuseppe Justin Shugg Defence Left Right Andrej Sekera Justin Faulk Ron Hainsey John-Michel Liles Tim Gleason Brett Bellemore Keegan Lowe Danny Biega Goaltenders Anton Khudobin Cam Ward Drew MacIntyre Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Haydn Fleurys exceptional skating ability allows him to impact the game multiple ways. Turning and going back for the puck makes him very difficult to forecheck and thus less time in the defensive zone for his team. The ability to transition is so important and combined with very good sense and understanding of what is unfolding, Haydn can support the offensive attack also. A very calm player who plays with a competitive edge. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Elias Lindholm Coming off a rookie season in which he tallied 21 points in 58 games, spending some time with the Swedish National Junior Team (where he scored nine points in six tournament games), 19-year-old Lindholm has already shown a promising two-way game. With limited competition at the top of the Hurricanes roster, there should be a very good opportunity for Lindholm to play in a top-six role which, combined with the likelihood of improving his on-ice (shooting and save) percentages and hopefully something close to a full season of games, could result in a sizeable jump in production. Air Max Outlet Online . An unconventional night for Texas-El Paso nearly led to the Miners getting a huge upset. Down by 14 with 2:21 left, the Miners went on a frantic closing spurt that fell just short, and UTEP was beaten by No. Air max Outlet . Lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Blake Comeau – The Penguins winger had a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto. http://www.airmaxoutletsale.us/. Defenceman Tessa Bonhomme was among three players released from the team Tuesday morning along with defenceman Brigette Lacquette of Waterhen, Man. Cheap Air Max Outlet . So true. It is one thing to create a winning football team, and another to keep it winning. Each and every week it changes. The NFL creates a unique interest of not who is "the best", but much more who is "the best this week". Cheap Air Max 2017 . He will just have to wait a little longer. Bester grabbed an early lead before Scotlands Darren Burnett took over and ran away with the mens singles lawn bowling final 21-9 on Friday.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Buffalo Sabres headed into the Christmas break playing their best hockey of the season. It was pretty much the opposite for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Catch all the action on TSN and TSN Radio 1050 at 7:30pm et /4:30pm pt. The Sabres will shoot for a fourth win in five games when they visit the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs in Fridays Atlantic Division battle at Air Canada Centre. Toronto lost seven out of nine heading into the Christmas break, but the club at least has managed to earn points in three straight outings. The Maple Leafs have gone to the shootout phase in each of their last three games, beating Phoenix on Dec. 19 before losing consecutive tilts against Detroit and the New York Rangers. The Maple Leafs seemed on the verge of a regulation defeat Monday in New York City, but they came up with a controversial goal after Rangers forward Chris Kreider was sent off for shooting the puck over the glass with 3:34 remaining in the third period. New York goaltender Cam Talbot appeared to cover up David Clarksons chance in-close on the man advantage, but the whistle never blew and Nazem Kadri alertly pushed the puck over the line to make it a 1-1 game with only 84 seconds to go in regulation. However, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello each scored for the Rangers during the shootout, while Joffrey Lupul scored Torontos lone goal in the decisive segment. Kadri had a chance to extend the shootout for Toronto, but was denied by Talbot. Toronto fell for the ninth time in its last 10 road games despite a terrific 42-save performance from Jonathan Bernier. "Our goaltender stood on his head," Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle remarked. "Thats all you can ask in a game like this one.&quoot; The Leafs are 12-8-1 as the home team this season compared to a 6-8-4 record on the road.dddddddddddd Although Buffalo is still last in the NHL with 23 points, the club has recorded four of its 10 wins this season over the last seven games. The Sabres latest victory, Mondays 2-1 overtime win against visiting Phoenix, came with a little bit of luck, as Buffalo was the beneficiary of a bizarre play in the extra session. Mark Pysyk fired a shot from near the right circle 3:47 into the extra session which was initially stopped by Coyotes goalie Mike Smith, but the puck bounced straight up into the air and was batted down by a Phoenix defender and landed in the back of Smiths pants. Smith, unaware of the disc wedged in his pants, turned and slid backwards into the net carrying the puck across the goal line for the game-winner. "I saw it come down and figured it landed. I didnt know where it went from there, but I saw he was in the net and figured it was in," said Pysyk. Tyler Ennis scored the game-tying goal 14:01 into the final session for the Sabres. Ryan Miller made 36 saves in the win. Although Buffalo has picked up the pace recently, the club still enters Friday on an eight-game road losing streak. The Sabres, who last won as the guest on Nov. 5 in San Jose, are just 3-12-1 on the road this season. The Sabres have not fared well in Toronto recently either, losing two straight and seven of the last eight encounters at Air Canada Centre. Buffalo, however, has won three of the past four meetings overall. Buffalo hopes to have leading scorer Cody Hodgson back tonight after the centerman missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury. Hodgson has eight goals and 11 assists to pace the Sabres with 19 points. ' ' '