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R ALEIGH N.C. - With 10 home games in November, the Carolina Hurricanes wanted to make it a special month.
The Canes haven’t and they won’t.
After a 3-1 loss on Friday night to the Winnipeg Jets, the Canes are 3-5-1 this month, with only a game against the surprising Florida Panthers left to be played in November at the RBC Center.
The Jets added to the Canes’ home-ice woes in simple fashion: with hard work. Evander Kane forced a turnover in the first period and turned it into a goal, and Jets captain Andrew Ladd scored in the second period by being tough in front of the crease.
Bryan Little scored an empty netter in the final seconds for the Jets (9-9-4).
The Canes, who had collected five points in their past three games, got offensive chances but mostly missed the net. They had just 11 shots on goal in the first two periods, making things relatively easy for backup goalie Chris Mason.
Jiri Tlusty did beat Mason with a second-period shot for a 1-1 tie, but only after double-clutching a rolling puck before shooting. It was Tlusty’s fourth goal of the season and second in as many games.
But Ladd scored 68 seconds later. Outfighting defenseman Tomas Kaberle in front of the crease, Ladd knocked the puck past goalie Cam Ward, who made several top-notch throughout the game.
In the first, Kane knocked the puck away from Chad LaRose above the right circle, switched gears and led a rush into the Carolina zone. His shot from the left wing banged off the iron and past Ward for his ninth goal of the season and fourth in the last five games.
The Canes have preached keeping a high forward when a defenseman pinches in the offensive end, but defenseman Jamie McBain came in trying to make a play against Kane with no forward help. Kane wheeled around McBain and was quickly down the ice on a two-on-one, with only defenseman Tim Gleason back for the Canes.
The Canes had a pair of early power plays in the first and had four shots but could not convert to grab the lead. The Jets, in turn, seemed energized by the penalty kills and had the offensive momentum the rest of the period, taking a 14-7 shooting edge.
The Jets, who bottled up the Canes in the Carolina zone and in the neutral zone, had a 27-11 edge in shots after two periods.
Mason had not played since a relief stint against Philadelphia on Oct. 27 and made his last start Oct. 24 against the New York Rangers.
But Mason stopped 18 of 19 shots in the Jets’ 5-3 win over the Canes after relieving Ondrej Pavelec early in the game. The veteran came into the game with a career 1.35 GAA and .953 save percentage against Carolina _ considerably better than his 2.63 GAA and .911 pct. against the rest of the league.
Jeff Skinner had Canes fans roaring in the first, and not with an offensive move. After being checked hard into the boards by Eric Fehr, he bounced back up and put a big hit on Fehr.
The Canes’ Brian Boucher, the backup goaltender, was hit by a flying puck late in the second period and was taken to the locker room bleeding. Boucher did not return in the third.
(c)2011 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) Distributed by MCT Information Services
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