Hurricanes coach promises lineup changes after ‘unacceptable’ effort

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters was not happy with his team following a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday afternoon.

"They were better than us, better than us from the start of the game," he told reporters afterward, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer. "I was really disappointed in our compete (level) today. ... We got what we deserved.

"The effort today was unacceptable, period."

A win would have allowed the Hurricanes to leapfrog the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers for sole possession of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they remain on the outside looking in.

With a key matchup against the Flyers looming Tuesday, Peters insisted he won't ice the same lineup.

"You can't put that group out again," he said. "The effort and the intensity we played at was similar to something you probably see at a neutral-site game in September. I'm very disappointed in the way we played today, disappointed in some of the guys you can count on."

Here's the lineup the Hurricanes sent out Sunday, according to Left Wing Lock.

LW C RW
Sebastian Aho Jordan Staal Teuvo Teravainen
Brock McGinn Victor Rask Justin Williams
Jeff Skinner Derek Ryan Elias Lindholm
Joakim Nordstrom Marcus Kruger Lee Stempniak
LD RD
Jaccob Slavin Justin Faulk
Noah Hanifin Brett Pesce
Haydn Fleury Trevor van Riemsdyk
G
Cam Ward

It's unclear whether Peters will simply shake up the forward lines, or perhaps look to a call-up from the AHL to provide a spark.

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Forsberg suspended 3 games for hit on Rangers’ Vesey

Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg has been handed a three-game suspension for interference following a hit on New York Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey.

Midway through the second period of Saturday's contest, Forsberg hit Vesey behind the New York net after he played the puck. However, Forsberg was not whistled for interference on the play in question.

He hadn't been subject to supplemental discipline prior to Sunday.

After missing 11 games with an upper-body injury, Saturday was just the second game for Forsberg since returning to the lineup. His latest absence is a key loss for the Predators, as he sits second in team scoring with 38 points.

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Canada defeats Latvia in exhibition game ahead of PyeongChang 2018

Chalk up a win for the Canadians.

Team Canada defeated Team Latvia 2-0 on Sunday in the first of three pre-tournament games leading up to PyeongChang 2018.

Defensemen Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mat Robinson provided the offense for Canada, while netminder Ben Scrivens turned aside 27 shots for the shutout.

Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, a third-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014, stopped 21 of 23 shots in the defeat.

Canada has two games remaining in pre-tournament action against Belarus and Sweden before opening its schedule against Switzerland on Feb. 15.

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Golden Knights cap comeback with upheld own goal, awkward celebration

The Vegas Golden Knights rallied to defeat the Washington Capitals on Sunday, with the deciding goal providing no shortage notable moments.

First, a look at the play in question:

The goal was scored by Alex Tuch, who was rewarded for some hard work down low and out into the front of the net. The puck, however, ultimately went in off Philipp Grubauer's trapper, and the Capitals claimed the goalie was interfered with.

Cue another review - a process that seems to go either way as of late, as evidenced by Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg recently blasting inconsistencies in officiating.

The goal was deemed good, thereby justifying Tuch's large and sloppy celebration that featured a tumble and a twirl.

Tuch's goal capped a third-period, one-goal comeback and helped improve the Golden Knights' record to 35-13-4, second overall in the NHL.

It's all coming up Vegas this season.

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Trotz moves into 5th in all-time games coached

Barry Trotz achieved a career milestone Sunday, passing Lindy Ruff and moving into fifth on the NHL's all-time games coached list.

Of those 1,494 games, 298 have come since 2014 as head coach of the Washington Capitals, while the previous 1,196 appearances were made from behind the Nashville Predators' bench.

Heading into Sunday's game against Vegas, Trotz's career coaching record stood at 743-558-60-132, with 39 wins in 80 playoff games added to his resume.

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Zetterberg blasts inconsistencies in officiating after non-interference call

Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg is the latest to make his voice heard after another baffling goaltender interference non-call.

Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau scored a late game-winner that was held up following a lengthy review, leaving Zetterberg rather confused, to say the least.

"The inconsistency in this league right now, if it's the refs or it's the (review team) in Toronto or if it's the suspensions or if it's the fines, it's hard for us as players to know what rules we are playing under," Zetterberg said after the game, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

"You see it over and over again," Zetterberg continued. "Losing a game like this that is really important, the points are really important, on a call that yesterday could have been goalie interference and tonight it's not. Probably tomorrow that will be goalie interference again. That's what's frustrating for us. They have to find a way to deal with this."

During All-Star weekend in Tampa, commissioner Gary Bettman said officials need to stop overthinking these decisions, and it appears the issue will need to be even more closely looked at in the near future.

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Penguins set to run with Murray-Jarry tandem down the stretch

The Pittsburgh Penguins appear to have settled on a goalie tandem for the balance of the season, recalling Tristan Jarry from the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to complement starter Matt Murray.

Murray was recently absent from the team following the death of his father, while Jarry had been sent down in lieu of Casey DeSmith, who has now been returned to the AHL affiliate after allowing three goals on 38 shots in a loss to New Jersey on Saturday.

Jarry won all three of his starts during his minor-league stint, stopping 80 of 85 shots for a .941 save percentage. In 18 NHL appearances this season, he's posted a record of 9-4-2 with a .919 save percentage.

Murray is expected to get the lion's share of the starts as the playoffs draw near.

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Golden Knights not yet sure what to do at trade deadline

Few expected an expansion team to be potential buyers at the trade deadline.

But that may very well be the case for the Vegas Golden Knights, as general manager George McPhee's club sits first in the Western Conference and second overall with the deadline quickly approaching.

The belief was McPhee might look to flip pending free agents for picks and prospects, but the team's success has surely made him reassess that plan.

"We still don't know what we're going to do at the deadline," McPhee said Sunday, per Vegas Insider Gary Lawless. "We're still three weeks away. We'll know more when we get there. Every team in the league has needs... We'll see. I like our group. I don't know if we're going to do a lot, if anything."

According to Sports Club Stats, the Golden Knights have a 100 percent chance of clinching a playoff spot, meaning they'll be a first-year postseason team barring complete disaster.

As such, dealing leading scorers like James Neal and David Perron - who can become unrestricted free agents on July - does not seem likely.

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Devils recall Eddie Lack; demote Ken Appleby

The New Jersey Devils have recalled goaltender Eddie Lack from the AHL's Binghamton Devils, sending Ken Appleby the other way.

Lack was acquired from the Calgary Flames in late December. In five appearances with the Devils' minor-league club, he has a 1-2-2 record and .915 save percentage.

Devils' starting goalie Cory Schneider remains sidelined with a groin injury, meaning Lack will serve as backup to Keith Kinkaid.

The surprising Devils, meanwhile, are hanging onto the second seed in the tough Metropolitan Division.

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