Guild Wars » traight game, defeating the Hurricanes 6-3

The Montreal Canadiens recent skid couldnt have arrived at a worse time. Not to say theres ever a good time for four losses in a row, but thats the Habs reality and in doing so have seen themselves drop into wild card territory behind the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. Granted, Montreal has two games in hand, but with the three teams ahead of them all riding hot streaks - the Boston Bruins earning points in four straight, the Tampa Bay Lightning on a three-game winning streak and the Leafs having earned points in seven of their last eight - the alarm is rightfully going off. Its not just the losses or even the standings that are of highest concern to Montreal fans. The Canadiens have given up at least four goals in each of their last six and Carey Price has been chased out of the net in two of his last three games. Even the lone win that they have managed to garner over the stretch – a 5-4 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 16 – was a puck that trickled past Craig Anderson and led to a firestorm with P.K. Subbans game-winning celebration. Add that to a near-goalie fight against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Wednesday and the Canadiens are grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons. So what gives? Mired in the longest stretch of futility since general manager Marc Bergevin took over, the Canadiens dont have a single player among the NHLs Top 50 scorers and their current leading scorer is a defenceman (Subban). A defenceman - mind you - that will once again be the centre of contract negotiations and all sorts of rumours until his name is once again down on a contract. However, with 55 points through the first 44 games of the season, perhaps the Habs should be granted some slack as they endure this skid. After all, the Detroit Red Wings - currently two points back of Montreal and in the second wild card spot - rattled off a six-game losing streak in December. The Maple Leafs, too, lost four straight before going on their current streak, giving up even more goals in their four-game skid than the Canadiens have on their current slide. Even if they should win both their remaining games, the Canadiens will post their worst monthly record of the season for January. They will then have five games in eight nights in early February to try to make some hay before the Olympic break. But then what? If Price or Subban are unable to thrive – or not even feature – for Canada at the Olympics, will it affect their play after the break? Will the likes of Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov return jubilant if Russia captures gold at home? Or will they be crushed by disappointment? The Canadiens have time to turn the ship around with more than a third of the schedule left to play, but the closer the playoffs get, the tougher the games will get. The Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are both keeping pace with one another, meaning a failure to gain ground could soon result in a first-round date with one or the other. Or even the Pittsburgh Penguins. Or even failing to make the postseason for the second time in three seasons. So are the Habs going through a bad stretch? Or are they just a bad team? As always, its Your! Call. Cheap Reds Jerseys Authentic .J. -- While Martin Brodeur wasnt willing to say he stole one for the New Jersey Devils against the Columbus Blue Jackets, almost everyone else was. Cheap Reds Jerseys . - New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club has an agreement to bring back outside linebacker Parys Haralson on a one-year deal. http://www.cheapredsjerseys.com/?tag=che...y-larkin-jersey. 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Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.EDMONTON - It was just last week that the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes were the two remaining teams without a win in the NHL.Things have picked up for one of those clubs.Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist as the Oilers won their third straight game, defeating the Hurricanes 6-3 on Friday.Jesse Joensuu, Leon Draisaitl, Matt Hendricks and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers (3-4-1), who have turned things around on their current homestand after a troubling beginning to the season.We found a way to win in the third, and thats the most important thing, Eberle said. We got the win, we got the two points. Thats something we werent doing last year. We have a little bit of a streak going here.Eberles goals were his first two of the season.Its definitely nice to get the monkey off my back, he said. It seems like its the same every year, you get one and I feel good and I start playing my game again.Its funny how it works, you get one and the net turns into a soccer net.Joensuu said he feels the current Oilers group has a bit more composure this year.Last year we had some frustrating losses in games like this, he said. This time it was a good frustration in some of the guys. We knew we had the tools to win the game, we have the skill in this room. We said lets go out and do it instead of talking about it.Riley Nash, Jeff Skinner and Jay Harrison responded for the Hurricanes, the only team in the NHL yet to record a win. They are off to a franchise-worst 0-5-2 start.It was tough the way it ended, its tough to swallow, Skinner said. We showed some character coming back as many times as we did. We just couldnt find that one goal to put us up.Harrison said the Hurricanes need to find a solution to their winless woes — and fast.Were a bit emotional in here right now, he said.We knew it wasnt going to be easy and it is not going to get any easier. Its up to the guys in this room to get us out of this. Were professional athletes and nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We have to continue to get better and work our way out of this. It is the only way.There was almost an early start to the scoring as Hurricane Jay McClement hit a post behind Oilers starter Ben Scrivens in the opening minute.Carolina had 15 shots on Scrivens in a scoreless first period, while the Oilers put 10 on Anton Khudobin in the Hurricanes net.Edmonton finally scored the first goal of the game midway through the second period as Eberle picked off Harrisons clearing pass and went in on a two-on-one, dishing it off to Taylor Hall before getting it back and scoring his first goal of the season.Carolina tied thee game up with five minutes left in the middle frame as Nash tipped a Justin Faulk point shot past Scrivens to make it 1-1.ddddddddddddThe Oilers regained the advantage two minutes later as Khudobin mishandled a Nikita Nikitin shot, allowing Joensuu to bang in the rebound from the doorstep.However, Carolina came right back to knot the game 2-2 with two minutes left in the second as Skinner fought off Martin Marincin and then sniped the top corner for his first of the year.Edmonton moved ahead once more four-and-a-half minutes into the third period with a power-play goal as Eberle used Hall as a screen before beating Khubodin glove-side with a slap shot. Carolina complained that there should have been a penalty on the play to Edmontons Benoit Pouliot after breaking his stick on a slash of Hurricane defender Brett Bellemore, who then turned the puck over to Eberle.The Hurricanes battle back eight minutes into the third as Scrivens got caught out of position after trying to play the puck behind the net, allowing Harrison to score on a wrist shot through traffic.Edmonton went up 4-3 with seven minutes left as Draisaitl scored his first NHL goal, picking up his own rebound and sending a backhand into the net.It was really exciting, thats something that every hockey player as a kid dreams about, said the German product. To make this happen with this team is even more special.Draisaitl, the third overall pick in the 2014 Entry Draft, was playing his eighth game with one more to go before the Oilers need to decide whether to keep him for the entire season or send him down to junior with Prince Albert of the Western Hockey League.It was good that he (Draisaitl) stayed with the puck, he had the chance and then to get the goal, that was a big burden off his back, said Oilers coach Dallas Eakins. I dont know if hes ever in his life gone that long with only a point or two. Its not mandatory for him to get points every night, but it wears on a kid like that when he doesnt.The Oilers added some insurance with four minutes left as Hall raced to negate an icing and then crowded the front of the net, allowing Nugent-Hopkins to score his third goal in as many games.Hendricks sealed the deal with an empty-net goal.We need a win, sooner rather than later, said Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters. Its a good group of guys who work hard. They believe and they work for each other. It will happen, we just have to stay with it.The Oilers play the fifth game of a season-long seven-game homestand against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. The Hurricanes conclude a five-game road trip in Vancouver on Tuesday. ' ' '