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head coach: Paul Maurice

roster: C -- Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Kent Manderville, Bates Battaglia. RW -- Ray Sheppard, Sami Kapanen, Nelson Emerson, Kevin Dineen, Paul Ranheim, Steven Rice. LW -- Martin Gelinas, Gary Roberts, Robert Kron, Stu Grimson, Stephen Leach. D -- Steve Chiasson, Glen Wesley, Adam Burt, Curtis Leschyshyn, Nolan Pratt, Steve Halko, Kevin Haller, Sean Hill. G -- Trevor Kidd, Mike Fountain.

injuries: Sean Hill, d, (broken fibula, one to two weeks); Kevin Haller, d, (pulled groin, day-to-day); Stephen Leach. lw, (herniated disk in neck, out for season).

transactions: 3/24 -- traded Kirk McLean, g, to Florida for Ray Sheppard, rw; 3/25 -- recalled Nolan Pratt, d, and Mike Fountain, g, from New Haven (AHL); 3/29 -- recalled Steve Halko, d, and Mike Rucinski, d, from New Haven; 3/30 -- signed Craig McDonald, c, (Canadian National Team), and Shane Willis, rw, (Lethbridge, WHL); 4/2 -- returned Rucinski to New Haven.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
x-Pittsburgh 76  37  22  17    91  209  175  
Boston       74  34  27  13    81  198  175  
Buffalo      75  33  27  15    81  192  170  
Montreal     75  35  30  10    80  219  190 
Ottawa       75  30  31  14    74  175  184  
Carolina     74  31  35   8    70  183  196  
x - Clinched playoff spot

game results:

3/23 at Florida      W 5-3
3/26 NY Rangers      W 4-1
3/28 at Philadelphia W 4-2
3/29 Philadelphia    L 3-1
3/31 Montreal        T 3-3
4/01 at New Jersey   W 4-0
4/04 at Montreal     W 1-0

team news:

by Brad Kane, Hurricanes Correspondent

After everything that's happened this year, the Carolina Hurricanes just may make the playoffs after all. Imagine, from spastic pigs to this. Incredible. Just four points behind 8th place Ottawa as of April 5 with eight games to go. And it's all due to one roly-poly, Pillsbury Dough Boy-lookalike -- Trevor Kidd.

Kidd's back-to-back shutouts at New Jersey and Montreal last week may land him his second NHL player-of-the-week award in the last month -- the last coming the week ending March 8. The New Jersey victory was particularly impressive, with the 'Canes having played the night before in Greensboro. Combined with the win at Philadelphia, they are the Hurricanes best two wins of the year, perhaps their best victories in quite some time; both on the road against quality teams with both offense and defense clicking.

Even more impressive is how Carolina has adapted to injuries. Kevin Haller, Sean Hill, and Steve Chiasson have missed time recently due to various ailments. Rookies Nolan Pratt, Steve Halko, and Mike Rucinski stepped into the void and played admirably. I mean, come on, Mike Rucinski? He was in the ECHL not long ago...

So, this is how it shapes up down the stretch. Eight games to go -- four home, four away. Highlights include visits to Boston and Buffalo this week and a season-ending home-and-home set with Washington next weekend. The Senators have been playing well as of late, too, but they still can't score goals, and neither Damian Rhodes or Ron Tugnutt can hold a candle to the Kidder right now. The verdict? Five wins, or 10 points, in the last eight games, and Carolina meets the Devils in the 1st round.

WHATNOT

Speaking of player-of-the-week awards, Keith Primeau received the honor for the week ending March 29. In four games, Primeau scored four goals and added four assists. That's two in less than a month for the Hurricanes.

Ray Sheppard by Meredith Martini

The trade deadline came and went with one move made by the 'Canes. Carolina dispatched backup goalie Kirk McLean to the NHL's latest version of hockey limbo, the Florida Panthers, for the soft hands of winger Ray Sheppard. Sheppard promptly joined the team's first line with former Detroit linemate Primeau and looked very good. A certain American sports-oriented cable television network deemed the deal a win for Florida. Um, return you hockey reporting credentials to the front desk, please. McLean wasn't playing in Carolina, the deal saves $800,000 a year for the Hurricanes, and Sheppard's not done yet. Score this one a win for Carolina GM Jim Rutherford, thank you very much.

The 'Canes recently announced that ticket prices will be reduced for next season. Most single game seats will be cut by $10, while season tickets will be discounted by 10%. The move was made as one of forgiveness toward Hurricane fans. Owner Peter Karmanos admitted that tickets had been priced too high. The purpose of the plan is to get more people into the Greensboro Coliseum and to shift most of the fans to the lower level of the arena, cutting down on the nasty sight of those empty seats. Fans will be able to get a lower level seat for as little as $20.

Carolina signed two of their best prospects recently. Former Harvard center Craig McDonald and junior league right wing Shane Willis came to terms with the Hurricanes after months of negotiating. Now, neither of these guys is the second coming of Wayne Gretzky, but they can only help a farm system that is one of the worst in the NHL right now. (Wonder if the signings had anything to do The Hockey News's recent assertion that Carolina's prospects ranked dead last in the NHL.) McDonald is, by all accounts, a good checking center with some offensive upside while Willis is, simple and plain, a gunner. McDonald is currently with the Canadian National Team, while Willis was assigned to Carolina's AHL affiliate in New Haven.

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