NHL carolina Hurricanes

Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our weekday look at the previous night's action and some of the story lines taking place around the league. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com.

Sharks 5, Hurricanes 1: Six months ago, the Carolina Hurricanes were in the Eastern Conference Final, just four wins away from playing for the right to claim Lord Stanley's Cup. Granted, they were swept in four straight games by the team that eventually won it all, but the point remains, they were one of the final four teams playing in the NHL. Fast forward to early November, and the 'Canes find themselves near the bottom of the standings, having now lost nine straight games, including Sunday's 5-1 drubbing at home against San Jose.

The NHL acted fast in determining a punishment for Carolina Hurricanes forward Tuomo Ruutu, suspending him three games for his hit on Colorado's Darcy Tucker Friday night.

Avalanche forward Darcy Tucker was immobilized and taken away on a stretcher after he was checked into the boards by Carolina forward Tuomo Ruutu.

The hit came just over five minutes into the second period in Friday night's game in Colorado. Tucker had turned away from Ruutu to play the puck, and Ruutu drove Tucker into the glass from behind. The game was tied 2-2 at the time.

Video of the hit after the jump.

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Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

Sometimes, one fight just isn't good enough. Such was the case in Calgary recently, as the Flames and Canucks met for one of six matchups between the division rivals this season. It took just 2:32 for two fights to break out. Even though there were two good scraps going on at once, there was a clear winner for our Fight of the Week honors.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders joined the ranks of the NHL's teams with victories this season when they went 3-for-3 in the shootout to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Monday night at Nassau Coliseum.

"It's a relief," said Islanders coach Scott Gordon.

The 0-6-1 Maple Leafs are now the league's only winless team. Toronto's next game is Saturday in Vancouver. The Islanders (1-3-3) play Thursday in Montreal.

Jeff Tambellini, Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored the three shootout goals for the Islanders against Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward. Dwayne Roloson allowed one to Jussi Jokinen but stopped Sergei Samsonov. Up 2-1 in the shootout, Tavares's goal sealed the second point for the Islanders.

The Carolina Hurricanes will only go as far as Cam Ward takes them, so it's a good thing Ward has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the National Hockey League.

"He's our guy," said Carolina coach Paul Maurice, who did not want to rank his goaltender but said, "He gives us a chance to win as frequently as any goalie in the league."

NEWARK, N.J. -- For Martin Brodeur, the first victory of the year on home ice never gets old.

When the horn blared after the Devils' 2-0 victory over Carolina on Saturday night, the 37-year-old future first ballot Hall of Fame goaltender raised his stick high and grinned like it was his first NHL win instead of his 561st.

"I always celebrate," Brodeur said after his 26-save shutout of Carolina for the Devils' first win at the Prudential Centre after three unsuccessful attempts. "Getting the first home win is important. It took too long this time, but we have to get our home-ice advantage back. This was a start."

The Carolina Hurricanes rewarded Cam Ward with a six-year contract extension this past summer, and based on Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh, it was money well spent.

The Hurricanes overcame a 2-0 third period deficit to force overtime, and while Ray Whitney scored both goals in the rally, it was Ward that made it possible with his sprawling glove-save on Bill Guerin after some tic-tac-toe passing from Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz midway through the third period.

Video after the jump.

Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

Fighting will always be controversial. Many fans say that it's as much a part of hockey as the ice is. Others would rather it went away, even if they may secretly enjoy it. However, it seems that fighting is here to stay in the NHL. This week's card included a few heavyweight bouts, an unlikely matchup in Alberta, and a rather long, intense fight between division rivals.

Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our daily look at the previous night's action. During the offseason, we'll look at some of the storylines and moves taking place around the league three times per week. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com.

The Justin Pogge Experiment Ends In Toronto

Once the goaltender of the future in Toronto, Justin Pogge was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2011. According to Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register, the Ducks will be sending a sixth-round pick to Toronto for the 22-year-old netminder. If Pogge starts 30 games for Anaheim this season it becomes a third-round selection.

Pogge, a third-round pick in 2004, appeared in seven games for the Maple Leafs this past season and struggled mightily, giving up 27 goals on just 173 shots. A trade became likely when the Maple Leafs signed Swedish product Jonas Gustavsson (The Monster) earlier this offseason.