Peepin' Foes: Carolina Hurricanes

Where We Are: We don't need Mats; we need D. And perhaps a new coach.

Where They Are: They blew a 5-1 lead to lose to Philly 6-5 in overtime on Thursday. Ouch. They also have two wins in their last nine games. A big reason for that is a poor defense that is struggling to make it through a wave of injuries. I wish we had that excuse.

Who To Watch For: Eric remains the best of the brothers Staal and is always dangerous. Ray Whitney is one of the most underrated players in the NHL - all he does is compete and contribute offensively year after year after year. Matt Cullen, who called into Hurricane broadcasts while he was a Ranger saying how much his missed Carolina, is back in his comfort zone and is back to being a good NHLer. Rod Brind'Amour, who used to be a good NHLer, is -21 - that is even worse than Dmitri Kalinin's -15!

What To Watch For: A lot of hitting in the first period. If the Rangers press their home ice advantage physically, the goals should follow. If they lay off, then the Canes can strike suddenly and put the Blueshirts back on their heels.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: An entirely different team than the one that lost to New Jersey last night.

Also Check Out: Red and Black Hockey, Canes Country and Lord Stanley's Blog.

As always, I recommend people check out Sam Weinman's Ranger Report for up-to-the-minute updates on our boys and the latest news on Avery and Sundin.