Stalled Staal easy target for Carolina fans

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/11/2011 (5067 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RALEIGH, N.C. — It is often dangerous to assume any team’s problems are the result of just one player.

There is likely some correlation, however, between the Carolina Hurricanes sub-.500 record (8-11-4) heading into tonight’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets and the production of captain Eric Staal.

Staal has been in something of a stall in the season’s first quarter, having scored just four goals and 10 points for the Canes in 21 games.

And his minus-16 is tied (with Jan Hejda) for the league’s worst.

“It’s been an interesting year for me so far,” Staal said after this morning’s skate at RBC Center. “I’m still getting a lot of opportunities, a lot of looks, a lot of shots. They don’t seem to be falling right now.

“But you have to stay positive, stay with it, stay on the gas. You’ve got to think that’ll even out over the course of 82 games.”

The Canes are tied with the Jets, each team with 20 points, and Carolina has points in its last three games (2-0-1).

“I feel a lot better the last three or four games, not only as a group but me personally, and involved a little bit more,” Staal said.

“I think it’s a conscious effort by everybody to simplify things, making sure that we’re playing well defensively first and letting the offence take care of itself. It’s less thinking and more compete on pucks and it’s been better as of late.”

The teams have met once this season, a 5-3 win by the Jets in Winnipeg on Oct. 22. Not long after, Carolina went into a real skid, losing seven of eight just before their recent results.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca