The Hurricanes have questioned their physical play at times this season, and for good reason.

They've opted to stick with a lineup that isn't overly physical, and when they've called players up from the minor leagues they haven't deviated from that approach.

So when they've lacked energy in certain stretches—something they've admitted and supposedly addressed—that can often be directly related to the level of physicality they've displayed.

It might be no coincidence that one of the players who seems to bring a consistent level of energy and aggression is winger Tuomo Ruutu, and he is one of the team's best hitters.

With the Phoenix Coyotes visiting for Friday night's game, the Hurricanes will have to contend with some physical forwards.

The punchless Carolina Hurricanes kept peppering Carey Price, and got a couple of pucks past the Montreal goalie just in time. Sergei Samsonov and Ray Whitney scored 3 1/2 minutes apart in the third period, and Carolina put a season-high 48 shots on net in its come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday night.

One practice wasn't enough for Rick Tocchet to correct all that was wrong with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tocchet lost his debut as Tampa Bay coach when Tuomo Ruutu and Rod Brind'Amour scored in the shootout and Cam Ward stopped two shots to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 victory Sunday. "It's a step in the right direction," Tocchet said.

The Atlanta Thrashers are finally starting to get coach John Anderson's system. Better late than never. "They're recognizing things that a month ago I never thought they'd get," the first-year coach said. "I wish we had October back." Slava Kozlov scored his ninth goal of the season and Atlanta tied a team record with its fifth consecutive win, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Friday night.

If Alexander Semin keeps this up, he might not be the other Alex in Washington for long. Semin had two goals and three assists to take the NHL scoring lead, and the Capitals routed the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 on Wednesday night to take sole possession of the Southeast Division lead. "I hope he's going to play the same way -- he's going to be the best player in the league," said linemate -- and face...

Being patient is paying off for the Atlanta Thrashers. Marty Reasoner scored two goals and Johan Hedberg made 35 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday that gave the Thrashers their fourth win in a row and second straight on the road. "Our team, we feel if we keep playing hard and don't get too crazy taking chances, we know we will get our own chances," Reasoner said.