Hurricanes gaining that 'killer' instinct

PHILADELPHIA -- They're killers and proud of their dirty work.

Nothing malicious about it, really. But these killers need to be tough, wily, mobile, able to work well in small groups and willing to give up a body part, if necessary.

In hockey, being a penalty killer can seem like a thankless job. You're outmanned, the pressure is relentless, and you may be asked to, say, step in front of an Alexander Ovechkin slapshot and take the pain.

"If you're afraid of the puck," said the Carolina Hurricanes' Stephane Yelle, "that's not a good thing."

Good penalty killing wins games. It did for the Canes against the Atlanta Thrashers in Thursday's game at Philips Arena.

The Hurricanes denied the Thrashers all six times on power plays, limiting them to six shots. At the end of one failed power play, after a whistle, Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk kicked the puck in frustration.

The Thrashers, playoff contenders this season, trailed 4-1 after the second period and had two early power plays in the third. But the Canes killed them off and then two other third-period penalties in a 5-2 win that ended a three-game losing streak.

For all the talk about Eric Staal getting a hat trick in his first game as team captain and goaltender Cam Ward tying Arturs Irbe's franchise record for career victories with 130, it was Carolina's P.K. that was just as vital. Add in the three power-play scores by the Canes and it was a huge night for the special teams.

What makes for a good penalty killer? Rod Brind'Amour should know, having killed off about as many as any player in the league.

"Something I was taught my first year in the league is you've got to think like a power-play guy," Brind'Amour said Friday. "You have to be aggressive, but if you can get in the head of what the power-play guy is thinking, where he's going with the puck when he gets it, I think that puts you at an advantage.

"Do that and you have a jump on where you're going. And good penalty killing is when you get all four guys thinking like that."

The Hurricanes have been getting the job done in the last month. They've killed off 33 of 38 penalties (.868) in the last nine games and 10 of 11 in the last three.

"Being aggressive is a big part," defenseman Andrew Alberts said. "Any time the other team is bobbling the puck or facing the glass, you have time to get your stick in there, be aggressive and force them to go one way.

"For us, we kind of all read off one guy. It's about being aggressive and knowing when to go."

And lining up in front of shots. A penalty killer is expected to sacrifice his body.

"At some point, you're going to have to block a very hard shot," Canes coach Paul Maurice said. "Chances are, you're going to have to go down to do it. And they hurt.

"Some guys are built, mentally, to do it. Yelle is a perfect example. But there's a lot of skill that goes with being a good penalty killer, and it's a different kind of skill - a good stick and really good anticipation skills."

Forward Tim Kostopoulos said the penalty-kill team must move well in tandem but also have a positive mindset once on the ice.

"When you have confidence in what everyone's doing, that's when you work as a unit," Kostopoulos said. "Sometimes when we get out of sync, one guy's pressuring and three guys may be sitting back. But when everyone's confident in each other and all four are doing the same thing and the goalie can read that, that's when things happen the best."

Ward, making his 17th consecutive start, was reading everything well against the Thrashers, making key stops. Maurice said Friday he will give Ward today off and start him on Sunday against the Boston Bruins at the RBC Center.

Today, Manny Legace will be in net against the Philadelphia Flyers, making his first start since Dec. 12. He will be the man expected to be the reader, the backstop on the penalty kill.

"Everything else being said, goaltending. It's all goaltending," Maurice said. "Everything else can go right, and if your guy is not controlling the rebounds or just bunting it, you're going to get beat."