Hurricanes at a crucial junction

RALEIGH -- There's still a lot of hockey left, but the Carolina Hurricanes could wind up with one of the top three picks in the NHL Entry Draft this year.

Do that and the Canes might be able to get a sudden-impact kind of player. Someone like, say, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. Or Jonathan Toews, also of the Blackhawks.

Four years ago, when the Hurricanes were on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks were NHL afterthoughts. They finished 26-43-13, 28th in the league.

But with the No. 3 pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the Blackhawks took Toews. The next season, with the No. 1 overall pick, they took Kane and their fortunes soon were shifting.

Adding those two forwards to previous draft picks (Brent Seabrook, Troy Brouwer), picking up key pieces through trades (Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd) and free agency (Brian Campbell, Marian Hossa) and hiring Joel Quenneville as coach in October 2008, the Hawks now are among the league's best. Unlike the Canes, who have had their problems this season and are 10 games under .500, they could make a run at the Cup.

"How quickly you forget the painful years," Canes coach Paul Maurice said. "For years, when you look at Chicago, they had an awful long run of no one in the building. And two or three years later, the young talent has come in and developed and now they're a powerhouse and a contender."

Toews, the team captain at 21, and Kane are a dynamic twosome, even if Kane still is working his way through some youthful foibles. Last season, he was arrested for assaulting a Buffalo cabbie. This week, photos of Kane, Versteeg and John Madden with some female acquaintances in Vancouver found their way onto the Internet and into the headlines.

Kane, shirtless in the photos, apologized for the flap, for causing the team more embarrassment.

"I'm 21 years old, but it's probably time to grow up a little bit," he told reporters. "Obviously, it's not the way we want to represent the team."

On the ice, Kane has represented the Blackhawks very well and has a mature game. He had 25 goals and 45 assists as a rookie, and has followed that up this season with 21 goals and 39 assists as the Blackhawks have built a 37-13-4 record, second-best in the league and one point behind the San Jose Sharks.

Tonight's game against the Canes will end an eight-game road trip for the Hawks that began Jan. 16 in Columbus. Chicago is 5-2-0 on the swing, holding off San Jose 4-3 in overtime Thursday - their third win in four games against the Sharks.

The Chicago-San Jose game was intense, and the Blackhawks could come into tonight's game weary from their transcontinental flight. They will also be facing a Hurricanes team that suddenly has found its way, winning three straight and four of five.

The Canes' 4-1 win Thursday over the New York Islanders was a microcosm of their suddenly improved play. Eric Staal scored his eighth goal in five games, and Cam Ward again was strong in goal. Staal's score came on the power play, and the Canes also got a short-handed goal from Stephane Yelle.

After taking a 2-0 first-period lead, the Canes used some active, physical defense to limit the Islanders' offensive chances. New York had just three shots in the second period.

"I thought we did a pretty good job of keeping them to the outside," Staal said. "When they did get penetration, 'Wardo' made some good saves.

"We're playing better hockey now. Obviously, it would be nice if we had it a little better the first half [of the season], but that's behind us and we're focusing on every game right now and playing a good brand of hockey."

If the Hurricanes keep playing this well, their chances of getting that top-three pick in the draft this year may take a hit - the Catch-22 to the situation. But trades also are looming, and it will be interesting to see how the Canes fare when some veterans are moved.

"Whatever happens off the ice is out of our hands," Ward said. "You've got to do what you can to come to the rink and compete.

"We're obviously down in the standings, but we continue to come here and try to better ourselves."