The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are set to get one of their most potent weapons back.
Injured sniper Cory Stillman has healed and is expected to be in the Hurricanes' lineup for Tuesday's game in Calgary against the Flames.
Cory Stillman has scored 156 points in his last two NHL seasons.
(Getty Images)
Stillman underwent surgery on his shoulder four months ago and has yet to play this season. He was activated by the Hurricanes on Monday and has been participating in contact drills during practice.
A key contributor for Carolina last season, Stillman finished second in team scoring with 76 points. He added 26 more points in the Hurricanes' championship run.
Stillman is one of six players in NHL history to win Stanley Cups in consecutive seasons with two different teams — with Tampa Bay in 2004 and Carolina in 2006.
Stillman's return would make an already dangerous Hurricane attack more fearsome. Paced by the likes of Rod Brind'Amour, Erik Cole and Eric Staal, Carolina ranks among the NHL's top teams in goals scored.
Brind'Amour is third in the NHL's scoring race with 36 points. Cole has four goals and an assist in his last four games.
The Hurricanes could use some help in its power play, one of Stillman's fortes. The Peterborough, Ont., native scored 34 points with the man advantage last season and his return could be just the tonic Carolina's power play — which is in a 1-for-18 skid — needs.
When asked what's wrong with the Hurricanes' power play, Staal pointed to the "simple things," like not getting enough bodies in front of the opposing net.
"We've got to get right on top of the crease," said Staal. "Any good power play is going to have more traffic in front of the net."
Flames on fire at home
The Flames enter Tuesday's game riding a two-game winning streak. Jarome Iginla and Chuck Kobasew scored less than three minutes apart in the third period to give Calgary a 2-1 win over Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
The victory was Calgary's seventh in a row on home ice. The Flames' franchise record for consecutive home wins is nine, reached on four occasions
Iginla's goal against the Blue Jackets was the 298th of his career. He's also two points away from the 600-point plateau.
"But it's a hell of a milestone," Iginla's teammate, Tony Amonte, told the Calgary Sun. "He's still an unbelievable goal scorer. He's got a lot of time left in this league."
"I think 300 is just the tip of the iceberg for him."
With files from the Canadian Press
