Five things to watch this weekend

Friday, November 6, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry

Other than Sunday's "Mad Men" season finale, here are five things I'll be keeping an eye on over the weekend.

Will the Carolina Hurricanes get downgraded?

Will the Hurricanes continue to spiral out of the playoff picture? Paul Maurice's club is 0-7-3 in its past 10 games. The Hurricanes haven't posted a win since their 7-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Oct. 9. That's nearly a full month! GM Jim Rutherford, who has been burning up the phone lines in search of a deal that might help his struggling team, has recalled Zach Boychuk from the AHL. The club's first-round pick in the 2008 draft (14th overall), Boychuk is expected to be in the lineup when the Canes host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night. Carolina will travel to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

 
 

To see what else E.J. Hradek is eyeing heading into the weekend, you must be an ESPN Insider.
  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


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