CALGARY -- A tumultuous day for the Calgary Flames off the ice Thursday had a happy ending thanks to Chris Butler. http://www.manchesterunitedproshop.uk/timothy-fosu-mensah-man-utd-jersey.html . Butlers second goal of the year with four seconds left in overtime gave Calgary a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Paul Byron entered the Carolina zone then curled back towards the blue-line before sending a pass across to Butler, who flung a 50-foot wrist shot past a partially screened Justin Peters. "Paul did a great job, having great patience hanging onto the puck and I just tried to be available there and really just throw a muffin on net," said Butler. Peters said when Mikael Backlund crossed in front of him, he lost track of the puck. "Just a mental lapse on my part. He went right through the line of the puck. Ive got to do a better job of fighting to find it earlier, especially with that much time left," said Peters. It was an eventful day in Calgary. In the morning, president of hockey operations Brian Burke announced the firing of general manager Jay Feaster and assistant GM John Weisbrod. "It was a tough morning. Obviously its pretty surprising when Burkie comes down to the locker-room and delivers that type of news," said Butler. "Jay has been such a good guy to all of us here. Its tough to see a guy like that let go. Hes pretty responsible for bringing a lot of guys in. We certainly wish him the best and it was nice to get a win today." A key play in the game came with 5:25 remaining in the third period when Carolinas Jeff Skinner, who had just scored to tie the game, was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked on a breakaway by Ladislav Smid. Skinner tried to go five-hole again just like he did on his goal but this time was denied by Karri Ramo. "Looking back, I would have done something different," Skinner said. "I tried to open him up but he didnt really bite on my fake. I probably shouldnt have forced it in there." It was one of 29 saves on the night for Ramo, who improved to 5-5-1. "Just trying to make the save, be big, and not give him very much to shoot at. I wanted to give a chance for our guys to win," Ramo said. Brian McGrattan, who scored the only goal of the opening 40 minutes, said that save was the difference. "That was huge. That probably won us the game right there. We came out after that save was made and we were flying. You need saves like that to win games," said McGrattan. Calgary (12-15-4) now heads out on a five-game Eastern road swing that begins Saturday in Buffalo. Carolina (13-13-7) will look for its first win when it wraps up a four-game road trip in Phoenix on Saturday. "A sour end to a great effort by our team, thats for sure," said Peters, who falls to 6-8-2. "We played a solid game, came out strong in the third, took the play to them a lot." The Flames took a 1-0 lead to the third period, but for the third game in a row couldnt hold it with Skinner tying the game for Carolina at 11:10 on a 30-foot wrist shot that trickled through Ramos pads. "We had chances, we just didnt capitalize and it came back to bite us," said Carolina coach Kirk Muller. "I thought it was going to be a low scoring game, tight. I was happy the way we stuck with it tonight." Throughout the mornings press conference, Burke alluded to the Flames as being too small, not tough enough and needing to play more hostile, or truculent as he likes to describe it. Appropriately, it was the Flames most physical player, McGrattan, who opened the scoring at 17:49 the first period after some hard work by linemates Byron and Lance Bouma. "In a tight game, coach showing confidence in us throwing us out more and more and more. I think if we do the things we did in that shift, game in and game out, hell have the confidence to play us more," said McGrattan, whose goal was his first in 30 games dating back to last season. McGrattan complimented the way the team played after the days events. "We reacted the right way. A lot of things in the game that are out of your control," he said. "You can only control the things that you do and thats how hard you work and how good your attitude is. I think we regrouped today and got a big win." Both teams welcomed back veteran forwards to their lineup. For the Flames, Curtis Glencross (knee) returned after missing 15 games and TJ Galiardi (back) drew back in after being sidelined for eight games. Carolina got Alexander Semin (concussion) back after he missed 12 games. Notes: The Hurricanes lost rookie Elias Lindholm early in the first period when he was hit hard into the sideboards by Mark Giordano. He will be re-evaluated on Friday. ... Galiardi has gone 21 games without a goal. ... Carolina RW Patrick Dwyer played his 300th NHL game. Backlund played in NHL game No. 200. ... The Flames improve to 7-4-2 with Giordano in the line-up. ... In its last eight home games, Calgary has given up a total of five goals over the first two periods and 14 in the third period and overtime. http://www.manchesterunitedproshop.uk/sean-goss-man-utd-jersey.html . Hartley missed two field goals in Sundays 27-16 loss at St. Louis, dropping his conversion rate to a career-low 73.3 percent (22-for-30) this season. The 27-year-old joined the Saints in the middle of the 2008 campaign and his tenure with the club was highlighted by three kicks of more than 40 yards during Super Bowl XLIV, helping New Orleans beat the Indianapolis Colts. http://www.manchesterunitedproshop.uk/james-weir-man-utd-jersey.html . -- For a second consecutive game, the Portland Trail Blazers wiped out a poor first-half performance with a big rally after the break.The Florida Panthers finished with the second-worst record in the regular season, missing the playoffs for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons. Its been a rough road, but maybe things are looking up. After all, the Panthers did win the draft lottery. Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Panthers club that has a mix of aging vets and unproven young players, with very few in their prime years. That roster composition is could force some difficult decisions upon the Panthers. Its one thing to build around the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad and the upcoming No. 1 pick, knowing that it will take a few years before they are impact players in the league, but the Panthers best players right now are 35-year-old G Roberto Luongo and soon-to-be 35-year-old D Brian Campbell. If they are going to be part of the Panthers success, that success likely has to come very soon. "Were moving forward. Im going to fix it," GM Dale Tallon said at seasons end. "Were going to add the pieces to help these kids get where they need to be." The Panthers could be aggressive to make moves for immediate help, feeling emboldened by the financial backing of new owner Vinnie Viola, but its not easy to turn young players and prospects into players in their prime. The long view might be to take that time and let those young players develop, but with the Panthers making a big splash move to get Luongo, there ought to be some sort of urgency to win in the near future. For a team that has made the playoffs once in this century, maybe that urgency should have come sooner and it sounds like Tallon is prepared to get to work this summer. "We have a lot of assets," Tallon told the Miami Herald. "We have a lot of kids who are in college, 10 picks next year, a lot in the system. Im open to any suggestions that make us better quicker without jeopardizing our future." The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts). GM/COACHDale Tallon/Peter Horachek Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Sean Bergenheim 69.60 62 16 13 29 55.1% $2.75M Nick Bjugstad 67.91 76 16 22 38 50.8% $900K Brad Boyes 67.88 78 21 15 36 50.9% $2.625M Scottie Upshall 67.79 76 15 22 37 51.8% $3.5M Aleksander Barkov 64.99 54 8 16 24 52.1% $925K Jonathan Huberdeau 63.94 69 9 19 28 51.0% $925K Tomas Fleischmann 63.01 80 8 20 28 51.3% $4.5M Tomas Kopecky 61.74 49 4 8 12 52.0% $3.0M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Brandon Pirri 66.34 49 13 12 25 51.7% RFA $618K Jesse Winchester 64.81 52 9 9 18 51.7% UFA $600K Jimmy Hayes 62.94 55 11 7 18 47.5% RFA $654K Scott Gomez 59.38 46 2 10 12 48.4% UFA $900K Krystofer Barch 53.92 55 0 4 4 44.1% UFA $750K The Panthers have four veteran wingers that are going into the last year of their respective contracts and while all may contribute in some fashion, theyre all potential trade candidates due to their expiring deals. Health has been an issue for veteran winger Sean Bergenheim, as hes missed 19 or more games in five of the past six seasons, but he plays a strong two-way game and generates enough shots that he can score a little bit even if hes not a high-percentage finisher. Though hes never scored more than 17 goals in a season, Bergenheims 11.23 shots per 60 minutes (5-on-5) over the past three seasons ranks sixth. He gets the puck to the net. Health has also been an issue for winger Scottie Upshall, but he played 76 games in 2013-2014 -- the second time in his career that hes played more than 75 games -- and finished with a career-best 37 points. He tends to be a decent possession player and plays a feisty game when he manages to stay in the lineup. Two seasons removed from a career-high 27 goals and 61 points, winger Tomas Fleischmann endured a brutal year in which he scored eight goals and 28 points in 80 games, his lowest scoring totals since his 29-game rookie season of 2006-2007. Scoring on just 4.3% of his shots -- one-third the rate of his career average, 12.9% -- does make Fleischmann a solid candidate for recovery this season, and since its the last year on his contract, he may not be around long-term, even if he recaptures his scoring touch. Coming off a shortened 2013 season in which he scored at career-best rates (15 goals, 27 points in 47 games), Tomas Kopecky managed four goals and a dozen points in 49 games last season. Even so, he was a solid possession player and has versatility to move around the lineup as needed. Towering centre Nick Bjugstad led the Panthers with 38 (!!) points and has potential to be a very good two-way centre. He may not have the highest offensive ceiling but, at 6-foot-6, could become a real handful at both ends of the rink as he gets stronger. Veteran winger Brad Boyes topped 20 goals for the first time since 2008-2009, earning a two-year contract extension, and his 18 even-strength goals tied him with Jeff Carter and Eric Staal, among others. The 32-year-old provides stability, but his 0.46 points per game was also the lowest scoring rate of his career. The second overall pick in last years draft, Aleksander Barkov was thrust into a prominent role for the Panthers -- one of two forwards to play at least 17 minutes per game (minimum 25 games played) -- before suffering a knee injury at the Olympics that prematurely ended his season. Before that point, though, Barkov impressed with his two-way game and the 18-year-old holds promise as a bona fide No. 1 centre. The reigning Calder Trophy winner, Jonathan Huberdeau, slumped in his second season, scoring only nine goals and, more troubling, generating only 1.57 shots on goal per game. It was a step back, to be sure, but Huberdeau is still just 20-years-old, so he should be given an opportunity to bounce back and, along with Barkov and Bjugstad, be part of the clubs core group of young forwards. Stuck on the outside looking in when he was with Chicago, Brandon Pirri got a better opportunity once arriving in Florida and was effective enough to warrant a spot. With 101 points in 102 AHL games over the past two seasons, 23-year-old Pirri is ready for the NHL, though getting stronger and improving his play without the puck would improve his odds of not only sticking long-term, but being able to contribute consistently. Another former Blackhawks prospect, 6-foot-6 winger Jimmy Hayes, does have some touch offensively, but he is more dependent on linemates to drive possession, so that could ultimately leave him in the position of battling for a job as the Panthers roster matures. At the same time, with veteran wingers that could be moving on soon enough, Hayes might have an opportunity to be a 20-goal scorer if he can use his size effectively. It would be reasonable enough for the Panthers to press forward with the group they have at forward but, if they are going to harbour ideas about being immediately more competitive, then paying for a scoring winger would really help. Even if Florida may not be a premium free agent destination, they still might want to investigate the possibility of adding the likes of Radim Vrbata, Mike Cammalleri or Milan Michalek, players with some track record of production that could fit in their top six. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Brian Campbell 69.67 82 7 30 37 52.7% $7.143M Ed Jovanovski 59.22 37 1 4 5 47.4% $4.125M Colby Robak 59.14 16 0 2 2 49.4% $675K Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Tom Gilbert 67.11 73 3 25 28 51.7% UFA $900K Dmitry Kulikov 64.58 81 8 11 19 51.2% RFA $2.5M Dylan Olsen 64.48 44 3 9 12 51.1% RFA $738K Erik Gudbranson 61.35 65 3 6 9 51.2% RFA $900K He can get overlooked nnow that hes in Florida, but Brian Campbell remains an excellent play-driving defenceman. http://www.manchesterunitedproshop.uk/blank-jersey.html. He puts up stellar possession stats, plays more than 27 minutes per game for the Panthers and hasnt missed a game in three seasons since arriving in Florida. The 34-year-old has two years remaining on his current contract which should actually make him a target for an enterprising team in win-now mode. The price would likely be steep, but a team in need of a top-pair defenceman could at least force the Panthers (and Campbell, since he has some say over his destination) with an offer comprised of young talent . While 37-year-old Ed Jovanovski made it the long way back from hip surgeries to play in 37 games, perhaps not surprisingly, he wasnt terribly effective. Theres one year left of his contract and Jovo would be a prime buyout candidate because the Panthers would likely be better without him in their top six. Age catches up with all athletes, but especially so in the case of those who suffer major injuries. 24-year-old Colby Robak has been a prospect, it seems, forever, and has played 35 games with the Panthers over the past three seasons. He was serviceable in 16 games in 2013-2014, good enough to figure that, with an economical one-way deal for next season, that he is in a good position to have an NHL job when next season begins. 23-year-old Dmitry Kulikov already has five years of NHL experience and hes a legit top-four defenceman, though one that was spectacularly unfortunate last season, finishing as a minus-26 despite pretty much break-even possession numbers. Only Alexander Edler and Seth Jones had a lower PDO (on-ice shooting plus save percentage) than Kulikovs 96.0. Its not necessarily the optimal long-term approach, but its conceivable that an attractive asset like Kulikov (whose name pops up in trade rumours semi-regularly) could be moved in the summer, in an effort to upgrade the teams offensive talent. There has been some progress with 22-year-old Erik Gudbranson, the third overall pick in 2010, but its been gradual. In an ideal world, hed be able to use his size and physical game in a shutdown defensive role, but Gudbranson hasnt yet been trusted to take on the hard minutes defensively. Hes young enough to hope that there is time to realize that upside. Another former Blackhawk, Dylan Olsen, responded well to the opportunity presented to him in Florida. Olsen didnt play big minutes, and his ice time decreased later in the year, but it was a step forward for the 23-year-old and he was solid enough to have a leg up on the competition for a regular spot on the blueline next year. There are a couple of wildcards for the Florida defence. The first might as well be the number one overall pick in the draft, which could be Barrie Colts D Aaron Ekblad. Hed likely take some lumps as an 18-year-old -- they all do -- but Ekblad would provide a long-term building block on the blueline. The other is unrestricted free agent Tom Gilbert, who was salvaged off the scrap heap after being bought out by Minnesota. Gilbert played more than 21 minutes a night on the top pair with Campbell and was very effective in that role. After making just $900,000 last season, though, Gilbert should be a due a sizeable pay increase on an open market that tends to appreciate top-four calibre defencemen. So, it would be great for the Panthers to keep the 31-year-old around for a few more years, but they will have competition for his services.   Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Roberto Luongo 70.33 56 25 23 7 2.40 .919 $5.333M Dan Ellis 43.63 20 5 11 0 3.62 .879 $900K Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Scott Clemmensen 66.80 17 6 7 1 3.08 .896 UFA $1.2M The Panthers decision to bring back Roberto Luongo, acquiring him in a trade from Vancouver, does give them an immediate window to be a competitive club. Over the past five seasons, Luongos .919 save percentage ranks fourth (effectively tied for third with Jaroslav Halak and Ryan Miller) among those with a starters workload and he should be the backbone of this team for the next couple seasons, at the very least. Upon acquiring Luongo, the Panthers jettisoned Tim Thomas to Dallas, in exchange for Dan Ellis, who is still under contract for next season. Ellis had a tough time immediately after the deal, posting an .836 save percentage in six games with Florida, and the 33-year-old has a .905 career save percentage, which isnt ideal, but hes a reasonably-priced backup option behind Luongo. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Mike Matheson D Boston College (HE) 3-18-21, +18, 38 GP Ian McCoshen D Boston College (HE) 5-8-13, +22, 35 GP Alex Petrovic D San Antonio (AHL) 2-11-13,+3, 43 GP Vincent Trocheck C San Antonio (AHL) 16-26-42, -5, 55 GP Rocco Grimaldi C North Dakota (NCHC) 17-22-39, +13, 42 GP Drew Shore C San Antonio (AHL) 6-26-32, +2, 50 GP Quinton Howden LW San Antonio (AHL) 10-17-27, -1, 59 GP Michael Downing D Michigan (Big 10) 2-10-12, +3, 34 GP Kyle Rau C Minnesota (Big 10) 14-26-40, +16, 41 GP Sam Brittain G Denver (NCHC) .929 SV%, 2.22 GAA, 39 GP Mackenzie Weegar D Halifax (QMJHL) 12-47-59, +56, 61 GP A first-round pick in 2012, Mike Matheson could be ready for the pro game if he chooses to leave Boston College after his sophomore campaign. He needs to get stronger, but is a good skater who can move the puck. The first pick of the second round last year, Ian McCoshen is another defenceman for NCAA-finalist Boston College, though he brings a more physical game than Matheson. Whenever the Golden Eagles duo makes the jump, the Panthers will have a more capable blueline corps. Taken in the second round in 2010, lanky blueliner Alex Petrovic is closer to making the Panthers roster, having skated in 13 games over the past couple seasons. Hes a tough, physical blueliner who has 30 points, a plus-4 rating and 181 penalty minutes in 103 AHL games. Its entirely possible that Vincent Trocheck, a third-round pick in 2011, will open next season with the Panthers. He had 42 points in 55 AHL games to earn a promotion and while he posted a respectable eight points in 20 games with the Panthers, the more encouraging sign from Trocheck was that he handled significant ice time and put up solid possession stats. He doesnt have to start next year in Florida, particularly if any veteran centres are added, but Trocheck is going to play for the U.S. in the World Championships and should be knocking on the door rather loudly. Tiny playmaker Rocco Grimaldi was a second-round pick in 2011, and has 75 points in 82 games over the past two seasons at North Dakota, but until he gets into the pro game, there will be questions over whether the 5-foot-6 forward can produce at the highest level. Only one way to find out the answer to those questions. Drew Shore has logged a lot of NHL games, 67 over the past two seasons, to be considered a prospect, but hes also played 93 AHL games in that time, so hes been on the fringe of the roster. The thing is, he clearly deserves a better look, as hes been a very good possession player in those 67 NHL games. There may be a ceiling on his offensive production, but Shore is a big forward whose game is NHL-ready. A first-round pick in 2010, Quinton Howden has played 34 NHL games over the past couple seasons and hasnt produced much. Two years ago, he had great possession numbers, but couldnt produce any points. This past season, he managed four goals and a couple of assists, but had abysmal possession stats. As it is, hes probably just on the outside looking in, depending on how many extrernal forward acquisitions are made over the summer. A fourth-round pick last summer Michael Downing is a physical defender with good size who had a fine first season at Michigan. Theres no need to rush him, and there are others ahead of Downing in the pipeline, but hes one to watch develop over the next few years. Kyle Rau is a tiny forward who was a third-round pick in 2011 and played with Bjugstad at the University of Minnesota. Rau has put up 123 points in 121 games for the Golden Gophers, so hes going to warrant a look when his collegiate career ends. Like Grimaldi hell get a chance to prove that he can overcome his lack of size. Its never easy to project goaltenders, even those that have steadier collegiate track records than Sam Brittain, but the fourth-round pick from 2010 was very good as a senior at Denver, so now its time to see him at the pro level. A seventh-round pick in 2013, Mackenzie Weegar may not have the defensive game, but his ability to move the puck and run the power play, should get him some consideration in the coming years. Power forward Garrett Wilson, who played three games for the Panthers last season, is another prospect of some note and could make his mark as a physical presence on the fourth line. Panthers advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT1st - Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett. FREE AGENCYAccording to www.capgeek.com, the Panthers have approximately $45.3M committed to the 2014-2015 salary cap for 13 players. Check out my possible Panthers lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: Two top six forwards, depth forwards, two top four defencemen.What I said the Panthers needed last year: Three top six forwards, one top pair defenceman, starting goaltender.They added: Nick Bjugstad, Aleksander Barkov, Brad Boyes, Jesse Winchester, Krys Barch, Joey Crabb, Tom Gilbert, Ryan Whitney, Tim Thomas. TRADE MARKETTomas Fleischmann, Jimmy Hayes, Drew Shore, Dmitry Kulikov, Colby Robak. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '