Canes get crushed by 'Yotes, but get two assists from goaltenders, one from Hutch

The Hurricanes didn't look so hot tonight, getting smoked by the Phoenix Coyotes, thanks in part to a FIVE POINT (!!!) night from Ladislav Nagy. Two assists to go with his hat trick. Nagy spent a short period of time on my fantasy squad, but wasn't cutting the mustard. I wish I had him back, just for tonight.

If you can believe it, there are some good things that can be taken from this shelling.

• Andrew Ladd continues to be hot. Our first round pick from the 2004 draft scored his fourth goal in only seven games played.
  
• Eric and Erik were both on the scoresheet. Staalsy scored an absolutely gorgeous goal as he was being dragged down on a coast-to-coast play. (More on this later). He also got one of the helpers on Ladd's goal, giving him 38 points (19/19) on the season. Colesy picked up his 14th assist (the primary assist) on Ladd's goal.
  
• A-Hutch keeps inching me closer to the free hot dog with cheese. He got the secondary assist on Staal's goal (more on this later), giving him five assists for the season. I'm now 62.5% of the way to a hot dog with cheese. Are you worried yet, Jes?
  
• The Canes pulled off what is probably an NHL first. Two different goaltenders for the same team recorded assists in the game. Cam Ward, who started the game, got the primary assist on Staal's goal (more on this later). It was his first of the season. Also getting his first assist, Martin Gerber was credited with the secondary helper on a Rod Brind'Amour goal late in the third.
  
• The Canes connected on two of seven power plays (28.6%)
  
• The Canes won 59% of the faceoffs, including 73% of offensive zone draws and 60% of neutral-ice draws.

On the flip side, obviously we lost. We let Ladislav Nagy have a career night. Those are bad things. The other bad things:

• The Canes committed 12 penalties.
  
• The Canes were terrible on the penalty kill, allowing Phoenix to convert five of ten power plays. In addition, the Canes surrendered a shorthanded goal.

Okay... So here's what I keep alluding to. Eric Staal scored a highlight reel goal that was a very strange play. Canes were on the power play. Hutchinson made an errant pass that went all the way back to Cam Ward. Ward then passed to Staal, who was in our own zone. He went racing down the ice, working his way across center ice, into the Yotes zone. Through the right faceoff circle, he was cleanly ridden down. As he was falling, he kept the puck on his stick AND maintained control of the puck. He was sliding towards the goal line, and at the right moment, nudged the puck in. Absolutely gorgeous. Since Cam Ward was the last person to touch it before Staal, he gets the primary assist. The strangest thing is that there's a secondary assist to Hutchinson on that since HE was the last to touch it before Ward.

That assist, by Hutchinson, was his fifth. Either there was a scoring change from the Dallas game, or I never paid close attention, because I only had him down for one assist in Dallas. Now they're saying that he had two. Whatever the case, I'm pretty stoked.

The Canes now have two days off before heading to LA to play Emilio Estevez and the Mighty Ducks. Then on Thursday, they go across town to take on Sean Avery, J-Ro and the Kings. What will Hollywood hottie Elisha Cuthbert have to say about Eric, Erik, Andrew, Andrew and the boys?