Eric Staal has continued to preach patience and that when the time is right, goals will start to come in bunches. Well, it seems he was exactly right. Eric scored two power play goals last night to lead the Hurricanes past the Canadiens during their 3-2 win.

"For an offensive guy you want as many power plays as you can get," Staal said. "If the whole game was a power play I would take it."

Eric now has five goals in his last four games and 13 on the season. Carolina is 2-0-2 in their last four games and have moved into sole possession of second place in the Southeast Conference. Eric and the 'Canes will host the Florida Panthers on Thursday night and will look to continue their winning ways.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

There was a huge comeback in Philadelphia last night as the Hurricanes and Flyers took to the ice. The 'Canes were led by Eric Staal, who had two goals and an assist and helped Carolina jump out to a 5-1 lead entering the third period. His second goal of the night was an absolute rocket to the top shelf, which gives him 11 goals on the season now. Staal's first goal came in the early moments of the game and gave him his 300th career point. With the two goals, he now has 20 career multi-goal games.

Despite being down 5-1, the Flyers kept battling and came all the way back to tie the game at five when Simon Gagne put home his 15th goal of the year with less than two minutes to go in the game. With no scoring in overtime, the two clubs went into a shootout. It was there that Gagne and captain Mike Richards gave the Flyers the extra point they were looking for. Gagne made a quick heads up move and avoided a poke check to give Philly the early lead. Then, Richards roofed a backhand to seal the win for the Flyers.

"We didn't feel very confident going out there being down 5-1," Gagne said. "Ninety-five percent of the time you end up losing the game. The crowd got energized, gave us energy and fired us up."

Staal and the Hurricanes will look to rebound from the tough loss on Saturday when they travel to New York to take on Marc Staal and the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Flyers will host their cross state rivals when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to town on Saturday afternoon.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

In a key matchup between division rivals, Eric Staal made sure his Carolina Hurricanes got a much needed two points against the Washington Capitals. With under five minutes to go in the game and the teams tied at one, Staal scored the game winning goal when he took a pass from Sergei Samsonov and tucked the puck home on the left side of the net. The 3-1 win pulls the 'Canes to within 4 points of the first place Capitals in the Southeast division.

"You don't want to give them any points," Staal said. "It was a gritty win. I thought we competed extremely hard. We'll take it."

The win was key for Carolina as it snapped a three game losing streak as well. Eric now has nine goals on the season and will lead Carolina into Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

With his younger brother Jordan getting all the attention lately, Eric decided it was time to bring some of the fame back his way. After Jordan's thrilling third period hat trick and four point night against the Red Wings, Eric matched his younger brother by recording his fifth career hat trick last night during the teams 5-2 win against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Eric's first two goals tied the game at one and two respectively, but then he gave the 'Canes the lead for good when he put home his third goal of the night. "It's about burying your head, working hard, not changing your game, getting to those areas where goals are scored -- and for me, goals are scored in the front of the net and those traffic areas," Staal said. "Eventually, they were going to fall -- I knew that."

Eric's parents, Henry and Linda, were also in town for last night's game and their eldest son certainly put on a show for them to remember. Eric also commented on whether having Wayne Gretzky sitting behind the other team's bench served as extra motivation. "Any time the best player ever is watching and coaching against you it definitely adds a little bit more to the game, I wanted to show my stuff and be ready to play and ultimately help our team get a win."

Eric and the Hurricanes will look to build off of the good win as they will take on the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon at home.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

NBH would like to congratulate Eric Staal on his new contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Staal, who was drafted by the 'Canes second overall back in 2003, has reportedly signed a new seven year contract that will keep him in Carolina through the 2015-16 season.

The 23-year old center has become the face of the franchise and has led the team in goals, assists, and points in two of the last three seasons. Last season Eric finished with 38 goals and 44 assists for a total of 82 points.

Eric recently joined the NBH crew at the annual Athlete Event, and he expressed how excited he was about the upcoming season with the Hurricanes. The team will be looking to get back to playoffs and duplicate the Cup winning season they produced in 2005-06. Once again, congrats to Eric on the new contract, it will be great to watch him continue to mature and lead the Hurricanes throughout the season.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

On a night when the hockey world was interested in seeing a rematch of last year's Cup Finals, Jordan Staal stole the show and led the Penguins to victory by recording his second career hat trick.

What was even more impressive was the fashion in which Staal recorded the goals. Down 5-3 in the third period, Jordan then scored the Penguins next three goals to tie the game at 6. His game tying goal came with just 23 seconds left in the game. After tying the game and forcing overtime, Staal still wasn't done. With just over a minute to go in OT, Staal made a great defensive play by stealing the puck, and setting up the game winning goal with a great pass.

"It seemed like everything I touched went in", said Staal, who scored the three goals on five shots. "We have a lot of talent on this team and we have good heart."

Staal now has five goals and four assists on the season, as the Penguins are now 9-4-2 and are in second place in the Atlantic Division. Pittsburgh will open a three game homestand on Thursday night when the high scoring Flyers come into town.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Here is the latest video of Nike Bauer's weekend with the Staal Family. Find out what it's like for their parents when they watch their sons play each other, what the guys wanted to be when they were younger, plus alot more.

Let us know what you think of the video and the Staals.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

On Saturday, Jared Staal began the next step in his journey to the NHL when he was drafted 49th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes.

At his home with his family in Thunder Bay, Jared heard his name on the tv and found out who he was drafted by on his computer. "I heard my name, I just didn't know where I was going so I had to wait for it to pop up on the computer there," said Staal.

Being drafted by Phoenix will put the youngest of the Staal brothers in the Western Conference, while his three older brothers will battle it out in the East. "Obviously I was really excited, I know Phoenix has a really young team, and obviously have a really bright future. I'm just really excited to be part of an organization like that and it should be good going forward."

Staal also talked about the chance to be coached by Wayne Gretzky who is the Coyotes head coach. "What better person to learn the game from than the greatest player of all time?" Staal asked.

Jared received txt messages of congratulations from Eric and Marc, while Jordan was home to celebrate with Jared and their parents. The upcoming year has alot of question marks in terms where Jared will be playing, but he knows what he needs to be do to make the next step. "Train my butt off, that's the biggest thing now. I have to get a lot bigger, a lot stronger and a lot quicker. Hopefully I'll work hard and have a good camp and see what happens."

Quotes taken from the Chronical Journal in Thunder Bay.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

NBH would like to congratulate Jared Staal on being drafted in this years NHL entry draft. Jared was selected 49th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes. Jared is now the fourth Staal brother to be drafted into the NHL. His three older brothers, Eric, Marc, and Jordan are all currently playing in the league.

Jared had a strong season for the Sudbury Wolves, collecting a team high 21 goals and 28 assists. We'll have more news and reaction later on. Congrats again to Jared and his family.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Jared Staal has seen his three older brothers make the jump to the NHL, and he knows that this next chapter of his life will be challenging and alot of fun.

The 2008 NHL Entry draft will take place in Ottawa on June 20th and 21st and Jared will certianly be waiting for his name to be called. He recently went through the NHL's draft combine where players go through physical tests and interviews with club officials. The interviews let the teams and GM's get a better sense of what the players are like off the ice.

Since his season ended, Jared has continued with his workouts to stay in shape, but he's also been able to reunite with some high school friends on the soccer field. Back in April, Jared scored the game winning goal giving the Westgate Tigers the Thunder Bay high school senior boys indoor soccer consolation trophy. "It's a lot of fun, a goal is a goal", said Staal. Jared was able to play in four games for the Tigers after his season with the Sudbury Wolves ended.

Jared talked more about how much he enjoyed his time back hiome playing with friends. "You don't prepare as much for a high school soccer game. It's definitely a lot of fun playing everyday with your friends, and I don't get the chance to do that too often. I enjoyed myself this year."

Jared and the Staals will certainly be anxiously awating to hear his name called on Friday night at the draft. We'll be sure to keep you updated as to where he gets drafted and what lies ahead for the youngest of the Staal brothers.

Quotes taken from the Chronicle Journal in Thunder Bay.

Posted By: Luke Ventura