Sports fans in North Carolina are cheering for Michael Jordan once again.
But this time, it's on the hockey rink.
Take away the "e" in his name and you get Czech-born defenseman Michal Jordan of the Carolina Hurricanes - who beat Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop with a beautiful wraparound to tie Sunday's game 2-2 in the second period.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
It was Jordan's first goal of the season, and the third of his career. He is currently in the lineup filling in for injured All-Star Justin Faulk.
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Facing the Calgary Flames on Sunday, Anaheim Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano played in his 680th consecutive game, passing Henrik Sedin for the sixth-longest such streak in NHL history.
Ironman Andrew Cogliano hits a milestone tonight. Congrats! pic.twitter.com/FopZTyVlj8
— NHL (@NHL) February 22, 2016
Cogliano has not missed a game since breaking into the league with the Edmonton Oilers at the start of the 2007-08 season. After four seasons with the Oilers, the 28-year-old is now playing in his fifth season with the Ducks. He entered Sunday's game with seven goals and 12 assists in 57 games.
The Toronto native would need to remain in the lineup for almost another three-and-a-half seasons to match the all-time record of 964 straight games set by retired forward Doug Jarvis - who never missed a regular-season game in his 13-year career with the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, and Hartford Whalers.
Current St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester currently sits fifth all time with a 737-game streak that ended in November 2014.
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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov will miss Sunday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes due to a lower-body injury, the team announced.
It will be Kucherov's first missed game of the season and he is considered day to day.
The 22-year-old leads the Lightning with 49 points in 58 games this season, and is tied with captain Steven Stamkos with a team-leading 24 goals. It is not believed he was injured during Saturday's 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, as he took his last shift during the game's final minute.
With Kucherov out, Jonathan Marchessault will slot into the team's top six forwards. The 25-year-old winger has seven goals and seven assists in 30 games this season.
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The Minnesota Wild played their first outdoor game in franchise history Sunday, and they certainly disappoint the 50,426 fans that packed TCF Bank Stadium, beating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 6-1.
Here are some of the best photos from Sunday's action:
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The self-proclaimed "State of Hockey" lived up to its billing on Sunday.
Hosting their first outdoor game in franchise history, the Minnesota Wild dominated their division rival, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 in front of a near-sellout crowd at TCF Bank Stadium.
#mnwild loves outdoor hockey! Minnesota wins the #StadiumSeries, 6-1! #CHIvsMIN #StateOfHockey pic.twitter.com/dtU2ShlDl2
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 21, 2016
Matt Dumba opened the scoring just three minutes into the first and four different goal-scorers followed as Thomas Vanek, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Pominville, and Minnesota native Ryan Carter all found the back of the net.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Erik Haula, meanwhile, was awarded the team's sixth goal after being taken down while the Blackhawks net was empty. After being named the game's first star, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher threw his stick into the stands toward some young fans.
Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves to pick up his third straight win, only being beat by Patrick Kane's 35th goal of the season. The Blackhawks winger now has a league-leading 84 points.
Pominville and Haula led the Wild with three points each, tying them with seven other players for the most points ever scored in an outdoor game. Carter and Niederreiter both added assists to finish with multi-point games as well.
The Blackhawks now hold a 1-3-0 record in outdoor games, with their lone win coming in 2014 when they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field, beating them 5-1.
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Since locking up defenseman Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year extension, all eyes have been on the Winnipeg Jets to see if captain Andrew Ladd will be moved ahead of the Feb. 29 trade deadline, and it appears general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is already busy on the phones.
The Jets are believed to have received an offer of a first-round pick plus a prospect, TSN's Gary Lawless reports.
Six teams currently in playoff position - the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals - are believed to be interested in the 30-year-old's services, according to Lawless.
Related: 3 teams that can use Andrew Ladd
The report also cites an NHL executive who says the Jets may get more than a pick and a prospect with so much league-wide interest in the 11-year veteran.
Ladd has 33 points in 58 games this season, and is on pace for his fifth 20-goal campaign in the past six seasons. He has won a pair of Stanley Cups; one with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and one with the Blackhawks in 2010.
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Frustration may be getting the best of the Chicago Blackhawks, as they finished the second period down 4-0 to the Minnesota Wild, and also down a defenseman who was ejected for a crushing hit.
Michal Rozsival's day at TCF Bank Stadium ended early as he was given a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct late in the second for this hit on Wild forward Jason Zucker, who was carted off the ice with an upper-body injury.
Zucker had one shot on goal, playing a team-low 5:26 of ice time on the day.
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