For Wednesday night's game between the Blackhawks and the Hurricanes, both teams will see some familiar faces wearing the wrong sweater.
Carolina will see their old friends Kevyn Adams, Craig Adams and Andrew Ladd all playing for the Blackhawks.
Chicago will see Tuomo Ruutu and castoff Sergei Samsonov playing for the visiting Hurricanes.
Craig Adams has been doing nothing all season. It doesn't matter what sweater he wears. Kevyn Adams has been injured most of the year and just returned to the lineup on Sunday. Andrew Ladd has played well since the trade deadline trade. In eight games with the Blackhawks, Ladd has recorded six (2/4) points and is a -1.
Since the Ladd trade, Tuomo Ruutu has played well with the Hurricanes, recording just three (1/2) points, but he's been a very physical and energetic player.
Sergei Samsonov, though, has to be the best acquisition the Hurricanes have made in quite some time. Since being claimed on re-entry waivers from the Blackhawks on January 8, Samsonov has 24 (12/12) points in 27 games and is a +11. In that time frame, he's been the most prolific Hurricanes scorer, and one of the biggest stories in the NHL.
Although these teams don't face each other very often, they know each other pretty well.
The Blackhawks are fighting just to make the playoffs, while the Hurricanes will try to extend their lead in the SE division and build on their longest winning streak of the season.
Game recap to follow.
Showing posts with label Ladd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ladd. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Canes and Hawks swap players again.
For what seems like the hundredth time in the past three seasons, the Hurricanes and Blackhawks made a trade.
In what was a very long time coming, Andrew Ladd was traded away for a centerman. Carolina made a deal in the 2004 Entry Draft, trading up to get Ladd with the fourth overall pick. Expectations were high, and the hope was that he would be a power forward.
In Ladd's short career, he's been hampered with injuries and a much slower than expected development. It's become evident that he's not going to be an upper echelon player. At least not in Carolina. He's been more of the "role player", and his size and strength are wasted in that capacity. Coach Peter Laviolette tried putting Ladd on the top line, the second line, just about everywhere. Unfortunately, nothing has worked. Ladd has brief flashes, but most of the time it's just frustrating.
Partly for Andrew, and partly to fulfill on of Carolina's needs, he was shipped today to Chicago for center Tuomu Ruutu. Admittedly, I knew very little about Ruutu. Just that he's Finnish and that his brother has a reputation for being dirty.
Ruutu can play center or right wing, isn't afraid to hit, and is good for about 40 points a season.
After the trade went down, Ruutu's flight from Chicago to Raleigh was delayed substantially. The News & Observer was reporting that he would arrive in Raleigh at 6:30 and wouldn't have time to make it to the rink for the game. Apparently his flight landed at 6:24, and he was given a police escort from RDU airport to the arena. It's only about 10 miles, but a difficult task to make that trip during rush hour.
Ruutu made it to the arena (barely)in time, dressed, and had a heck of a game. He led the Hurricanes with three hits. He led the Hurricanes with two blocked shots. He had two takeaways, one assists, and finished with a +1 rating. He also earned the third star of the night.
In what was a very long time coming, Andrew Ladd was traded away for a centerman. Carolina made a deal in the 2004 Entry Draft, trading up to get Ladd with the fourth overall pick. Expectations were high, and the hope was that he would be a power forward.
In Ladd's short career, he's been hampered with injuries and a much slower than expected development. It's become evident that he's not going to be an upper echelon player. At least not in Carolina. He's been more of the "role player", and his size and strength are wasted in that capacity. Coach Peter Laviolette tried putting Ladd on the top line, the second line, just about everywhere. Unfortunately, nothing has worked. Ladd has brief flashes, but most of the time it's just frustrating.
Partly for Andrew, and partly to fulfill on of Carolina's needs, he was shipped today to Chicago for center Tuomu Ruutu. Admittedly, I knew very little about Ruutu. Just that he's Finnish and that his brother has a reputation for being dirty.
Ruutu can play center or right wing, isn't afraid to hit, and is good for about 40 points a season.
After the trade went down, Ruutu's flight from Chicago to Raleigh was delayed substantially. The News & Observer was reporting that he would arrive in Raleigh at 6:30 and wouldn't have time to make it to the rink for the game. Apparently his flight landed at 6:24, and he was given a police escort from RDU airport to the arena. It's only about 10 miles, but a difficult task to make that trip during rush hour.
Ruutu made it to the arena (barely)in time, dressed, and had a heck of a game. He led the Hurricanes with three hits. He led the Hurricanes with two blocked shots. He had two takeaways, one assists, and finished with a +1 rating. He also earned the third star of the night.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Canes win barn burner, reclaim SE lead
On Saturday night, the Hurricanes defeated the Panthers 5-4 with a dramatic three goal outburst in the third. The win marked the third win in a row, which matches Carolina's longest winning streak of the season. It is also their fourth straight home win.
Atlanta played a horrible game on Long Island, getting beat 4-1. The Carolina win and the Atlanta loss means that the Hurricanes have sole possession of first place in the division. The Capitals won on Saturday, and they remain two points behind Carolina, tied with Atlanta. The Capitals have one game in hand. Florida is four points back. Tampa is eight points back, but have two games in hand. The division is still anybody's for the taking.
Time-Warner Cable of Greensboro really didn't want me to watch hockey. As I sat down to watch the game, I discovered that my Center Ice package wasn't working. Every channel had a message -- "This channel is temporarily unavailable". Also, the NHL Network was displaying the same message. Then, because my computer is all messed up and the Canes don't have radio coverage in Greensboro, I had to rely on NHL.com for "realtime" updates. It's not the best in the world, but it's a lot better than nothing.
Finally, a few hours later, I got to see the highlights on the NHL Network.
Wade Brookbank, Sergei Samsonov, Eric Staal, Trevor Letowski and Ray Whitney all scored for the Canes. Brookbank, Samsonov and Letowski all got tip-ins by working hard and crashing the net. Staal worked his butt off for his goal after getting knocked down behind the Panthers' net. The game winning goal by Whitney was set up beautifully by a cross-ice backhand pass from Joe Corvo. In two games played, he has two assists, and he's looked pretty good.
Nathan Horton scored twice for the visiting Panthers, including once on a penalty shot.
This was the 14th time in a row the Panthers have lost at the RBC Center. This time, they can't blame the officials. Carolina had a goal disallowed. Florida had a penalty shot goal. They can't blame the "diving" Canes. They have nobody but themselves to blame for blowing a two-goal lead in the third period. The defense allowed some weird angle shots to get through, and Vokoun gave up the juicy rebounds, and Carolina was putting themselves in the right position to get the odd rebounds and tip-ins.
Since I didn't see the whole game, I can't possibly come up with three stars. I'll have to rely on the "official" stars.
THIRD STAR Sergei Samsonov, CAR -- G
SECOND STAR Eric Staal, CAR -- G, A
FIRST STAR Ray Whitney, CAR -- GWG
Clearly, Andrew Ladd needs some love. He had two assists, and he's got seven (3/4) points in his last five games. With Brind'Amour and Williams out of the lineup for the season and Cory Stillman traded away, Andrew Ladd is one of the guys who will have to step up. So far, he's seizing every opportunity. Clearly, the onus is on Eric Staal to be "the man", but everyone else is gonna have to get bigger.
Coming down the stretch, Carolina has a good chance to help themselves. They have an overwhelming majority of their remaining games at home, and for the first time all season, they'll regularly have more than one day off between games. This homestretch in the tight SE race will be tough. Injuries are working against Carolina, but the schedule is working with them. If they can dig deep and find some of that "whatever it takes" stuff, they'll be in the driver's seat for the homestretch. I think they can.
Atlanta played a horrible game on Long Island, getting beat 4-1. The Carolina win and the Atlanta loss means that the Hurricanes have sole possession of first place in the division. The Capitals won on Saturday, and they remain two points behind Carolina, tied with Atlanta. The Capitals have one game in hand. Florida is four points back. Tampa is eight points back, but have two games in hand. The division is still anybody's for the taking.
Time-Warner Cable of Greensboro really didn't want me to watch hockey. As I sat down to watch the game, I discovered that my Center Ice package wasn't working. Every channel had a message -- "This channel is temporarily unavailable". Also, the NHL Network was displaying the same message. Then, because my computer is all messed up and the Canes don't have radio coverage in Greensboro, I had to rely on NHL.com for "realtime" updates. It's not the best in the world, but it's a lot better than nothing.
Finally, a few hours later, I got to see the highlights on the NHL Network.
Wade Brookbank, Sergei Samsonov, Eric Staal, Trevor Letowski and Ray Whitney all scored for the Canes. Brookbank, Samsonov and Letowski all got tip-ins by working hard and crashing the net. Staal worked his butt off for his goal after getting knocked down behind the Panthers' net. The game winning goal by Whitney was set up beautifully by a cross-ice backhand pass from Joe Corvo. In two games played, he has two assists, and he's looked pretty good.
Nathan Horton scored twice for the visiting Panthers, including once on a penalty shot.
This was the 14th time in a row the Panthers have lost at the RBC Center. This time, they can't blame the officials. Carolina had a goal disallowed. Florida had a penalty shot goal. They can't blame the "diving" Canes. They have nobody but themselves to blame for blowing a two-goal lead in the third period. The defense allowed some weird angle shots to get through, and Vokoun gave up the juicy rebounds, and Carolina was putting themselves in the right position to get the odd rebounds and tip-ins.
Since I didn't see the whole game, I can't possibly come up with three stars. I'll have to rely on the "official" stars.
THIRD STAR Sergei Samsonov, CAR -- G
SECOND STAR Eric Staal, CAR -- G, A
FIRST STAR Ray Whitney, CAR -- GWG
Clearly, Andrew Ladd needs some love. He had two assists, and he's got seven (3/4) points in his last five games. With Brind'Amour and Williams out of the lineup for the season and Cory Stillman traded away, Andrew Ladd is one of the guys who will have to step up. So far, he's seizing every opportunity. Clearly, the onus is on Eric Staal to be "the man", but everyone else is gonna have to get bigger.
Coming down the stretch, Carolina has a good chance to help themselves. They have an overwhelming majority of their remaining games at home, and for the first time all season, they'll regularly have more than one day off between games. This homestretch in the tight SE race will be tough. Injuries are working against Carolina, but the schedule is working with them. If they can dig deep and find some of that "whatever it takes" stuff, they'll be in the driver's seat for the homestretch. I think they can.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Canes reclaim first place with road win in DC
On Friday night, the Hurricanes climbed back into first place with a 2-1 victory over the Capitals. With 25 games to play, Carolina has a narrow one point lead in the Southeast division. The good news for the Hurricanes is that 15 of those games are at home and they have a lot of space between games. In the first half of the season, Carolina played most of their games on the road, and they had a bunch of "three games in four days" scenarios.
The game was deemed (by me, anyway) as a "must-win". A loss would have put Carolina three points back of the Caps and in fourth place in the SE.
Coming out of the all-star break, Coach Peter Laviolette told the boys to play as if the next seven games were a playoff series. Five games into this "series", the Canes are 3-2 with road games tonight at New Jersey and Tuesday at Boston. After that, they will have eight out of nine at home.
In the first period of action on Friday, there was a lot of intensity. Two fights, lots of hitting, and some scoring for the good guys.
Erik Cole scored an eye-popping goal to remind us who that #26 guy is. At 3:56, he finished a play that can only be compared to that shootout goal that Peter Forsberg scored in the 1994 Olympics. He was sprung with a pass off the right wing wall, turned on the jets, avoided some backchecking, dragged the puck from his backhand to the forehand. Brent Johnson, who got the mystery start in place of Olli the Goalie, bit on that move, sliding all the way to his right. Cole pulled it back to his backhand and one-handed it in the empty net. I've seen Rick Nash do that in a shootout. We saw Jussi Jokinen do it twice in shootouts. I've never seen a player make that shot in live action. The goal made the #1 play of the night on NHL Network. Enjoy the highlight:
Officially, it was Cole from Cory Stillman and Frantisek Kaberle at 3:56. Milan Jurcina was the defenseman Cole blew past, and he made a last-ditch effort to poke the puck away, but he lost his stick in the process. Although no referee was indicating penalty, if Cole hadn't scored, he might have been awarded a penalty shot. As he finished the play, Jurcina's stick slid across the ice. Whether it was thrown or just got loose, I don't know, but it doesn't matter anyway.
Cole was more than a goal scorer in the first period. He laid the wood to Alex Ovechkin a couple of times. At the end of it all, he had four hits.
At 14:47 of the first, Carolina's 2004 first round pick Andrew Ladd potted his sixth goal of the year to make it 2-1. Sergei Samsonov led the way with the Canes on a 3-on-2 break. Rod Brind'Amour was with him on the right wing and Ladd was coming down the middle. From the right circle, Samsonov just put a hard shot on net. The juicy rebound went right to Ladd in the low slot where he basically just put his stick on the ice to get the goal. This would prove to be the game winner.
The second period was pretty much a wash after Carolina dominated the flow of the first period.
Cam Ward lost his shutout bid at 9:44 when Alex Semin finished a hard-working play to cut the lead in half. The Caps were dictating the flow of the third, and they had some great sustained pressure deep in the Carolina zone. After working hard behind the net, Semin went out to the right circle. There was a ton of traffic in front. Semin shot, then followed his own shot with a stuff in from near the right post. The goal was unassisted.
There were some nervous moments coming down the stretch, but Carolina held on for the regulation win.
For only the eleventh time all season, Alex Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet completely.
The "official" three stars went to Cole (third), Semin (second) and Cam Ward (first).
I have it differently. The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Andrew Ladd, CAR -- GWG
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR -- win, 33 saves
FIRST STAR Erik Cole, CAR -- goal, 4 hits, 2 blocked shots
Carolina will be in the Devils' new building tonight, playing the fourth of five straight road games.
The game was deemed (by me, anyway) as a "must-win". A loss would have put Carolina three points back of the Caps and in fourth place in the SE.
Coming out of the all-star break, Coach Peter Laviolette told the boys to play as if the next seven games were a playoff series. Five games into this "series", the Canes are 3-2 with road games tonight at New Jersey and Tuesday at Boston. After that, they will have eight out of nine at home.
In the first period of action on Friday, there was a lot of intensity. Two fights, lots of hitting, and some scoring for the good guys.
Erik Cole scored an eye-popping goal to remind us who that #26 guy is. At 3:56, he finished a play that can only be compared to that shootout goal that Peter Forsberg scored in the 1994 Olympics. He was sprung with a pass off the right wing wall, turned on the jets, avoided some backchecking, dragged the puck from his backhand to the forehand. Brent Johnson, who got the mystery start in place of Olli the Goalie, bit on that move, sliding all the way to his right. Cole pulled it back to his backhand and one-handed it in the empty net. I've seen Rick Nash do that in a shootout. We saw Jussi Jokinen do it twice in shootouts. I've never seen a player make that shot in live action. The goal made the #1 play of the night on NHL Network. Enjoy the highlight:
Officially, it was Cole from Cory Stillman and Frantisek Kaberle at 3:56. Milan Jurcina was the defenseman Cole blew past, and he made a last-ditch effort to poke the puck away, but he lost his stick in the process. Although no referee was indicating penalty, if Cole hadn't scored, he might have been awarded a penalty shot. As he finished the play, Jurcina's stick slid across the ice. Whether it was thrown or just got loose, I don't know, but it doesn't matter anyway.
Cole was more than a goal scorer in the first period. He laid the wood to Alex Ovechkin a couple of times. At the end of it all, he had four hits.
At 14:47 of the first, Carolina's 2004 first round pick Andrew Ladd potted his sixth goal of the year to make it 2-1. Sergei Samsonov led the way with the Canes on a 3-on-2 break. Rod Brind'Amour was with him on the right wing and Ladd was coming down the middle. From the right circle, Samsonov just put a hard shot on net. The juicy rebound went right to Ladd in the low slot where he basically just put his stick on the ice to get the goal. This would prove to be the game winner.
The second period was pretty much a wash after Carolina dominated the flow of the first period.
Cam Ward lost his shutout bid at 9:44 when Alex Semin finished a hard-working play to cut the lead in half. The Caps were dictating the flow of the third, and they had some great sustained pressure deep in the Carolina zone. After working hard behind the net, Semin went out to the right circle. There was a ton of traffic in front. Semin shot, then followed his own shot with a stuff in from near the right post. The goal was unassisted.
There were some nervous moments coming down the stretch, but Carolina held on for the regulation win.
For only the eleventh time all season, Alex Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet completely.
The "official" three stars went to Cole (third), Semin (second) and Cam Ward (first).
I have it differently. The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Andrew Ladd, CAR -- GWG
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR -- win, 33 saves
FIRST STAR Erik Cole, CAR -- goal, 4 hits, 2 blocked shots
Carolina will be in the Devils' new building tonight, playing the fourth of five straight road games.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Canes-Rangers
Tonight the Rangers come back to town for a much anticipated 7:00 game.
The Canes haven't played in a week. I'm sure the guys are anxious to get back on the ice, and I know the fans are ready so see the boys again.
However, the restlessness has a little more to do with the Blueshirts than it has to do with the All-Star break. The last time these two teams squared off, Matt Cullen left the game with a concussion after a hard high hit from Colton Orr. Later in the game, Andrew Ladd suffered a broken orbital bone after he was sucker-punched by Sean Avery while the linesmen were restraining Ladd.
Carolina spent the better part of 05-06, the entirety of 06-07, and the first half of this season without an "enforcer", but that game changed it all. Wade Brookbank, the 6'4" 227 lb enforcer, was recalled from Albany the next day. Since then, he has made his presence known. He isn't getting much ice time, but his time is short and to the point.
Peter Laviolette is more concerned about getting the two standings points tonight and hasn't told his players to "even the score" or anything like that. According to LSB, he has expressly forbidden Andrew Ladd from fighting.
However, Brookbank is in the lineup, and Laviolette says the boys will be ready for whatever happens.
Defenseman Tim Gleason echoed the sentiment :
I won't be at the game. I'll be watching from home on Center Ice. I'm hoping that the RBC Center faithful give Sean Avery a not-so-warm welcome.
Secondary to all that piss and vinegar stuff, Eric Staal will be trying to beat his little brother Mark.
A tertiary rallying point is that Matt Cullen will be going against the team who never made him feel like he was a welcome addition to the team.
Although I would love to see Avery get his ass whipped, I'm not anticipating any fireworks. Just a good game.
In the near future, I plan to write a very boring piece about the naming rights of the NHL Arenas. Some of them aren't as funny as you think.
The Canes haven't played in a week. I'm sure the guys are anxious to get back on the ice, and I know the fans are ready so see the boys again.
However, the restlessness has a little more to do with the Blueshirts than it has to do with the All-Star break. The last time these two teams squared off, Matt Cullen left the game with a concussion after a hard high hit from Colton Orr. Later in the game, Andrew Ladd suffered a broken orbital bone after he was sucker-punched by Sean Avery while the linesmen were restraining Ladd.
Carolina spent the better part of 05-06, the entirety of 06-07, and the first half of this season without an "enforcer", but that game changed it all. Wade Brookbank, the 6'4" 227 lb enforcer, was recalled from Albany the next day. Since then, he has made his presence known. He isn't getting much ice time, but his time is short and to the point.
Peter Laviolette is more concerned about getting the two standings points tonight and hasn't told his players to "even the score" or anything like that. According to LSB, he has expressly forbidden Andrew Ladd from fighting.
However, Brookbank is in the lineup, and Laviolette says the boys will be ready for whatever happens.
Defenseman Tim Gleason echoed the sentiment :
"We don’t want to focus on one particular person. We want to focus on beating them to pucks. If they want to goon it up, we have no problem doing that, but that’s not the way we play.
We’re just a hard-working team. When it comes down to it, if they want to get gritty, we’ll get gritty back.... If we have to muck it up, we’ll muck it up."
I won't be at the game. I'll be watching from home on Center Ice. I'm hoping that the RBC Center faithful give Sean Avery a not-so-warm welcome.
Secondary to all that piss and vinegar stuff, Eric Staal will be trying to beat his little brother Mark.
A tertiary rallying point is that Matt Cullen will be going against the team who never made him feel like he was a welcome addition to the team.
Although I would love to see Avery get his ass whipped, I'm not anticipating any fireworks. Just a good game.
In the near future, I plan to write a very boring piece about the naming rights of the NHL Arenas. Some of them aren't as funny as you think.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Canes injury woes continue
Carolina was already pretty banged up when they went to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. When they left, they were a lot worse for the wear. Of course they lost the game, but they lost more than that. Matt Cullen and Andrew Ladd may miss games due to injuries sustained in the game.
Justin Williams was already out with a bad knee. Both the MCL and the ACL are shot. He's done for the season. We already knew that.
Chad LaRose is concussed. He skated in practice today for the first time in over a week, but wore the yellow "no contact" sweater. He won't be back in time for the Boston game.
Craig Adams has finished his two game suspension
Matt Cullen suffered a broken nose. He may or may not be concussed. The lack of news in this department doesn't fall into the "no gnus is good gnus" department. (anybody old enough to remember that?)
Seriously, I assume that Cullen took a baseline test this morning. If he had passed the test, I think we would have heard by now. I read somewhere on a Rangers site that TSN.ca is reporting that he is NOT concussed, but I haven't been able to find any such article. No news is bad news.
Andrew Ladd may or may not have a broken orbital bone after he got clobbered by Sean Avery. I can't find any mention of this other than in blog comment sections, so I'll reserve that with a grain or two of salt.
This suggests that Colin Campbell isn't interested in Orr (not surprised) or Avery. Avery's transgression, however, is bunched in with those that carry a mandatory one game suspension. Nothing further will be levied on him. Meh.
Williams and LaRose are definitely out. Cullen is probably out. If Ladd indeed has a broken orbital bone, he'll be out for a while. Two top six guys and two third line guys. When Williams went down, the rallying cry was "Time for Ladd to step up. Time for LaRose to play an increased role." Now they're both out. It's a fantastic opportunity for Brandon Nolan to stay on the team and prove his worth. We should expect to see Ryan Bayda get the call-up from Albany. Maybe Keith Aucoin too.
Whether it's freak accident (Williams) or the result of marginal play, other teams are definitely taking liberties with Carolina. What makes it worse is that they know they can. Carolina is going through a horrible power play slump, so other teams can rough us up at will with confidence that Carolina won't score on the power play. They also know that Carolina isn't going to send anyone out to "clean matters up". It's a well-known fact that they have a "no fighting" rule, and even if they wanted to fight, Brandon Nolan is the only one who could even remotely strike fear in anyone's heart. This isn't the "new NHL" anymore, where skilled players are protected by the rules. Luke Decock said it best today:
To remedy that, Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford is indicating that he's shopping around for an enforcer. The holiday roster freeze will thaw out at midnight tonight, and Carolina will look for free agents who might fall under the umbrella of "enforcer with skill". Good luck with that. Rachel Carter of the N&O has the story on that, which can be summed up with JR's quote:
This will have to come on the free agency market. Carolina doesn't have any healthy players to use for trade bait.
The Canes will be home on Friday against the Bruins. I can only count ten healthy forwards. Brind'Amour, Whitney, Cole, Staal, Stillman, Hamilton, Walker, Adams, Nolan, Letowski. There are seven healthy defensemen, but that leaves them one player shy of a full roster.
Someone has to get called up.
At midnight.
Don't expect the "enforcer" move to come on Friday, but definitely expect Ryan Bayda to be wearing #18 against the Bs.
There is continued rumbling about making a move for a puck-moving defenseman. That will have to come via trade, which means we have to wait for people to get healthy.
Any ideas?
Seriously, I assume that Cullen took a baseline test this morning. If he had passed the test, I think we would have heard by now. I read somewhere on a Rangers site that TSN.ca is reporting that he is NOT concussed, but I haven't been able to find any such article. No news is bad news.
This suggests that Colin Campbell isn't interested in Orr (not surprised) or Avery. Avery's transgression, however, is bunched in with those that carry a mandatory one game suspension. Nothing further will be levied on him. Meh.
Williams and LaRose are definitely out. Cullen is probably out. If Ladd indeed has a broken orbital bone, he'll be out for a while. Two top six guys and two third line guys. When Williams went down, the rallying cry was "Time for Ladd to step up. Time for LaRose to play an increased role." Now they're both out. It's a fantastic opportunity for Brandon Nolan to stay on the team and prove his worth. We should expect to see Ryan Bayda get the call-up from Albany. Maybe Keith Aucoin too.
Whether it's freak accident (Williams) or the result of marginal play, other teams are definitely taking liberties with Carolina. What makes it worse is that they know they can. Carolina is going through a horrible power play slump, so other teams can rough us up at will with confidence that Carolina won't score on the power play. They also know that Carolina isn't going to send anyone out to "clean matters up". It's a well-known fact that they have a "no fighting" rule, and even if they wanted to fight, Brandon Nolan is the only one who could even remotely strike fear in anyone's heart. This isn't the "new NHL" anymore, where skilled players are protected by the rules. Luke Decock said it best today:
Like it or not, the NHL is once again relying on frontier justice. And the Hurricanes look like the Quakers in the wagon train.
To remedy that, Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford is indicating that he's shopping around for an enforcer. The holiday roster freeze will thaw out at midnight tonight, and Carolina will look for free agents who might fall under the umbrella of "enforcer with skill". Good luck with that. Rachel Carter of the N&O has the story on that, which can be summed up with JR's quote:
“So, we continue to look at things. I think the one area, and we've talked about this the first half of the season, but it becomes more obvious now — is maybe an enforcer.
It seems like every week one of our guys is getting hit pretty hard and getting hurt, so we may try to look a little harder at that....
There's been guys come available that are tough guys, but probably not at the level we're looking for, so we're still going to look for one of those top guys.”
This will have to come on the free agency market. Carolina doesn't have any healthy players to use for trade bait.
The Canes will be home on Friday against the Bruins. I can only count ten healthy forwards. Brind'Amour, Whitney, Cole, Staal, Stillman, Hamilton, Walker, Adams, Nolan, Letowski. There are seven healthy defensemen, but that leaves them one player shy of a full roster.
Someone has to get called up.
At midnight.
Don't expect the "enforcer" move to come on Friday, but definitely expect Ryan Bayda to be wearing #18 against the Bs.
There is continued rumbling about making a move for a puck-moving defenseman. That will have to come via trade, which means we have to wait for people to get healthy.
Any ideas?
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
canes lose big; avery is a punk
Sean Avery is a goddamn punk.
There. I said it.
The Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 4-2 on Wednesday night, and showed their ass doing it.
The home team did a marvelous job of shutting down the Carolina power play, which has been stagnant lately. They had to kill a full five minute penalty in the second, plus a minute of six-on-three in the final minute of the game. The Rangers PK should get the first star of the game.
Carolina started the game with only 11 forwards and ended the game with only nine. Their power play struggles notwithstanding, this is no way to win hockey games.
Midway through the second period with the score tied at one, Matt Cullen was blasted at center ice by Colton Orr with a marginally late but very violent open ice hit. The puck was still in the vicinity, but Orr had to come from lower Manhattan to deliver the hit. Cullen was knocked out of the game, requiring stitches below his nose. Orr was given a five minute major for interference (a new rule) and a game misconduct. Mike Commodore jumped to Cullen's defense, but the fight was short and uneventful. On the ensuing major power play, Carolina was unable to get anything going, and it was probably the turning point of the game.
Carolina would later take a 2-1 lead on a different power play, but at that point they were down to ten forwards and they weren't looking all that great.
The Rangers exploded for three goals in the first half of the third period, but it wasn't quite out of reach.
With just under six minutes to play, Sean Avery delivered a hard forechecking hit to Glen Wesley into the boards behind Cam Ward. There was a bit of a disturbance first between Avery and Wesley. Then there was a lot of pushing and shoving by all players on both teams. For no reason, Sean Avery went after Trevor Letowski, but nothing came of that. It seemed like cooler heads were prevailing, but Avery chose to also go at Andrew Ladd. This was a mutual thing, except the linesman weren't going to allow it. The whistles were blowing, the linesmen were restraining both players. It should have been over.
Avery took at least two, probably three sucker punch shots at Ladd with the linesman between them. Ladd never threw a punch. Somehow, Ladd was given agame 10 minute misconduct penalty to match that of Avery. And Carolina was down to nine skaters. It should have surely been a five minute advantage for Carolina, but the only extra penalty was to Avery for instigating one of those goofy interference penalties -- preventing Glen Wesley from picking up the stick he had dropped. Avery was given a game misconduct penalty on top of it all, but those don't affect the length of the power play.
It was of no matter since Carolina couldn't convert the power play anyway, but it might have been different with more time.
Jaromir Jagr had two goals.
Scott Walker scored a shorthanded goal for the Canes. It was their first shorty of the year.
Sean Avery will be a marked man the next time these two teams play. A clean fight is one thing. A marginally clean hit is one thing. Sucker punches are another thing entirely. This will be looked at by the league, and he will receive a short suspension.
I'm too tired and too pissed off to search around for precedence on this kind of thing. One side of me thinks that because he threw punches after the linesmen had stepped in, it'll be multiple games. The realist in me says that it'll be one game.
Orr won't and shouldn't be suspended. Unless he already had a game misconduct in hand.
Above the animosity I'm feeling towards Avery, I'm really concerned about Cully. If he has to miss any time, it'll be a huge blow to this already hurting team.
I've said before that Avery is a guy with a lot of brawn and a bit of talent to go with it. It's a shame that he plays the way he does, agitating and instigating and traipsing around the borders of legal play.
Carolina is off Thursday, and hopefully there will be good news about Matt Cullen.
There. I said it.
The Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 4-2 on Wednesday night, and showed their ass doing it.
The home team did a marvelous job of shutting down the Carolina power play, which has been stagnant lately. They had to kill a full five minute penalty in the second, plus a minute of six-on-three in the final minute of the game. The Rangers PK should get the first star of the game.
Carolina started the game with only 11 forwards and ended the game with only nine. Their power play struggles notwithstanding, this is no way to win hockey games.
Midway through the second period with the score tied at one, Matt Cullen was blasted at center ice by Colton Orr with a marginally late but very violent open ice hit. The puck was still in the vicinity, but Orr had to come from lower Manhattan to deliver the hit. Cullen was knocked out of the game, requiring stitches below his nose. Orr was given a five minute major for interference (a new rule) and a game misconduct. Mike Commodore jumped to Cullen's defense, but the fight was short and uneventful. On the ensuing major power play, Carolina was unable to get anything going, and it was probably the turning point of the game.
Carolina would later take a 2-1 lead on a different power play, but at that point they were down to ten forwards and they weren't looking all that great.
The Rangers exploded for three goals in the first half of the third period, but it wasn't quite out of reach.
With just under six minutes to play, Sean Avery delivered a hard forechecking hit to Glen Wesley into the boards behind Cam Ward. There was a bit of a disturbance first between Avery and Wesley. Then there was a lot of pushing and shoving by all players on both teams. For no reason, Sean Avery went after Trevor Letowski, but nothing came of that. It seemed like cooler heads were prevailing, but Avery chose to also go at Andrew Ladd. This was a mutual thing, except the linesman weren't going to allow it. The whistles were blowing, the linesmen were restraining both players. It should have been over.
Avery took at least two, probably three sucker punch shots at Ladd with the linesman between them. Ladd never threw a punch. Somehow, Ladd was given a
It was of no matter since Carolina couldn't convert the power play anyway, but it might have been different with more time.
Jaromir Jagr had two goals.
Scott Walker scored a shorthanded goal for the Canes. It was their first shorty of the year.
Sean Avery will be a marked man the next time these two teams play. A clean fight is one thing. A marginally clean hit is one thing. Sucker punches are another thing entirely. This will be looked at by the league, and he will receive a short suspension.
I'm too tired and too pissed off to search around for precedence on this kind of thing. One side of me thinks that because he threw punches after the linesmen had stepped in, it'll be multiple games. The realist in me says that it'll be one game.
Orr won't and shouldn't be suspended. Unless he already had a game misconduct in hand.
Above the animosity I'm feeling towards Avery, I'm really concerned about Cully. If he has to miss any time, it'll be a huge blow to this already hurting team.
I've said before that Avery is a guy with a lot of brawn and a bit of talent to go with it. It's a shame that he plays the way he does, agitating and instigating and traipsing around the borders of legal play.
Carolina is off Thursday, and hopefully there will be good news about Matt Cullen.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Canes top Bolts 4-1
Going into Saturday night's game at Tampa, the Hurricanes held a narrow three point lead in the Southeast Division over Florida. After having lost the game and 30-point scorer Justin Williams on Thursday, the Canes were a little beat up physically and emotionally. They bounced back nicely with a beautiful 4-1 win over Tampa, while Florida lost in overtime to the Leafs. Going into the holiday, Carolina has a four point lead.
The game got off to a quick start on the wrong foot. Martin St. Louis made a shot from below the right circle which Cam Ward blockered aside. Unfortunately, it caromed off defenseman Glen Wesley and into the net. This came just 0:23 into the game. St. Louis' 13th goal of the season was assisted by Brad Richards and Shane O'Brien.
A few moments later, Wesley had a chance to redeem himself with a rebound chance into an empty net, but he had to lift the shot to get over a defenseman's stick, and his attempt clanged off the right post.
Andrew Ladd, who has really stepped up his game since returning from his "conditioning stint", scored his second goal in as many games to level the score at one. He outworked to Bolts skaters behind Karri Ramo's net, then worked the puck around to Matt Cullen on the right side. His shot was blocked by Ramo, but Ladd was there on the doorstep to pounce on the rebound and shove it in the net. Time of the goal was 18:04 of the first. Initially, the lone assist went to Matt Cullen. During the first intermission, there was a scoring change, giving a secondary assist to Brandon Nolan.
Nolan looked comfortable and confident out there, and just missed on a golden scoring opportunity in the second frame. I give him high marks for tallying an assist in his first NHL game, ending with a +1.
There were no penalties for either team in the first.
In a span of two and a half minutes in the second period, four penalties were called. Two per side. Tampa had one minute of five-on-three, which was killed off nicely by the Canes. At the tail end of the ensuing power play, a Bolts penalty nullified the man advantage. Carolina couldn't do anything on their end of the power play.
With about a minute left in the second, the Bolts thought they had taken the lead on a Mathieu Darche goal. After some review, the goal was disallowed because it went in off a skate after a distinct kicking motion propelled it in.
The second period ended 1-1. Both goaltenders were seeing plenty of action, and both were playing well.
Ray Whitney gave the Canes the lead at 9:31 of the third with a delayed penalty in hand. Whitney came off the bench to be the sixth attacker, accepted a gorgeous pass in the left circle and wristed it high on the Finnish rookie. Cory Stillman and Frantisek Kaberle assisted on what would prove to be the game-winning goal.
The Wizard notched his second goal of the night and his 18th of the season at 19:00 of the third with an empty net. Scott Walker made a steal at center ice and chucked it ahead to Whitney for the easy goal.
Remembering what they were able to do on Tuesday against the Leafs, the Canes knew that the game was far from over. They had to fight to the final bell.
The Bolts were able to get some chances, but nothing serious. In the closing seconds, Ray Whitney had an opportunity for the natural hat trick. He had the puck at the right point, but instead of trying the shot from there, he passed it ahead to Eric Staal for the sure thing, which he tucked in at 19:56. Whitney and Bret Hedican got the assists.
Carolina played very well as a team. Their forechecking was good, their backpressure was excellent, the third line did a spectacular job. Cam Ward knocked the rust off and had a spectacular game after watching Johnny Crackers get three consecutive starts.
The "official" three stars went tothe midgetMarty St. Louis (third), Cam Ward (second) and Ray Whitney (first). The FSN South crew gave the third star to Karri Ramo. I see it a little differently. Certainly, Karri Ramo was good, with 33 saves. St. Louis was good, with his freak goal. Brandon Nolan played a very good game, albeit just 7:57 ice time, getting an assist in his NHL debut. They all deserve special mention.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Andrew Ladd, CAR -- 1 goal, 8 hits
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR -- 29 saves, win
FIRST STAR Ray Whitney, CAR -- 2 goals, 1 assist, GWG
Carolina will be off until Boxing Day, when they'll play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Marc Staal will probably catch a ride on the Hurricanes charter, because he and the rest of the Staal family are spending Christmas at Eric's house in Cary.
The game got off to a quick start on the wrong foot. Martin St. Louis made a shot from below the right circle which Cam Ward blockered aside. Unfortunately, it caromed off defenseman Glen Wesley and into the net. This came just 0:23 into the game. St. Louis' 13th goal of the season was assisted by Brad Richards and Shane O'Brien.
A few moments later, Wesley had a chance to redeem himself with a rebound chance into an empty net, but he had to lift the shot to get over a defenseman's stick, and his attempt clanged off the right post.
Andrew Ladd, who has really stepped up his game since returning from his "conditioning stint", scored his second goal in as many games to level the score at one. He outworked to Bolts skaters behind Karri Ramo's net, then worked the puck around to Matt Cullen on the right side. His shot was blocked by Ramo, but Ladd was there on the doorstep to pounce on the rebound and shove it in the net. Time of the goal was 18:04 of the first. Initially, the lone assist went to Matt Cullen. During the first intermission, there was a scoring change, giving a secondary assist to Brandon Nolan.
Nolan looked comfortable and confident out there, and just missed on a golden scoring opportunity in the second frame. I give him high marks for tallying an assist in his first NHL game, ending with a +1.
There were no penalties for either team in the first.
In a span of two and a half minutes in the second period, four penalties were called. Two per side. Tampa had one minute of five-on-three, which was killed off nicely by the Canes. At the tail end of the ensuing power play, a Bolts penalty nullified the man advantage. Carolina couldn't do anything on their end of the power play.
With about a minute left in the second, the Bolts thought they had taken the lead on a Mathieu Darche goal. After some review, the goal was disallowed because it went in off a skate after a distinct kicking motion propelled it in.
The second period ended 1-1. Both goaltenders were seeing plenty of action, and both were playing well.
Ray Whitney gave the Canes the lead at 9:31 of the third with a delayed penalty in hand. Whitney came off the bench to be the sixth attacker, accepted a gorgeous pass in the left circle and wristed it high on the Finnish rookie. Cory Stillman and Frantisek Kaberle assisted on what would prove to be the game-winning goal.
The Wizard notched his second goal of the night and his 18th of the season at 19:00 of the third with an empty net. Scott Walker made a steal at center ice and chucked it ahead to Whitney for the easy goal.
Remembering what they were able to do on Tuesday against the Leafs, the Canes knew that the game was far from over. They had to fight to the final bell.
The Bolts were able to get some chances, but nothing serious. In the closing seconds, Ray Whitney had an opportunity for the natural hat trick. He had the puck at the right point, but instead of trying the shot from there, he passed it ahead to Eric Staal for the sure thing, which he tucked in at 19:56. Whitney and Bret Hedican got the assists.
Carolina played very well as a team. Their forechecking was good, their backpressure was excellent, the third line did a spectacular job. Cam Ward knocked the rust off and had a spectacular game after watching Johnny Crackers get three consecutive starts.
The "official" three stars went to
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Andrew Ladd, CAR -- 1 goal, 8 hits
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR -- 29 saves, win
FIRST STAR Ray Whitney, CAR -- 2 goals, 1 assist, GWG
Carolina will be off until Boxing Day, when they'll play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Marc Staal will probably catch a ride on the Hurricanes charter, because he and the rest of the Staal family are spending Christmas at Eric's house in Cary.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Brind'Amour, Ladd, Commodore return to the ice
On Thursday night, the Hurricanes will return to Southeast Division play, and three of their players will make their return to the ice. Rod Brind'Amour missed one game with the flu, Mike Commodore missed 12 with a broken finger and Andrew Ladd missed four with a reassignment and a bout with the flu. With Chad LaRose and David Tanabe out with concussions and Craig Adams suspended, they will be needed.
The N&O reports that the Canes will roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight, which is a pretty common occurrence under Peter Laviolette. He's keeping mum on who the starting goaltender will be, but Johnny Crackers looked fantastic against the Leafs and got the job done against Philly, earning two wins in a row. I'm given to saying things like "You shouldn't change your horses midstream" and "Ride a goalie while he's hot". I wouldn't be surprised to see him in nets tonight. Given his struggles against his former team, however, I'd bet my paycheck that we'll see Cam Ward against the Bolts on Saturday.
The Hurricanes have won three of the four meetings between the teams so far this season. All have been good games.
Carolina's main focus will be on Olli "Cane Killa" Jokinen. He has enjoyed a ton of success against the Canes over the years and has tallied six (1/5) points against the Canes in four games this season. If this guy played for my team, I would love him. But he doesn't, and I don't.
Cory Stillman (3/2) Rod Brind'Amour (2/3)and Matt Cullen (1/4) each have five points versus the Kitties this year. Justin Williams (2/2) and Ray Whitney (1/3) each have four.
Puck drop will be at 7:30.
The N&O reports that the Canes will roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight, which is a pretty common occurrence under Peter Laviolette. He's keeping mum on who the starting goaltender will be, but Johnny Crackers looked fantastic against the Leafs and got the job done against Philly, earning two wins in a row. I'm given to saying things like "You shouldn't change your horses midstream" and "Ride a goalie while he's hot". I wouldn't be surprised to see him in nets tonight. Given his struggles against his former team, however, I'd bet my paycheck that we'll see Cam Ward against the Bolts on Saturday.
The Hurricanes have won three of the four meetings between the teams so far this season. All have been good games.
Carolina's main focus will be on Olli "Cane Killa" Jokinen. He has enjoyed a ton of success against the Canes over the years and has tallied six (1/5) points against the Canes in four games this season. If this guy played for my team, I would love him. But he doesn't, and I don't.
Cory Stillman (3/2) Rod Brind'Amour (2/3)and Matt Cullen (1/4) each have five points versus the Kitties this year. Justin Williams (2/2) and Ray Whitney (1/3) each have four.
Puck drop will be at 7:30.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Ladd's return delayed, JR asks about Neil
Although Erik Cole returned to the Hurricanes lineup on Saturday, the team is still far from "healthy". Ryan Bayda was sent back to Alabany, but Keith Aucoin remains with the big club. Apparently, Carolina is looking for some ways to ease the pain.
Trevor Letowski is getting more ice time than most fans would like. Chad LaRose is doing an excellent job of stepping up into the voids left by the injuries of Andrew Ladd and Scott Walker.
According to Lorenzo Perez from the Raleigh News and Observer, Ladd has suffered a setback in his recovery. His ankle just isn't getting any better, and the decision has been made to take him off the ice for another week or so. At that point, he'll start skating again, and then it could still be another week or more before he returns to game action. Apparently, the Walker injury is so far off the charts that they're not even talking about it. The last think I read was that he was still in "excruciating" pain, dealing with torn cartilage in his ribs. There is absolutely no timeline on his return. Not even a vague, foggy one.
With the loss of Scott Walker, you don't just miss a guy who's going to give you 50 some odd points. You don't just miss a second line right wing. You don't just miss a good locker room-type guy. You miss a guy who is going to do those things AND drop the mitts when necessary. Or at least come to the defense of his teammates.
We're not just talking about pugilism for the sake of pugilism. We're not talking about some hack whose only purpose is to fight or to serve as body guard (read: Georges Laraque). There aren't very many skaters who come to mind when you think about a mixture of skill and tough guy-ness. It's like that sponge that's all abrasive on one side and soft on the other. It's like the McDLT. It's like sour patch kids. It's like that split 7" record you used to have with Minor Threat on one side and Beat Happening on the other. It's like... okay. You get the point.
I've thought about this at great length. After game nights, I drive 1.5 hours to get home. I always listen (and sometimes call in) to the post game show. Once I get out of that station's range, I still think about hockey. Okay. I think about girls, too. But mostly, I think about hockey stuff.
One player that obviously comes to mind who possesses both brawn and talent is Sean Avery. Another is Chris Neil. Neil doesn't exactly fall into the "skill player" category, but he's more than "just a pugilist".
According to Spector's Hockey Rumors (via Bubba from Canes Country), at least two teams (Carolina and Edmonton) have contacted the Senators to inquire about Neil's availability. It doesn't seem like Neil and his $1.1M contract are going anywhere, but it doesn't surprise me that Rutherford is going fishing.
It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a solid NHL caliber third line right wing who can contribute to the scoring categories AND who will drop the mitts when called upon. With Scott Walker's return looking distant and the setback to Ladd, Trevor Letowski, and no healthy extras, Carolina may need to do something. Soon. They're playing extremely well despite the injuries, but some reinforcement sure would be nice.
The only setback to having a guy like Avery or Neil is the reputation that they each have. Avery is a reputed loudmouth, jerkwad, boor, etc. Chris Neil has somewhat of a "dirty player" reputation. Remember the Chris Drury incident? Remember the Andy McDonald incident?
I don't think I like the idea of having either of those guys. I just don't think they would fit into the system here.
That said, it was just a "rumor" anyway.
The Canes will be back in action on Halloween night at Florida.
Trevor Letowski is getting more ice time than most fans would like. Chad LaRose is doing an excellent job of stepping up into the voids left by the injuries of Andrew Ladd and Scott Walker.
According to Lorenzo Perez from the Raleigh News and Observer, Ladd has suffered a setback in his recovery. His ankle just isn't getting any better, and the decision has been made to take him off the ice for another week or so. At that point, he'll start skating again, and then it could still be another week or more before he returns to game action. Apparently, the Walker injury is so far off the charts that they're not even talking about it. The last think I read was that he was still in "excruciating" pain, dealing with torn cartilage in his ribs. There is absolutely no timeline on his return. Not even a vague, foggy one.
With the loss of Scott Walker, you don't just miss a guy who's going to give you 50 some odd points. You don't just miss a second line right wing. You don't just miss a good locker room-type guy. You miss a guy who is going to do those things AND drop the mitts when necessary. Or at least come to the defense of his teammates.
We're not just talking about pugilism for the sake of pugilism. We're not talking about some hack whose only purpose is to fight or to serve as body guard (read: Georges Laraque). There aren't very many skaters who come to mind when you think about a mixture of skill and tough guy-ness. It's like that sponge that's all abrasive on one side and soft on the other. It's like the McDLT. It's like sour patch kids. It's like that split 7" record you used to have with Minor Threat on one side and Beat Happening on the other. It's like... okay. You get the point.
I've thought about this at great length. After game nights, I drive 1.5 hours to get home. I always listen (and sometimes call in) to the post game show. Once I get out of that station's range, I still think about hockey. Okay. I think about girls, too. But mostly, I think about hockey stuff.
One player that obviously comes to mind who possesses both brawn and talent is Sean Avery. Another is Chris Neil. Neil doesn't exactly fall into the "skill player" category, but he's more than "just a pugilist".
According to Spector's Hockey Rumors (via Bubba from Canes Country), at least two teams (Carolina and Edmonton) have contacted the Senators to inquire about Neil's availability. It doesn't seem like Neil and his $1.1M contract are going anywhere, but it doesn't surprise me that Rutherford is going fishing.
It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a solid NHL caliber third line right wing who can contribute to the scoring categories AND who will drop the mitts when called upon. With Scott Walker's return looking distant and the setback to Ladd, Trevor Letowski, and no healthy extras, Carolina may need to do something. Soon. They're playing extremely well despite the injuries, but some reinforcement sure would be nice.
The only setback to having a guy like Avery or Neil is the reputation that they each have. Avery is a reputed loudmouth, jerkwad, boor, etc. Chris Neil has somewhat of a "dirty player" reputation. Remember the Chris Drury incident? Remember the Andy McDonald incident?
I don't think I like the idea of having either of those guys. I just don't think they would fit into the system here.
That said, it was just a "rumor" anyway.
The Canes will be back in action on Halloween night at Florida.
Monday, October 08, 2007
The Cory Stillman incident
We've all heard about Cory Stillman's "car crash" that has kept him out of the lineup thus far. The only details we've been given have been that it was a "fender bender". Others wondered if "the other driver" was at fault, and most opined that it must have been. Our boy Cory couldn't have done anything wrong.
It occurred to me, though, that accident reports are publicly available, and I did a little research.
You can get to the accident report by clicking here. Then enter C Stillman in the "Driver" field, click on the link, and you got it.
The meat and potatoes of it is that it was a single car accident in the parking lot of the RBC Center at 2:16 pm on Tuesday October 2. He had his son in the car, and he veered off the service road and into a light pole. His Lexus had approximately $8000 of damage and was not drivable. The accident report doesn't indicate any injuries or the presence of any EMS technicians.
No alcohol or other "influence" was suspected, and there is no indication in the accident report as to what happened to cause the vehicle to go off the road.
So the chest injury is pretty much what it is. The airbag deployed and popped him pretty good. I've been in an accident where the airbag deployed, and I can assure you, it's no walk in the park.
According to Luke's blog, Stillman practiced today and should be ready to play tomorrow in Toronto. Also, Luke suggests that Bret Hediguchi Hedican has recovered from the "flu" and will be available. Sadly, defenseman Mike Commodore and winger Andrew Ladd are both nursing new injuries, and are doubtful.
It occurred to me, though, that accident reports are publicly available, and I did a little research.
You can get to the accident report by clicking here. Then enter C Stillman in the "Driver" field, click on the link, and you got it.
The meat and potatoes of it is that it was a single car accident in the parking lot of the RBC Center at 2:16 pm on Tuesday October 2. He had his son in the car, and he veered off the service road and into a light pole. His Lexus had approximately $8000 of damage and was not drivable. The accident report doesn't indicate any injuries or the presence of any EMS technicians.
No alcohol or other "influence" was suspected, and there is no indication in the accident report as to what happened to cause the vehicle to go off the road.
So the chest injury is pretty much what it is. The airbag deployed and popped him pretty good. I've been in an accident where the airbag deployed, and I can assure you, it's no walk in the park.
According to Luke's blog, Stillman practiced today and should be ready to play tomorrow in Toronto. Also, Luke suggests that Bret Hediguchi Hedican has recovered from the "flu" and will be available. Sadly, defenseman Mike Commodore and winger Andrew Ladd are both nursing new injuries, and are doubtful.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Carolina wins fight-filled shootout.
On Friday night, the Hurricanes closed their preseason schedule with an exciting shootout victory over the Blue Jackets. Andrew Ladd ended the nine-round shootout with the only goal, and the Hurricanes emerged with a win, but they can't be all that happy about it.
Carolina mustered just 21 shots on goal. This is unacceptable. It has been an ongoing problem during the preseason. Tonight they had the exact same roster that they'll have opening night, so you can't chalk it up to "a bunch of kids trying to make the team but not trying hard enough".
I didn't watch the game, and I couldn't get a radio feed here in Greensboro I'm just going by the statsheet and the real-time scoring, which I was following the whole time.
Apparently, the game was very chippy. There were four fights including two as part of an apparent brawl at 19:37 of the second. There were two game misconduct penalties assessed there (presumably for second man in) and three other major misconduct penalties issued (two to Carolina and one to Columbus).
Columbus was whistled 18 times for a total of 64 penalty minutes. Carolina was whistled 21 times for a total of 78 minutes. 142 total PIM. That's almost two and a half hours to you and me. Not surprisingly, many of these penalties overlapped.
Carolina had five power play opportunities, and could not cash any of them in. This is also unacceptable. I think the word "anemic" suits the power play, which has been something like 4-45 during the pre-season.
On the flip side, there was good news. Columbus had 14 power play opportunities totaling 18:55. Carolina only allowed one of those to convert. Particularly good is that the Dinner Jackets had a total of six minutes of five-on-three, all of which was killed. In fact, if the scoresheet is accurate, the Canes only allowed one shot during those six minutes. For this, the defense should be applauded.
Judging from the stat sheet, the game wasn't just fight-filled and penalty-happy. It was extremely physical. Carolina doled out a whopping 37 hits. Timmmmmmaaaaay Gleason led the way with six. Again, I didn't watch or even listen to the game. I'm all for physical play, but if it's undisciplined physical play, there's where I have a problem.
Carolina finished 4-2 in the preseason, which is nothing to sneeze at, but they need to get their offense in gear or they will struggle terribly once the games start to count.
Cam Ward has been quite good, and will probably shoulder 75% of the goaltending load this season. The blueline, which was presumed to be Carolina's weak point, has also been pretty good. The rest of it needs to take shape, and in a hurry.
Opening night (and my birthday) is just five days away now!
Carolina mustered just 21 shots on goal. This is unacceptable. It has been an ongoing problem during the preseason. Tonight they had the exact same roster that they'll have opening night, so you can't chalk it up to "a bunch of kids trying to make the team but not trying hard enough".
I didn't watch the game, and I couldn't get a radio feed here in Greensboro I'm just going by the statsheet and the real-time scoring, which I was following the whole time.
Apparently, the game was very chippy. There were four fights including two as part of an apparent brawl at 19:37 of the second. There were two game misconduct penalties assessed there (presumably for second man in) and three other major misconduct penalties issued (two to Carolina and one to Columbus).
Columbus was whistled 18 times for a total of 64 penalty minutes. Carolina was whistled 21 times for a total of 78 minutes. 142 total PIM. That's almost two and a half hours to you and me. Not surprisingly, many of these penalties overlapped.
Carolina had five power play opportunities, and could not cash any of them in. This is also unacceptable. I think the word "anemic" suits the power play, which has been something like 4-45 during the pre-season.
On the flip side, there was good news. Columbus had 14 power play opportunities totaling 18:55. Carolina only allowed one of those to convert. Particularly good is that the Dinner Jackets had a total of six minutes of five-on-three, all of which was killed. In fact, if the scoresheet is accurate, the Canes only allowed one shot during those six minutes. For this, the defense should be applauded.
Judging from the stat sheet, the game wasn't just fight-filled and penalty-happy. It was extremely physical. Carolina doled out a whopping 37 hits. Timmmmmmaaaaay Gleason led the way with six. Again, I didn't watch or even listen to the game. I'm all for physical play, but if it's undisciplined physical play, there's where I have a problem.
Carolina finished 4-2 in the preseason, which is nothing to sneeze at, but they need to get their offense in gear or they will struggle terribly once the games start to count.
Cam Ward has been quite good, and will probably shoulder 75% of the goaltending load this season. The blueline, which was presumed to be Carolina's weak point, has also been pretty good. The rest of it needs to take shape, and in a hurry.
Opening night (and my birthday) is just five days away now!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Canes enter camp banged up
Camp officially opened today, and already the Hurricanes are banged up.
Andrew Ladd is still nursing some undisclosed injury and did not skate today.
Newcomer Jeff Hamilton is also out with an undisclosed injury. What is this? The playoffs? What's this "undisclosed injury" thing? Forslund suspects that it's a groin problem. Nothing is known about when or if he'll be ready.
Frantisek Kaberle is working his way back to shape after having some knee surgery this summer. He's almost there.
Add Sharpie to the list. He caught a rut and threw his knee all out of whack. They're tentatively putting a window of 3-6 weeks on his return.
Opening night is still more than two weeks away, but with Ladd, Hamilton and LaRose all out, the Hurricanes need some answers. Trevor Letowski just got a free pass out of the press box and onto the fourth line. Suddenly, the idea of Brendon Sutter being offered a 10-day trial doesn't seem so far-fetched.
As a commenter rightfully pointed out, Sutter is too young to legally play in the AHL, so Albany isn't even an option. If you're under 20, that's the way it works. It's either the NHL, or back to your junior club. In his case, it would be the Red Deer Rebels. The team will still be owned by his dad, but obviously, Brent will be too busy coaching the New Jersey Devils to continue coaching the Rebels.
Word on the street is that Sutter was having a hard time with the drills and that Harrison Reed looked way better than he did. Obviously, Keith Aucoin and Dave Gove are good choices for call-ups. They both shuttled between Raleigh and Albany last season, with Aucoin being the more impressive of the two. Aucoin put up a very impressive 99 (27/72) points in just 65 games with the River Rats and added a lone assist in eight appearances with the Canes last season.
So the season will start with Sharpie on the shelf. It doesn't sound like Ladd and Hamilton have serious injuries, so they should be there. On the blue line, Hedican's status is still mysterious and Kaberle is on the mend. Snuggles Tanabe opted to attend the Blues camp instead of the Canes.
To fill LaRose's void, my money is on Aucoin. They're almost identical anyway. Both are tiny guys, standing five nine and weighing in at about 185 pounds. Both are very hard working guys with a surprising level of physical, scrappy play.
Still, though, the fans will be very interested in the way Sutter develops during camp.
I'm really looking forward to the first preseason game. Who wants to meet for beers?
Andrew Ladd is still nursing some undisclosed injury and did not skate today.
Newcomer Jeff Hamilton is also out with an undisclosed injury. What is this? The playoffs? What's this "undisclosed injury" thing? Forslund suspects that it's a groin problem. Nothing is known about when or if he'll be ready.
Frantisek Kaberle is working his way back to shape after having some knee surgery this summer. He's almost there.
Add Sharpie to the list. He caught a rut and threw his knee all out of whack. They're tentatively putting a window of 3-6 weeks on his return.
Opening night is still more than two weeks away, but with Ladd, Hamilton and LaRose all out, the Hurricanes need some answers. Trevor Letowski just got a free pass out of the press box and onto the fourth line. Suddenly, the idea of Brendon Sutter being offered a 10-day trial doesn't seem so far-fetched.
As a commenter rightfully pointed out, Sutter is too young to legally play in the AHL, so Albany isn't even an option. If you're under 20, that's the way it works. It's either the NHL, or back to your junior club. In his case, it would be the Red Deer Rebels. The team will still be owned by his dad, but obviously, Brent will be too busy coaching the New Jersey Devils to continue coaching the Rebels.
Word on the street is that Sutter was having a hard time with the drills and that Harrison Reed looked way better than he did. Obviously, Keith Aucoin and Dave Gove are good choices for call-ups. They both shuttled between Raleigh and Albany last season, with Aucoin being the more impressive of the two. Aucoin put up a very impressive 99 (27/72) points in just 65 games with the River Rats and added a lone assist in eight appearances with the Canes last season.
So the season will start with Sharpie on the shelf. It doesn't sound like Ladd and Hamilton have serious injuries, so they should be there. On the blue line, Hedican's status is still mysterious and Kaberle is on the mend. Snuggles Tanabe opted to attend the Blues camp instead of the Canes.
To fill LaRose's void, my money is on Aucoin. They're almost identical anyway. Both are tiny guys, standing five nine and weighing in at about 185 pounds. Both are very hard working guys with a surprising level of physical, scrappy play.
Still, though, the fans will be very interested in the way Sutter develops during camp.
I'm really looking forward to the first preseason game. Who wants to meet for beers?
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Hockey season is finally upon us!
After a long, hot, uneventful summer, hockey is finally just around the corner. Football has begun. I like football, but each year I have increasingly viewed football as a temporary distraction until hockey starts. From this point forward, I will pay less and less attention to real football, and even less to my fantasy football teams.
After some fitful, nervous waiting, my tickets have arrived. I had to downsize from my traditional 24-game plan to a more affordable and more logistically possible 10-game plan. Those 10-game plans get shipped out after all the others. Full season and 24-gamers have the privilege of selecting the exact seat they sit in all season. 10 gamers can only request a section. I have been in 112 for four seasons, and I didn't want to change that. However, since I was assigned my seat after the others were selected, I didn't get as nice a chair as what I've had in the past. I went from row M to row L to row J to row C (!), improving my view each season. This year, I'll be in row VV. I can't recall how far from the top of 112 that is, but suffice to say it's not as close to the ice as row C. I'll be on the aisle, which is pretty sweet, and I can't complain about a lower bowl seat. I wish I was closer to that row L seat because I have several friends in that area, but this'll do.
This is the Canes' tenth season in North Carolina, and the ice has been painted with a special marking at centre ice. The players will all wear a commemorative patch on their right shoulder. The season ticket holders have been issued special bumper stickers in honor of this decade in Carolina.
Camp opens for the Hurricanes tomorrow. Brendan Sutter will be in camp, but is not expected to make the roster. At best, most people think he'll spend some time in Albany. Barring a spectacular camp for him and some serious injuries to some other forwards, there's just no way he can make the big club. He was good in the Super Series, but I just don't think so. Cason pointed out that Alan Muir of Sports Illustrated has marked Sutter as a darkhorse candidate to make the big team. He marked 14 other "under the radar" type players in NHL camps who have a chance to make the big club on their respective team. He opines that Sutter might get a "10 game look-see". This is precisely how Jordan Staal made the Penguins roster last October. Started out as a doubtful, had a great camp, and blew everyone away during his 10 game free preview. Maybe Sutter can do this, which would likely leave Trevor Letowski out in the cold.
The Hurricanes will open their pre-season with a game this Sunday afternoon. I normally don't care about pre-season hockey, but I'll probably go.
Opening night, which coincides with my 36th birthday, is just 19 days away! I'm not about to miss that.
If you're in the arena that night, I'll gladly let you buy me a birthday beer. One per customer, though.
The Bret Hedican saga continues. One day, he's allegedly on the verge of holding an "I quit" press conference. The next, he's looking better than he's ever looked. The next, he's not practicing. The latest is that Luke Decock has called him "nominally" healthy.
Other news: Andrew Ladd is nursing an undisclosed injury. "Snuggles" Tanabe has been invited to camp.
More details later. For now, it's Scrabble night and I'm late.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Andrew Ladd
In my game recap of the 6-4 win over the Sharks, I noted that Andrew Ladd has really caught fire of late. Specifically, in the month of March, he's got four goals and five assists over nine games. It didn't occur to me at the time, but Ladd is even more en fuego than I knew.
Here's the boxscore from Thursday's 4-3 win over the Caps. In that game, Ladd had 11:35 of ice time. He scored the game winning goal on his only shot.
Here's the boxscore from Saturday's 6-4 win over the Sharks. In that game, Ladd had 12:54 of ice time. He scored two goals, including the game winner on his only two shots.
See that? His last three shots have found the back of the net, and two of them have been game winners. If that's not glowing hot, I don't know what is.
Here's the boxscore from Thursday's 4-3 win over the Caps. In that game, Ladd had 11:35 of ice time. He scored the game winning goal on his only shot.
Here's the boxscore from Saturday's 6-4 win over the Sharks. In that game, Ladd had 12:54 of ice time. He scored two goals, including the game winner on his only two shots.
See that? His last three shots have found the back of the net, and two of them have been game winners. If that's not glowing hot, I don't know what is.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Canes edge Sharks
On Saturday night, the Hurricanes used a three-goal first period to get by the visiting Sharks 6-4. The Canes have now won three in a row and have gotten points in six of their last seven games. Meanwhile, the Leafs beat the Sabres 4-1. Also, the Islanders beat the Flyers 4-3, and the Habs beat the Caps 4-1. Lastly, the Rangers beat the Bruins 2-1. While the Canes are indeed taking care of their own business, the other teams fighting for the eighth playoff position are also winning. Carolina still holds the eighth spot if the season ended right now, but if the Islanders win today, they leapfrog Carolina. Due to a really hectic work schedule, I haven't any blogging time lately, but it's leveling off, so I'll get back in the swing.
Since I've been gone, the Canes took a few days off, then beat the Caps at home on Thursday night. It took a third period rally to win that one, but they dug deep. Just like last night, the Hurricanes didn't get any favors from the Rangers, Islanders or Canadiens.
The game itself on Saturday was kind of a wild one. Carolina only shot on goal 20 times in the entire game. This was, though, one of those games where the quality of shots was more important than the quantity of shots. Any team in the league would be happy with a shooting percentage of 30%. Any night of the week. Twice on Sunday.
In the first period, the Canes took ten shots and scored on three of them. Evgeni Nabokov, who started in nets for the Sharks, didn't come back after the first intermission and was replaced by Vesa Toskala. Since the game-winning goal took place on Toskala's watch, he takes the loss. In two periods of action, he only saw nine shots, but allowed two to cross the line.
Ray Whitney started it all off at 5:36 of the first with an unassisted goal from the left circle. Deep in the San Jose zone, Tim Gleason applied some nice pressure to force a turnover. Ray Whitney found the puck at the inside hash marks on the left circle and snap-wristed one over Nobokov's left shoulder. That's the Wizard's 29th goal, and his 78 points are a new career high mark.
Erik Cole notched his 27th just 57 seconds later. David Tanabe fired a shot/pass from the right point that sailed well wide right of the net, but the bounce off the end wall went right to Colesy on the left side of the net. Nabokov had overcommitted to the Tanabe shot, and there were no Sharks within 10 feet of Cole, so all he had to to was tap it into a pretty much vacant cage. Officially it's Cole from Tanabe and Frantisek Kaberle at 6:33.
At 18:03, Andrew Ladd continued his torrid March by potting his 10th goal of the season. Ladd has been hampered by injuries this season and last, and he is now showing why the Canes traded up to get him with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft. In nine games this month, Ladd has nine (4/5) points and has had two multi-point nights. Glen Wesley took a shot from near the top of the left circle. Ladd screened the shot a bit, and he was there to tuck it in from just off the left post. Scott Walker got the secondary assist.
Just a few seconds later, Eric Staal and Erik Cole found themselves on a two-on-zero break, but they ran a passing drill instead of taking a shot on the vulnerable goalie.
Billy Guerin got the Sharks on the board at 6:49 of the second with a power play marker. From the high slot, he fired a slapshot through Cam Ward. Patrick Marleau and Matt Carle assisted.
At 12:31, Eric Staal made a play that reminded us of "the old Eric Staal". Frankly, he's been a tad disappointing this season, choosing to be unselfish too often. The squandered opportunity at the end of the first was a good example of how he isn't the same as last season. Anyway, he worked hard and fought off two dudes to make the game 4-1. He abused Scott Hannan (who looks an awful lot like Mike Ricci), blowing right past him, then fought off the backchecking of Emmy Vlasic. As he came in hard on Toskala, he pulled the puck to his forehand at the last second to easily beat the Finn. Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman got the assists.
The Canes were up 4-1, but the game was far from over.
Jonathan Cheechoo potted his 31st goal of the season at 2:42 of the third. I spotted a play developing and screamed "hey, somebody put a body on Cheechoo", but it was to no avail. He was left all alone on the front porch and easily beat Ward with a rebound stuff-in. Craig Rivet took a shot from the left circle that Ward went way out to stop. The puck trickled through his gear and was approaching the goal line. Glen Wesley tried to get back, but the unattended Cheechoo got to it first. Rivet, the former Hab and Joe Thornton got the assists. That's big Joe's 83rd helper of the season.
Steve Bernier made things really interesting at 10:11 of the third. It was another one of those plays where the Canes were forcing the issue out along the wall, but giving an inch or two down the middle. Mike Grier forced a turnover deep in the zone near the bottom of the right circle, then made a beautiful centering pass to Bernier who was all alone for the tap-in.
The game winner came at 17:40 of the third off the stick of Andrew Ladd. During a power play sequence, Scott Walker feigned a shot from near the left post, then dropped a pass to Ladd in the slot. He made no mistake in putting it past Toskala. Josef Vasicek got the secondary assist.
Big Joe Thornton scored a power play goal for the visitors at 18:04, just to keep things interesting. Mike Commodore had committed a lazy holding penalty, and it only took six seconds for the Sharks to cash in. Marleau and Rivet got assists.
Cory Stillman potted an empty netter at 19:57 to close things out. Scott Walker got the only assist, his third of the night.
I cannot agree with the "official" three stars. They were given to Ray Whitney (third), Mike Commodore (second) and Andrew Ladd (first). I don't mean to discredit what Commodore did, but I just don't get that. Commy had an assist, dished out six hits, and did a decent job with Jonathan Cheechoo, but I just don't think he was one of the three best players out there.
The RBH three stars go to:
THIRD STAR: Joe Thornton, SJS -- 1 goal, 1 assist, 6 hits
SECOND STAR: Scott Walker, CAR -- 3 assists
FIRST STAR: Andrew Ladd, CAR -- 2 goals, GWG
Up next, a set of back-to-back road games. Tuesday night in Toronto and Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Carolina loses another division game
On Saturday night, the Canes fell to the visiting Bolts. It was a good opportunity to keep pace with first place Atlanta and also to distance themselves from the outside looking in pack. They had every opportunity to win it, but in the end, they couldn't.
In the first period, they looked better than they have in a first period for quite some time. Instead of coming out flat-footed, they were very active, amassing 9 shots in the first 8 minutes of the game. They also kept play down in the Tampa end, which was a welcome change.
Eric Staal, who will be wearing #21 for the All-Star game, got the Canes off and running at the 5:32 mark with a power play marker. An Andrew Hutchinson blast from the blueline was handled by Marc Denis, but the rebound went to the doorstep, where Scott Walker and Staal were waiting. Walker had a whack or two at it, then Staal tucked it in from just off the left post. Officially, Staal from Walker and Hutchinson.
Vaclav Prospal, who I refuse to call "Vinny" scored a garbage goal at 6:51. Cam Ward overplayed a wrap chance by Marty St. Louis, and Prospal threw one in under Cam's pads. It should have been a really easy stop, but this has been Ward's MO this season. Officially, Prospal from St. Louis and Danny Boyle.
Staalsy made it 2-1 at 18:23 when he wristed one through a forest of Lightning legs from the low slot. I don't suppose Denis ever saw it, as two of his own players were screening him out. Officially, Staal from Scott Walker and Anton Babchuk.
The second period was action-packed and there were no penalties called. As a matter of fact, there were only a grand total of four penalties in this game. Two by the Bolts in the first period, one by the Canes in the first period. None in the second, none in the third. One by the Lightning in the overtime session, but it was not to the Hurricanes avail.
Ray Whitney gave the Canes a two goal cushion at 0:34. Dennis Seidenberg fired a wrister from the left point that was deflected in the low slot by Whitney, then perhaps off a d-man before going in the net. It's Whitney's 19th, and the assists were from Seidenberg and Viva.
At 3:22, Martin St. Louis showed why he strikes fear into any opposing team whenever he's on the ice. He didn't score, but he beautifully set up The Horseman at 3:22. Marty made a really fancy move as he crossed Carolina's blue line, drawing a double team from Mike Commodore and Seidenberg. Instead of firing a shot, he dropped a pass to the trailing LaCavalier, who wristed it by Ward. At the time, all I could say to my seat neighbors was "Wow. What a move." It was LaCavalier's 30th, from St.Louis and Paul Ranger.
Andrew Ladd gave the Canes a two-goal cushion again at 7:35. Anton Babchuk uncorked one of his patented heavy shots from the right point, and Ladd had his stick in the right place to re-direct it in the net from the slot. The impact of the shot shattered Ladd's stick, and he looked a little confused, but the goal's good. That's just his fourth goal of the season, and the helpers came from Babchuk and Viva.
Before the PA announcement could be made, Paul Ranger made it 4-3. From the left circle, he beat Cam Ward high on the glove side pretty badly. Ward had a clean look, but couldn't do anything about it. Nikita Alexeev and Eric Perrin assisted.
Then, it was clear that the wheels were falling off. Marty St. Louis tied it at the 12:02 mark. He was all alone on the doorstep, and was able to knock in the rebound from a Vaclav Prospal shot. Doug Janek got the other assist.
At 9:31 of the third, the Canes scored a goal that was very confusing. There was a bevy of humanity in front of the net when Scott Walker wristed a shot from above the left circle. As soon as the light came on, the jumbotron flashed the "It's STAAL good!" message that's always flashed when Eric Staal scores. It was only up there for a second, and I was pretty sure that it wasn't Staal, but it was hard to tell. After a few seconds of hesitation, a few dozen hats were thrown on the ice. However, the goal would be given to Andrew Ladd. The hockey gods chortled, and would ultimately punish the Canes for the false alarm hat trick celebration.
After the game, the scoring was changed again, and credit was given to Scott Walker. The deflection must have been off a Lightning stick. Officially, it's Scott Walker (his 16th) from Andrew Hutchinson and Andrew Ladd. There's been a bunch of plays where two Eric/ks tally points, but this is the first to my recollection where the two Andrews were involved.
It looked good heading down the stretch, and I was thinking that Staalsy would still get a chance for the hat trick if the Bolts pulled their keeper late. It never got to that. Filip Kuba tied it at 5 with less than three minutes to play. It was a bad, bad goal that Ward should have absolutely stopped. He fired a shot from the left circle with nobody in front, giving Ward a clean look. It beat him five hole. Prospal and Janek got the assists.
In the overtime period, the Canes had a great chance when Nolan Pratt took a delay of game (puck in crowd) penalty, but they couldn't convert the 4-on-3 chance. I knew going into the shootout that it was over. With our dismal failure at shootout this year, and the snipers on the Bolts bench, we didn't stand a chance.
Actually, Ward gave us a chance, stopping LaCavalier, Brad Richards and St. Louis. He couldn't stop Prospal, though, and none of Carolina's shooters could get the job done. Prospal's shootout goal won it, but he won't officially get credit for a GWG. I still think that's a disgrace.
I disagreed wholly with the three stars awarded in the arena, which were also the "official" three stars. They were: Martin St. Louis (third), Eric Staal (second) and Andrew Ladd (first). Of course that was all done when we thought that Ladd had two goals, but I never saw it that way anyway. Ladd/Walker scoring change doesn't effect my stars.
The RBH three stars:
Third Star Scott Walker, CAR --3 assists1 goal, 2 assists
Second Star Eric Staal, CAR -- 2 goals
First Star Vaclav Prospal, TBL -- 1 goal, 2 assists, shootout goal (winner)
The entire league will be off until Thursday to pause for the All-Star game. The Youngstars game and skills competition will be Tuesday night and the Allstar game will be on Wednesday night. All the coverage will be onOutdoor Life OLN Versus.
In the first period, they looked better than they have in a first period for quite some time. Instead of coming out flat-footed, they were very active, amassing 9 shots in the first 8 minutes of the game. They also kept play down in the Tampa end, which was a welcome change.
Eric Staal, who will be wearing #21 for the All-Star game, got the Canes off and running at the 5:32 mark with a power play marker. An Andrew Hutchinson blast from the blueline was handled by Marc Denis, but the rebound went to the doorstep, where Scott Walker and Staal were waiting. Walker had a whack or two at it, then Staal tucked it in from just off the left post. Officially, Staal from Walker and Hutchinson.
Vaclav Prospal, who I refuse to call "Vinny" scored a garbage goal at 6:51. Cam Ward overplayed a wrap chance by Marty St. Louis, and Prospal threw one in under Cam's pads. It should have been a really easy stop, but this has been Ward's MO this season. Officially, Prospal from St. Louis and Danny Boyle.
Staalsy made it 2-1 at 18:23 when he wristed one through a forest of Lightning legs from the low slot. I don't suppose Denis ever saw it, as two of his own players were screening him out. Officially, Staal from Scott Walker and Anton Babchuk.
The second period was action-packed and there were no penalties called. As a matter of fact, there were only a grand total of four penalties in this game. Two by the Bolts in the first period, one by the Canes in the first period. None in the second, none in the third. One by the Lightning in the overtime session, but it was not to the Hurricanes avail.
Ray Whitney gave the Canes a two goal cushion at 0:34. Dennis Seidenberg fired a wrister from the left point that was deflected in the low slot by Whitney, then perhaps off a d-man before going in the net. It's Whitney's 19th, and the assists were from Seidenberg and Viva.
At 3:22, Martin St. Louis showed why he strikes fear into any opposing team whenever he's on the ice. He didn't score, but he beautifully set up The Horseman at 3:22. Marty made a really fancy move as he crossed Carolina's blue line, drawing a double team from Mike Commodore and Seidenberg. Instead of firing a shot, he dropped a pass to the trailing LaCavalier, who wristed it by Ward. At the time, all I could say to my seat neighbors was "Wow. What a move." It was LaCavalier's 30th, from St.Louis and Paul Ranger.
Andrew Ladd gave the Canes a two-goal cushion again at 7:35. Anton Babchuk uncorked one of his patented heavy shots from the right point, and Ladd had his stick in the right place to re-direct it in the net from the slot. The impact of the shot shattered Ladd's stick, and he looked a little confused, but the goal's good. That's just his fourth goal of the season, and the helpers came from Babchuk and Viva.
Before the PA announcement could be made, Paul Ranger made it 4-3. From the left circle, he beat Cam Ward high on the glove side pretty badly. Ward had a clean look, but couldn't do anything about it. Nikita Alexeev and Eric Perrin assisted.
Then, it was clear that the wheels were falling off. Marty St. Louis tied it at the 12:02 mark. He was all alone on the doorstep, and was able to knock in the rebound from a Vaclav Prospal shot. Doug Janek got the other assist.
At 9:31 of the third, the Canes scored a goal that was very confusing. There was a bevy of humanity in front of the net when Scott Walker wristed a shot from above the left circle. As soon as the light came on, the jumbotron flashed the "It's STAAL good!" message that's always flashed when Eric Staal scores. It was only up there for a second, and I was pretty sure that it wasn't Staal, but it was hard to tell. After a few seconds of hesitation, a few dozen hats were thrown on the ice. However, the goal would be given to Andrew Ladd. The hockey gods chortled, and would ultimately punish the Canes for the false alarm hat trick celebration. After the game, the scoring was changed again, and credit was given to Scott Walker. The deflection must have been off a Lightning stick. Officially, it's Scott Walker (his 16th) from Andrew Hutchinson and Andrew Ladd. There's been a bunch of plays where two Eric/ks tally points, but this is the first to my recollection where the two Andrews were involved.
It looked good heading down the stretch, and I was thinking that Staalsy would still get a chance for the hat trick if the Bolts pulled their keeper late. It never got to that. Filip Kuba tied it at 5 with less than three minutes to play. It was a bad, bad goal that Ward should have absolutely stopped. He fired a shot from the left circle with nobody in front, giving Ward a clean look. It beat him five hole. Prospal and Janek got the assists.
In the overtime period, the Canes had a great chance when Nolan Pratt took a delay of game (puck in crowd) penalty, but they couldn't convert the 4-on-3 chance. I knew going into the shootout that it was over. With our dismal failure at shootout this year, and the snipers on the Bolts bench, we didn't stand a chance.
Actually, Ward gave us a chance, stopping LaCavalier, Brad Richards and St. Louis. He couldn't stop Prospal, though, and none of Carolina's shooters could get the job done. Prospal's shootout goal won it, but he won't officially get credit for a GWG. I still think that's a disgrace.
I disagreed wholly with the three stars awarded in the arena, which were also the "official" three stars. They were: Martin St. Louis (third), Eric Staal (second) and Andrew Ladd (first). Of course that was all done when we thought that Ladd had two goals, but I never saw it that way anyway. Ladd/Walker scoring change doesn't effect my stars.
The RBH three stars:
Third Star Scott Walker, CAR --
Second Star Eric Staal, CAR -- 2 goals
First Star Vaclav Prospal, TBL -- 1 goal, 2 assists, shootout goal (winner)
The entire league will be off until Thursday to pause for the All-Star game. The Youngstars game and skills competition will be Tuesday night and the Allstar game will be on Wednesday night. All the coverage will be on
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Canes report card .... part 2 of 5
In a continuing series, giving the Canes a mid-term grade, here is the second fifth of the Canes numerical roster:
#12 Eric Staal -- C-
It looks like Staalsy is suffering from Josef Vasicek syndrome. Lead the team in goals one season, then stink it up the next. To be fair, his 34 points (17/17) through 42 games isn't exactly "crappy". It's good enough to be in the top 50 league-wide, but we know that he can do much better. It's not as if he's been robbed a ton of times. It's not as if he's getting bad bounces, or clanging shots off posts. He's just not playing with the fire that we saw last season. There are games (and this is where the Josef Vasicek comparison really works) that he's just out there floating around aimlessly. He's not aggressive enough with the puck, not selfish enough, and just not the same player we saw last winter. Unless he goes completely en fuego in the second half, this season will be a major disappointment in contrast to last year's 100 point break-out season. Two theories to explain his lack of effort this season: (A) -- The "Stanley Cup Hangover" is a real thing, and he's just plum tuckered out. I don't buy that because Viva picked up right where he left off. Roddy is better than he was last winter. Ditto Whitters. No sale there. (2)The "Player tries hardest in a contract year" theory saying that a player in the last year of a contract, and in particular, the last year of a rookie contract will bust his ass, giving 125% each night. When he's rewarded with a nice new long guaranteed contract, he feels like he doesn't have anything to prove. I'm a little more likely to buy that one. Viva and the Captain both just signed long term renewals, and they aren't resting on their laurels. However, they've been around the block a few more times. In Roddy's case, he's been around the block a few thousand more times.
This isn't just sub-par play. This is frequently bad play. We're all really hoping that he can right his own ship, and I actually think that he's simply in a really long slump. I think he'll break out of it, and finish with around 80 points, which will still be a disappointment, but for now, I'm not impressed. Knowing what he can do and what he is is doing forces me to give him a bad grade. I'm reluctant to grade him as high as I did, but 34 points is still pretty good output.
#13 Ray Whitney (aka "The Wizard", aka Whitters, aka "Everybody loves Raymond" -- A+
With his silky smooth passing, his above average speed and his Danny Briere-esque slipperiness, Whitney is a player who gives opposing defensemen fits. He's really fitting in on the first line with Viva and Brind'Amour, and it really is quite a treat to see these three highly skilled players together. I've seen some insanely delicious no-look and behind-the-back passes from Whitney and some incredible skating clinics. Add all of this to the fact that he's a prankster and a generally fun guy, he's definitely a fan favorite. He's also a really well liked guy in the room. He's second on the Canes with 44 (16/28) points, and is on pace to set a new personal best at 86 points. He's in the final year of his contract with the Canes, and we'd love to see him around in 08 and beyond.
#14 Kevyn Adams (aka K-Ads) -- D+
I can't bring myself to give Kevyn a failing grade, but it's awfully tempting. There was lots of gossip about a fight K-Ads had with Bret Hedican during training camp, and how he's been in the coach's dog house since then. The "fight" happened, but there's no dog house business. Nonetheless, K. Adams' play has been -- even on a good day -- bad. He's not bringing energy to the "energy line", and that makes it infinitely easier for the opponents to light it up against our fourth line. His -10 is indicative of just that. Out of the "regular" players, his TOI per game is dead last, and he's still managed to bring up the rear in the +/- category. The doghouse isn't about fisticuffs. The doghouse is about poor play. The fact that he'd been playing through pain with a busted wrist (suffered in Game 7 of the SCF) and required surgery isn't enough of a mitigating factor in this grade. He's just not playing well.
UPDATE -- JANUARY 8 3:30 PM --- Kevyn Adams has been traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Dennis Seidenberg
#16 Andrew Ladd -- C-
There was a reason that the Hurricanes traded up to get Ladd in the 2004 draft in front of a huge crowd in Raleigh. He has tremendous potential, and we really started to see that last season and during the playoffs. He's gritty and smart with the puck. He's had a shoulder issue and an emergency appendectomy this season and has played hurt a few nights, and he's been good in small spells. Unfortunately, he's not quite ready to bring intensity every night. I'd like to see him be more physical, and to have better defensive skills. He's going to develop very nicely if the Canes can be patient enough.
# 17 Rod Brind'Amour (aka "Brindy" aka "The Captain", aka "Roddy", aka "Tha Warchief") -- A
At 36 years old, the Captain is in far better shape than anyone else on the team. He's leading the Canes in TOI per game and is among the top three in the League for forwards in that category. His faceoff winning prowess has been beaten to death on this and other pages. No need to rehash that. He's missed a few games with a "lower body" injury, but is still tops on the team with 45 (13/32) points, and he's well on his way to his highest point production in more than 10 years. As is the case with Ray Whitney, he works extremely well with his linemates, and it's no surprise that those three are the top three scorers on the Canes. In fact, their 137 collective points account for 47% of the team's collective point total.
Brind'Amour has been superb from a defensive standpoint, proving that he's deserving of his Selke award last year. His 4 GWG are second on the team and near the top of the League. He might occasionally sit out with an injury, but he never "takes a night off" by mailing it in.
That's it for part two. Tune in tomorrow for part three (Letowski, Commodore, Walker, Belanger, Cole)
The Canes are at home tonight against the 'Yotes, trying to end a two game skid. They're already down 1-0 early in the first frame.
#12 Eric Staal -- C-It looks like Staalsy is suffering from Josef Vasicek syndrome. Lead the team in goals one season, then stink it up the next. To be fair, his 34 points (17/17) through 42 games isn't exactly "crappy". It's good enough to be in the top 50 league-wide, but we know that he can do much better. It's not as if he's been robbed a ton of times. It's not as if he's getting bad bounces, or clanging shots off posts. He's just not playing with the fire that we saw last season. There are games (and this is where the Josef Vasicek comparison really works) that he's just out there floating around aimlessly. He's not aggressive enough with the puck, not selfish enough, and just not the same player we saw last winter. Unless he goes completely en fuego in the second half, this season will be a major disappointment in contrast to last year's 100 point break-out season. Two theories to explain his lack of effort this season: (A) -- The "Stanley Cup Hangover" is a real thing, and he's just plum tuckered out. I don't buy that because Viva picked up right where he left off. Roddy is better than he was last winter. Ditto Whitters. No sale there. (2)The "Player tries hardest in a contract year" theory saying that a player in the last year of a contract, and in particular, the last year of a rookie contract will bust his ass, giving 125% each night. When he's rewarded with a nice new long guaranteed contract, he feels like he doesn't have anything to prove. I'm a little more likely to buy that one. Viva and the Captain both just signed long term renewals, and they aren't resting on their laurels. However, they've been around the block a few more times. In Roddy's case, he's been around the block a few thousand more times.
This isn't just sub-par play. This is frequently bad play. We're all really hoping that he can right his own ship, and I actually think that he's simply in a really long slump. I think he'll break out of it, and finish with around 80 points, which will still be a disappointment, but for now, I'm not impressed. Knowing what he can do and what he is is doing forces me to give him a bad grade. I'm reluctant to grade him as high as I did, but 34 points is still pretty good output.
#13 Ray Whitney (aka "The Wizard", aka Whitters, aka "Everybody loves Raymond" -- A+With his silky smooth passing, his above average speed and his Danny Briere-esque slipperiness, Whitney is a player who gives opposing defensemen fits. He's really fitting in on the first line with Viva and Brind'Amour, and it really is quite a treat to see these three highly skilled players together. I've seen some insanely delicious no-look and behind-the-back passes from Whitney and some incredible skating clinics. Add all of this to the fact that he's a prankster and a generally fun guy, he's definitely a fan favorite. He's also a really well liked guy in the room. He's second on the Canes with 44 (16/28) points, and is on pace to set a new personal best at 86 points. He's in the final year of his contract with the Canes, and we'd love to see him around in 08 and beyond.
#14 Kevyn Adams (aka K-Ads) -- D+I can't bring myself to give Kevyn a failing grade, but it's awfully tempting. There was lots of gossip about a fight K-Ads had with Bret Hedican during training camp, and how he's been in the coach's dog house since then. The "fight" happened, but there's no dog house business. Nonetheless, K. Adams' play has been -- even on a good day -- bad. He's not bringing energy to the "energy line", and that makes it infinitely easier for the opponents to light it up against our fourth line. His -10 is indicative of just that. Out of the "regular" players, his TOI per game is dead last, and he's still managed to bring up the rear in the +/- category. The doghouse isn't about fisticuffs. The doghouse is about poor play. The fact that he'd been playing through pain with a busted wrist (suffered in Game 7 of the SCF) and required surgery isn't enough of a mitigating factor in this grade. He's just not playing well.
UPDATE -- JANUARY 8 3:30 PM --- Kevyn Adams has been traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Dennis Seidenberg
#16 Andrew Ladd -- C-There was a reason that the Hurricanes traded up to get Ladd in the 2004 draft in front of a huge crowd in Raleigh. He has tremendous potential, and we really started to see that last season and during the playoffs. He's gritty and smart with the puck. He's had a shoulder issue and an emergency appendectomy this season and has played hurt a few nights, and he's been good in small spells. Unfortunately, he's not quite ready to bring intensity every night. I'd like to see him be more physical, and to have better defensive skills. He's going to develop very nicely if the Canes can be patient enough.
# 17 Rod Brind'Amour (aka "Brindy" aka "The Captain", aka "Roddy", aka "Tha Warchief") -- AAt 36 years old, the Captain is in far better shape than anyone else on the team. He's leading the Canes in TOI per game and is among the top three in the League for forwards in that category. His faceoff winning prowess has been beaten to death on this and other pages. No need to rehash that. He's missed a few games with a "lower body" injury, but is still tops on the team with 45 (13/32) points, and he's well on his way to his highest point production in more than 10 years. As is the case with Ray Whitney, he works extremely well with his linemates, and it's no surprise that those three are the top three scorers on the Canes. In fact, their 137 collective points account for 47% of the team's collective point total.
Brind'Amour has been superb from a defensive standpoint, proving that he's deserving of his Selke award last year. His 4 GWG are second on the team and near the top of the League. He might occasionally sit out with an injury, but he never "takes a night off" by mailing it in.
That's it for part two. Tune in tomorrow for part three (Letowski, Commodore, Walker, Belanger, Cole)
The Canes are at home tonight against the 'Yotes, trying to end a two game skid. They're already down 1-0 early in the first frame.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Canes host Flyers tonight
On New Year's Eve, the Hurricanes will be hosting the Flyers in their traditional NYE home game. This will be the fourth straight season the Canes have rung out the year with a game in the RBC Center on December 31.
After two games against the League's best teams, Carolina will get a look at the League's worst team. The Flyers won only one game thus far in December, dropping the other 10 games.
Carolina got some good news when both Kevyn Adams (wrist) and Andrew Ladd (appendix) were re-activated from the IR. Keith Aucoin has been reassigned to Albany. However, the blue line is hurting. Tim Gleason is still out, Frantisek Kaberle has been out all season, and now Nick Wallin has an "upper body" concern and is questionable for tonight's game. This means Avi Tanabe will be relied upon much more than most fans care for. He had a great game on Friday, and we hope that he can keep it up.
Peter Forsberg has just returned to the Flyers lineup after missing four games with a concussion. Don't think that the Canes aren't aware of this.
Viva, who is a former Flyer, should be expected to have a great game tonight to continue his hot streak.
After Thursday's debacle, all significant scoring streaks came to an end, but now the Captain (also a former Flyer) is on a five game points streak. He should also have a good night.
I'm guessing that Erik Cole will be quiet, and that Eric Staal will do something to snap out of his cold streak.
Puck drop will be at 8:00 eastern.
After two games against the League's best teams, Carolina will get a look at the League's worst team. The Flyers won only one game thus far in December, dropping the other 10 games.
Carolina got some good news when both Kevyn Adams (wrist) and Andrew Ladd (appendix) were re-activated from the IR. Keith Aucoin has been reassigned to Albany. However, the blue line is hurting. Tim Gleason is still out, Frantisek Kaberle has been out all season, and now Nick Wallin has an "upper body" concern and is questionable for tonight's game. This means Avi Tanabe will be relied upon much more than most fans care for. He had a great game on Friday, and we hope that he can keep it up.
Peter Forsberg has just returned to the Flyers lineup after missing four games with a concussion. Don't think that the Canes aren't aware of this.
Viva, who is a former Flyer, should be expected to have a great game tonight to continue his hot streak.
After Thursday's debacle, all significant scoring streaks came to an end, but now the Captain (also a former Flyer) is on a five game points streak. He should also have a good night.
I'm guessing that Erik Cole will be quiet, and that Eric Staal will do something to snap out of his cold streak.
Puck drop will be at 8:00 eastern.
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