On Thursday, Carolina continued their fiery month of March with a shootout win over the Panthers. Although they allowed the Panthers to get one point, the important thing is that they got two of their own, padding their division lead.
Carolina's lead is now seven points over Washington and eight over Florida. Both teams have a game in hand. Even if one of those teams runs the table, Carolina can secure the division championship with a run of 3-2-1 down the stretch.
In typical fashion, Florida coach Jacques Martin was whining to the press before the game about how Carolina is a bunch of divers and how the officiating favors Carolina. In this game, though, Carolina had just two power plays. Florida had five. When they had their chances -- and they did -- they couldn't do anything about it.
Trevor Letowski got on the board early with a surprise shot from just inside the Florida blue line. Tomas Vokoun was surprised by it, or didn't see it. Whatever the case, it was a shot that he should have stopped, but it ended up beating him cleanly high on the blocker side. 3:22 was the time of the goal, and it was assisted by Glen Wesley and Nick Wallin.
The second period was filled with penalties against the Canes, but the penalty killers were amazing. Cam Ward was the best penalty killer, and he was sensational in the second frame. He had one save in particular against Olie Jokinen late in the period that was a highlight reel keeper. Ward had to explode from his right to left, stack the pads and made a sensational glove save from point blank range as Jokinen had made the "perfect" shot, getting it over the pads.
Steven Weiss broke up the shutout 22 seconds into the third, assisted by David Booth and Jay Bouwmeester. It was one of the few times all game where Cam Ward's rebound control wasn't great. Booth took a shot from the left circle that Ward knocked down into the slot. Weiss gathered it and deposited it into the far side of the net.
Florida had lots of late chances, including some power play time, but they couldn't take the lead, and on it went to overtime. Nothing notable happened in the overtime, and it went to shootout.
Carolina went first, and Jeff Hamilton was stopped. After the first Florida shooter went wide of the net, Sergei Samsonov scored. The second Florida shooter was stopped by Ward. Eric Staal got a cheap one to trickle through the pads of Vokoun, and the bottom of the third was unnecessary.
The RBH three stars were exactly like the "official" stars.
THIRD STAR Steven Weiss, FLA --- goal
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR --- 36 saves, shootout win
FIRST STAR Sergei Samsonov --- shootout winner
Carolina will be idle for the next four days, and the word on the street is that Peter Laviolette has told the boys to take some time for themselves. Washington will use their game in hand tonight against the lowly Thrashers. Then, a gigantic matchup in Raleigh on Tuesday.
Showing posts with label Letowski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Letowski. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2008
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.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Canes-Isles in a matinee
The Hurricanes and Islanders play an unusual weekday matinee today. Puck drop will be at 2:00. This is the front end of a back-to-back home-and-home. The teams will square off again tomorrow night in Raleigh.
Barring a last-second change of plans, Brandon Nolan will not be in the Hurricanes lineup and will not have the chance to play against his father.
In other news, Johnny Crackers Grahame has been place on re-entry waivers, which expire at noon today. Michael Leighton is expected to dress for the Canes even if Crackers clears.
In other other news, Erik Cole had to leave practice early on Sunday with what appeared to be a knee injury. The good news is that he's fine and will be in the lineup today.
Also, Trevor Letowski, who thought "for sure" he had broken his foot blocking a Sheldon Souray shot on Friday, is fine.
After so many injuries, it's nice to have dodged a couple of bullets.
Don't forget. Very early puck drop today. 2:00 today and 7:00 tomorrow.
Barring a last-second change of plans, Brandon Nolan will not be in the Hurricanes lineup and will not have the chance to play against his father.
In other news, Johnny Crackers Grahame has been place on re-entry waivers, which expire at noon today. Michael Leighton is expected to dress for the Canes even if Crackers clears.
In other other news, Erik Cole had to leave practice early on Sunday with what appeared to be a knee injury. The good news is that he's fine and will be in the lineup today.
Also, Trevor Letowski, who thought "for sure" he had broken his foot blocking a Sheldon Souray shot on Friday, is fine.
After so many injuries, it's nice to have dodged a couple of bullets.
Don't forget. Very early puck drop today. 2:00 today and 7:00 tomorrow.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Canes lose shootout, Walker
On Friday night, the Hurricanes traveled to Pittsburgh for the fifth of six straight road games. They should have won in regulation, but by the end of the night, they were just happy to get out of there alive. The one standings point earned by losing in the shootout was just a bonus.
Carolina got on the board very early. There was an early penalty, and Carolina was employing the five forward PP unit (Cullen, Whitney, Brind'Amour, Hamilton, Stillman). Ray Whitney slapped one in from above the left circle, beating Dany Sabourin high on the glove side, just under the crossbar. Matt Cullen and Rod Brind'Amour assisted on the power play goal.
Petr Sykora knotted it up at 18:58 on a really nifty move right in front of Cam Ward's cage. Sidney Crosby's wraparound attempt was foiled, but Sykora jumped on the rebound and backhanded it in. It was a very nifty play that beat Ward cleanly high on the glove side. Crosby and The Recchin' Ball got the helpers.
At 3:57 of the second, Trevor Letowski potted his first goal of the young season. Sabourin had just made a dandy of a save on a Brind'Amour/Williams breakaway, but he allowed the rebound to go into the low slot area. First, The Dude attempted a wrister from the forehand that was again blocked, but he recovered the rebound and backhanded it in. On that play, Sabourin had been knocked down and there could well have been a Goaltender Interference call, but I guess the contact wasn't deemed to be significant enough, or the referees thought that Rod Brind'Amour had been shoved into the crease area.
At 15:20, Viva gave the Canes a 3-1 lead, and it looked like the visitors were on their way to a nice win. Williams corralled a loose puck in neutral ice, then entered the Penguins zone with two Pens in front of him, three right behind him and no Hurricanes players anywhere near. From the high slot, he just put one on net, and it must have surprised the goaltender, because he was beaten badly by it. Again, high on the glove side. It looked like he never saw it. It was an unassisted goal for Williams.
The rest of the game did not go so well.
Soon after the Williams goal, Scott Walker dropped to his knees in front of the Carolina bench area and appeared to be woozy. There was no contact by any player directly preceding his collapse, but there was speculation that it was a delayed reaction to a collision with Jarkko Ruutu earlier in the game. At first it was confusing, then worrisome, then scary. He stayed there on his knees for several moments, obviously having difficulty moving and breathing. In addition to the entire Hurricanes medical staff, members of the Penguins staff were tending to him. It got even scarier when a stretcher was brought out. Ultimately, he left the ice the same way Erik Cole left that very same ice back in March of 2006. One arm dangling, bent over, gliding (not striding). Not exactly "under his own power".
Walker was held in a Pittsburgh hospital, and according to a team spokesman, x-rays and CT scans were "clear". We still don't know much about it, but the team is referring to Walker's injury as a "torso injury". Some speculation is that it might have something to do with some cartilage. Although Walker traveled with the team to Philadelphia, he is in "a great deal of pain", and will not play.
As if that wasn't enough of a bad break, Carolina got another at 17:54 of the second. The Pens were going hard to the net, and Adam Hall's backhand wrister from close range was kicked aside by Ward. Justin Williams was there to gather the puck, but unfortunately, he did his impersonation of Bryan McCabe, and he put it in his own net instead of directing it to the corner. Officially, it was Hall, with assists from Ruutu and Maxime Talbot. Unofficially, it was Williams committing the Tevvy.
Before Carolina could regroup, or even limp into the locker room with a one goal lead, Sykora made it all even. During a five-on-three power play, Sergei Gonchar unleashed a bomb from the high slot. Sykora was there to tuck in the rebound from just off the right post. Game tied. Gonchar and Sidney Crosby with the helpers.
Nothing in the third.
Pittsburgh elected to go first in the shootout.
Eric Christensen scored.
Matt Cullen scored.
Petr Sykora scored.
Jeff Hamilton scored a really nasty one.
Sidney Crosby scored.
Ray Whitney put the puck right in Sabourin's glove.
The "official" three stars went to Justin Williams (third), Sidney Crosby (second) and Petr Sykora (first). I don't see it that way. Both goaltenders played very well, and both had to make some circus-style saves. Especially Sabourin. That shouldn't go unnoticed.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Justin Williams, CAR --- 1 goal, 1 assist (plus a Tevvy)
SECOND STAR Dany Sabourin, PIT --- 32 saves, win.
FIRST STAR Petr Sykora, PIT --- 2 goals (plus a successful shootout attempt).
Although Carolina lost a key player for an indeterminant amount of time, and they didn't win the game, they still emerged with a point. Also, a positive thing that can be taken away from this game is that the Canes have already had twice as many successful shootout attempts (2) as they did all of last season (1). Jeff Hamilton proved to us why the Canes brought him here. His shootout goal was a thing of beauty.
Pittsburgh travels to Washington tonight. Carolina travels to Philly. 7:30. No TV.
More details about tonight's matchup later. Plus, more about the "house of horrors" that Mellon Arena has become.
Carolina got on the board very early. There was an early penalty, and Carolina was employing the five forward PP unit (Cullen, Whitney, Brind'Amour, Hamilton, Stillman). Ray Whitney slapped one in from above the left circle, beating Dany Sabourin high on the glove side, just under the crossbar. Matt Cullen and Rod Brind'Amour assisted on the power play goal.
Petr Sykora knotted it up at 18:58 on a really nifty move right in front of Cam Ward's cage. Sidney Crosby's wraparound attempt was foiled, but Sykora jumped on the rebound and backhanded it in. It was a very nifty play that beat Ward cleanly high on the glove side. Crosby and The Recchin' Ball got the helpers.
At 3:57 of the second, Trevor Letowski potted his first goal of the young season. Sabourin had just made a dandy of a save on a Brind'Amour/Williams breakaway, but he allowed the rebound to go into the low slot area. First, The Dude attempted a wrister from the forehand that was again blocked, but he recovered the rebound and backhanded it in. On that play, Sabourin had been knocked down and there could well have been a Goaltender Interference call, but I guess the contact wasn't deemed to be significant enough, or the referees thought that Rod Brind'Amour had been shoved into the crease area.
At 15:20, Viva gave the Canes a 3-1 lead, and it looked like the visitors were on their way to a nice win. Williams corralled a loose puck in neutral ice, then entered the Penguins zone with two Pens in front of him, three right behind him and no Hurricanes players anywhere near. From the high slot, he just put one on net, and it must have surprised the goaltender, because he was beaten badly by it. Again, high on the glove side. It looked like he never saw it. It was an unassisted goal for Williams.
The rest of the game did not go so well.
Soon after the Williams goal, Scott Walker dropped to his knees in front of the Carolina bench area and appeared to be woozy. There was no contact by any player directly preceding his collapse, but there was speculation that it was a delayed reaction to a collision with Jarkko Ruutu earlier in the game. At first it was confusing, then worrisome, then scary. He stayed there on his knees for several moments, obviously having difficulty moving and breathing. In addition to the entire Hurricanes medical staff, members of the Penguins staff were tending to him. It got even scarier when a stretcher was brought out. Ultimately, he left the ice the same way Erik Cole left that very same ice back in March of 2006. One arm dangling, bent over, gliding (not striding). Not exactly "under his own power".
Walker was held in a Pittsburgh hospital, and according to a team spokesman, x-rays and CT scans were "clear". We still don't know much about it, but the team is referring to Walker's injury as a "torso injury". Some speculation is that it might have something to do with some cartilage. Although Walker traveled with the team to Philadelphia, he is in "a great deal of pain", and will not play.
As if that wasn't enough of a bad break, Carolina got another at 17:54 of the second. The Pens were going hard to the net, and Adam Hall's backhand wrister from close range was kicked aside by Ward. Justin Williams was there to gather the puck, but unfortunately, he did his impersonation of Bryan McCabe, and he put it in his own net instead of directing it to the corner. Officially, it was Hall, with assists from Ruutu and Maxime Talbot. Unofficially, it was Williams committing the Tevvy.
Before Carolina could regroup, or even limp into the locker room with a one goal lead, Sykora made it all even. During a five-on-three power play, Sergei Gonchar unleashed a bomb from the high slot. Sykora was there to tuck in the rebound from just off the right post. Game tied. Gonchar and Sidney Crosby with the helpers.
Nothing in the third.
Pittsburgh elected to go first in the shootout.
Eric Christensen scored.
Matt Cullen scored.
Petr Sykora scored.
Jeff Hamilton scored a really nasty one.
Sidney Crosby scored.
Ray Whitney put the puck right in Sabourin's glove.
The "official" three stars went to Justin Williams (third), Sidney Crosby (second) and Petr Sykora (first). I don't see it that way. Both goaltenders played very well, and both had to make some circus-style saves. Especially Sabourin. That shouldn't go unnoticed.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Justin Williams, CAR --- 1 goal, 1 assist (plus a Tevvy)
SECOND STAR Dany Sabourin, PIT --- 32 saves, win.
FIRST STAR Petr Sykora, PIT --- 2 goals (plus a successful shootout attempt).
Although Carolina lost a key player for an indeterminant amount of time, and they didn't win the game, they still emerged with a point. Also, a positive thing that can be taken away from this game is that the Canes have already had twice as many successful shootout attempts (2) as they did all of last season (1). Jeff Hamilton proved to us why the Canes brought him here. His shootout goal was a thing of beauty.
Pittsburgh travels to Washington tonight. Carolina travels to Philly. 7:30. No TV.
More details about tonight's matchup later. Plus, more about the "house of horrors" that Mellon Arena has become.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Canes report card .... part 3 of 5
After taking a day off, I'll continue with parts 3 and 4 of the continuing series of midseason report cards. In the meantime, Carolina has lost their third straight game (all to teams from cities starting with the letter P), and has been shut out twice in a row. Carolina hasn't scored in the year 2007, and will look to end that trend tonight versus the Islanders in the RBC Center at 7:00.
Without further ado, the grades:
# 19 Trevor Letowski (aka "The Big Letowski" aka "The Dude", "El Duderino, "His Dudeness") -- C
There weren't many expectations about Letowski coming in. We knew he would be a third line winger at best and that he would be more of a Josef Vasicek replacement than a Matt Cullen replacement. He's got a ton of energy and like the other "water bugs", he's blessed with speed and elusiveness. The only problem is that he's not as skilled or as confident as Ray Whitney, so he's not going to be much of an offensive threat. Early in the season, he was pasted by the Penguins' Colby Armstrong with a devastating open ice hit. Letowski missed nine games with a concussion, and might have lost what little confidence he had. Presently, he's got 5 (2/3) points, and I suspect that his second half will be better, but I wouldn't expect anything more than 18 points total. With the way things are going injury-wise, he will have no choice but to step up his game. The mitigating factor here is that expectations were low for him. Elsewise, his grade would be much lower.
#22 Mike Commodore (aka "Commy")-- A-
I'm still completely giddy about the way this has worked out for the Canes. After being essentially cast off by the Flames, Commy found a home in Carolina, where defensemen were needed. He saw significant ice time, and surprised many critics by being a solid, dependable defenseman. This season, he's continued to be a very liable d-man, and has been a major player in this "defensemen joining the rush" thing. In fact, he scored a goal this season while the Canes had a two man disadvantage against Buffalo. For the record, that has been the only three-on-five goal in the entirety of the NHL this season.
With 16 (4/12) points, he's already surpassed last season's points total and is on pace to outperform several of the Carolina forwards. Kevyn Adams, I'm talking to you. The only thing I don't like about his game is that he's taking some lazy penalties with too much frequency. He's been in the wrong place at the wrong time for more than one of those delay of game (puck in crowd) penalties.
However, he's almost always in the right place at the right time, whether it's denying an attacking skater a passing lane, or creating a screen in front of an opposing goaltender. We've got him for one more year, and hopefully another renewal after that.
#24 Scott Walker (aka "Remo") -- B+
This has turned out to be a really good trade. Carolina exchanged Josef Vasicek, who once led the Canes in goal scoring for a season (2003-04) for Nashville's all time points and goals leader. For whatever reason, Vasicek wasn't working in Carolina, and I think Nashville freed up some cap space for JP Dumont with this trade. It's gone well. He's got decent speed, great skating ability, good passing skills, a great sense of where his teammates are and where they will be. His d skills aren't that great, but he doesn't put the Canes in harm's way. He's definitely not afraid to throw the gloves down, either. He's just about the only Canes player to avoid injury this season, which was one of the concerns coming in. He's sitting on 26 (12/14) points, and if he can step it up a tiny bit in the second half, he'll be able to reach the 60 (25/35) points that I predicted on the day of the trade.
All indicators are that he's a really good guy to have in the room. One of those guys that all the guys like. Certainly, the fans do.
I haven't been able to discern the results, but Walker played in a charity poker tournament against other NHLers. However much he won all went to the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, which focuses on children's health, education and helping kids (mostly inner city, underprivileged) get into team sports.
#25 Eric Belanger B
The other player in the "Jack Johnson trade". I have a lot of thoughts about that trade, but that's for another post.
I had no idea what to expect from Belanger. On the day of the trade, I looked at his past numbers and took a shot in the dark, guessing that he'd hit 40 points this season. He probably won't but he won't be far off that mark. He's got some nice moves, and generates some outstanding scoring chances, but he's suffering from whatever Maxim Afinogenov suffered from last season. He just can't finish. He hits posts, crossbars, he's been robbed by phenomenal saves. He's been everywhere but in the net. I think once the Canes get back on the right foot, Belanger will have a good second half, and might end up getting that 40. At his current pace, he'll end with 30 (13/17).
One aspect of his game that I really like is that he can dominate the faceoff circle. When Brindy was out, Belanger was the only one the Canes could trust to go in there and win an important draw. His style, and his stance in the circle are actually really reminiscent of Brind'Amour, so it doesn't surprise me.
#26 Erik Cole -- A-
After a career-threatening neck injury last winter, Cole surprised everyone by returning to the Canes lineup for the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final. He looked good but rusty. While we were all glad to see him, and he played a huge part in setting up the Cup winning goal, there was some debate about whether he should have just taken the rest of the summer off. Coming into camp, there was some trepidation, and the knowledge that he's much more at risk for neck injury than the next guy. For a guy who plays hard and fast, this is obviously something to be concerned about.
Most nights, you can tell that he's having some neck pain, and on some nights, you can see on the bench that he's in a great deal of pain. Still, he plays, and he goes 100%. Last season, he was on fire, headed toward an 82 point season, only to sit out the last 22 regular season games and the first 23 playoff games. This season, he's not far off that pace. He's got 36 (16/20), and when the Canes can right the ship, he'll score in bunches. I figure he'll end with about 78 (35/43) points.
Even when the rest of the team is struggling, and even on the nights when the Canes get crushed, it's a thrill to watch him. He's so fast and so strong and so agile and handles the puck so well. He can turn nothing at all into a breakaway chance.
He's still young and has two more years in Carolina. At some point, which I assume will be next season, he'll be given the "A" when Wesley retires and K-Ads goes on the free agent market.
So there's that.
The Canes will try to (and I predict they will) snap out of this horrible funk tonight. I'll watch the game and do that semi-liveblog thing with open comment thread. After all that, I'll attempt to get part four of the report cards up. Either way, I'll have the whole shebang done by Sunday night.
Without further ado, the grades:
# 19 Trevor Letowski (aka "The Big Letowski" aka "The Dude", "El Duderino, "His Dudeness") -- C There weren't many expectations about Letowski coming in. We knew he would be a third line winger at best and that he would be more of a Josef Vasicek replacement than a Matt Cullen replacement. He's got a ton of energy and like the other "water bugs", he's blessed with speed and elusiveness. The only problem is that he's not as skilled or as confident as Ray Whitney, so he's not going to be much of an offensive threat. Early in the season, he was pasted by the Penguins' Colby Armstrong with a devastating open ice hit. Letowski missed nine games with a concussion, and might have lost what little confidence he had. Presently, he's got 5 (2/3) points, and I suspect that his second half will be better, but I wouldn't expect anything more than 18 points total. With the way things are going injury-wise, he will have no choice but to step up his game. The mitigating factor here is that expectations were low for him. Elsewise, his grade would be much lower.
#22 Mike Commodore (aka "Commy")-- A- I'm still completely giddy about the way this has worked out for the Canes. After being essentially cast off by the Flames, Commy found a home in Carolina, where defensemen were needed. He saw significant ice time, and surprised many critics by being a solid, dependable defenseman. This season, he's continued to be a very liable d-man, and has been a major player in this "defensemen joining the rush" thing. In fact, he scored a goal this season while the Canes had a two man disadvantage against Buffalo. For the record, that has been the only three-on-five goal in the entirety of the NHL this season.
With 16 (4/12) points, he's already surpassed last season's points total and is on pace to outperform several of the Carolina forwards. Kevyn Adams, I'm talking to you. The only thing I don't like about his game is that he's taking some lazy penalties with too much frequency. He's been in the wrong place at the wrong time for more than one of those delay of game (puck in crowd) penalties.
However, he's almost always in the right place at the right time, whether it's denying an attacking skater a passing lane, or creating a screen in front of an opposing goaltender. We've got him for one more year, and hopefully another renewal after that.
#24 Scott Walker (aka "Remo") -- B+ This has turned out to be a really good trade. Carolina exchanged Josef Vasicek, who once led the Canes in goal scoring for a season (2003-04) for Nashville's all time points and goals leader. For whatever reason, Vasicek wasn't working in Carolina, and I think Nashville freed up some cap space for JP Dumont with this trade. It's gone well. He's got decent speed, great skating ability, good passing skills, a great sense of where his teammates are and where they will be. His d skills aren't that great, but he doesn't put the Canes in harm's way. He's definitely not afraid to throw the gloves down, either. He's just about the only Canes player to avoid injury this season, which was one of the concerns coming in. He's sitting on 26 (12/14) points, and if he can step it up a tiny bit in the second half, he'll be able to reach the 60 (25/35) points that I predicted on the day of the trade.
All indicators are that he's a really good guy to have in the room. One of those guys that all the guys like. Certainly, the fans do.
I haven't been able to discern the results, but Walker played in a charity poker tournament against other NHLers. However much he won all went to the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, which focuses on children's health, education and helping kids (mostly inner city, underprivileged) get into team sports.
#25 Eric Belanger B The other player in the "Jack Johnson trade". I have a lot of thoughts about that trade, but that's for another post.
I had no idea what to expect from Belanger. On the day of the trade, I looked at his past numbers and took a shot in the dark, guessing that he'd hit 40 points this season. He probably won't but he won't be far off that mark. He's got some nice moves, and generates some outstanding scoring chances, but he's suffering from whatever Maxim Afinogenov suffered from last season. He just can't finish. He hits posts, crossbars, he's been robbed by phenomenal saves. He's been everywhere but in the net. I think once the Canes get back on the right foot, Belanger will have a good second half, and might end up getting that 40. At his current pace, he'll end with 30 (13/17).
One aspect of his game that I really like is that he can dominate the faceoff circle. When Brindy was out, Belanger was the only one the Canes could trust to go in there and win an important draw. His style, and his stance in the circle are actually really reminiscent of Brind'Amour, so it doesn't surprise me.
#26 Erik Cole -- A-After a career-threatening neck injury last winter, Cole surprised everyone by returning to the Canes lineup for the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final. He looked good but rusty. While we were all glad to see him, and he played a huge part in setting up the Cup winning goal, there was some debate about whether he should have just taken the rest of the summer off. Coming into camp, there was some trepidation, and the knowledge that he's much more at risk for neck injury than the next guy. For a guy who plays hard and fast, this is obviously something to be concerned about.
Most nights, you can tell that he's having some neck pain, and on some nights, you can see on the bench that he's in a great deal of pain. Still, he plays, and he goes 100%. Last season, he was on fire, headed toward an 82 point season, only to sit out the last 22 regular season games and the first 23 playoff games. This season, he's not far off that pace. He's got 36 (16/20), and when the Canes can right the ship, he'll score in bunches. I figure he'll end with about 78 (35/43) points.
Even when the rest of the team is struggling, and even on the nights when the Canes get crushed, it's a thrill to watch him. He's so fast and so strong and so agile and handles the puck so well. He can turn nothing at all into a breakaway chance.
He's still young and has two more years in Carolina. At some point, which I assume will be next season, he'll be given the "A" when Wesley retires and K-Ads goes on the free agent market.
So there's that.
The Canes will try to (and I predict they will) snap out of this horrible funk tonight. I'll watch the game and do that semi-liveblog thing with open comment thread. After all that, I'll attempt to get part four of the report cards up. Either way, I'll have the whole shebang done by Sunday night.
Friday, November 10, 2006
should the NHL take a stance against blows to the head?
A few days ago, after I read the bit about Detroit's Jason Williams being carried off the ice on a stretcher, I started to write a post about blows to the head, but I aborted it somewhere along the way. I thought I was perhaps over-reacting or getting too tied up emotionally.
Williams was laid out by Raffi Torres in Wednesday's game against the Oilers. Torres' shoulder caught Williams in the face, knocking him down hard as he attempted a wrap-around. He lay motionless but conscious for several minutes and was ultimately removed from the ice on a stretcher. He recieved a concussion and facial lacerations and will be on the Injured Reserve for an indefinite period.
On October 14, in Pittsburgh, Carolina's Trevor Letowski was knocked unconcious by an open ice shoulder-to-chin hit from the Pens' Colby Armstrong. He lay unconcious in a pool of blood for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher. He missed the next 9 games with facial lacerations and post-concussion symptoms.
On October 17, Calgary's Robyn Regehr blasted Montréal's Aaron Downey with an open ice shoulder-to-head hit that knocked Downey out, putting him on a stretcher and on the IR for five games.
In each case, there was clearly contact above the shoulder, and in each case, the hits went unpenalized. Many fans from the old school say things like they did when Erik Cole suffered a broken neck as a result of a questionable hit last winter. They say that you should always skate with your head up. That you should never watch the pass you just made. That you should never look anywhere other than right ahead of you. That you should never make any sudden moves or direction changes. That you should never do this, that or the other. They say that if you don't heed this kind of advice, you deserve what you get, even if you "get" a broken neck.
I haven't seen the Regehr hit, and it's clear that the other two hits were in no way shape or form malicious. They were just hard hits that ended up badly.
However, I think the NHL needs to do something about these kinds of hits. I don't think a two minute penalty would be asking too much. The officials aren't perfect. They're going to miss some calls, they're going to be out of position for some, but I'd like to see them looking for those kinds of things.
According to a story I read on TSN.ca today, they're already doing this in the Ontario Hockey League.
Sounds a bit like the way high-sticking is called. Incidental? So what? I have no problem with that. Of course there would be times that a referee would miss a call, or be out of position and simply not see the infraction. In the case of high-sticking, an obvious and fitting example of a referee absolutely blowing the call was when Carolina's Justin "Viva" Williams injured Montréal's Saku Koivu with a high-stick during the first round of the playoffs last spring. Although Koivu was bleeding, and ended up having serious repercussions from the scary injury, there was no penalty. There was no post facto fine or suspension, either. I stand behind the players on my team, but the fact of the matter is Williams should have been penalized for four minutes.
Of course I know hockey is a contact sport. Of course I know that the players know what they're getting into. That isn't the point. The point is to take some precautionary measures. The point is also to hold players accountable for dangerous play. If measures can be taken to reduce the number of blows to the head, we'll see fewer of these types of injuries.
The NFL has had anti-head contact rules for years. Any hitting above the shoulder is strictly forbidden. Any contact, intentional or not, with a quarterback's head or helmet results in a penalty and fine. Since they got serious about policing that kind of helmet-to-helmet and hand-to-quarterback's helmet contact, the behavior of linebackers has changed dramatically. You now see guys making a deliberate effort to not contact the QB's head. While I think the NFL goes a bit too far to protect the quarterback (just as I think the NHL goes too far to protect the goalie), I like the strong stance they take on blows to the head.
Don't take my word for it, though. Bobby Orr had a lot to say about this.
Anyway, what it boils down to for me is that I'd like to see blows to the head reduced. If it takes major penalties, fines, suspensions, then that's what it takes. Checking the body is one thing. The head is quite another.
Williams was laid out by Raffi Torres in Wednesday's game against the Oilers. Torres' shoulder caught Williams in the face, knocking him down hard as he attempted a wrap-around. He lay motionless but conscious for several minutes and was ultimately removed from the ice on a stretcher. He recieved a concussion and facial lacerations and will be on the Injured Reserve for an indefinite period.
On October 14, in Pittsburgh, Carolina's Trevor Letowski was knocked unconcious by an open ice shoulder-to-chin hit from the Pens' Colby Armstrong. He lay unconcious in a pool of blood for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher. He missed the next 9 games with facial lacerations and post-concussion symptoms.
On October 17, Calgary's Robyn Regehr blasted Montréal's Aaron Downey with an open ice shoulder-to-head hit that knocked Downey out, putting him on a stretcher and on the IR for five games.
In each case, there was clearly contact above the shoulder, and in each case, the hits went unpenalized. Many fans from the old school say things like they did when Erik Cole suffered a broken neck as a result of a questionable hit last winter. They say that you should always skate with your head up. That you should never watch the pass you just made. That you should never look anywhere other than right ahead of you. That you should never make any sudden moves or direction changes. That you should never do this, that or the other. They say that if you don't heed this kind of advice, you deserve what you get, even if you "get" a broken neck.
I haven't seen the Regehr hit, and it's clear that the other two hits were in no way shape or form malicious. They were just hard hits that ended up badly.
However, I think the NHL needs to do something about these kinds of hits. I don't think a two minute penalty would be asking too much. The officials aren't perfect. They're going to miss some calls, they're going to be out of position for some, but I'd like to see them looking for those kinds of things.
According to a story I read on TSN.ca today, they're already doing this in the Ontario Hockey League.
Checking a player and making contact with the head, incidental or otherwise with the shoulder or any other part of the body, is now a penalty. Two minutes for any contact with the head; five minutes if it's with intent to injure or results in injury.
Sounds a bit like the way high-sticking is called. Incidental? So what? I have no problem with that. Of course there would be times that a referee would miss a call, or be out of position and simply not see the infraction. In the case of high-sticking, an obvious and fitting example of a referee absolutely blowing the call was when Carolina's Justin "Viva" Williams injured Montréal's Saku Koivu with a high-stick during the first round of the playoffs last spring. Although Koivu was bleeding, and ended up having serious repercussions from the scary injury, there was no penalty. There was no post facto fine or suspension, either. I stand behind the players on my team, but the fact of the matter is Williams should have been penalized for four minutes.
Of course I know hockey is a contact sport. Of course I know that the players know what they're getting into. That isn't the point. The point is to take some precautionary measures. The point is also to hold players accountable for dangerous play. If measures can be taken to reduce the number of blows to the head, we'll see fewer of these types of injuries.
The NFL has had anti-head contact rules for years. Any hitting above the shoulder is strictly forbidden. Any contact, intentional or not, with a quarterback's head or helmet results in a penalty and fine. Since they got serious about policing that kind of helmet-to-helmet and hand-to-quarterback's helmet contact, the behavior of linebackers has changed dramatically. You now see guys making a deliberate effort to not contact the QB's head. While I think the NFL goes a bit too far to protect the quarterback (just as I think the NHL goes too far to protect the goalie), I like the strong stance they take on blows to the head.
Don't take my word for it, though. Bobby Orr had a lot to say about this.
I don't want to see hitting taken out of the game, I love hitting in hockey, but if someone puts his shoulder into a player's face, if he puts anything -- an arm, an elbow, a glove -- I think that player should get a penalty. Definitely, it should be a penalty. We are having players getting knocked unconscious before they even hit the ice and carried off on stretchers. How can that be legal? When did hitting someone in the head with your shoulder or any part of your body become part of the rules? Anything above the neck, it's wrong.
Hey, I got hit a lot when I played and I didn't get hit in the head with checks. Players didn't always hit like that. To me, that's not part of bodychecking. I mean, don't you have to be responsible for your actions? If you hit a guy in the face with your stick by accident, you're going to get a penalty. Two minutes, four minutes, five minutes, something. If you go to bodycheck a guy and you hit him in the face or head, and injure him, that's legal? That's fair? That's not a penalty? I'm sorry, I don't think that is right. It should be a penalty.
Anyway, what it boils down to for me is that I'd like to see blows to the head reduced. If it takes major penalties, fines, suspensions, then that's what it takes. Checking the body is one thing. The head is quite another.
Canes throttle Caps, Cole nets hatty
On Thursday night in the RBC Center, the Hurricanes shut out the visiting Caps 5-0. The two Alex were held at bay while the the two Eric/k were great.
Consider Alexander Ovechkin's line:
Compared to Eric Staal's line:
Erik Cole was absolutely en fuego. He was flying on the ice, and he obviously made the best of his scoring chances, hitting three of the four shots he took, getting him his fourth career hat trick.
Trevor Letowski, who missed 9 games with a concussion, played very well, and netted first goal as a Hurricane. He returned to action on Tuesday against the Devils, and looked good while being used sparingly.
As always, Scott Walker looked great, making key passes, manning up on defensive plays, and doing very well in his increased role on special teams.
At 5:47 of the first, Cole got his first goal of the game. He and Scotty Walker exploded up-ice on a 2-on-2 break. Cole's speed got him half a step on the closest Capitals player, and his tip-in goal was easy, but it couldn't have happened without the brilliance of Scott Walker. Coming down the right side, Walker was flanked by Colesy coming straight down the middle of the ice. The two Caps players were each half a stride behind, and Walker perfectly hit Cole in stride for the easy tip in from about 5 feet out. After the fact, Nic Wallin was given a secondary assist on the play.
During the second period, the Canes had some discipline issues. They took three consecutive penalties midway through the stanza, which gave the Caps a full two minutes of five-on-three, and about two combined minutes of power play on the bookends. Carolina stood tall, with excellent penalty killing, and Cam Ward looked very sharp.
At 18:03, Erik Cole got his second of the night on a pinball shot during a power play sequence. Eric Staal fired a slapshot from the blue line which deflected off Cole's stomach or stick shaft or glove or something on the way in. The subtle re-direction, which occurred from about 6 feet out, ruined Brent Johnson's chance of making the save. Staal with the first assist, and Hedican with the secondary helper on the power play goal.
In the third period, the Canes really took control of the game. Eric Staal scored an even strength marker at 8:46 to make it 3-0. From the right face off circle, he took the sharp angle, beating Johnson on the far side of the net, inside the left post. Scott Walker and Glen Wesley got assists.
At 11:46, Trevor "the Dude" Letowski netted his first goal in a Hurricanes sweater. He and Andrew Ladd had created a two-on-one break off a neutral zone takeaway. Letowski was going through the left circle, with Ladd streaking down the right side. The Dude faked the give-and-go, and got past Johnson on the far side. Johnson had come too far out, and was obviously anticipating the pass. I don't think he saw it until it was too late.
At 14:39, Cole finished off the hat trick with a phenomenal individual effort. The Canes were going on a mini-break, and Cole blew past THREE Caps skaters to take a long "on-side" pass from Ray Whitney. He came in on Johnson and lifted a backhander top shelf. In all honesty, I've watched the replay a bunch of times, and he looked off side, but the linesman on the spot was clearly indicating an on-side play. Rod Brind'Amour got the secondary assist.
It was the fourth hat trick of Cole's career, his first this season, and only the second by a Hurricane this season.
The Canes will stay home as they enjoy a four game homestand. Up next will be the Penguins on Saturday and the highly anticipated Staal v Staal II. The first time we get to see Malkin. Also, the first time Erik Cole and Brooks Orpik see each other.
There were so many stars on Thursday, but I will award the RBH stars of the game as such:
Third Star Cam Ward, CAR Shutout, 20 saves.
Second Star Scott Walker, CAR 2 assists
First Star Erik Cole, CAR 3 goals
Consider Alexander Ovechkin's line:
- 17:47 TOI, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 4 shots, EV
- 16:39 TOI, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 1 shot, -3
Compared to Eric Staal's line:
- 19:39 TOI, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 7 shots, +2
- 20:11 TOI, 3 goals, 0 assists, 3 points, 4 shots, +2
Erik Cole was absolutely en fuego. He was flying on the ice, and he obviously made the best of his scoring chances, hitting three of the four shots he took, getting him his fourth career hat trick.
Trevor Letowski, who missed 9 games with a concussion, played very well, and netted first goal as a Hurricane. He returned to action on Tuesday against the Devils, and looked good while being used sparingly.
As always, Scott Walker looked great, making key passes, manning up on defensive plays, and doing very well in his increased role on special teams.
At 5:47 of the first, Cole got his first goal of the game. He and Scotty Walker exploded up-ice on a 2-on-2 break. Cole's speed got him half a step on the closest Capitals player, and his tip-in goal was easy, but it couldn't have happened without the brilliance of Scott Walker. Coming down the right side, Walker was flanked by Colesy coming straight down the middle of the ice. The two Caps players were each half a stride behind, and Walker perfectly hit Cole in stride for the easy tip in from about 5 feet out. After the fact, Nic Wallin was given a secondary assist on the play.
During the second period, the Canes had some discipline issues. They took three consecutive penalties midway through the stanza, which gave the Caps a full two minutes of five-on-three, and about two combined minutes of power play on the bookends. Carolina stood tall, with excellent penalty killing, and Cam Ward looked very sharp.
At 18:03, Erik Cole got his second of the night on a pinball shot during a power play sequence. Eric Staal fired a slapshot from the blue line which deflected off Cole's stomach or stick shaft or glove or something on the way in. The subtle re-direction, which occurred from about 6 feet out, ruined Brent Johnson's chance of making the save. Staal with the first assist, and Hedican with the secondary helper on the power play goal.
In the third period, the Canes really took control of the game. Eric Staal scored an even strength marker at 8:46 to make it 3-0. From the right face off circle, he took the sharp angle, beating Johnson on the far side of the net, inside the left post. Scott Walker and Glen Wesley got assists.
At 11:46, Trevor "the Dude" Letowski netted his first goal in a Hurricanes sweater. He and Andrew Ladd had created a two-on-one break off a neutral zone takeaway. Letowski was going through the left circle, with Ladd streaking down the right side. The Dude faked the give-and-go, and got past Johnson on the far side. Johnson had come too far out, and was obviously anticipating the pass. I don't think he saw it until it was too late.
At 14:39, Cole finished off the hat trick with a phenomenal individual effort. The Canes were going on a mini-break, and Cole blew past THREE Caps skaters to take a long "on-side" pass from Ray Whitney. He came in on Johnson and lifted a backhander top shelf. In all honesty, I've watched the replay a bunch of times, and he looked off side, but the linesman on the spot was clearly indicating an on-side play. Rod Brind'Amour got the secondary assist.
It was the fourth hat trick of Cole's career, his first this season, and only the second by a Hurricane this season.
The Canes will stay home as they enjoy a four game homestand. Up next will be the Penguins on Saturday and the highly anticipated Staal v Staal II. The first time we get to see Malkin. Also, the first time Erik Cole and Brooks Orpik see each other.
There were so many stars on Thursday, but I will award the RBH stars of the game as such:
Third Star Cam Ward, CAR Shutout, 20 saves.
Second Star Scott Walker, CAR 2 assists
First Star Erik Cole, CAR 3 goals
Sunday, October 15, 2006
the Letowski injury
During the first period of play on Saturday night, Trevor Letowski was knocked out of the game by a blind-side hit from Colby Armstrong. After making a cross ice pass to a teammate just inside the Penguins' zone, Letowski was looking in the direction of his pass. Although the puck had been gone for two beats or more, Colby Armstrong delivered a big hit on the unsuspecting Letowski, making shoulder-to-chin contact from the blind side, knocking him face-first onto the ice. He lay motionless and limp in a pool of blood for several minutes before being removed from the ice on a stretcher and rushed to a Pittsburgh hospital.
For just about everyone on the Canes bench, this immediately brought to mind the horror that took place there on March 4. Although this was the second time in as many visits to the Mellon Arena that a Canes player has had to be rushed to the hospital, this one was quite a bit different. In this case, it really does look like the hit was just one of those unfortunate things. I haven't examined the tape with a microscope, but it looked like Armstrong made an attempt to ease up on the hit, and I have no doubt in my mind that there was absolutely no intent to injure. The League may, however, investigate the hit. They have been making a concerted effort to crack down on hits delivered above the shoulder. This definitely was above the shoulder. I won't be calling for any disciplinary action, but I wouldn't be surprised if the League hands down a light suspension/fine.
In stark contrast to the still controversial Brooks Orpik hit on Erik Cole, Armstrong immediately showed an interest in the well-being of the injured player. The look on his face, his eyes, showed that. Instead of vehemently defending his actions or blaming the injured player, Armstrong told reporters that he felt "awful" and "sick to (his) stomach" and that he had a hard time focusing on the game. In post game interviews, he apparently made serious efforts to get an update on Letowski's status.
The "good" news is that after undergoing a battery of tests, Letowski was diagnosed with a concussion and was released. He'll probably have to miss some games, but for now, that sounds like good news. With the way he went down, and the blood and the motionlessness, and all that, things looked very bad.
At the end of it all, I think this will simply have to be categorized as "an unfortunate thing that happened". I don't want to make a villain out of Colby Armstrong.
Hopefully, "the Dude" will be able to recover fully. Sometimes, as in the case of Tim Connolly, a concussion can cause a player to miss an entire season. Time will tell, and we're all hoping for the best.
In the meantime, Carolina will have to recall at least one, and most likely two players from Albany. My guess is that Keith Aucoin gets the call, and that we may even see defenseman Derrick Walser, who played alongside Erik Cole with the Berlin Polar Bears of the German Elite League during the lockout.
Details on Letowski as they develop.
For just about everyone on the Canes bench, this immediately brought to mind the horror that took place there on March 4. Although this was the second time in as many visits to the Mellon Arena that a Canes player has had to be rushed to the hospital, this one was quite a bit different. In this case, it really does look like the hit was just one of those unfortunate things. I haven't examined the tape with a microscope, but it looked like Armstrong made an attempt to ease up on the hit, and I have no doubt in my mind that there was absolutely no intent to injure. The League may, however, investigate the hit. They have been making a concerted effort to crack down on hits delivered above the shoulder. This definitely was above the shoulder. I won't be calling for any disciplinary action, but I wouldn't be surprised if the League hands down a light suspension/fine.
In stark contrast to the still controversial Brooks Orpik hit on Erik Cole, Armstrong immediately showed an interest in the well-being of the injured player. The look on his face, his eyes, showed that. Instead of vehemently defending his actions or blaming the injured player, Armstrong told reporters that he felt "awful" and "sick to (his) stomach" and that he had a hard time focusing on the game. In post game interviews, he apparently made serious efforts to get an update on Letowski's status.
The "good" news is that after undergoing a battery of tests, Letowski was diagnosed with a concussion and was released. He'll probably have to miss some games, but for now, that sounds like good news. With the way he went down, and the blood and the motionlessness, and all that, things looked very bad.
At the end of it all, I think this will simply have to be categorized as "an unfortunate thing that happened". I don't want to make a villain out of Colby Armstrong.
Hopefully, "the Dude" will be able to recover fully. Sometimes, as in the case of Tim Connolly, a concussion can cause a player to miss an entire season. Time will tell, and we're all hoping for the best.
In the meantime, Carolina will have to recall at least one, and most likely two players from Albany. My guess is that Keith Aucoin gets the call, and that we may even see defenseman Derrick Walser, who played alongside Erik Cole with the Berlin Polar Bears of the German Elite League during the lockout.
Details on Letowski as they develop.
Canes win again, but get bitten HARD by injury bug
On Saturday, the Canes defeated the Penguins by a nifty 5-1 score. It was already the second time this season that the Canes have played games on consecutive nights. By contrast, the Pens have played just four games total.
Because of injuries on Friday to Andrew Ladd (shoulder -- two weeks) and Glen Wesley ("upper body" -- day to day) and a late scratch of Bret Hedican (hip -- day to day), the Canes were already playing shorthanded versus the Pens. They had to skate with 11 healthy forwards and six defensemen. Before the first period was over, they also lost Trevor Letowski, who was a healthy scratch on Friday. Rod Brind'Amour and Viva pulled a bunch of double shifts, both logging well over 20 minutes of ice time. Mike Commodore and Nic Wallin also skated more than usual. Times like these, skating two men shy of the roster minimum, and everybody double shifting, that "bag skate" pays dividends.
The Letowski injury was very scary, and I'll elaborate in a separate post. This was the second time in as many visits to the Mellon Arena that we've had a player rushed to the hospital with a very scary injury, but this one is a bit different.
This game was a highly publicized (in my best "Time-Life Books Civil War Chess Set" voice) "brother against brother" battle. It was the first time Eric Staal and Jordan Staal played against one another. The two had been text messaging each other all day long, playfully jabbing at one another. Apparently, they wagered "one Gatorade" on their head-to-head matchup.
Eric Staal scored the game's first goal at 2:24 of the first. Chad LaRose and "Avi" Tanabe got the assists. It was a play where the Pittsburgh defenders went to sleep. The Canes were applying pressure, and the Pens had possession of the puck, but failed to clear the zone. While some Pens skaters were crashing into each other, Staal was left unchecked in the slot. His backhand shot found Emma Fleury's five hole.
I made a note at 8:15 of the first that Trevor Letowski had an excellent point blank scoring opportunity, (actually two) but that Fleury stood tall, denying the goal. Just 20 seconds later, Letowski would be knocked out of the game.
At 9:34, Scott Walker got what would prove to be the game winning goal. A Nic Wallin point shot missed the net horribly, but bounced off the end wall to Walker, on the right faceoff dot. Somehow, he beat Emma on the short side, just between his pads and the right post. Wallin and Commodore got the assists.
Later in the first, Cam Ward made a great play to foil a breakaway attempt from John LeClair. At roughly 16:30, LeClair and Jordan Staal came in, and they each had a chance to finish the rush, but Ward said no.
Carolina was having some discipline issues in the first and early in the second, but their PK unit was doing a great job. Somehow, they found themselves on the good side of a 5-on-3 that lasted almost a full two minutes. They squandered the 5-on-3, and had an additional four seconds of 5-on-4. Technically, they also failed to score then, but they got a goal at 7:01 of the second, literally one second after Ryan Whitney's penalty expired. He was on the ice, but not in the play. Technically it goes as an even strength goal. The Canes were cycling the puck nicely on their two man advantage. Ray Whitney held the puck on the goal line at the left side wall. He spotted Scott Walker and Eric Belanger parked out front, centered the pass, and Walker shoved it in. Kevyn Adams got the secondary assist.
At 10:20, the Penguins got a scare of their own. As the Canes were in the Pens zone, a Penguins player shoved a Canes skater, who collided with Emma Fleury. Fleury lost his helmet, and suffered a cut on his forehead from somebody's skate. He left the ice, got some stitches, and later returned to the bench. Jocelyn Thibault stayed in goal for the duration.
At 12:43 the Penguins got on the board. Kristopher Letang attempted a shot from the left circle that looked like a knuckle ball. It was going to be well off net, but it deflected off Anton Babchuk's skate in the slot and got past Ward. Sergei Gonchar and Nils Ekman got assists.
Early in the third, the Canes opened it up a bit. With a power play sequence that had only just begun, Andrew Hutchinson blasted a one-timer from the center point that found its way past Thibault at the 1:11 mark. Viva and Eric Belanger got the assists.
At 12:47, the Canes struck again from long distance. Mike Commodore fired an innocent shot from the right point that somehow floated in on Thibault. It looked like it had been redirected, but it was just a change-up that handcuffed the netminder. Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney got the assists.
Carolina, who had been well disciplined a night prior, wasn't on Saturday. They committed 11 penalties, giving the Pens nine power play chances. Fortunately, the PK units limited the Penguins success to just one conversion. Some of the penalties, especially the holding penalty to Mike Commodore in the second period, were lazy. I know they were tired. Tired from playing back to back games. Tired from having to double shift to make up for injuries. But lazy penalties can't happen. By their own admission, the Penguins were listless on Saturday. Nine times out of ten, if you commit that many penalties, and they're the result of lazy play, the other team will make you pay. Carolina got lucky that Pittsburgh didn't.
Carolina has the day off, and will travel to the City of Tampa for a Monday night game. Then they will have a few days off before they have yet another set of back-to-back road games on Friday and Saturday against the undefeated Sabres and the Islanders, respectavely.
Momentarily, I'll be posting something about the injury to Letowski.
Because of injuries on Friday to Andrew Ladd (shoulder -- two weeks) and Glen Wesley ("upper body" -- day to day) and a late scratch of Bret Hedican (hip -- day to day), the Canes were already playing shorthanded versus the Pens. They had to skate with 11 healthy forwards and six defensemen. Before the first period was over, they also lost Trevor Letowski, who was a healthy scratch on Friday. Rod Brind'Amour and Viva pulled a bunch of double shifts, both logging well over 20 minutes of ice time. Mike Commodore and Nic Wallin also skated more than usual. Times like these, skating two men shy of the roster minimum, and everybody double shifting, that "bag skate" pays dividends.
The Letowski injury was very scary, and I'll elaborate in a separate post. This was the second time in as many visits to the Mellon Arena that we've had a player rushed to the hospital with a very scary injury, but this one is a bit different.
This game was a highly publicized (in my best "Time-Life Books Civil War Chess Set" voice) "brother against brother" battle. It was the first time Eric Staal and Jordan Staal played against one another. The two had been text messaging each other all day long, playfully jabbing at one another. Apparently, they wagered "one Gatorade" on their head-to-head matchup.
Eric Staal scored the game's first goal at 2:24 of the first. Chad LaRose and "Avi" Tanabe got the assists. It was a play where the Pittsburgh defenders went to sleep. The Canes were applying pressure, and the Pens had possession of the puck, but failed to clear the zone. While some Pens skaters were crashing into each other, Staal was left unchecked in the slot. His backhand shot found Emma Fleury's five hole.
I made a note at 8:15 of the first that Trevor Letowski had an excellent point blank scoring opportunity, (actually two) but that Fleury stood tall, denying the goal. Just 20 seconds later, Letowski would be knocked out of the game.
At 9:34, Scott Walker got what would prove to be the game winning goal. A Nic Wallin point shot missed the net horribly, but bounced off the end wall to Walker, on the right faceoff dot. Somehow, he beat Emma on the short side, just between his pads and the right post. Wallin and Commodore got the assists.
Later in the first, Cam Ward made a great play to foil a breakaway attempt from John LeClair. At roughly 16:30, LeClair and Jordan Staal came in, and they each had a chance to finish the rush, but Ward said no.
Carolina was having some discipline issues in the first and early in the second, but their PK unit was doing a great job. Somehow, they found themselves on the good side of a 5-on-3 that lasted almost a full two minutes. They squandered the 5-on-3, and had an additional four seconds of 5-on-4. Technically, they also failed to score then, but they got a goal at 7:01 of the second, literally one second after Ryan Whitney's penalty expired. He was on the ice, but not in the play. Technically it goes as an even strength goal. The Canes were cycling the puck nicely on their two man advantage. Ray Whitney held the puck on the goal line at the left side wall. He spotted Scott Walker and Eric Belanger parked out front, centered the pass, and Walker shoved it in. Kevyn Adams got the secondary assist.
At 10:20, the Penguins got a scare of their own. As the Canes were in the Pens zone, a Penguins player shoved a Canes skater, who collided with Emma Fleury. Fleury lost his helmet, and suffered a cut on his forehead from somebody's skate. He left the ice, got some stitches, and later returned to the bench. Jocelyn Thibault stayed in goal for the duration.
At 12:43 the Penguins got on the board. Kristopher Letang attempted a shot from the left circle that looked like a knuckle ball. It was going to be well off net, but it deflected off Anton Babchuk's skate in the slot and got past Ward. Sergei Gonchar and Nils Ekman got assists.
Early in the third, the Canes opened it up a bit. With a power play sequence that had only just begun, Andrew Hutchinson blasted a one-timer from the center point that found its way past Thibault at the 1:11 mark. Viva and Eric Belanger got the assists.
At 12:47, the Canes struck again from long distance. Mike Commodore fired an innocent shot from the right point that somehow floated in on Thibault. It looked like it had been redirected, but it was just a change-up that handcuffed the netminder. Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney got the assists.
Carolina, who had been well disciplined a night prior, wasn't on Saturday. They committed 11 penalties, giving the Pens nine power play chances. Fortunately, the PK units limited the Penguins success to just one conversion. Some of the penalties, especially the holding penalty to Mike Commodore in the second period, were lazy. I know they were tired. Tired from playing back to back games. Tired from having to double shift to make up for injuries. But lazy penalties can't happen. By their own admission, the Penguins were listless on Saturday. Nine times out of ten, if you commit that many penalties, and they're the result of lazy play, the other team will make you pay. Carolina got lucky that Pittsburgh didn't.
Carolina has the day off, and will travel to the City of Tampa for a Monday night game. Then they will have a few days off before they have yet another set of back-to-back road games on Friday and Saturday against the undefeated Sabres and the Islanders, respectavely.
Momentarily, I'll be posting something about the injury to Letowski.
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