The full schedules are expected to be announced today, but Hurricanes fans learned yesterday that they will open the season at home against the Panthers on Friday October 10. They also learned that the three "wildcard" teams from the West whom the Canes will play twice will be Phoenix, Anaheim and St. Louis.
This is the third consecutive time the Canes have opened the season at home, and the first time that it will be a divisional opponent.
Carolina fans may remember that FSN South signed a deal with the Hurricanes, pledging to broadcast 65 games this coming season, up from 60 in 2007-08. They also have pledged to broadcast "at least 70" Charlotte Bobcats NBA games. I did some research and discovered that last season, the two teams had simultaneous games 34 times, and each team had 44 nights when they were the only one playing. There were an additional four times where one team played early and one team played late. Supposing the common dates were split down the middle, that gave each team 61 broadcastable games. Including the "doubleheaders", there could have been 65 games for each team. All of this is, of course, using last year's schedules as a template. In any event, it doesn't seem possible for one channel to commit to as many games as they're committed to.
I've written to FSN South, asking them how they plan to honor both commitments when the schedules probably won't accomodate 135 different broadcastable games. I haven't received an answer.
The NHL also "officially" announced that the Winter Classic '09 will indeed be in Wrigley Field on New Year's Day between the Red Wings and Blackhawks. This came as news to nobody. I think there's some people who are holding out hope for a Winter Classic in Raleigh. It isn't gonna happen in our lifetimes, and if it does, I'll gladly eat crow.
The full 2008-09 schedules will be released at some point today.
Showing posts with label Panthers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panthers. Show all posts
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Jokinen sent to the desert
There were no fewer than 13 trades during the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Although none of them directly impacted Carolina, Caniacs everywhere let out a roar when Phoenix and Florida announced their trade very early on. Olli Jokinen, who is extremely unpopular in Raleigh (this may be an understatement) will be going to the Coyotes while defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton will be in Sunrise come fall.
RBH has never been a fan of Olli Jokinen, so we will shed no tears. He has been a bit of a Cane killa, racking up a ton of points against Carolina. More than that, though, he's been a general nuisance. Aside from having some really disturbing facial hair that makes him look like a child molester, he's been a loudmouth in the press. Along with Jacques Martin, he's been the one who says bad things about Carolina in the papers. At the end of the 06-07 season, he "guaranteed" a victory against Carolina in a meaningless game, and Carolina took great joy in showing him where to stick it.
During the IIHF World Champoinships this spring, Jokinen cheapshotted USA (and Carolina Hurricanes) defenseman Tim Gleason, knocking Timmy out of the Finland-USA game.
There were a ton of other trades on Friday, but most of them involved picks only. There will probably be more on Saturday, including some name-brand players.
Rounds 2-7 will be Saturday, beginning at 10:00am eastern time, and will be broadcast on the NHL Network.
All we can say about this is "Good riddance!"
Good riddance!
RBH has never been a fan of Olli Jokinen, so we will shed no tears. He has been a bit of a Cane killa, racking up a ton of points against Carolina. More than that, though, he's been a general nuisance. Aside from having some really disturbing facial hair that makes him look like a child molester, he's been a loudmouth in the press. Along with Jacques Martin, he's been the one who says bad things about Carolina in the papers. At the end of the 06-07 season, he "guaranteed" a victory against Carolina in a meaningless game, and Carolina took great joy in showing him where to stick it.
During the IIHF World Champoinships this spring, Jokinen cheapshotted USA (and Carolina Hurricanes) defenseman Tim Gleason, knocking Timmy out of the Finland-USA game.
There were a ton of other trades on Friday, but most of them involved picks only. There will probably be more on Saturday, including some name-brand players.
Rounds 2-7 will be Saturday, beginning at 10:00am eastern time, and will be broadcast on the NHL Network.
All we can say about this is "Good riddance!"
Good riddance!
Friday, April 04, 2008
The Finale
Carolina plays their final home game of the regular season tonight. I wasn't scheduled to go to the game, but a friend is out of town and offered me his tickets. This means that for the sixth season in a row, I'll be there on the final game.
Most seasons, the finale has been bittersweet. In '02 and '06, they had the SE crown wrapped up. Every other season, they weren't even in the playoffs. The point is that the final game has not had any "real" meaning in the time that I've been going to them. In '06, they could have secured the #1 seed in the East if they had won the final game. They lost, ended up with the #2 seed, and maybe it gave the Canes the path they needed.
Tonight, they need a win to secure the division. They can still win the division if they lose and get some help, but that's not what they want.
Yesterday, I wrote that there were two backup plans in case the Canes can't get a win tonight. There's actually a third plan, but it didn't occur to me until this morning.
If the Canes stumble, but end up with an overtime/shootout loss, they will be two points ahead of ninth place Philly. If the hypothetical overtime loss is coupled with a regulation loss by Philly, Carolina will secure the eighth spot. As long as Philly loses at least one of their remaining games, Carolina secures with an overtime loss tonight.
Justin Williams will not be returning to the lineup despite reports that he's feeling much better.
The Canes will be rolling with seven defensemen.
The Hurricanes are 5-2-0 against the Kitties this season.
In my preparation for the game, I'm going to give myself a nice clean shave. I've been wearing a little bit of scruff for about a year solid, but it's time to clean the slate in preparation for the playoff beard.
If any of the four scenarios unfolds to put the Hurricanes in the playoffs, I'll regularly update the status of the beard.
I didn't sleep last night.
Go. Canes.
Most seasons, the finale has been bittersweet. In '02 and '06, they had the SE crown wrapped up. Every other season, they weren't even in the playoffs. The point is that the final game has not had any "real" meaning in the time that I've been going to them. In '06, they could have secured the #1 seed in the East if they had won the final game. They lost, ended up with the #2 seed, and maybe it gave the Canes the path they needed.
Tonight, they need a win to secure the division. They can still win the division if they lose and get some help, but that's not what they want.
Yesterday, I wrote that there were two backup plans in case the Canes can't get a win tonight. There's actually a third plan, but it didn't occur to me until this morning.
If the Canes stumble, but end up with an overtime/shootout loss, they will be two points ahead of ninth place Philly. If the hypothetical overtime loss is coupled with a regulation loss by Philly, Carolina will secure the eighth spot. As long as Philly loses at least one of their remaining games, Carolina secures with an overtime loss tonight.
Justin Williams will not be returning to the lineup despite reports that he's feeling much better.
The Canes will be rolling with seven defensemen.
The Hurricanes are 5-2-0 against the Kitties this season.
In my preparation for the game, I'm going to give myself a nice clean shave. I've been wearing a little bit of scruff for about a year solid, but it's time to clean the slate in preparation for the playoff beard.
If any of the four scenarios unfolds to put the Hurricanes in the playoffs, I'll regularly update the status of the beard.
I didn't sleep last night.
Go. Canes.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Caps hold serve; down to one
On Thursday, the Capitals refused to die. They won their sixth straight game and forced the Southeast title to swing on the last games of the season for Carolina and for Washington.
Carolina will have a chance to end it on their own terms with a regulation or overtime win against Florida at the RBC Center on Friday. Failing that, Carolina will hope that one of two things happens.
Plan B will be for the Capitals to lose in regulation to the Kitties on Saturday. That way, Carolina will still win the Southeast and will have the #3 seed.
Plan C will be for the Flyers to lose both of their remaining games (New Jersey on Friday and Pittsburgh on Sunday), with at least one of those losses in regulation. That way, Carolina will have the #8 seed in the East.
Obviously, they'd prefer to do it by themselves.
Go Canes!
Carolina will have a chance to end it on their own terms with a regulation or overtime win against Florida at the RBC Center on Friday. Failing that, Carolina will hope that one of two things happens.
Plan B will be for the Capitals to lose in regulation to the Kitties on Saturday. That way, Carolina will still win the Southeast and will have the #3 seed.
Plan C will be for the Flyers to lose both of their remaining games (New Jersey on Friday and Pittsburgh on Sunday), with at least one of those losses in regulation. That way, Carolina will have the #8 seed in the East.
Obviously, they'd prefer to do it by themselves.
Go Canes!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Carolina wins again, widens lead
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.
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.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Carolina visits Sunrise
Tonight, Carolina will visit the Panthers with a chance to put some real distance between themselves and both of the SE contenders. If Carolina can snap Florida's seven game winning streak, their lead will be seven over Washington and nine over Florida. That will all but eliminate the Panthers. If, however, the Panthers win, Carolina's lead will be just five points over each team.
Even if Carolina can muster just one standings point, a lot of pressure will be on Washington and Florida because they will both be six points back with seven games to play.
Puck drop is 7:30.
There are no other games of interest in the Southeast tonight. Tampa plays Pittsburgh, and the Penguins will have a chance to take over first place in their division, but that won't affect the Hurricanes' standing.
Even if Carolina can muster just one standings point, a lot of pressure will be on Washington and Florida because they will both be six points back with seven games to play.
Puck drop is 7:30.
There are no other games of interest in the Southeast tonight. Tampa plays Pittsburgh, and the Penguins will have a chance to take over first place in their division, but that won't affect the Hurricanes' standing.
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.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Get well, Richard Zednik. Scary incident at HSBC.
While I was busy watching UNC extend its 53-year home winning streak in college basketball against Clemson, I missed a grisly scene in the Sabres-Panthers game.
Richard Zednik was cut in the neck by the skate blade of teammate Olli Jokinen in the third period of action with the Sabres leading 4-3. Zednik was cut deeply and was bleeding profusely, but skated to the bench under his own power.
The players on both teams and the fans stood in stunned silence as the game was delayed for 15 minutes. Longtime Sabres fans must have been reminded of that horrible incident with Clint Malarchuk back in the Aud in March of 1989. With reference to that, Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret said "I'm afraid I have (seen that much blood), but I don't like to recall it."
Thankfully, the medical staffs of both teams worked to stop the bleeding before rushing him to a local hospital. As of now, he's in stable condition.
I have issue with the fact that the game was resumed. According to what I've read, the indications are that referee Bill McCreary gave Jacques Martin the option, but I don't think there should have been any question. The game should have been suspended or called. I'm sure the Panthers players would have been okay with even ending the game right then. I don't think any of them, or any of the Sabres for that matter, could focus completely on finishing the game.
There's no telling what this will mean to Zednik's season or career, but all of that is secondary to his health right now.
What makes this even more frightening is that it happened just one day after linesman Pat Depuzzo was cut in the face by Steve Downie's skate in Philadelphia.
RBH wishes all the best for a full and speedy recovery for Zednik.
Richard Zednik was cut in the neck by the skate blade of teammate Olli Jokinen in the third period of action with the Sabres leading 4-3. Zednik was cut deeply and was bleeding profusely, but skated to the bench under his own power.
The players on both teams and the fans stood in stunned silence as the game was delayed for 15 minutes. Longtime Sabres fans must have been reminded of that horrible incident with Clint Malarchuk back in the Aud in March of 1989. With reference to that, Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret said "I'm afraid I have (seen that much blood), but I don't like to recall it."
Thankfully, the medical staffs of both teams worked to stop the bleeding before rushing him to a local hospital. As of now, he's in stable condition.
I have issue with the fact that the game was resumed. According to what I've read, the indications are that referee Bill McCreary gave Jacques Martin the option, but I don't think there should have been any question. The game should have been suspended or called. I'm sure the Panthers players would have been okay with even ending the game right then. I don't think any of them, or any of the Sabres for that matter, could focus completely on finishing the game.
There's no telling what this will mean to Zednik's season or career, but all of that is secondary to his health right now.
What makes this even more frightening is that it happened just one day after linesman Pat Depuzzo was cut in the face by Steve Downie's skate in Philadelphia.
RBH wishes all the best for a full and speedy recovery for Zednik.
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.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Canes eke out 2-1 win; Wesley joins elite group.
On Saturday, the Hurricanes defeated the visiting Kitties 2-1 on two goals by Rod Brind'Amour. Glen Wesley became just the 10th defenseman to play in 1,400 games. Most importantly was that Carolina snapped a two game losing streak, and earned a regulation win against a division opponent.
The game wasn't televised by Carolina or Florida. Even with Center Ice, I couldn't watch this game. So it was Chuckandtheletterk for me.
Surprisingly, it was Cam Ward rather than Johnny Crackers who started in nets. I figured since Cam worked last night and Grahame has played well against the Kitties, it would be #47. Maybe coach Laviolette lost faith in him after the 6-1 shelling in The City of Tampa the other night. After the embarrassing 6-1 and 2-0 losses to Tampa and Atlanta respectively, there were obviously no points streaks for any Hurricanes players.
There was, however, a streak of home games without a loss against the Kitties on the line. The last time Florida won in Raleigh was December 6, 2002. Chairman Mo was still here. Kevin Weekes was still here. Jeff O'Neill was still here. Even Arturs Irbe was still here. Sandis Ozolinsh had the game winning goal and Roberto Luongo was the winning goaltender in a 2-0 shutout. I was at that game, and it was miserable. It was just after a horrendous ice storm had paralyzed the state. I had no power or heat for nine days during the coldest winter we've had in some time. I had an out-of-town visitor staying with my in my frigid, powerless apartment. Her whole reason for visiting -- an Aimee Mann concert -- fell through because the interstate highways were shut down and we couldn't go. Nothing went right. That whole visit was a fiasco that's another story for another day.
Anyway, it had been a looooooong time since the Kitties has won a game in the RBC Center, and the home team intended to keep it that way.
Rod Brind'Amour made sure it stayed that way. He scored a power play goal at 9:52 of the first period and an even strength goal at 2:44 of the third. The second goal was waived off on the ice, and the indication was that it had been kicked in. Brindy demanded a video review, and the on-ice ruling was overturned.
Nathan Horton foiled Cam Ward's shutout bid at 13:59 of the third with a power play. Again, I had no visual, but Chuckandtheletterk described it as fluky. Apparently, he was below the goal line, threw one at the net and it went in off Glen "Mr. 1400" Wesley.
Late in the third, Carolina had to kill off a long 5-on-3 power play.
For some reason, Florida elected not to pull Vokoun until there were about 30 seconds left, and Carolina was unable to get an empty net goal for their Captain. As a matter of fact, Vokoun was only out of net for about 10 seconds before going back in.
Nic Wallin returned to the lineup, but for some reason, "Avi" Tanabe stayed in as a seventh defenseman. Also, for some strange reason, Jeff Hamilton had very limited ice time. Despite being a consistently good player, and the only one who showed up against Tampa, Hambone was limited to five shifts tonight for a grand total of 5:45 TOI. I'd much rather see Hambone double shifted than have Avi Tanabe as a seventh defenseman/forward.
I'll defer to the "official" three stars:
THIRD STAR Tim Gleason, CAR --- 5 hits, 3 blocked shots, 2 takeaways, 5 PIM
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR --- 27 saves, win
FIRST STAR Rod Brind'Amour, CAR --- 2 goals, GWG
Carolina will have a few days off before hosting the Flyers on Wednesday.
The game wasn't televised by Carolina or Florida. Even with Center Ice, I couldn't watch this game. So it was Chuckandtheletterk for me.
Surprisingly, it was Cam Ward rather than Johnny Crackers who started in nets. I figured since Cam worked last night and Grahame has played well against the Kitties, it would be #47. Maybe coach Laviolette lost faith in him after the 6-1 shelling in The City of Tampa the other night. After the embarrassing 6-1 and 2-0 losses to Tampa and Atlanta respectively, there were obviously no points streaks for any Hurricanes players.
There was, however, a streak of home games without a loss against the Kitties on the line. The last time Florida won in Raleigh was December 6, 2002. Chairman Mo was still here. Kevin Weekes was still here. Jeff O'Neill was still here. Even Arturs Irbe was still here. Sandis Ozolinsh had the game winning goal and Roberto Luongo was the winning goaltender in a 2-0 shutout. I was at that game, and it was miserable. It was just after a horrendous ice storm had paralyzed the state. I had no power or heat for nine days during the coldest winter we've had in some time. I had an out-of-town visitor staying with my in my frigid, powerless apartment. Her whole reason for visiting -- an Aimee Mann concert -- fell through because the interstate highways were shut down and we couldn't go. Nothing went right. That whole visit was a fiasco that's another story for another day.
Anyway, it had been a looooooong time since the Kitties has won a game in the RBC Center, and the home team intended to keep it that way.
Rod Brind'Amour made sure it stayed that way. He scored a power play goal at 9:52 of the first period and an even strength goal at 2:44 of the third. The second goal was waived off on the ice, and the indication was that it had been kicked in. Brindy demanded a video review, and the on-ice ruling was overturned.
Nathan Horton foiled Cam Ward's shutout bid at 13:59 of the third with a power play. Again, I had no visual, but Chuckandtheletterk described it as fluky. Apparently, he was below the goal line, threw one at the net and it went in off Glen "Mr. 1400" Wesley.
Late in the third, Carolina had to kill off a long 5-on-3 power play.
For some reason, Florida elected not to pull Vokoun until there were about 30 seconds left, and Carolina was unable to get an empty net goal for their Captain. As a matter of fact, Vokoun was only out of net for about 10 seconds before going back in.
Nic Wallin returned to the lineup, but for some reason, "Avi" Tanabe stayed in as a seventh defenseman. Also, for some strange reason, Jeff Hamilton had very limited ice time. Despite being a consistently good player, and the only one who showed up against Tampa, Hambone was limited to five shifts tonight for a grand total of 5:45 TOI. I'd much rather see Hambone double shifted than have Avi Tanabe as a seventh defenseman/forward.
I'll defer to the "official" three stars:
THIRD STAR Tim Gleason, CAR --- 5 hits, 3 blocked shots, 2 takeaways, 5 PIM
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR --- 27 saves, win
FIRST STAR Rod Brind'Amour, CAR --- 2 goals, GWG
Carolina will have a few days off before hosting the Flyers on Wednesday.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Canes down Panthers, Cole hurt
On Monday, the Hurricanes defeated Florida by the score of 4-3. They won the game, but they appear to have lost Erik Cole.
Cory Stillman scored two freakish goals including one from beyond center ice and one from below the goal line. Viva scored the other two goals. Stumpel, Weiss and Booth all scored for the Kitties.
Although the end result was good, The Sliding Pokecheck and I agreed via IM that the outcome of the game wasn't important after seeing Erik Cole lie motionless on the ice for several minutes.
With 7:26 remaining in the third, and the score tied 3-3, Cole was driving to the net, and was knocked down by Jassen Cullimore. Cole went down, and slid head-first into Vokoun. There will be some who will say that Cullimore held Cole, or "dragged him down". He did use his free hand a tiny bit, but I don't think there was anything wrong with what he did. The contact, and the resulting collision with the goaltender were just unfortunate.
Cole lay motionless for several minutes while members of both teams' training staffs tended to him. Right away, he was wiggling his fingers on both hands, moving his feet, but he wasn't really moving. Given his injury history, it was encouraging that he had movement in his extremities, but very frightening nonetheless.
After what must have been seven minutes, Cole was removed from the ice on a stretcher. Kudos to the Florida Panthers training staff, to their players and fans for expressing concern. Kudos to the organ player in the arena for having the courtesy to keep quiet. I've commented about this kind of thing before, and I'll say every time that a time like that is one where everyone needs to forget about which team they root for, and just worry about the health and well-being of the player. Kudos also to referee Mick McGeough for assisting the EMT crews.
According to preliminary reports, he was taken to a nearby hospital, but not immediately. That is another bit of encouraging news.
We won't know anything for at least 12 hours, and I won't know anything for at least 20, but we're obviously wishing the best for Erik Cole. Now is not the time to moan about how unjust the injury gods are.
If there is a bright side, it is that Andrew Ladd has been penciled in for a return to the lineup on Wednesday. Still, I'm sure that the team will recall Keith Aucoin from Albany for the game against the Bolts.
With two assists, Ray Whitney extended his scoring streak to 10 games.
This was Peter Laviolette's 200th win as a head coach. That's a nice accomplishment, but honestly, he couldn't possibly care less right now.
I will make every effort to update the known status of Cole. At this point, just as was the case on March 5 2006, we're just hoping that Erik (the man) is okay. Erik (the hockey player) is second.
UPDATE : 12:46 pm Very good early news. Cole has been released from the Cleveland Clinic and cleared to fly with the team to Tampa. CT Scans were negative. I guess he'll be held out of the lineup even if he is cleared to play. The important thing is that he's okay.
Cory Stillman scored two freakish goals including one from beyond center ice and one from below the goal line. Viva scored the other two goals. Stumpel, Weiss and Booth all scored for the Kitties.
Although the end result was good, The Sliding Pokecheck and I agreed via IM that the outcome of the game wasn't important after seeing Erik Cole lie motionless on the ice for several minutes.
With 7:26 remaining in the third, and the score tied 3-3, Cole was driving to the net, and was knocked down by Jassen Cullimore. Cole went down, and slid head-first into Vokoun. There will be some who will say that Cullimore held Cole, or "dragged him down". He did use his free hand a tiny bit, but I don't think there was anything wrong with what he did. The contact, and the resulting collision with the goaltender were just unfortunate.
Cole lay motionless for several minutes while members of both teams' training staffs tended to him. Right away, he was wiggling his fingers on both hands, moving his feet, but he wasn't really moving. Given his injury history, it was encouraging that he had movement in his extremities, but very frightening nonetheless.
After what must have been seven minutes, Cole was removed from the ice on a stretcher. Kudos to the Florida Panthers training staff, to their players and fans for expressing concern. Kudos to the organ player in the arena for having the courtesy to keep quiet. I've commented about this kind of thing before, and I'll say every time that a time like that is one where everyone needs to forget about which team they root for, and just worry about the health and well-being of the player. Kudos also to referee Mick McGeough for assisting the EMT crews.
According to preliminary reports, he was taken to a nearby hospital, but not immediately. That is another bit of encouraging news.
We won't know anything for at least 12 hours, and I won't know anything for at least 20, but we're obviously wishing the best for Erik Cole. Now is not the time to moan about how unjust the injury gods are.
If there is a bright side, it is that Andrew Ladd has been penciled in for a return to the lineup on Wednesday. Still, I'm sure that the team will recall Keith Aucoin from Albany for the game against the Bolts.
With two assists, Ray Whitney extended his scoring streak to 10 games.
This was Peter Laviolette's 200th win as a head coach. That's a nice accomplishment, but honestly, he couldn't possibly care less right now.
I will make every effort to update the known status of Cole. At this point, just as was the case on March 5 2006, we're just hoping that Erik (the man) is okay. Erik (the hockey player) is second.
UPDATE : 12:46 pm Very good early news. Cole has been released from the Cleveland Clinic and cleared to fly with the team to Tampa. CT Scans were negative. I guess he'll be held out of the lineup even if he is cleared to play. The important thing is that he's okay.
Canes - Kitties, Ronnie to enter hall
Tonight will be a bigger night for the Hurricanes off the ice than it will on it. Simultaneously, Ron Francis will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Hurricanes will be in Sunrise taking on the Panthers.
There is nothing I can say about Ronnie Franchise that hasn't been said before and more eloquently than I ever could. He is a paragon of class, a model of leadership and a perfect example of what a teammate, brother and father should be. While he won two Cups with the Penguins, he spent the majority of his career with the Whaler/Canes and holds the franchise record in all offensive categories. He will, without ever having received fanfare, enter the Hall of Fame with the second most assists (1249) in NHL history, the 21st most goals (549) and the fourth most points (1798).
TSN, NHL.com, The Raleigh News & Observer all chime in about Francis. As always, Luke Decock's piece in the N&O is well worth the price of admission. Also check out the list of 151 different players Ronnie gave goal assists to. Jaro Jagr tops that list with 110 assists received. Then there's the list of 157 different goalies he scored against. St. Patrick Roy tops that list with 16 goals against.
The induction ceremony starts at 7:30. So does the game. The game will be nationally televised on Versus, while the induction ceremony will be on the NHL Network. While NHLN has made it into the Raleigh market, it has unfortunately not made it into my market. I won't be able to watch. I guess I'll catch the tape of it later.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes will be in South Florida for the first time since Halloween night, when the South Florida reporters complained about diving, and referee Brad Watson responded by whistling the Canes for two diving penalties. Carolina lost that game 4-2, but returned home to beat the Panthers by the same score in Raleigh three days later.
This time, the Panthers writers are mum. They're too busy moaning about the Panthers recent losses to the Thrashers (4-1) and the Lightning (3-1).
No word on who the officials will be tonight Mick "Helmet" McGeough will be the lead official tonight.
Ray Whitney enters the game with a nine game points streak.
Brett McLean and Richard Zednick are out for the Panthers. In their stead, they have called up Stefan Meyer and Tanner Glass from Rochester. Carolina only wishes that Olli Jokinen were out. He's been lethal against Carolina, and will be their #1 concern.
There is nothing I can say about Ronnie Franchise that hasn't been said before and more eloquently than I ever could. He is a paragon of class, a model of leadership and a perfect example of what a teammate, brother and father should be. While he won two Cups with the Penguins, he spent the majority of his career with the Whaler/Canes and holds the franchise record in all offensive categories. He will, without ever having received fanfare, enter the Hall of Fame with the second most assists (1249) in NHL history, the 21st most goals (549) and the fourth most points (1798).
TSN, NHL.com, The Raleigh News & Observer all chime in about Francis. As always, Luke Decock's piece in the N&O is well worth the price of admission. Also check out the list of 151 different players Ronnie gave goal assists to. Jaro Jagr tops that list with 110 assists received. Then there's the list of 157 different goalies he scored against. St. Patrick Roy tops that list with 16 goals against.
The induction ceremony starts at 7:30. So does the game. The game will be nationally televised on Versus, while the induction ceremony will be on the NHL Network. While NHLN has made it into the Raleigh market, it has unfortunately not made it into my market. I won't be able to watch. I guess I'll catch the tape of it later.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes will be in South Florida for the first time since Halloween night, when the South Florida reporters complained about diving, and referee Brad Watson responded by whistling the Canes for two diving penalties. Carolina lost that game 4-2, but returned home to beat the Panthers by the same score in Raleigh three days later.
This time, the Panthers writers are mum. They're too busy moaning about the Panthers recent losses to the Thrashers (4-1) and the Lightning (3-1).
Ray Whitney enters the game with a nine game points streak.
Brett McLean and Richard Zednick are out for the Panthers. In their stead, they have called up Stefan Meyer and Tanner Glass from Rochester. Carolina only wishes that Olli Jokinen were out. He's been lethal against Carolina, and will be their #1 concern.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
don't forget to set your clocks, dvrs
Today marks the end of Daylight Savings Time in the United States and Canada. Set your clocks back one hour when you go to bed tonight. Officially, the change takes place at 2:00 am Sunday. Don't forget. If you forget, you'll be an hour early for whatever you do on Sundays.
Also, remember to set your DVRs. Tonight's game between the Kitties and Hurricanes isn't carried by Carolina's TV network, so you'll have to find Florida's feed as "game 5" in your Center Ice package.
Who am I kidding? Everyone will be watching Leafs against Habs on HNIC.
Anyway, Carolina will be looking to exact revenge agains the Kitties for what happened Wednesday. I say they'll get it.
Crucial to this game is shutting down Olli "Cane Killa" Jokinen. He has tallied 19 points (8/11) against Carolina in the last 9 meetings. His domination of the Canes is way more pronounced than Erik Cole's domination of the Habs. Except that of those nine games, Carolina won seven.
Eric Staal has a four game point streak. Ray Whitney and Matt Cullen each have a five game streak going, and Cory Stillman has a six game streak.
Johnny Crackers will be starting in nets for the Hurricanes while Craig Anderson will get the nod for the Kitties.
Florida beat Buffalo last night, and did not practice today. Carolina will hope to come roaring out of the gates to take advantage of the weary visitors. They will hope to keep their foot on the throttle for the entire game.
Tim Peel and Bill McCreary will be the referee tandem.
One third thing to make sure you do. Watch or record Saturday Night Live. Feist will be playing. If her appearances on other shows are a barometer, she'll play "1234", and will have a chorus of people on stage with her from Broken Social Scene and Grizzly Bear and some other cool folks too. I imagine she'll also play "My Moon My Man". If you get the chance to see her live, do it. It's also fun to watch her on TV.
Also, remember to set your DVRs. Tonight's game between the Kitties and Hurricanes isn't carried by Carolina's TV network, so you'll have to find Florida's feed as "game 5" in your Center Ice package.
Who am I kidding? Everyone will be watching Leafs against Habs on HNIC.
Anyway, Carolina will be looking to exact revenge agains the Kitties for what happened Wednesday. I say they'll get it.
Crucial to this game is shutting down Olli "Cane Killa" Jokinen. He has tallied 19 points (8/11) against Carolina in the last 9 meetings. His domination of the Canes is way more pronounced than Erik Cole's domination of the Habs. Except that of those nine games, Carolina won seven.
Eric Staal has a four game point streak. Ray Whitney and Matt Cullen each have a five game streak going, and Cory Stillman has a six game streak.
Johnny Crackers will be starting in nets for the Hurricanes while Craig Anderson will get the nod for the Kitties.
Florida beat Buffalo last night, and did not practice today. Carolina will hope to come roaring out of the gates to take advantage of the weary visitors. They will hope to keep their foot on the throttle for the entire game.
Tim Peel and Bill McCreary will be the referee tandem.
One third thing to make sure you do. Watch or record Saturday Night Live. Feist will be playing. If her appearances on other shows are a barometer, she'll play "1234", and will have a chorus of people on stage with her from Broken Social Scene and Grizzly Bear and some other cool folks too. I imagine she'll also play "My Moon My Man". If you get the chance to see her live, do it. It's also fun to watch her on TV.
Canes-Cats run it back
On Saturday night, the Kitties will visit the RBC for the first time since the final day of the 06-07 season. Carolina will be looking to avenge their loss on Halloween night. Aside from the officiating issues, Carolina was not happy with the way they played. They'll look to right that. They have some added incentive, as GM Jim Rutherford has pretty much circled and highlighted this one on the calendar.
Carolina has now entered the "division matchup" portion of their schedule. There are 13 games in November, and 11 are against SE division rivals. Oddly, the other two are against Philly.
Carolina played poorly and deserved to lose on Wednesday. There's not much debate over that issue. When they were victimized by a couple of very shady tripping calls, everyone from the players to the coaches to the TV guys to the GM accused referee Brad Watson of being influenced by things written in the South Florida newspapers. It seems awfully coincidental that the very day that numerous articles are written about Carolina being divers, they get two diving penalties in one period. Chad LaRose got blindsided off the puck by Olli Jokinen and Justin Williams gets flat out tackled by Nathan Horton. Each time, the Carolina player was called for diving, which negated what would have been a power play.
That said, Carolina had three other power play chances, and none of them looked good. Meanwhile, their power play stank.
Jim Rutherford asked the League to review the diving calls made against Carolina, and probably attached newspaper clippings and a post-it note saying "Was Watson influenced by these?" Colin Campbell, whose job also entails the levying of player suspensions, reviews the performance of on-ice officials. His son, for what it's worth, plays for the Panthers.
According to Lord Stanley's Blog this morning, Jim Rutherford is more charged up about this than any other game, any other rivalry. And he's got "nothing to say" to Panthers head coach and GM Jacques Martin
Rutherford is aware, though, that these battles need to be fought on the ice. This is between the Hurricanes and the Panthers. This isn't between the News & Observer and the Sun-Times Sentinel, or whatever other paper covers the Kitties. He did, though, leave one little nugget:
Whoever happens to be officiating tonight's game won't see that. It isn't in the print edition of the N&O.
The lineup cards haven't been sent yet, so I don't know who will be officiating. Brad Watson didn't work an NHL game last night.
I think Rutherford might have had a little meeting with coach Laviolette to let Lavi know how he feels about this game.
There may be some chippiness in this game. To be honest, I wouldn't mind. Everybody's eager to get right back on the ice and make amends for what was a pretty bad game. As for the stuff in the newspapers, Tim Gleason had the best "no comment" line on the Hurricanes website:
Couple that sentiment with Rutherford's, and I sort of expect to see this team go all Tom Osborne, Bill Belichick on the Kitties. I'm not in favor of a team -- even at the professional level -- "running up the score", but if the opportunity presents itself tonight I'd love to see it.
A little bird just told me that Tim Peel will be one of the officials tonight. I'll fill in the rest later.
Carolina has now entered the "division matchup" portion of their schedule. There are 13 games in November, and 11 are against SE division rivals. Oddly, the other two are against Philly.
Carolina played poorly and deserved to lose on Wednesday. There's not much debate over that issue. When they were victimized by a couple of very shady tripping calls, everyone from the players to the coaches to the TV guys to the GM accused referee Brad Watson of being influenced by things written in the South Florida newspapers. It seems awfully coincidental that the very day that numerous articles are written about Carolina being divers, they get two diving penalties in one period. Chad LaRose got blindsided off the puck by Olli Jokinen and Justin Williams gets flat out tackled by Nathan Horton. Each time, the Carolina player was called for diving, which negated what would have been a power play.
That said, Carolina had three other power play chances, and none of them looked good. Meanwhile, their power play stank.
Jim Rutherford asked the League to review the diving calls made against Carolina, and probably attached newspaper clippings and a post-it note saying "Was Watson influenced by these?" Colin Campbell, whose job also entails the levying of player suspensions, reviews the performance of on-ice officials. His son, for what it's worth, plays for the Panthers.
According to Lord Stanley's Blog this morning, Jim Rutherford is more charged up about this than any other game, any other rivalry. And he's got "nothing to say" to Panthers head coach and GM Jacques Martin
"This is the strongest I've felt about an issue," Rutherford said. "We can sit there game after game and disagree with the other team or the officiating. This is as strong as I've ever felt about an issue."
Rutherford is aware, though, that these battles need to be fought on the ice. This is between the Hurricanes and the Panthers. This isn't between the News & Observer and the Sun-Times Sentinel, or whatever other paper covers the Kitties. He did, though, leave one little nugget:
"I'm afraid to say anything because I don't know who's going to read what I might say," Rutherford said, continuing to imply that Martin's comments influenced referee Brad Watson.
"I don't have anything to say to him. He uses different ways to motivate his team. I take it this is a way he's decided to motivate his team to play us. In the past we've been able to play in spurts or play one period in a game and beat Florida. In this particular game, it wasn't just the team we had to beat, so we fell short."
Whoever happens to be officiating tonight's game won't see that. It isn't in the print edition of the N&O.
The lineup cards haven't been sent yet, so I don't know who will be officiating. Brad Watson didn't work an NHL game last night.
I think Rutherford might have had a little meeting with coach Laviolette to let Lavi know how he feels about this game.
There may be some chippiness in this game. To be honest, I wouldn't mind. Everybody's eager to get right back on the ice and make amends for what was a pretty bad game. As for the stuff in the newspapers, Tim Gleason had the best "no comment" line on the Hurricanes website:
“With all the stuff they’ve been saying in the newspapers, it’s a bunch of garbage,” said Tim Gleason. “If they want to do some talking, let’s do it on the ice and not in the paper."
Couple that sentiment with Rutherford's, and I sort of expect to see this team go all Tom Osborne, Bill Belichick on the Kitties. I'm not in favor of a team -- even at the professional level -- "running up the score", but if the opportunity presents itself tonight I'd love to see it.
A little bird just told me that Tim Peel will be one of the officials tonight. I'll fill in the rest later.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Cats 4 - Canes 2
I didn't get to watch the game the way I would have liked, but I saw most of the game tonight. Carolina certainly had their chances, but in the end, they lost 4-2. Florida spent the last five minutes of the game with at least a one-man-advantage, and that was when they seized the game.
Florida got what they wanted. After being "wronged" last April 1, the Panthers were vindicated tonight when Carolina was called twice for diving. I haven't gone over the tape with a fine-toothed comb, but I remember the one where LaRose was called for diving, and it's bullshit. There should have been no call there at all. On either side.
Eric Staal definitely committed a penalty at 15:47 of the third, but I think "holding" was the wrong call. Roughing, or cross-checking maybe. Holding? No. That's beside the point. The key point of the game was when Justin Williams was correctly called for delay of game at 17:17 of the third, giving the Panthers a five-on-three. They wasted little time in converting that, then scoring another power play goal in the closing moments to put Carolina out.
I predicted a 4-1 victory by the Canes, and I was quite a bit off on that.
Later on, I'll check the DVR of the game. Like I say, I remember the LaRose "diving" penalty, and it was bush league. I didn't see the one against Williams when it happened live.
All that aside, Olli Jokinen was up to his usual "Cane Killa" stuff. He had a goal and two assists, earning first star of the game.
The two teams will meet again in Raleigh on Saturday night. Expect to see more gift "diving" penalties against the Canes.
Florida got what they wanted. After being "wronged" last April 1, the Panthers were vindicated tonight when Carolina was called twice for diving. I haven't gone over the tape with a fine-toothed comb, but I remember the one where LaRose was called for diving, and it's bullshit. There should have been no call there at all. On either side.
Eric Staal definitely committed a penalty at 15:47 of the third, but I think "holding" was the wrong call. Roughing, or cross-checking maybe. Holding? No. That's beside the point. The key point of the game was when Justin Williams was correctly called for delay of game at 17:17 of the third, giving the Panthers a five-on-three. They wasted little time in converting that, then scoring another power play goal in the closing moments to put Carolina out.
I predicted a 4-1 victory by the Canes, and I was quite a bit off on that.
Later on, I'll check the DVR of the game. Like I say, I remember the LaRose "diving" penalty, and it was bush league. I didn't see the one against Williams when it happened live.
All that aside, Olli Jokinen was up to his usual "Cane Killa" stuff. He had a goal and two assists, earning first star of the game.
The two teams will meet again in Raleigh on Saturday night. Expect to see more gift "diving" penalties against the Canes.
Canes-Cats preview
Carolina will be in Sunrise tonight, playing the Panthers for the first time since the last game of the 06-07 season.
Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post calls the Canes "divers", pointing to the 70 penalties Carolina has drawn so far this season, and moer specifically to the April 1 game last season, in which Ed Belfour handed the Canes the game on a silver platter.
Biggane is upset that his favorite team was undisciplined against the Hurricanes in four overtime games last season. He doesn't mention this, but I did in a post dated April 8, 2007.
Instead of pointing to Carolina's skilled skaters and saying that you have no choice but to haul them down, he calls Carolina a bunch of divers. In reference to the April 1 game, he even references a YouTube clip that yours truly posted.
I can understand how frustrating it must be to watch games go down like that, and I will admit that the "trip" call against Bryan Allen on April 1 was a bit questionable, but instead of saying something like "Carolina's speedy skaters forced the Panthers to take penalties", he says something like "Carolina dives every chance they get."
Meh.
Going into this game, Rod Brind'Amour has a nine game scoring streak.
Carolina won the series last year 7-1, including the last seven in a row. As listed above, four of them were in overtime, with the Panthers committing penalties in each extra frame.
Unfortunately, Carolina doesn't have Eddie "the Billion Dollar Eagle" Belfour to kick around anymore.
Carolina should win this game. They will do it using their skill and speed. They will force the Cats to take penalties, and they will force Biggane to write bad copy about how the Hurricanes cheat.
I predict that there might be some raw nerves on the part of the home team, but I don't really anticipate much chippiness.
I call it 4-1 Canes. Obviously without any overtime drama.
Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post calls the Canes "divers", pointing to the 70 penalties Carolina has drawn so far this season, and moer specifically to the April 1 game last season, in which Ed Belfour handed the Canes the game on a silver platter.
Biggane is upset that his favorite team was undisciplined against the Hurricanes in four overtime games last season. He doesn't mention this, but I did in a post dated April 8, 2007.
* On December 23 in Florida, Jay Bouwmeester was guilty of tripping at 0:30 of OT, and Erik Cole won it at 1:59.
* On January 16 in Florida, Mike Van Ryn was guilty of holding at 1:30 of the OT , and Viva won it at 1:47.
* On April 1 in Florida, Bryan Allen was called for hooking and Ed Belfour for unsportsmanlike conduct giving the Canes a five-on-three at 1:06 of OT. Ray Whitney won it at 1:30.
* On April 7 in Raleigh, Bryan Allen was called for kneeing at 0:27 of OT. The Canes didn't win on the power play. Allen had a chance to redeem himself with a penalty shot, but failed.
Instead of pointing to Carolina's skilled skaters and saying that you have no choice but to haul them down, he calls Carolina a bunch of divers. In reference to the April 1 game, he even references a YouTube clip that yours truly posted.
I can understand how frustrating it must be to watch games go down like that, and I will admit that the "trip" call against Bryan Allen on April 1 was a bit questionable, but instead of saying something like "Carolina's speedy skaters forced the Panthers to take penalties", he says something like "Carolina dives every chance they get."
Meh.
Going into this game, Rod Brind'Amour has a nine game scoring streak.
Carolina won the series last year 7-1, including the last seven in a row. As listed above, four of them were in overtime, with the Panthers committing penalties in each extra frame.
Unfortunately, Carolina doesn't have Eddie "the Billion Dollar Eagle" Belfour to kick around anymore.
Carolina should win this game. They will do it using their skill and speed. They will force the Cats to take penalties, and they will force Biggane to write bad copy about how the Hurricanes cheat.
I predict that there might be some raw nerves on the part of the home team, but I don't really anticipate much chippiness.
I call it 4-1 Canes. Obviously without any overtime drama.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Florida steals one, Atlanta can't shoot.
I just got done watching the game between Montréal and Florida.
WOW!!!
Florida played pretty poorly for 58 minutes, but somehow emerged from the Bell Centre with two points. With seven minutes to go, the Panthers had only registered 15 shots on goal, and it looked like Cristobal Huet was on his way to a shutout.
Mike Komaserik was called for slashing with about two and a half to play, and the Panthers suddenly snapped to attention. They were able to mount some serious pressure on Huet, especially after Vokoun was pulled for the extra attacker. During the furious six-on-four sequence, Huet was forced to make a couple of great stops. The Habs killed the penalty, but just two seconds after the expiration, Nathan Horton got one past Huet to tie the game with 10.2 seconds remaining in the third.
Florida had been outplayed for the entire game, and really only played well for the last 90 seconds, but somehow that was good enough to get them one.
Nothing happened in the overtime, and the frustrated home crowd watched as it went to shootout. Montréal opted to shoot first. All three of their skaters went low on Vokoun, and he easily made all three stops. Florida's first two skaters were stopped, but Jozef Stumpel scored, and the game was over.
This was a great example of why you shouldn't give up on a game. The Cats stank all game, and they seemed down for the count, but they fought their way into the extra frame and ended up "stealing" two points away from les Habs. Although the Canadiens didn't leave the rink empty handed, they can't be happy about pissing away one point.
One standings point may seem petty at this point in the season, but the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs by one point last year. The Avalanche suffered the same fate. I don't mean to be overdramatic, but if the Canadiens just barely miss the playoffs, they can look at this game. They can look at 10.2 seconds.
In other news, the Thrashers got smoked by Philly, and they remain the only winless team. It's a sad commentary when the pathetic NFL Atlanta Falcons aren't the worst team in town. Sure, they've run up against some good teams, but they've only scored nine goals through their first six games. Five of those goals came in one game. Including last season's playoffs and excluding this year's exhibition games the Thrash have lost 10 games in a row. They've scored a total of 15 goals in those 10 games and have surrendered 44. Ouch. They'll get on track eventually, perhaps.
Jennifer over at SESO has been lamenting the fact that the Thrash just aren't shooting the puck. Tonight, they were outshot 33-31, which brings their cumulative total to 206 shots for the opponents to 141 for the Thrash. Their average is 23.5 SOG per game whilst facing 34.3 from their opponents.
The Canes are in the middle of five days in a row off. What else is there for me to do?
WOW!!!
Florida played pretty poorly for 58 minutes, but somehow emerged from the Bell Centre with two points. With seven minutes to go, the Panthers had only registered 15 shots on goal, and it looked like Cristobal Huet was on his way to a shutout.
Mike Komaserik was called for slashing with about two and a half to play, and the Panthers suddenly snapped to attention. They were able to mount some serious pressure on Huet, especially after Vokoun was pulled for the extra attacker. During the furious six-on-four sequence, Huet was forced to make a couple of great stops. The Habs killed the penalty, but just two seconds after the expiration, Nathan Horton got one past Huet to tie the game with 10.2 seconds remaining in the third.
Florida had been outplayed for the entire game, and really only played well for the last 90 seconds, but somehow that was good enough to get them one.
Nothing happened in the overtime, and the frustrated home crowd watched as it went to shootout. Montréal opted to shoot first. All three of their skaters went low on Vokoun, and he easily made all three stops. Florida's first two skaters were stopped, but Jozef Stumpel scored, and the game was over.
This was a great example of why you shouldn't give up on a game. The Cats stank all game, and they seemed down for the count, but they fought their way into the extra frame and ended up "stealing" two points away from les Habs. Although the Canadiens didn't leave the rink empty handed, they can't be happy about pissing away one point.
One standings point may seem petty at this point in the season, but the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs by one point last year. The Avalanche suffered the same fate. I don't mean to be overdramatic, but if the Canadiens just barely miss the playoffs, they can look at this game. They can look at 10.2 seconds.
In other news, the Thrashers got smoked by Philly, and they remain the only winless team. It's a sad commentary when the pathetic NFL Atlanta Falcons aren't the worst team in town. Sure, they've run up against some good teams, but they've only scored nine goals through their first six games. Five of those goals came in one game. Including last season's playoffs and excluding this year's exhibition games the Thrash have lost 10 games in a row. They've scored a total of 15 goals in those 10 games and have surrendered 44. Ouch. They'll get on track eventually, perhaps.
Jennifer over at SESO has been lamenting the fact that the Thrash just aren't shooting the puck. Tonight, they were outshot 33-31, which brings their cumulative total to 206 shots for the opponents to 141 for the Thrash. Their average is 23.5 SOG per game whilst facing 34.3 from their opponents.
The Canes are in the middle of five days in a row off. What else is there for me to do?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Eastern Conference hot seats (part two)
This is part two of this series.
A few days ago, The Score presented its list of players who will be in "the hot seat" for their respective team. Not necessarily that their job is on the line, but the suggestion is that the success or failure of the team would be predicated upon the success or failure of a single player. Unfortunately, their list puts too much pressure on the goaltender to be the guy. I don't really buy that. Too often, goalies become the fall guy he's not getting any goal support. I like to look elsewhere.
The rest of the crew over at SESO have been kicking this around for a few days, everyone putting their own two cents in. I thought it would be fun to take it team-by-team and give my own unqualified opinion. I'm in no way qualified to comment on Western Conference teams, and in many cases, I have no business commenting on Eastern, but I'll take a shot at all 15 teams in the East. Here are the last seven.
Tampa Bay Lightning Again, The Score picked on the goalie, putting Marc Denis in the "hot seat". I just don't think it's fair. I'd rather put a position player with the weight on his shoulders. In this case, I think it should be Vincent "The Horseman" Lecavalier. Vinny was the #1 overall pick in the 1998 draft. Unlike the #8 pick (Mark Bell) and the #11 pick (Jeff Heerema) from that year's draft, he has avoided a jail sentence this summer. All joking aside, he had his "breakout" season last year, scoring 108 (52/56) points, which shattered his previous personal best by 30 points. It will be on him to repeat that kind of performance and lead his team to a fifth straight playoff appearance. Martin St. Louis also had an explosion last season and will have to do the same this year. Honestly, because they're division foes, I hope they don't help their team, but they sure are fun to watch.
Toronto Maple Leafs The Score once again took the wimpy way out and put the heat on newly acquired goaltender Vesa Toskala. This is utter crap. He'll be duking it out for the #2 spot with former perennial Brodeur backup Scott Clemmensen. In all honesty, he'll probably land with the Marlies or he'll be picked up off the waiver wire. Hot seat? I think not. My pick isn't as wimpy. I'll call out 24-year old Kyle Wellwood. I could have taken the easy way out and picked on the Captain, but Sundin has been probably the most consistent player in all of hockey. You know he's going to give you exactly a point a night. And he's the damn Captain. I say Wellwood because he has shown that he can produce huge numbers at every level, and it's time to do it at the NHL level. Last season, defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe were #2 and #3 on the the Leafs in terms of points production with 58 and 57 respectively. The forwards have to step up, and I think Wellwood is gonna have to be the guy. It certainly won't be Bates Battaglia. They won't be a Cup contender either way, but if this guy can break out, they'll at least make the playoffs.
Florida Panthers. Again with the goaltender. The Score put Tomas Vokoun in there. I don't see why. He was run out of Nashville on a rail and brought in to Florida to replace Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour, who had become the Adam "Pacman" Jones of hockey with his off-ice antics. In 2006, it was certainly true that the Preds' success was predicated upon the health and performance of Vokoun. When he went down with his pelvic thrombophlebitis late in the '06 seson, the Preds took a nosedive and were quickly eliminated in the first round of those playoffs.
It's true that their goaltending depends upon him. The backup, Craig Anderson, is not a good goalie. I'll pick on Nathan Horton. He was taken 3rd in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft (just behind Eric Staal), and of that class, he's one of a few who hasn't had at least one explosive season. Don't misunderstand me. His 62 (31/31) points last year were good, but I think there's more in the tank.
If Olli Jokinen has a horrible season, this team is done, but that won't happen, so there's no point in discussing that. I think Horton can have more of a hand in making them better. They'll still miss the playoffs, but I think Horton will have his year, and it will benefit the Cats greatly.
Pittsburgh Penguins. The Score put old man Gary Roberts in the "hot seat". I won't do that. I can't quite pick between two sophomores, so I'll make them sit in each other's lap in the hot seat. Jordan Staal had a remarkable rookie season. Most folks figured he'd play in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he exploded right out of the gate to earn his spot on the big club. His 42 (29/13) points were way better than the 31 (11/20) that his brother scored during his rookie campaign. His seven shorties were tops in the entire league. If he can do like his brother and have an explosive second year, the Pens will be very happy. Also, second year player Evgeni Malkin has a different challenge. His is to prove that his eye-popping 85 (33/52) points wasn't a fluke. He's a big, big dude, and he's fun to watch. If Malkin can maintain or increase his production, and Staal can increase his, the Pens will be a serious force to be reckoned with.
New York Rangers. The Score says Chris Drury is the guy. I think I agree. He was one of two ultra-expensive free agent acquisitions made by the Rags. He'll not only have to prove that he's worth the $7.1M he'll earn this season. He also has to fill the void left by Michael Nylander. Then again, Scott Gomez will be making $10M. He's never even had a 90 point season in the NHL and he's making stupid money. More money than Jagr. "The Golden Bitch" will probably not like this. Rags fans and Chris Drury himself should hope that there are no hostilities, or Drury will be shown the door. Maybe that is the "hot seat". The relationship between Jagr and Gomez. Yes. I'm sure of it. That's it.
Ottawa Senators. The Score says defenseman Wade Redden. At $6.5M, he's the Sens' highest paid player. I dunno. Daniel Alfredsson had a monstrous 103-point season in '06 , then had a bit of a letdown last season, but he still managed 87 (29/58) points. He was great in the playoffs. At one point in the regular season, though, he went through a drought, and his attitude came into question. I don't know all the details. He and Jason Spezza are both big pieces of the puzzle and they must put up 90 or more points. They must also stay healthy, which is a challenge for Spezza. If one of these guys slacks this year, the other will pick up. I can't decide on anybody. I'm tempted to go against my own rule and pick Ray Emery. He emerged as a star last season, and if he should falter or fall back to Earth (read: Cam Ward), that might make a big difference.
Atlanta Thrashers The Score picked Ilya Kovalchuk. He did drop off his point production by 22 points last season. Sure. Why not? If he drops off again, the Thrash will have no hope of qualifying for the playoffs.
Okay, so that's the Eastern Conference. I doubt that I'll bother with the Western Conference, but we'll see.
A few days ago, The Score presented its list of players who will be in "the hot seat" for their respective team. Not necessarily that their job is on the line, but the suggestion is that the success or failure of the team would be predicated upon the success or failure of a single player. Unfortunately, their list puts too much pressure on the goaltender to be the guy. I don't really buy that. Too often, goalies become the fall guy he's not getting any goal support. I like to look elsewhere.
The rest of the crew over at SESO have been kicking this around for a few days, everyone putting their own two cents in. I thought it would be fun to take it team-by-team and give my own unqualified opinion. I'm in no way qualified to comment on Western Conference teams, and in many cases, I have no business commenting on Eastern, but I'll take a shot at all 15 teams in the East. Here are the last seven.
Tampa Bay Lightning Again, The Score picked on the goalie, putting Marc Denis in the "hot seat". I just don't think it's fair. I'd rather put a position player with the weight on his shoulders. In this case, I think it should be Vincent "The Horseman" Lecavalier. Vinny was the #1 overall pick in the 1998 draft. Unlike the #8 pick (Mark Bell) and the #11 pick (Jeff Heerema) from that year's draft, he has avoided a jail sentence this summer. All joking aside, he had his "breakout" season last year, scoring 108 (52/56) points, which shattered his previous personal best by 30 points. It will be on him to repeat that kind of performance and lead his team to a fifth straight playoff appearance. Martin St. Louis also had an explosion last season and will have to do the same this year. Honestly, because they're division foes, I hope they don't help their team, but they sure are fun to watch.
Toronto Maple Leafs The Score once again took the wimpy way out and put the heat on newly acquired goaltender Vesa Toskala. This is utter crap. He'll be duking it out for the #2 spot with former perennial Brodeur backup Scott Clemmensen. In all honesty, he'll probably land with the Marlies or he'll be picked up off the waiver wire. Hot seat? I think not. My pick isn't as wimpy. I'll call out 24-year old Kyle Wellwood. I could have taken the easy way out and picked on the Captain, but Sundin has been probably the most consistent player in all of hockey. You know he's going to give you exactly a point a night. And he's the damn Captain. I say Wellwood because he has shown that he can produce huge numbers at every level, and it's time to do it at the NHL level. Last season, defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe were #2 and #3 on the the Leafs in terms of points production with 58 and 57 respectively. The forwards have to step up, and I think Wellwood is gonna have to be the guy. It certainly won't be Bates Battaglia. They won't be a Cup contender either way, but if this guy can break out, they'll at least make the playoffs.
Florida Panthers. Again with the goaltender. The Score put Tomas Vokoun in there. I don't see why. He was run out of Nashville on a rail and brought in to Florida to replace Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour, who had become the Adam "Pacman" Jones of hockey with his off-ice antics. In 2006, it was certainly true that the Preds' success was predicated upon the health and performance of Vokoun. When he went down with his pelvic thrombophlebitis late in the '06 seson, the Preds took a nosedive and were quickly eliminated in the first round of those playoffs.
It's true that their goaltending depends upon him. The backup, Craig Anderson, is not a good goalie. I'll pick on Nathan Horton. He was taken 3rd in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft (just behind Eric Staal), and of that class, he's one of a few who hasn't had at least one explosive season. Don't misunderstand me. His 62 (31/31) points last year were good, but I think there's more in the tank.
If Olli Jokinen has a horrible season, this team is done, but that won't happen, so there's no point in discussing that. I think Horton can have more of a hand in making them better. They'll still miss the playoffs, but I think Horton will have his year, and it will benefit the Cats greatly.
Pittsburgh Penguins. The Score put old man Gary Roberts in the "hot seat". I won't do that. I can't quite pick between two sophomores, so I'll make them sit in each other's lap in the hot seat. Jordan Staal had a remarkable rookie season. Most folks figured he'd play in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he exploded right out of the gate to earn his spot on the big club. His 42 (29/13) points were way better than the 31 (11/20) that his brother scored during his rookie campaign. His seven shorties were tops in the entire league. If he can do like his brother and have an explosive second year, the Pens will be very happy. Also, second year player Evgeni Malkin has a different challenge. His is to prove that his eye-popping 85 (33/52) points wasn't a fluke. He's a big, big dude, and he's fun to watch. If Malkin can maintain or increase his production, and Staal can increase his, the Pens will be a serious force to be reckoned with.
New York Rangers. The Score says Chris Drury is the guy. I think I agree. He was one of two ultra-expensive free agent acquisitions made by the Rags. He'll not only have to prove that he's worth the $7.1M he'll earn this season. He also has to fill the void left by Michael Nylander. Then again, Scott Gomez will be making $10M. He's never even had a 90 point season in the NHL and he's making stupid money. More money than Jagr. "The Golden Bitch" will probably not like this. Rags fans and Chris Drury himself should hope that there are no hostilities, or Drury will be shown the door. Maybe that is the "hot seat". The relationship between Jagr and Gomez. Yes. I'm sure of it. That's it.
Ottawa Senators. The Score says defenseman Wade Redden. At $6.5M, he's the Sens' highest paid player. I dunno. Daniel Alfredsson had a monstrous 103-point season in '06 , then had a bit of a letdown last season, but he still managed 87 (29/58) points. He was great in the playoffs. At one point in the regular season, though, he went through a drought, and his attitude came into question. I don't know all the details. He and Jason Spezza are both big pieces of the puzzle and they must put up 90 or more points. They must also stay healthy, which is a challenge for Spezza. If one of these guys slacks this year, the other will pick up. I can't decide on anybody. I'm tempted to go against my own rule and pick Ray Emery. He emerged as a star last season, and if he should falter or fall back to Earth (read: Cam Ward), that might make a big difference.
Atlanta Thrashers The Score picked Ilya Kovalchuk. He did drop off his point production by 22 points last season. Sure. Why not? If he drops off again, the Thrash will have no hope of qualifying for the playoffs.
Okay, so that's the Eastern Conference. I doubt that I'll bother with the Western Conference, but we'll see.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Carolina wins meaningless game, Olli Jokinen writes a check his ass can't cash
Last Sunday, after Carolina snatched victory from the Panthers, many of the players angrily accused Carolina of being divers. It was the second time in a row that Carolina won a game against Florida on a power play goal in overtime.
Among other things, Jokinen told the Miami Herald that in order for the Panthers to beat Carolina they would
Then he went on to say that they wouldn't let it happen again. At the time, Carolina still had a chance to make the playoffs. The Panthers were ruled out and he at least wanted to spoil Carolina. He stopped short of using the words "Guarantee" and "Win", but that's pretty much what he was doing when he said:
So anyway, among the silver linings that can be found in missing the playoffs, there's this:
Carolina overcame a 4-1 third period defecit to force overtime against the Cats. Carolina got regulation goals from Eric Staal, Erik Cole and two from David Tanabe. Florida got their goals from Ville Peltonen, Olli Jokinen, Jay Bouwmeester and Marty Gelinas.
Early in the overtime period, Bryan Allen was called for kneeing, which gave the Canes a man advantage. It was Allen's hook on Sunday that made Belfour lose his composure, which gave the Canes the two man advantage. I don't know about the kneeing call, but Carolina couldn't convert. In fact, Allen had a chance to wipe it all away when he was awarded a penalty shot just after coming out of the box. He missed his chance, though. As time wound down in regulation, Allen found a way to be the goat anyway. He turned the puck over to Rod Brind'Amour in neutral ice, and the Captain cashed in on the breakaway gift.
Unfortunately, Ed Belfour wasn't in nets for the Panthers.
More stuff about the game, including pictures later.
Among other things, Jokinen told the Miami Herald that in order for the Panthers to beat Carolina they would
``have to play within the rules, and sign five or six guys who can dive every time you touch them.''
Then he went on to say that they wouldn't let it happen again. At the time, Carolina still had a chance to make the playoffs. The Panthers were ruled out and he at least wanted to spoil Carolina. He stopped short of using the words "Guarantee" and "Win", but that's pretty much what he was doing when he said:
'We have to make sure . . . they don't make the playoffs,'' Jokinen said. ``We have to get two points out of there.
``This team has stolen so many points from us, we have to win that last game and make sure they don't go anywhere. I'd rather see Tampa and Atlanta make it than this team.''
So anyway, among the silver linings that can be found in missing the playoffs, there's this:
Carolina overcame a 4-1 third period defecit to force overtime against the Cats. Carolina got regulation goals from Eric Staal, Erik Cole and two from David Tanabe. Florida got their goals from Ville Peltonen, Olli Jokinen, Jay Bouwmeester and Marty Gelinas.
Early in the overtime period, Bryan Allen was called for kneeing, which gave the Canes a man advantage. It was Allen's hook on Sunday that made Belfour lose his composure, which gave the Canes the two man advantage. I don't know about the kneeing call, but Carolina couldn't convert. In fact, Allen had a chance to wipe it all away when he was awarded a penalty shot just after coming out of the box. He missed his chance, though. As time wound down in regulation, Allen found a way to be the goat anyway. He turned the puck over to Rod Brind'Amour in neutral ice, and the Captain cashed in on the breakaway gift.
Unfortunately, Ed Belfour wasn't in nets for the Panthers.
More stuff about the game, including pictures later.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Canes back from the dead, Belfour is a retard
On Sunday afternoon, the Hurricanes battled back from a 3-1 deficit in the third to send it to overtime. Early in the fourth frame, Bryan Allen took a hooking penalty, then Eddie "I'll give you a billion dollars" Belfour lost his mind. He skated way out of his crease and in front of the referee out by the half wall. He made a bunch of diving gestures and was given an additional unsportsmanlike. This afforded the Canes a rare overtime five-on-three. I've never seen it before, but the rule in overtime is that instead of going four-on-two, the non-offending team gets to put an extra skater out there. Just 23 seconds into the oddball power play, Ray Whitney banged in a rebound to give the Canes the win.
here is the official scoresheet. I'll fill in the details later.
Here's a really cruddy view of Belfour's theatrics. I wanted to get something posted, and the only way I knew how was to use really inferior techniques and sub-par equipment. I apologise for the extremely low quality, but here it is.
I imagine he'll also draw a fine from the League because he continued to berate the official as the penalties were being sorted out. He's a good goalie, but that was just sheer stupidity. You simply can't show up the referee, especially in overtime.
That cost the Panthers the game, and their very slim playoff hopes are washed away.
The win buoys Carolina's hopes, but they are still very much against the wall.
Also of note in this game is that Rod Brind'Amour scored a shorhanded goal and that Chad "Sharpie" LaRose scored his sixth goal of the season to tie it up.
Also, I prepared and ate Frank Kaberle's Chicken Paprika while watching the game. Assist goes to the Post-Pessimist Association for that. A full write-up on that culinary experience later.
Josef Stumpel scored two goals for the Cats in the first period.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR: Chad LaRose, CAR -- goal
SECOND STAR: Josef Stumpel, FLA -- 2 goals
FIRST STAR: Ed Belfour, FLA -- unsportsmanlike penalty in overtime
Seriously, though ...
FIRST STAR: Ray Whitney, CAR -- game winning goal
here is the official scoresheet. I'll fill in the details later.
Here's a really cruddy view of Belfour's theatrics. I wanted to get something posted, and the only way I knew how was to use really inferior techniques and sub-par equipment. I apologise for the extremely low quality, but here it is.
I imagine he'll also draw a fine from the League because he continued to berate the official as the penalties were being sorted out. He's a good goalie, but that was just sheer stupidity. You simply can't show up the referee, especially in overtime.
That cost the Panthers the game, and their very slim playoff hopes are washed away.
The win buoys Carolina's hopes, but they are still very much against the wall.
Also of note in this game is that Rod Brind'Amour scored a shorhanded goal and that Chad "Sharpie" LaRose scored his sixth goal of the season to tie it up.
Also, I prepared and ate Frank Kaberle's Chicken Paprika while watching the game. Assist goes to the Post-Pessimist Association for that. A full write-up on that culinary experience later.
Josef Stumpel scored two goals for the Cats in the first period.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR: Chad LaRose, CAR -- goal
SECOND STAR: Josef Stumpel, FLA -- 2 goals
FIRST STAR: Ed Belfour, FLA -- unsportsmanlike penalty in overtime
Seriously, though ...
FIRST STAR: Ray Whitney, CAR -- game winning goal
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