Western Roadtrip Recap

So, the Canes finished up their yearly October roadtrip last night, and I saw or listened to exactly none of them, so let's just do a brief recap.

The obvious stat after this period of time is the record. Currently the Canes have a 4-3 record, which isn't really that great... until you consider that last season the Canes got their fourth win 21 games into the season. From that perspective, the Canes are absolutely amazing this season. Also, considering that the Canes opened up overseas and then went straight into the Western Conference road trip, traveling something like 15,000 miles, I think that their record is spectacular.

Going back through the games, the Canes lost to Ottawa, lost pretty badly to the Canucks, won against the Sharks, lost to the Kings, and finally won last night over the Coyotes in OT.

Obviously, the bright parts are the wins against the Sharks and Coyotes, although the Sharks have not started out as great as last season, having not won a game at home yet. But even the losses don't look too alarming to me - the LA game sounded close and I'm not surprised that the Canes lost to the Cup-favorite Canucks. Perhaps the game against Ottawa should be a win, but, again, I'm just happy that the Canes weren't blown out. Last year definitely does put a perspective on losses.

The best news to me is the distribution of scoring. So often last year, our offensive production (and therefore wins) depended on a few people being able to score *cough*Staal*cough*. This year, we seem to be more well-rounded in the scoring department, only two people on the roster having not notched a point. This is especially shown in the San Jose game, where eleven different Canes got on the scoreboard. A specific player to commend (beyond my two favorites whose stats are at the bottom of the post) would be Eric Staal, who after a slow start in Helsinki, has stepped it up, with 6 points in 5 games. I do think it is a good sign for our season that he is currently at the top of our leaderboard in points.

But just because the road trip is over, doesn't mean that it gets any easier for the Canes. The home opener this Wednesday is against the C[r]apitals, who are never easy to beat, then they must play the Rangers and then the Penguins in a back-to-back. If the Canes can play with Washington and Pittsburgh, then I think we might actually have a worthwhile team this year. If not, well, I'm not pinning the whole season on two games - I just won't be as blindly optimistic.

Erik Cole stats (Oct 14th): 1 assist
(Oct 19th): 1 goal
(Oct 20th): 1 assist
On the season: 1 goal, 3 assists

Chad LaRose stats (Oct 19th): 1 goal, 2 assists
(Oct 20th): 1 goal
On the season: 2 goals, 2 assists

ERIK COLE IS BACK!!!!

The best power forward evah! is back on the Canes!!!!

I can barely think for the excitement!!!!

The Canes traded for him in a with the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers. The Canes got Patrick O'Sullivan and a 2nd round draft pick for Justin Williams, then dealt O'Sullivan and the pick to Edmonton for Cole and their 5th round pick.

It is a shame that Williams had to go, as he has been with the team a long time and is a very good player (Hello, empty net goal in Game 7!). But, the good news for the Canes is (other than reaquiring my man Cole, of course) that Williams was out with an injury, and this trade brings someone who is actually in the lineup right now.

I honestly can't believe it. I knew that Cole was in the trade rumors, but I thought that Rutherford seemed pretty much set on not dealing anything with what was being offered.

I think that if it was for any other player, I would be lamenting the loss of Justin Williams more. It's definitely going to be wierd not seeing the number 11 on the ice Friday.

But ERIK COLE IS BACK and I couldn't be happier!

Canes do okay over the weekend

Canes did okay this weekend, dropping one in overtime to the Kings and winning one over the Ducks.

And, despite having seen highlights or actual parts of each game, I can't remember anything about either game.

Except that Cam continued to look sort of shaky on some of the Kings goals, and the Canes seemed to completely lose it in the second period against the Ducks.

Oh, and Kaberle went out of the Kings game with some sort of leg injury... yes, we have yet another injury...

Next game is back on the East Coast, against Pittsburgh on Thursday.

GAH!

Everyday, the playoff picture changes.

Canes are still in 8th as of right now. Although, now they're tied with both the Islanders and the Canadiens with 84 points. Luckily, the Canes win the tiebreakers, so they have the final spot.

Buffalo and Ottawa have clinched playoff berths.

Meanwhile, Erik Cole has been nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given yearly to the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

That's it for now, folks!

*EDIT 12:07PM* Holy shiznit, that is not all! Apparently, Jack Johnson has signed a contract with the LA Kings.
(Major props to Red and Black Hockey for providing the news.)

Wow... Okay, here's a quick summary of why this is such news:
Canes drafted Johnson, who was supposed to be this totally awesome defenseman, in 2005. They offered him several contracts throughout the season, and after the Canes won the Cup, Johnson refused, saying he wanted to stay at school, blah blah blah whatever. Apparently the Canes' upper management got a little miffed (there were some rumors that I didn't really follow about some weird crap with his family...) and traded his rights along with Tverdovsky to the Kings for Eric Belanger and Tim Gleason.

So, the whole reason I'm freaking out, is that the guy had a chance to sign with true playoff contenders (and the reigning Stanley Cup Champions)... but he waits a while and signs with the Kings - the fifth worst team in the league?

Something doesn't click there.

Canes win!

Canes won 2-1 over the Los Angeles Kings.

Not a very offensive-heavy game, but it's a win, so I'll take it. The Canes are currently 7th in the East, 1 point behind Tampa, 2 points behind Ottawa and Pittsburgh, and only 4 points behind Atlanta. On the other hand, Montreal is only behind by one, the Islanders and Toronto by two. In other words, any win is cushion against the guys below, and gain on the guys above.

Ray Whitney and Scott Walker scored for the Canes.

Joe Vasicek didn't seem too bad, actually, with a +1 and an assist in 15 minutes of play.
Speaking of good play, Tanabe actually had 2 assists on the night... Might he be getting better?...

Not really much else to say... defensive games tend to be boring...