Canes are looking great against bad teams

It looks like the Canes are looking a little streaky at this point in the season. A four game win streak, followed by a three game losing streak, and now we're in the midst of stringing three wins together.

Win #1 came Tuesday against the Maple Leafs. The Canes really didn't look that spectacular in this one, trading goals with the Leafs in the first period. Which wouldn't be too bad except, come on, it's the Leafs. The News and Observer had an interesting article about Rutherford actually going down to talk to the team during the second intermission - somehow I suspect that "come on, it's the Leafs" was an extremely tame version of what was being said.

Perhaps the talk from the GM will have lasting impressions on the season - a convincing win came in the next game, 4-0 over the Ottawa Senators. This is the second blowout this season against the Sens, however, this time the opposing team was not coming off of an emotional day. No, I'm not entirely sure why Ottawa was so lame this time around - although Brian Elliott in goal looked absolutely horrendous. Or perhaps the Canes just looked really good? Either way, Cam Ward earned his second shutout of the season.

Win #3 came as a 6-3 win against the lowly New Jersey Devils. The Canes came out on fire in the first period, opening up with a quick 4-0 lead. Zac Dalpe earned his first NHL goal in the period, although Martin Brodeur had already been pulled by that point. Let's just say that Brodeur looked nothing like he used to in net.

After the marvelous first period, the Canes came out slow and sloppy in the second, only notching five shots on net. Their play probably would have been an issue in any other game - but it's pretty hard to play worse than the Devils this year, and the Canes recovered well in the third period.

So the Canes have fixed themselves a nice three game win streak... against teams that are 10th, 13th, and 15th in the Eastern Conference. Which is good, as it signals that the Canes are beating the teams that they should - and besides the Toronto game, they're beating the teams quite handily. Their upcoming schedule for this week isn't quite as easy - two games against the Panthers, who aren't that great but seem to give the Canes trouble, and one against the Rangers who are currently 6th in the East. Hopefully the Canes can continue their win streak and gain the four points that would put them tentatively in the playoffs.

Erik Cole stats (29th): 1 goal
On the season: 8 goals, 8 assists

Chad LaRose stats (1st): 2 assists
On the season: 6 goals, 8 assists

Final offseason update (?)

Well, I figured I ought to post before it goes an entire month without hearing from me. Luckily, the offseason is almost complete and I shall switch into true hockey mode. It helps, of course, that my college football team has already tanked, so the only distraction from the coolest sport on earth will be that pesky thing called "school".

Anyways, this week the Canes named Rod Brind'Amour Director of Forwards Development, finally finding him the position that they had guaranteed him when he retired earlier this summer. Definitely a good fit, I'm sure that he'll try to instill some of his famous work ethic in our younger forwards. I'm also really glad that he stayed with the organization - for he did have a long and significant stay with the Canes.

And it seems to be fitting to wrap up the summer with what is hopefully the conclusion to the Ilya Kovalchuk debacle. I believe the last time I posted, the NHL rejected his contract. Well, they accepted a new one, and added a section to the CBA to prevent teams from creating similar contracts. Now, the league has fined the New Jersey Devils $3 million and two draft picks - their third round pick in the upcoming draft and a first round pick sometime in the next four drafts. A pretty steep penalty which shows that the league is serious about protecting its salary cap.

But, if the Devils win the Stanley Cup sometime in Kovalchuk's tenure, I'm sure they'll think it's all worth it.

So that's the end of the offseason, or close enough - there's only 6 days until the Canes play their first preseason game! Promise, promise, promise that I will pick up the posting frequency!

Kovalchuk finally signs

Finally, it has happened!

Ilya Kovalchuck, the biggest-name free agent on the market this year, has finally signed with a team.

And, man, this contract is a doozy. 17 years, $102 million to stay with the New Jersey Devils. This is another one of those "front-loaded contract" deals, where the player only ends up making league minimum for the last few years of the contract. Kovalchuk will be 44 years old when this contract expires.

It's hard to say how I feel about this. I think signing players for such a long time is almost always a stupid idea due to the prominence of injuries in the NHL. And, somehow, Kovalchuk's name doesn't readily come to mind when I think of players in the league I am certain will be consistent for almost two decades in the future. I mean, the guy's only won one playoff game.

I guess I think that, while Kovalchuk is a good player, he doesn't seem like the superstar that I think deserves the money-loaded long contracts (i.e. Sid Crosby or AO).

But, who knows, maybe he'll live up to his contract, now that he's not playing in Atlanta.

As for the Canes, they convinced Riley Nash to give a big "screw you" to Edmonton and forgo his playing career at Cornell to join the big leagues. (And to be honest, I wouldn't want to live in a place that cold either). The Canes also signed Brett Carson to a two-way deal, meaning that all the small parts are getting aligned for this next season.

Kovalchuk's signing will likely create some movement in the free agent market, and although the Canes are highly, highly unlikely to do anything, at least the summer won't be so boring for so long.

Today is a good day for Caniacs

Some BIG news at the end of this post... but for now, let's get caught up on the past games that the Canes have played.

The Canes laid a big fat egg on Saturday, losing 4-0 to the New Jersey Devils. It was Martin Brodeur's 109th career shutout. This loss also eliminated the Canes from the playoffs - yes, it truly did take that long for this team to be mathematically eliminated, which I suppose is an accomplishment in itself.

On Tuesday the Canes won in a flurry of offense, defeating the Lightning 8-5. Drayson Bowman, Rod Brind'Amour and Eric Staal all had two goals apiece in that game.

And now on to the main event for today:

The Canes held a super-special press conference at their "Caniac Cookout" today. Special guests Gary Bettman, Jim Rutherford, and Peter Karmanos were there.

And so Gary Bettman said the best words to ever come out of his mouth:

The Carolina Hurricanes will be hosting the 2011 All-Star Game!

If you're like me, your response most likely is "Finally!". Bettman had promised the area the game a while ago - well, he has finally followed through on his promise.

And then, if you're me, your follow-up response to the satisfaction of this market finally getting something it has deserved was a girlish scream of delight - THE ALL STAR GAME IS COMING TO RALEIGH!!!!

I'm already excited for it - only 9 months away! At least this will make the doldrums of this non-playoff year a little more satisfactory!

Canes play tonight against Montreal, then finish up the season in Boston on Saturday. If there's any more cool All Star Game news I will definitely post it!

Erik Cole stats (Tuesday): 1 assist
On the season: 10 goals, 5 assists

Chad LaRose stats (Tuesday): 1 goal, 2 assists
On the season: 9 goals, 14 assists

Canes won two in a row : Baby Steps

Well, how about this?

The Canes won their first game on the road on Monday, beating none other than the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2.

The Canes got out to a 3-0 lead in the game, letting the Pens score two in 49 seconds to make the game close again. But, really, we all should be used to that by now, and it's a sign of the Canes' improving play that they didn't actually relinquish their lead completely.

Notably, Andrew Alberts scored his first Canes goal in that one as well.

The Canes followed up that road win with a 4-2 road loss against New Jersey tonight, which can be considered a victory from the perspective that we did not allow Martin Brodeur to overtake Terry Sawchuck's shutout record. Not that I dislike Brodeur or that I don't want him to get the record - I'm just glad it didn't happen against us.

The scoring was almost opposite of the Penguins game; they allowed the Devils to score three, then the Canes came back to score two but were finally put away by an empty netter at the end.

This game also marked the return of Cam Ward from that nasty laceration injury. No word on what's going to happen with our two backup goaltenders - Michael Leighton was put on waivers earlier this week, so I assume that he'll be going down.

Finals week for me starting Friday, so expect either no posts or spacey random rambling thoughts about the upcoming games. In other words: business as normal. Which apparently people are attracted to, as this blog was able to advance to the second round in the Canes Blog-Off. Currently I'm tied for second (or last, but I'm feeling optimistic tonight), so maybe go over there and vote for me? Because, as we all know, "If you ain't first, you're last".

(And, yes, I just mentioned that quote so I could post a clip of that movie.)

Speaking of video clips, I plan on entering this contest, as soon as I get a mind-bogglingly awesome idea for it. So be prepared.

Canes are on the road again Friday in Washington. I think it's on Comcast, so I should be able to watch it once I get out of my Calculus exam.

Entertainment, courtesy of Martin St. Louis

So, on Saturday, the Canes got shutout by the New Jersey Devils 2-0, making them the third former playoff foe to beat the Canes this season.

But that is not what got me off my lazy bum to post. Martin St. Louis playing a game of strip-shootout after a Tampa Bay practice is what got me off my lazy bum to post (props to Puck Daddy for bringing the vid to my attention).


Because laughing at an opponent in good fun is always better than looking at your current train wreck of a team.

Canes play tonight and if they lose to the Islanders, we have major issues to consider.

So long New Jersey...

...and hello Boston!

Last night the Canes defeated the Devils in a thrilling 4-3 Game 7 win that they totally pulled out of their butt at the last minute.

Seriously, there was less than a minute and a half remaining and the Canes were down 3-2. Then BAM!, Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal strike and the Canes are advancing to the second round.

The game started out on an excellent note, with Tuomo Ruutu notching his first point of the postseason at the 1:02 mark of the first period. Of course, I was enthralled by this goal because that meant the Canes were coming out fast and taking the Jersey fans out of the game early.

Then, of course, the Devils score a minute and a half later, thereby getting the crowd back into it.

Throughout the game I didn't think the Canes were playing well enough for them to win. Like so many other games in this series, they weren't playing bad, they just weren't playing hard enough to win a elimination game. Cam Ward kept them in the game in the third period, preventing Jersey from going up two goals instead of just one.

Then came the last rush, and Jussi Jokinen cemented his status as my bestest friend evah by scoring yet another needed goal in regulation:

Jokinen is like the Secret Weapon of Regulation - how he somehow is scoring these goals at just the right time is unknown to me - but whatever he's doing, he needs to keep it up!

So the game was tied. Then less than a minute later Eric Staal just gains the zone and shoots - flat out beating Martin Brodeur. I don't think Brodeur looked that bad on a goal the entire season. Granted, it was tipped or something, but still.

I just can't believe we won the game. Seriously, just thinking about it now just blows my mind. Why the heck wasn't scoring goals as easy as that the entire series?

And I must commend the New Jersey Devils. They played the toughest first round I've ever seen. These teams were so even, the series came down to a couple of bounces and tips here and there.

But now we must say goodbye to Jersey and face the upcoming second round opponent - The Boston Bruins. I'll leave the preview for another post (maybe? hopefully?) - just know that Game 1 starts this Friday.

Chad LaRose stats: 2 assists
Playoffs: 2 goals, 5 assists

We're going to 7!

Canes force a Game 7 by winning 4-0 in Game 6.

The Canes finally pulled their offense out in this one - no stupid one goal differences last night!

I attribute the offensive reawakening to the awakening of Ray Whitney - Whitney factored in all of the goals last night, scoring the first and then assisting on the other three.

Cam Ward, as always, played extremely well, notching a shutout.

And now we're on to Game 7! I think, to win, the Canes need to be able to continue to flaunt their offensive prowess. And, they also need to break this lose one-win one streak that's gone on this whole series.

Yeah, this post is kind of lame. Defintely doesn't give justice to the great game that was played last night. But I can't seem to think coherently right now. So whatever, watch the game tomorrow.

Chad LaRose stats: 2 assists
Playoffs: 2 goals, 3 assists

Stupid one goal games...

Canes lost 1-0 in Game 3.

This game frustrates me as a fan because there was nothing that the Canes did wrong, necessarily. Okay, the Jersey goal was scored on a power play, so they shouldn't have taken the penalty, but other than that there was nothing wrong with their play. They played well offensively and defensively, had a total of 44 shots on goal, but still lost the game. Martin Brodeur is looking pretty much unstoppable now, although Cam Ward looked exactly the same way. It's not a coincidence that the game was so low scoring with those shot totals. Both goalies are on fire, and it will take a tip or a stupid bounce to beat either one. Which is how Cam was beat last night, on a David Clarkson tip in front of the net.

If Brodeur wasn't playing so well, I think Chad LaRose would've had at least three goals. LaRose is making our first line look like our fourth line with the plays he's had. I can't believe how he's blossomed in this series.

Speaking of blossoming, or rather anti-blossoming, Erik Cole, I am officially calling you out. What have you done this entire playoff series? Diddly squat, that's what. And I find that unacceptable for the player I call my favorite. So wake up and score one on Sunday!

Canes have to win on Sunday to force a Game 7 and then, of course, win that one to advance in the postseason. The good news? Game 6 is back at the RBC Center!

Jussi Jokinen is my new best friend

I don't think there are any words to describe the exhiliration felt after that goal.

Jussi Jokinen tips it in with 00.2 left on the clock.

Wow.

I think everyone in the RBC Center had that game going into overtime. I certainly did. Then - the puck goes in, but 00.0 is what the clock reads. After a brief conference, the referees deem it a goal - Martin Brodeur flips out about it, but whatever, he can just deal.

This sets an NHL record for the latest goal scored in regulation. I mean, it doesn't get much closer than that, does it?

Although, despite the AMAZING ending, the Canes really should have never been in that position anyway. They came out skating and got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period. It was 3-0 for most of the second, but then Jersey scored three consecutive goals to tie it up.

Three consecutive goals. Certainly not cool, and certainly something the Canes don't want to let happen again in the series. But as lame as the Canes performance late in the game was, the end was just too awesome for me to complain too much.

Momentum for Game 5, anyone?

(As an aside, props go to Chad LaRose and Ryan Bayda - both are making the most of their playoff minutes, both notching another goal in last night's game.)

(And as another aside, I just found the NHL Situation Room blog, and I think it is excellent - a perfect way to get the exact ruling on any certain reviewed play.)

Chad LaRose stats: 1 goal
Playoffs: 2 goals, 1 assist

Overtime losses suck

Canes lost 3-2 in overtime in Game 3 last night.

Okay, Canes, I'm going to make a rule right now. If you go into overtime, win. If you're going to lose, please at least do me the decency of losing in regulation, so I don't lose an hour of sleep in the process of watching you crap out. Thank you.

Ugh.

Well, this game was okay. Not enough to win, obviously, but not horrifically bad, either. Definitely not near the control that they had of the second game. Power play was positively horrific, although the Canes managed to cut down on the stupid penalties taken.

Chad LaRose scored, which was cool. So did Ryan Bayda, representing the fourth line, which didn't play too bad.

I feel like there's nothing to analyze - both teams played hard but that's about it. And the Canes didn't win, which makes it miserable to watch them play so hard and then fail in the end. Because there's no big excuse to pin the loss on. All the Canes need to do is play just a little bit better, and the game is theirs.

Here's to playing a little bit better in tomorrow's game.

Chad LaRose: 1 goal
Playoffs: 1 goal, 1 assist

Tim Gleason!

Well, that game was a lot better. Canes won the second game against Jersey 2-1 in overtime.

This game had everything the first game lacked. The Canes came out with a fire in their step, and created a huge physical presence from the first minute. The only problem was that the huge emotional burst translated into a lot of stupid penalties taken by the Canes, one of which led to Jersey's only goal.

But, really, I'll take a few penalties in exchange for the fast-paced, in-your-face style of game that was played last night. It was very exciting to watch, and was extremely close throughout.

And, of course, props to Tim Gleason, scoring his first goal of the year to win the game in overtime. Talk about great timing!

I feel really good about this series coming to the RBC Center at 1-1. The Canes got of their postseason jitters out in the first game, and if they can carry the momentum and firey style of play into tomorrow's game, then I really think that we'll be heading back to Jersey with a 3-1 series.

*knock on wood* Of course, this is dependent on the Canes coming out as hyped up as the fans in the stands tomorrow. If the Canes slip back into the Game 1 lethargy, then it won't be very easy to win (or as fun to watch, for that matter).

Game 3 is tomorrow at 7:30!

So much for that game...

Canes lost 4-1 in Game 1 last night.

They just didn't play well. It almost seemed during the first period that they were tentative, not willing to press for goals.

Really, to me, the atmosphere of the game didn't seem like a playoff game. There wasn't any physicality, there was no fast pace. At least the Philly-Pittsburgh blowout had the feeling of a playoff game, even if it had the same end score.

So, I wan't impressed by this game whatsoever. Cam Ward looked okay, but he certainly didn't get any help from the offense in this one. The Canes definitely need to come out with a fire in Game 2, because more of this nonsense will not win them a playoff hockey game.

Chad LaRose stats: 1 assist

And so it begins...

It just ain't the playoffs until the Canes play the Devils.

Series starts Wednesday and is every other day after that, meaning the first game at the RBC Center is on Sunday (tailgating weather as of right now is 72 and "chance showers").

I feel pretty confident about this series, actually. The Canes have been playing very well recently, and have played New Jersey well all season (Bonus stat: Anton Babchuk has four goals and an assist in four games against the Devils). As long as Cam Ward outplays Martin Brodeur (certainly possible - just check 2006) I think the Canes will win.

Although, nothing is certain, especially with this team's ability to tank at inappropriate times...

As for the rest of the playoff series... meh, whatever. Predicting these things is so overrated (read: I suck at predicting playoff series). Pretty much any other non-Canes hockey we will see is going to involve Ovechkin or Crosby thanks to the national media man-crushes on them.

But, I guess that's good, as I won't have to deal with the stupid in-game reporters reporting stupidly during Canes games. I can handle John and Tripp for a playoff series.

Anyways, my "Hockey Orphan" post is up at Cycle Like the Sedins. And I even have a cool little icon too! See:Huh. Well, it's not that "little" when I upload it, but whatever... Anyways, check it out - the post actually has an endgame/conclusion, unlike most of the posts around here (including this one).

And so the season ends...

Happy Easter everyone! Today marks the end of the regular season - that means all of the playoff matchups are determined (although the dates are going to be released whenever...). The Canes have ended up as the sixth seed - not too shabby - with an upcoming series against the New Jersey Devils.

But before I get too far into the future, the immidiate past wasn't that great for the Canes. They could have ended up with a higher seed if they had just won one more game. But that wasn't to be.

The Canes put out a pretty poor showing in the game against the Sabres, losing 5-1. Eric Staal scored with less than thirty seconds left to nullify a Ryan Miller shutout. Otherwise the Canes looked pretty sluggish throughout the game.

Which made it pretty miserable because losing to Buffalo is never fun. And losing on Fan Appreciation Night isn't fun either. So altogether it was a pretty sucky night.

Then on Saturday, the Canes lost to the Devils 3-2. Which might seem somewhat alarming, as that's the team the Canes are set to play for at least the next four games. But, when you factor out the flukey goals that bounced off the endboards right in front of an open net (Yes, there were two of these goals in the same period because apparently Michael Leighton is a slow learner...) the Canes actually won this game 2-1.

So the Canes ended their crazy-long winning streak and got a lesser playoff seed. But I'm not feeling too concerned about it now - I mean, after all, we are in the playoffs! And that's a heckuva lot better than the previous two seasons.

Final season stats:
Erik Cole (With the Canes): 2 goals, 13 assists
(Total): 18 goals, 24 assists

Chad LaRose: 19 goals, 12 assists

I can hardly believe it

Wow.

Have you guys looked at the standings lately? Can you believe it? I can't. I mean, I was doubting we were even going to make it into eighth, let alone fifth!

So, while I was gone (two weekend trips to colleges and two class presentations due in consecutive weeks will zap the drain any blogger), the Canes won three in a row, making it five overall? Six? I don't even know anymore. All I know is that the Canes are winning when they need to be, and in games they don't necessarily dominate.

Anyways, links to recaps because I'm lazy:
3-2 OT win in Florida
2-1 win over the Senators
2-1 win in Jersey

The next game is Thursday. Four out of the last five are at home! Hopefully the Canes can keep up their winning ways!

Anton Babchuk Strikes!

Canes were victorious over the Devils last night, winning 4-2.

Really, I think they were somewhat lucky in the win, with Martin Brodeur having gotten the all-time wins record the night before, and Kevin Weekes getting the spot in goal.

Not that the Canes wouldn't have won againt Brodeur - I just think it would have been a lot harder (for example, I don't think Brodeur would have gone in on the crappy pokecheck on Samsonov's goal).

The powerplay looked absolutely spectactular, going 3-for-5 on the night, two of the goals coming from Anton Babchuk.

The good news is that the Canes are still in eighth spot - tied for seventh with Montreal at 81 points. Most of the teams around them still have games in hand, though.

Canes play twice this weekend - back to back at home, first against the Islanders (which I won't see) and then against the C[r]apitals (which I might see). Hopefully they can get four points out of them, which would put the Canes in an even better spot for the playoffs.

Erik Cole stats: 1 assist
With the Canes: 2 goals, 7 assists
On the season: 18 goals, 18 assists

Canes beat Devils

Don't look now - we's got us a winning streak!

Canes won last night against the Devils 3-2. That makes four in a row! *knock on wood*

The game was okay. It was a defensively played game - after the Canes' first goal, neither team was making much offense. I think the Devils must only win their games if they score first, with that sort of mentality.

The Devils also did a very weird thing in the third period. Down by three midway through the period on a powerplay they pulled their goalie to make the PP a 6-on-4. It worked out for them on their first goal - but I couldn't help but wonder if they do it very often and if so, how many times has it backfired on them? I guess it makes sense if you're not scoring goals and there's nothing else to lose in the game... but I know that I would prefer that the Canes not do that strategy (particularly with their track record this season on the two man advantage...)

Babchuk is doing pretty well recently. He's scored points in four of the last five games, and he's certainly putting to use that wicked shot of his. Although, in this game, he had an excellent cross-ice pass to Tuomo Ruutu for the Canes third goal.

Next Canes game is tomorrow against Florida. Maybe we can keep the streak going?

Wow, is that blood? Nah, must be red paint on the ice.

Well, Mick McGeough proved once again why he is the worst ref in the NHL in last night's 2-1 OT win over Jersey.

Tuomo Ruutu (who missed warmups, but still made the game) got stabbed in the face by Patrick Elias, and left a trail of blood leading back to the bench that could be blatantly seen from the third level. He needed 40 stitches to sew up the laceration.

McGeough - GET SOME CONTACTS!

Grr...

Anyways, game was great for the Canes. They had some really good cycles against the Devils - and didn't really let them score, as Bret Hedican (I think it was him) inadvertantly knocked the puck in the net.

However, the game was not great for Tim Gleason, who got hit head first into the boards by Jersey's Mike Rupp. Scary looking when he tried to get up - almost had none of his own support skating off the ice. Only update on him I can get is that it's a head injury (duh), probably a concussion.

At least Wade Brookbank got Rupp back, totally kicking his arse later in the period.

Sergei Samsonov looked awesome, scoring both of the goals for the Canes.

Jeff Hamilton was sent down to Albany before the game.

I thought Ruutu played really well. He came out and had a huge hit on some Jersey dude, and looked to be a tough player - maybe a touch of scoring? He did get an assist on Samsonov's first goal.

As for Eaves (who also made his debut) - meh. Granted, he only had 6-ish minutes, but he did nothing spectactular.

Canes are looking great (Better than Ottawa, who fired their coach today). Tomorrow's game is against the Rangers.

Nice day - Canes lose

Man, today was a nice day. Off of school, beautiful blue sky, balmy temperatures.

So nice that I decided to lug a chair and a radio out onto the deck to listen to Chuck K's broadcast of the 1:00 game against the Devils.

Then the moron next door decided it would be perfect to mow his grass, so not only did I have to deal with his movements messing up the radio reception, but I also inhaled carbon monoxide for the first two periods.

Sounded like the Canes decided to inhale some CO before playing this one: 5-1 loss.

Although, to their credit, the Canes were missing Cole and Whitney, along with the usual crowd of 25 million that grace the IR.

Jeff Hamilton scored the lone goal in this one.

And then, on Saturday, the Canes had a come-from-behind victory against the Panthers. I'd recap it, but I don't remember much of it because I felt sluggish due to a nasty cold and I just really don't feel like trying too hard right now.

Erik Cole stats (Saturday): 1 assist
On the season: 13 goals, 22 assists