Rather delayed recap

I suppose I should start off this post with a sincere apology for not writing about the Hurricanes over the past few weeks. Truth be told, I have had a crap-ton of schoolwork (not just a ton, mind you, a crap-ton) and I honestly haven't paid too much attention to the team.

Let's start with the most recent news. First of all, tonight is Rod Brind'Amour Night, where his number is being raised to the rafters before the Flyers game. In fact, it's probably occurring as I type this. Kind of a bummer that I'm not present for the night, as I had seen both Wesley's and Francis' numbers go up, but unfortunately school schedules don't revolve around hockey.

Also occurring today is the Canes making trades with the San Jose Sharks. They first received defenseman Derek Joslin for future considerations, then traded Ian White for the Sharks' 2012 second round pick.

Looking at what we got, Joslin is a young defenseman who has appeared in a few NHL games over the past three seasons. Rutherford sounds pretty confident that he'll be battling for ice time, so hopefully Joslin will pan out as a good defenseman for the future.

As for what we sent to the Sharks, I honestly barely noticed Ian White when I was able to see a game. Granted, for a defenseman that might mean you're doing your job because that means I'm not noticing your glaring mistakes. But I don't think the Canes lost a key asset in the trade, which is always a good thing.

So, the playoff stretch. The Canes currently have a record of 27-23-8, good enough for 62 points and eighth place in the East and third in the Southeast. The past three weeks they've gone 2-4-2, which isn't that hot, but they've definitely been helped by a tanking Atlanta team. What worries me are the losses to teams like the Maple Leafs and Devils (twice!) - we definitely should be beating them around this time of the season.

What's awesome? Erik Cole. Check out the statline at the bottom of the post and this video of the game-winning OT goal against Atlanta. Certainly makes this Caniac happy to see her favorite player playing well.

The trade deadline is February 28th this year, which seems really early. Perhaps it was just the Olympics pushing everything back that makes me say that. Anyways, I will not profess to have any clue about what the Canes will do. I wouldn't imagine that they'd be sellers in 8th place, but with the Ian White trade occurring today it will be interesting to see if anything does happen - getting rid of his contract does open up some room for the Canes to make a move.

So, to recap, the Canes are in a much better place than they were earlier in the season, which is to say that they're finally holding steady in a playoff spot. As long as they can keep that up, well, not too much else matters.

Erik Cole stats (Feb 1st): 2 assists
(Feb 5th): 1 goal
(Feb 12th): 1 goal, 1 assist
(Feb 13th): 1 goal
On the season: 16 goals, 18 assists

Chad LaRose stats (Feb 10th): 1 assist
On the season: 10 goals, 11 assists

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

Well, that was a quick round

After an action-packed first and second rounds, I do believe the Conference Final didn't quite live up to billing - who would have thought that we'd have our Stanley Cup Finalists after only nine games?

I mean, the Sharks once again lived up to being the definition of "choke". Granted, they did manage to get out of the first two rounds, but I think being swept out still places them in that category.

Although, I must say that the series was rather good hockey. All of the games were decided by two goals or less, Game 3 going into overtime. The Sharks played well, but they couldn't get it done in any of the games. And, really, that's all that counts at this point in the season.

Then there was the Montreal-Philadelphia series which was, in my opinion, despite going one more game than the Western Conference Final, much more lopsided. The Flyers shut out the Canadiens in 3 of the four games that they won, giving the Canadiens almost no chance in the series.

So this sets up a Chicago-Philadelphia final, both cities going through quite a drought since their last Stanley Cup. I can't decide which team I want to cheer for, and I can't decide which team I think will win. Chicago seems to have all the weapons to win, but Philadelphia has proven themselves capable in these playoffs, not to mention featuring Peter Laviolette behind the bench. As for cheering, I hate this iteration of Philadelphia goons, but I really don't want to root for Marian Hossa to finally get a Cup either.

The conclusion? Well, we'll have to go through a best-of-seven to find out... First game is on Saturday.

Big Ultimate Mega Recap!

I'm really sorry for not posting this past week, but unfortunately this whole "college" thing isn't going away. A lot of stuff has happened, so I think it's time for a...

Big Ultimate Mega Recap!!!!

The Canes played 4 games over the past week, coming out with a 2-2 record, which isn't too shabby for this season.

They lost to the Oilers, which is pretty pathetic although it does help their quest for the lowest pick. (Which, by the way, the Canes are losing, allowing the Maple Leafs and Edmonton to slip between them and the bottom.)
They lost to the Flames.
They managed to win against Buffalo.
And they won against the Islanders - Justin Peters started his first game in that one - good for him to notch his first NHL win!

And through all this Erik Cole still hasn't managed to play a game! Are they keeping him in a storage shed a la Mike Leach?^†

Tim Gleason was named to Team USA (which should have happened in the first place, not as an injury replacement... but whatever). The Canes Twitter feed provided this photo, which is absolutely amazing. Now I have a favorite player to cheer for on the team!

The Canes also traded the Secret Weapon, shipping Niclas Wallin and a fifth round pick to San Jose for a second round pick. A shame, because Wallin was always an asset in the times it mattered most (check the nickname), but I'm not overly surprised because Wallin had been in trade rumors for the past bazillion years. Hope San Jose goes well for him.

Cam Ward is out with some kind of back injury. Which is, y'know, just what you want your franchise goaltender to have. We'll get to see more of Justin Peters, which is nice, and this is making the Legace signing look a bit better.

I think that's all the news that has gone on over the past week... This is the last week of games before the Winter Olympic break - and I cannot wait until that begins!

^†... too soon?

This is just pathetic

Let me just say that I chose a very good season to go off to college. It's a good thing that I haven't watched any of the last nine games, I think I would be ready to kill right about now.

I mean, honestly, it's hard enough listening to Chuck Kaiton. Take the 5-2 loss to St. Louis. I turned on the game a little bit late... and the Canes were down by 3 goals. Who wants to even listen to a game when your team is already down by three goals, and considering their last few games probably has no chance of coming back?

Quite possibly the only good things about the 6-1 loss to Philly and the 5-1 loss to San Jose is that Brandon Sutter, who was called up after the Ruutu suspension, scored both goals in those games. That's more goals than he scored all of last season (1). Obviously someone doesn't want to go back to Albany - and with the way everyone else appears to be playing, I definitely don't think he should.

Nine losses. NINE LOSSES! Even typing that I can't belive how far we have fallen. What do you say after your hockey team has lost nine in a row? Well, golly gee, I sure hope we win the next one?

There are limits even to my optimism. We have to see a full 180-degree turnaround here. You don't lose nine in a row and just have a few things that need to be tweaked. Fundamentals need to be changed.

But I can't leave my loyal readers with that unhappy though. The Canes have depressed us enough. Here's the good news of the night: ERIK COLE IS BACK IN ACTION!!!!

Wow...

We actually came out of San Jose with a win! Well, a shootout win, but a win all the same.

I'm very impressed. Considering how we've been beaten by the Bruins this season, I didn't think the Canes would win against the leaders of the West. Obviously, I was wrong.

And, wow, I just watched the highlights online - man, was that third Canes goal sweet. I mean, LaRose passes to Whitney, who shoots through the crease to get it to Cullen, streaking in from the blue line, who then passed back to Whitney to knock it in - Wow!

Michael Leighton also looked like he made some pretty stellar saves - maybe some of the goals were a bit soft, but the saves online are definitely highlight reel quality.

The bad news about this win is that Eric Staal left in the third with some kind of lower-body injury, although it sounds day-to-day at the worst.

The next game is against Phoenix tomorrow. I can tell you that I have a much better outlook on this team after this game.

Oh, yeah, if you readers could answer the poll to the left, it would help me very much. Thanks!

Canes lose, hopefully will win tonight

Canes lost 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Previously, the Canucks had lost nine straight at home, and eight straight in general.

*facepalm*

Well, it certainly looks like that wonderful win against Atlanta was a fluke. Granted, I didn't watch any of the game, but comments like these taken from the TSN.ca article don't make me feel warm and fuzzy about this game:

[Alex Burrows] beat Carolina goaltender Cam Ward with what he has previously described as his ''only'' move faking a forehand and roofing a backhand. It was a move that Burrows has made many times before, but Ward went the wrong way and could not recover quickly enough.

''I like coming down that side when I go to my go-to move,'' said Burrows, a left-handed shot who raced down left wing. ''I think everybody in the building knew I was going to do that, but obviously Cam Ward watches Eastern Time games and he doesn't stay up late at night to watch our games.''

Oh boy. Yeah, I'm pretty glad that I was fast asleep when this game was on. I think a shorthanded goal against to lose the game would have put me in an absolutely horrible mood.

The real test, though, is tonight against San Jose, the leader of the Western Conference. If we can play with them and win (heck, normally I'd say just play with them, but that won't help us come April) then I feel that the Canes have a good shot. If we get steamrolled, I'm not going to be too optimistic about our playoff chances.

The Canes are going to be without Rod Brind'Amour in the game tonight. Apparently he came back to Raleigh because of "nagging lower body issues", and Jakub Petruzalek (best name ever!) was called up in his place. I'm not entirely sure that this is a bad thing, considering the captain's lame play pretty much the entire season.

Apparently, the Canes are also going to be going with Michael Leighton in goal tonight, a move I find somewhat peculiar, as Cam has started the last sixteen or so games. Why the change, and specifically, why the change against the best team in the West? Maybe they're looking for a change to spark the rest of the lineup. Whatever, I just hope it works out.

326th and Second Round Predictions

This is the 326th post of The Life and Times of a Caniac!!!! A momentus occasion, to be sure.

Sadly, there is no Canes news today. The second round starts tonight and, believe it or not, the Canes somehow missed the playoff exit, and the First-Round bypass, and are reported to be safely on the Offseason Road.

So... My first round predictions were okay, batting a whopping .429. This time, not only am I going to post my predictions, but also ones that come up when I use a random generator (the one that comes up first in the list is what the generator chooses). We'll see who wins! (I'd put my money on the random, if I was you...)

East
#1 Buffalo v. #6 NY Rangers
I say: *sigh* The Rangers didn't impress me when I saw them... Buffalo in 6
The Random says: New York in 5
#2 New Jersey v. #4 Ottawa
I say: Jersey in 6 ½.
The Random says: Ottawa in 6

West
#1 Detroit v. #5 San Jose
I say: San Jose in 6
The Random says: San Jose in 4
#2 Anaheim v. #3 Vancouver
I say: Vancouver in 7
The Random says: Vancouver in 5

As for who I'm cheering for? I have no idea. I hate pretty much all of them. But the one with the least hatred is Vancouver. Or Ottawa, but I don't want to cheer for them.

The bummer? I'll never get to see any of their games because they're all at 10:00. I fall asleep at 10:00.

Scratch that - the real bummer is that the Canes aren't in the playoffs to start with. But it is entertaining to listen to Sean Avery. Dude almost makes me want to root for Buffalo, just to see him and his annoying mouth go down.

Almost. I still haven't forgotten the champagne comments. Get the gag order out!

Hurricane strikes; Sharks found dead on beach

Canes won 6-4 over the San Jose Sharks last night.

Game was a pretty good showing for the Canes. The came out blazing, scoring three goals in the first period, causing the Sharks goalie, Nabokov, to be pulled at the start of the second. They maintained the three-goal goal lead throughout the second, and weathered the Sharks attempt at a comeback.

I feel really good about the Canes play. Not only did they gain a quick lead, but they were able to hold off the Sharks, who were 8-0-2 coming into the game. And, they achieved another power play goal!

I don't feel really good about the Sharks. They were extremely cheap and left a bad taste in my mouth throughout the whole game. Especially when that Clowe guy rammed Erik Cole into the boards. I pretty much lost respect for them after this game. I can't really remember specific incidents, but it was all of this stuff that was behind the play or when the Canes player was looking the other way.

Actually, I'm getting pretty incensed with the refs in general recently. They let the most obvious infractions go uncalled, but they call the stuff that is barely a penalty. Pretty pathetic really.

Canes are still in 8th, tied with Montreal, but we have the tie-breaker.

Erik Cole stats: 1 goal
On the season: 27 goals, 29 assists