skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Sorry, guys. I've been a bad blogger of late. Unfortunately I have been positively swamped and I haven't been able to keep up with a rapid rate of games this past week.
So, let's kick it back 8 days to the Canes OT W over Pittsburgh 3-2. They won the game on a wicked shot from Jamie McBain with about a second left in overtime. Considering the fact that McBain has 6 points in 7 games with the team, I'd say he's looking to be an asset on defense.
Then the Canes lost to Buffalo at home the next day 5-3. Buffalo scored three goals in 7 minutes in the second to turn the tide their way. I wasn't able to catch any of this game, but any loss to the Banana Slugs Sabres leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The Canes also lost to the Lightning 3-2 in overtime. I wasn't happy with the outcome (St. Louis only 29 seconds into OT), but I was extremely pleased when both Erik Cole and Chad LaRose scored within 20 seconds during the second period.
Tuomo Ruutu's season ended on Thursday with shoulder surgery. He had apparently been playing through the pain for a while, and he's expected to be out 4-5 months. I guess it's a good thing that we're not in the playoffs - his loss would be devastating.
Then came the Canes victory over the C[r]apitals in a shootout - a game I got to watch! And let me just say that I find it amazing that we can play Washington like this and then lose immediately afterwards.
An interesting theme of the game was rookie defensemen scoring. The Canes came out fast in the first period with a nice shot by Jamie McBain, and then followed it up with Bryan Rodney's first NHL goal about seven minutes later. Getting a 2-0 lead in the first is always a good thing when you're going up against the best team in the East. For the C[r]apitals, John Carlson also scored his first goal, although unfortunately it had to be the tying goal in the third.
Then came the hero of the night - Chad LaRose won the game by scoring on his first ever shootout attempt. After much jubilation my reaction was: Seriously? This guy has never had a shootout attempt in his career? I mean, a few seasons ago you would have thought that the Canes would've tried anything to get a shootout goal.
Maybe this means LaRose will be a regular in the shootout rotation? Doubtful - but wouldn't that be awesome?
And then, after that great win against Washington, the Canes lose 4-0 to the menial Thrashers. I guess they felt they should keep someone's playoff dreams alive, since their poor play crushed ours in November.
So what did we learn after this week? The Canes like to either win in a tight OT/SO game, preferably beating a giant, or they like to be blown out by teams.
Oh, and, despite my fervent adoration for Chuck Kaiton (he's the man!), watching games on TV is still superior (for both attention span and remembering what happened). Even if I do have to put up with the Washington announcers.
Erik Cole stats (Tuesday): 1 goal
On the season: 9 goals, 3 assists
Chad LaRose stats (Last Saturday): 1 assist
(Tuesday): 1 goal
On the season: 7 goals, 10 assists
The first week of the Olympics has passed, and there has definitely been some exciting hockey to watch.
First and foremost, of course, is Team USA, which beat Switzerland 3-1 on Monday. They then beat Norway 6-1 on Wednesday. Tim Gleason unfortunately didn't make it on the scoresheet at all.
The interesting games so far have been the same Swiss team which USA beat forcing Canada into overtime and a shootout, although ultimately losing 3-2. Sidney Crosby scored the winning shootout attempt, although it is obviously that any team can be carried by a hot goaltender - Jonas Hiller obviously held his own extremely well.
Another team who ran into a hot goaltender was the favorite Team Russia - they lost to Slovakia and Jaroslav Halak 2-1 in another shootout.
Let's just say that either of these teams having trouble in these rounds is extremely surprising, as they were both expected to be head and shoulders above anyone else.
For Caniacs, Tuomo Ruutu and Joni Pitkanen both scored goals in the 5-0 Finnish victory over Germany. Pitkanen also had a point in the 5-1 win over Belarus. Eric Staal made it on the Team Canada scoresheet in the 8-0 victory over Norway.
Tomorrow is the game of games, USA v. Canada. Believe it or not, the USA is currently on top of the Group A standings, due to winning both of their games outright (the Olympic standings give 3 points for regulation wins and 2 for OT/SO wins). This game will be important to determine who may get a first-round bye for the quarterfinals.
Remember that last post where I said that the Canes had to maintain a .780 winning percentage to get close to making the playoffs? Yeah, well, guess which team has won four of the last five? No, not the New Jersey Devils, you moron. The Canes!
The only loss in this past stretch was against the Nashville Predators last Thursday. It's been a week so I don't remember the details, but pretty much just picture the normal underwhelming offence and pathetic defense and there's the game.
The Canes played the next night against the Colorado Avalanche, winning the game 2-1. Ray Whitney scored both Canes goals, including a laser that took Budaj off guard to open the second period. Cam Ward had a shutout going until Colorado scored with 16 seconds left in the game.
The main story in this one, however, was the multitude of fights that peppered the first period - 15 penalties assessed in the first period alone, with 8 of them being for fighting or roughing. The bad news for the Canes was that Tuomo Ruutu, who fought with Darcy Tucker to settle things (Tucker was the guy Ruutu hit from behind to get suspended earlier in the year), injured something in the fight and did not return to the game. Not good news for this injury-plagued team, as Ruutu will be out for a few weeks.
The Canes then won 4-1 against the Senators and 4-2 against the Leafs. Neither game was on TV, so I can't give you much of a recap other than, uh, we won.
Interesting fact: Rod Brind'Amour has 3 points and a +3 in the past four games - perhaps his contributions are the reason the team has been winning? I sure it certainly doesn't hurt the team.
So the Canes head into tonight's game in Detroit on a 3 game winning streak. Unbelievable, isn't it?
Two big surprises to report today.
First of all, the Canes beat the C[r]apitals 6-3 on Monday night. Yes, you read that right. Our pathetic, last place team beat the top of the league team. And not just beat, but laid out an ultimate smackdown - the Canes were up 3-0 after the first!
And let me strike from the record the comments I had about Eric Staal playing wing in the last post. Eric Staal can play defense for all I care, if he puts up five points while doing so.
Seriously, I am absolutely floored that this team was able to beat Washington like this. I believe this was their first lost in the Southeast Division - can you believe it?
Another thing that really surprised me was the Olympic team selections that came out today. The Canadian Olympic Committee must have been watching this past game, as Eric Staal made the team. The Finnish Olympic Committe mustn't have watched any Canes games as Jussi Jokinen was not selected to the Finnish team with his counterparts Ruutu and Pitkanen.
I feel really bad for Jokinen because I feel that he has had an excellent season (especially for being on this team) and I think he should have been credited with a spot on the team.
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and the Canes have their traditional game at the RBC Center. This year it's against the Rangers. Maybe the Canes will have some momentum going into it?
Well, a little less than a week has passed, and we can chalk up two more losses on the road. Ho-hum, same old, same old.
The first loss was 2-0 against the Stars on Monday. Didn't listen to the game, so I don't know really much about it. Recap says that a Ray Whitney goal was called back due to the fact it was kicked over or something like that. Biggest (and worst) news of the night was the fact that Tuomo Ruutu went out with an injury, adding another player to the growing list of Canes casualties on the season.
The second loss was last night against the Ducks where the Canes lost 3-2. Eric Staal came off of the IR for this one, and he played pretty well, getting an assist in the third period.
I thought that the Canes played pretty well. Besides for some rough patches in the first period, they actually played solid hockey for once (or the Ducks were looking pretty poor... whatever). Tom Kostopoulos scored a very nice goal off due to the fact that he was square in front of the net with no one around him when Ray Whitney tossed it to him.
Unfortunately, the Canes broke down as they always seem to, allowing a goal at the very end of the second period to let Anaheim tie it up. Then came two in the third, including a game-breaker with a minute thirty left. Brandon Sutter managed to score thirty seconds later, but it wasn't enough for the Canes to win.
I'm not quite as angry at these losses as I was during the losing streak probably because I've accepted the fact that this current Canes team tends to lose a lot, and they're currently playing better while still losing.
Maybe if we get some more people healthy it'll continue to improve. Maybe winning one on the road? But that might be too much to ask. We'll have to wait to see if the Canes can pull that off, as the next game is a bout with the Thrashers tomorrow at the RBC Center.
So, I attended my second game of the season this year, and the Canes won their second game in regulation. The last game I went to was the 7-2 romp over Florida... coincidence? I think not.
Anyways, the Canes beat the Lightning 3-1 in this one.
Some random observations in list form because paragraphs are too complicated during Thanksgiving Break:
- Yes, I do have thoughts concerning the shootout loss to the Canadiens and the shootout win against the Leafs. I also have thoughts about the current cap issue with the Canes and a few curse words concerning the injury bug this team had. No, you're not going to get them because who wants to talk semi-depressing stuff when you have a legitimate win on your hands?
- That being said, Canes have gotten points in their last five games. Infinitely better than their bazillion game losing streak. Is this the turnaround point for the team?
- Ruutu and Jokinen are awesome.
- Chad LaRose got his first goal and an assist in tonight's game. The goal was a result of him powering up the side of the ice, and it has been a long time overdue for one of my favorite forwards.
- Manny Legace made most of the stops tonight, but I didn't think he looked that great while stopping them. Cam Ward, please get healthy soon.
- Jussi Jokinen's goal was the result of what I called a "changeup". The puck, instead of coming off of Joe Corvo's stick at lightning speed, came off at an extremely slow rate and I think that's what fooled Mike Smith in net for the Lightning.
- The Canes had their ups and downs, but I actually think that they didn't play that bad. If we can sustain this current positive trend, I can't help but be optimistic for our final position. There's still three-quarters left in the season.
Just remember to tell me that if we begin to lose again.
The next game is Monday against the Stars.
Erik Cole stats (Tues): 1 assist
(Thurs): 1 goal
On the season: 2 goals, 1 assist
Chad LaRose stats (Thurs): 1 assist
(Sat): 1 goal, 1 assist
On the season: 1 goal, 5 assists
Remember my last post, in which I said that if the Canes lost to the Islanders, they have all kinds of issues?
Well, issues are definitely what this current Canes team has. They lost in a shootout to the Islanders, then lost to the Avs in regulation, then lost in overtime to the Wild.
The Canes have not won a game on the road yet. The Canes are last in the NHL in penalties per game, taking an average of 22 minutes per game. They're 4th in the Southeast, 12th in the East, 26th in the league.
What is wrong with this picture? EVERYTHING!
But I'm not done yet. Eric Staal isn't producing, Rod Brind'Amour was moved to wing, Tuomo Ruutu was suspended 3 games for a nasty hit on Darcy Tucker against the Avs.
What happened to this team? They shouldn't be this bad!
But they are. And I don't think the current situation will last very long before Rutherford does something. What could he do? I can't even begin to imagine what can fix this sloppy play and bad chemistry. But something has to be done to stop the bleeding.
A very quick recap of the past game:
Canes won their first of the year against the Lightning on Tuesday. They won it 2-1 in a shootout, with Samsonov and Ruutu connecting in the shootout to win it.
Good that it's a win, bad that Tampa played us to a shootout.
Next game is tonight (!) against Florida.
The Canes signed Tuomo Ruutu to a 3 year contract that pays him 3 mil this year and increases to 4 mil the next two years.
I'm definitely glad that the Canes were able to sign him. Perhaps $4 mil is a little much, but if he continues to output the same offense and the physicality then I think it will be a good deal.
So, as of now, it appears the Canes only have remaining issues on the defensive end. A Kaberle buyout and another signing, perhaps?
I'll post whenever there's news of import - but considering this is the end of July, it might not be for a while.
Weeeeee! Schedules were released today! Opening Night '09 is set for October 2nd against the Flyers. Personally I wish that it was the next week because that is my "fall break" for college. Alas, this will be the first year that I won't be at the opener (or, rather, I haven't developed a plan to get me there yet...).
The interesting thing that I've noticed is that there doesn't seem to be a true West-Coast stint where the Canes go away for five games or so. Most of the western games are spread throughout the season. Also special about this season is the Winter Olympic break in the middle of February - ooh, I can't wait for that either!
Along with the unveiling of the schedules came the announcement that this year's Winter Classic will be played at Fenway Park between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Likely to be a good matchup, and likely to be bitter cold - that's what makes it great, right?
Turning to the present, it appears that Ruutu and the Canes are having issues on the length of the contract to be signed. The Canes want to wrap him up long term, Ruutu wants only a year so that he can hit the free agency market after this season. Considering Rutherford's track record with having people not go to arbitration, I wouldn't be surprised if this gets wrapped up before the hearing on July 30th.
And, finally, to yesterday, when the Canes signed Tom Kostopoulos to a three year deal that will average a little under a million per. Previously he played with the Canadiens, although I don't really remember much about him other than looking at the lineup and going "Hm. 'Kostopoulos'. That's a name you don't hear much." He had 106 penalty minutes last season and seems to be the tough defensive forward that the Canes have missed the last few years. Apparently he's known for his hard work, and if you read this article, it seems like from that angle the Canes have signed a larger version of Chad LaRose. If that's the case, it sounds like an awesome signing.
79 days until Opening Night. I can't wait!
Let's see, what has happened in the past week...
Tuomo Ruutu has opted to take the Canes to arbitration. Hopefully the Canes can come to a good resolution with him - I would hate to lose such a bruiser of a forward.
Recently, the Canes re-signed Casey Borer and Justin Peters to two-way contracts as well as Steven Goertzen from the Phoenix Coyotes.
And finally, today Joe Sakic announced his retirement after 20 seasons in the NHL.
Otherwise, not much has gone on in the hockey world. As always, I will update when anything earth-shattering occurs.
If there are any formatting errors in this post blame my Tablet PC, not me. I'm still getting used to this whole writing on the screen thing. (And the "I'm not going to recognize your handwriting on the first try" thing too). Along the same lines, if anyone has any tips for dealing with tablets, please leave a comment!
Well, the season's over for the Canes (if the Red Wings keep at it, it'll be the end of the season for everyone in about two more games...), and now it's time to turn away from that painful last series to look to... the future!
(That sentence is a lot cooler if you imagine cymbals crashing and sparks flying as "the future" is spoken in one of those movie trailer voices. Seriously, read it again and try it.)
Yes, now is the time to focus on the upcoming season, and more importantly the upcoming free agency period. The Canes have seven players up for some kind of free agency and the topics range from performance to salary cap.
But the topic I'm going to cover is the most important of all:
Do I really want to watch you play in a Canes uniform next season?
In order of importance:
Leaving is not an option
Chad LaRose
Explanation: Chad LaRose is the heart and soul of this team. You can't just let the heart and soul walk away from the team. Us Caniacs would be left with a pathetic, soul-less team - a zombie team destined to wander the ice rinks hopelessly searching for a spark of life. And I think we've had enough of that nonsense.
I like you a lot. Please stay!
Jussi Jokinen
Explanation: Our playoff hero. Do we really want him to go? Heck no! I know that he wasn't the most significant player in the regular season, but he certainly made up for that in the playoffs, pulling the Canes' butts through several games (and to think that Tampa wanted to waive him?). Not to mention his shootout prowess doesn't hurt either.
Tuomo Ruutu
Explanation: Take away Tuomo, take away our physical presence. It's as simple as that. He didn't score as much in the playoffs as he did in the regular season, but I think he made up for it in the fact that he often went through people to go after the puck. Not to mention - we just can't lose a guy with a name as awesome as that.
Erik Cole
Explanation: Yeah, okay, I probably have Cole ranked a little higher than he should be - but I don't think I can stand losing my favorite player again. He didn't do that great in the playoffs, but the Canes started to turn around their season when he was added to the team. Coincidence? I beg to differ.
Sure, come back. Whatever.
Ryan Bayda
Explanation: He filled in on the lower lines when he was needed. Not the greatest, not too shabby though. He's been with the Canes organization for a while (finally cracked the big leagues!), so sure he can come back.
I'm not sold on this whole "You playing for us again" thing. Why don't you run it by me again?
Dennis Seidenberg
Explanation: I said to my dad before the beginning of Game 4 that "We have a plethora of useless defensemen." I wouldn't say that Seidenberg is useless (it's called hyperbole), but he just seems to be a part of a nameless defensive corps the Canes put on the ice every year. Not that bad, although the mistakes can be miserable to watch.
Anton Babchuk
Explanation: Unlike Seidenberg, Babchuk certainly has made a name for himself. His killer slapshot makes him nothing like a cookie cutter player. But (and maybe this is a case of "what have you done for me lately?") he completely tanked in the playoffs. It was like he was a traffic cone that the opposing team skated circles around - and we saw absolutely none of his miraculous slapshot. I mean, seriously, the guy was replaced with Frank Kaberle. That's pretty bad.
So, there you go. My analysis of the Canes' upcoming free agents (quite possibly the longest thing I've ever written for this blog). And probably the only Canes stuff that we'll be talking about for a long time.
Well, the Canes are down 0-1 in another series, having lost last night's game 3-2.
This game wasn't quite as bad as the other first games, but it was still pretty horrible nonetheless. The Penguins first goal was scored after a pretty decent Canes powerplay - the puck got behind said powerplay and Miroslav Satan came out of the box right into a breakaway and scored on Cam.
Then our defense just decided to give up on the period. The Pens scored less than two minutes later, giving them a two goal lead in the first. The Canes never recovered from this early deficit, although they definitely tried, especially in the third period. But, sadly, even the fast last minute rush couldn't save the Canes in this one.
A bright spot for the Canes was definitely Chad LaRose. He had the Canes first goal (thanks to a nice drop pass from my man Erik Cole) and would have had another had that same Erik Cole not pushed Hal Gill into Fleury to prevent Fleury from stopping the puck. Oh well.
Erik Cole actually was playing a very good game - until he left with a possible knee injury. Add Tuomo Ruutu to the possible knee injury list and that's not a very good outlook for Game 2. As of right now, there's no info on either injury - no news is good news, right? Hopefully?
Game 2 is Thursday. Hopefully the Canes can continue their playoff winning pattern *knock on wood*.
Erik Cole stats: 1 assist
Playoffs: 3 assists
Chad LaRose stats: 1 goal
Playoffs: 3 goals, 7 assists
Right now I'm "studying for Statistics", so I'll make this post short, okay?
Canes lost 4-1 to the Bruins last night, which, oddly enough, is the exact same score they lost in Game 1 against the Devils last series.
Unlike the first Game 1, the second wasn't anywhere near the level of lameness. The Canes played okay last night - a few good chances, but a few poor plays as well, specifically the Tuomo Ruutu intercepted pass across the middle that led to the Bruins' third goal.
The bright spot of the night was Jussi Jokinen's goal in the first period. This guy is on fire of late. If only some of his other teammates would step up as well... *cough*ErikCole*cough*
To win Game 2, I think the Canes need to, well, play better. Playing merely okay will not win them a game against this Bruins team. They need to play some of their best hockey - and maintain it!
Game 2 is tomorrow on Versus, so that means that we finally can get coverage outside of our own market.
...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
Do you guys realize that it was three years ago on this day that I began to ramble on about the Canes to people I don't know? Seriously, three whole years!
And I was going to celebrate this momentus occasion with a new blog template, but then I tested it out and I don't like it that much. And I really don't have time today to get it perfect (stupid AP Physics review...).
But, it's coming, I swear! In fact, I'm going to switch the header to the awesome new one of Tuomo Ruutu. The header is a sign of things to come - which will not live up to expectations at all because the header is so awesome and the template is so "meh". But whatever, you guys have put up with random nonsense for THREE years now, so I don't think any of this matters at all.
I feel like this post was one big run-on sentence. Oh well. Canes play tonight against the Rangers!
Erik Cole is back in a Canes jersey tonight!
I'm so looking forward to seeing him on the ice again!
And, seriously, if the line he gets put on clicks immediately, that will be absolutely frickin amazing. Just imagine what a Ruutu-Staal-Cole line could do!
In my zealous-ness to post on Wednesday, I completely forgot to post a game recap for Tuesday night's game. The Canes had a solid win over the C[r]apitals 5-2, of which I saw none because it was not on TV. But it was a win against a good team, so that definitely counts for something!
Canes are currently tied with Buffalo for ninth, although they technically get the tenth spot. So, obviously, it would be great if the Canes could win tonight against Calgary!
Chad LaRose stats: 1 goal, 1 assist
On the season: 14 goals, 9 assists
Canes lost their game against the Bruins last night 4-2.
I didn't think that the Canes played that bad, really. I thought they had a pretty good pace for most of the game - they just didn't capitalize on the chances they had and they ended up losing.
The first goal was a Matt Cullen tip-in of an awesome Chad LaRose shot - maybe this is the beginning of another streak for my man LaRose? Hopefully.
The second Canes goal was a wicked shot by Anton Babchuk. He's another one I want to go on a scoring spree - he definitely still has his slapshot.
And, Tuomo Ruutu was a hitting machine last night - pretty much, if it had a Boston Bruins jersey on, he wasn't skating around it, but through it. I get more and more impressed with this guy as the season goes on - how could Chicago give up on him?
Hopfully the Canes good play will transfer into more wins against the big teams like Boston soon.
Next game is New Year's Eve against the Thrashers.
Chad LaRose: 1 assist
On the season: 8 goals, 3 assists
Canes won 2-1 over the Panthers in overtime last night.
Last night was completely awesome for me, as I not only got to attend the game, but I also sat in the lower bowl. And I was really close to the ice:
And, if you don't think that's close to the ice, then you have much better seats than I usually do. Jealous!
The only problem with said seats is that I don't really like the end section that low - it's sometimes hard to judge what's going on down at the other end.
Anyways, I thought the Canes played pretty well. I really appreciate Tuomo Ruutu that close to the ice - I saw a lot more of the fighting for the puck along the boards and the physicalness that he plays the game with.
Justin Williams scored his first goal since coming back from injury, and it was a power play goal as well! That goal was the deciding factor until the third period - Cory Stillman came out of the penalty box into a breakaway.
Canes played well in the overtime, Joe Corvo scoring the OT goal. I imagine it looked something like this shot, taken in the second period:
Except that the goal was scored on a backhand. Whatever. Use your imagination.
Anyway, the point is that the Canes won against a division rival and took over 8th place in the East. YaY Canes!
The next game is on Saturday, away against the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins.
Well, the firing of Laviolette didn't spur the Canes on to victory - they lost 5-2 to the Pens last night.
Granted, they did come out with somewhat more of a spark than they had in games past. But it was nowhere near what is needed to win, especially against a loaded team like Pittsburgh.
I will say, though, that Tuomo Ruutu definitely ate his Wheaties before the game - he was on fire, crashing the net and just being where he needed to be. Sergei Samsonov, playing on the same line, also was pretty good. (They had a goal and an assist between them).
However, Josef Melichar played on the opposite end of the spectrum, being pretty much directly responsible for two of the Pens goals. Needless to say, I'm not that disappointed that he was sent to Albany today, and Casey Borer and Tim Conboy were recalled.
Justin Williams played pretty well for his first game back from injury - probably better than some of the Canes who are perfectly healthy.
Next game is tomorrow against the Flyers.
