Slow Start Hurts Carolina....Again - Flyers 3, Canes 1

What a poor excuse for a team. There is not a team here, only a bunch of people getting paid to do half-assed jobs.

We’re past the quarter point, and I guess JR is going to have some tough choices to make, because this isn’t the team any of us hoped for.
1) Injuries: They are well documented, but every team has had injuries by now. The Canes are actually relatively healthy, or at least as unhealthy as everyone else. Maybe it’s a mental crutch that the players are leaning on.
2)Defense: Not very defensive. Not very physical. Not very successful. It seems like every time the Canes get a successful pairing, something happens. There isn’t a whole lot of cohesion yet.
3) Forwards: I would have been much harder on the forward rating than you were. For a supposedly offensive minded team, the Canes haven’t shown much. The supposed offensive leaders aren’t, and they aren’t contributing (consistently) on defense either. With the exception of LaRose, Ruutu and Bayda, there hasn’t been a lot of emotion every game, and effort is spotty game to game and period to period.
4) Goalkeeping: Incosistent. Not always their fault, as odd man rushes have become the norm. Still, some soft goals have lead to dispirited followups by the rest of the team.
5) Leadership: What leadership? The team is consistently flat. The most common phrase: “We didn’t have any jump.”. The line combinations are chaotic. We had 2 too many men on the ice penalties in one game. The power play looks like the mini-mites. Who’s responsible? Who takes resposibility? Is anyone running this crew?
6) Reality: Maybe this team isn’t as good as we thought. Maybe this team is exactly what they are showing. A mediocre .500 team with no playoff future. That’s what they have shown. JR has shown himself to be a patient manager. He made a lot of moves to put this team together, and it is possible he is waiting to see it gel. He may wind up waiting the Canes into another year of futility.

Corvo got a nasty one but, Sammi took a nasty tomahawk to the neck, again uncalled.

Don’t matter, crush ’em all and break limbs. Play for The Cup or stay home.

BTW, I think Dennis and Tuomo did the right thing trying to make that play. I think that was a soft goal by Ward. That said he stopped a dozen far deadlier shots. He played well enough. Squat for coaching, the leaders didn’t lead.

They lost, again.

A

This was a game they probably deserved to win. Two posts and a couple of bouncing pucks made the difference. Sometimes the hockey gods do not reward effort (last 2 periods, at least). Wardo certainly played well enough to earn a victory.

Having said that, I continue to be amazed at the number of times our D gain possession of the puck and then turn it over. They are all too ready to throw the puck up the boards and hope that the forwards can outfight the opposition. Good teams maintain possession and initiate breakouts. The lack of scoring is in no small part due to the number of defensive zone and neutral ice turnovers. What was the best transition game in the NHL (2006) has evaporated. The Canes are often reduced to dump and chase offensive zone tactics because they are weak coming out of their own end.

I mentioned this before, but Paladin makes mention of it again. Why is it that Cam can make the unbelievable save, yet turn around and give up goals on what should be routine shots? Carle placed a nice shot and all, but we have seen came make that save many times before. That goal sucked the life right out of the bench. In the second the boyz were chatting with each other and the coaches, they were on the edges of the bench ready to fly over the wall. After Carle’s goal head were down and there was no chatter, not even from Lavi. Remember the days when Lavi would rip into the bench at the earliest sign of no effort, where have those days gone. Have the players tuned him out so much, that he doesn’t even try that routine anymore? If the coaches aren’t trying, how can you expect the players to try hard.
Oh yea, to the two guys in section 106 row O, Staal is hurt, and he is not on that huge contract just yet. Please stop yapping about how awful all are players are and who we should trade for, when it is obvious that you don’t follow the game you’re at, let alone the NHL in general. Overheard one of these jokers talking about how great of a year Emory was having in Ottawa!?!?!?!? Really? I appreciate that you have your own opinions, just do some research before you shoot of at the mouth for 60 minutes, instead of rooting for your team. Guys like these are the reason most of the hockey world think Canes fans are stupid.