Rodney to the Rescue: Canes at Sabres, Game Day Preview
by Bob Wage on Nov 28, 2009 2:36 PM EST
45 comments
The Carolina Hurricanes, (5-15-5), are in Buffalo to test their resolve against the Sabres, (13-7-2), tonight in a 7 p.m. match at the HSBC. There is no need to re-hash last night's fiasco in Raleigh. What's done is done. Can the Canes forget about it and play their next hockey game with some fortitude and consistency?
The team seems to be on radio silence today other than sending out a media blast about the recall of Bryan Rodney. It's to be assumed that Joni Pitkanen will be unable to play tonight as he is probably still suffering from the affect of running into teammate Brandon Sutter. Pitkanen took the worst of that collision and skipped out of the third period meltdown against the Thrashers.
There have been no updates from the morning skate and no word about who will start in net tonight. My guess is that they will give Michael Leighton a try, but that is an unofficial hypothesis. Perhaps they skipped the morning skate and spent the morning watching video?
For those of you clamoring for major changes, don't expect anything to be done until after the game on Monday night against the Caps. The Canes will then have a few days off and that is always bad news for any struggling team. The down time gives management a chance to process changes.
The Canes enter this contest as the only team in the NHL yet to win a game on the road, (0-9-3). The Sabres are coming off a hard earned win yesterday in Philadelphia. But the home team will be missing a couple of key contributers. Craig Rivet and Paul Gaustad will miss tonight with various injuries while Patrick Kaleta will probably be suspended because of a hit yesterday on Jared Ross.
Buffalo is led by Tim Connolly and Derek Roy.
Of course Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville are also to be contended with. Elite netminder Ryan Miller will probably take the night off, after having played in Philadelphia. Patrick Lalime is the backup, and he has yet to win a game this season.
((UPDATE)): Ryan Miller will get the nod for Buffalo. (glove tap to the Left Wing Lock and Buffalo News).
Lalime versus Leighton? (Again, this is an unofficial guess). It could be a real barnburner in Buffalo tonight.
Apparently, the Sabres are taking nothing for granted by starting Miller two games in a row.
The Canes are led by Ray Whitney, Jussi Jokinen, and Tuomo Ruutu.
This game will be televised locally by FS Carolinas starting at 7. We will have the open game thread here starting at 6:30.
For information about the Sabres, check out our friends at Die by the Blade.
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Miller to start
Hi Bob,
Mike from leftwinglock.com here. Miller will be the starter for Buffalo tonight. Will be interested to see who CAR goes with.
http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sabres/2009/11/morning-skate-report.html
Left Wing Lock - Free and accurate starting goalies
Surprising
I don’t want to sound like a nay-saying Sabres fan, but it is surprising to me that Miller would make the start tonight. I thought they would wait until tonight to rest him, rather than giving the nod to Lalime last Saturday against Ottawa (which led to the Sens taking over the division lead).
I figured the Sabres would have laughed at us and decided to play the whole game empty-net for funsies.
by narwhalcavalcade315 on Nov 28, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions
It’s to be assumed that Joni Pitkanen will be unable to play tonight as he is probably still suffering from the affect of running into teammate Brandon Sutter. Pitkanen took the worst of that collision
No offense to Sutter, but doesn’t this just sum up our whole season? Pits gets hurt running into possibly the thinnest guy would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.
It is pretty sad, but I just love how I can pick Sutter out on the ice before I even see #16 because he’s by far the thinnest.
by narwhalcavalcade315 on Nov 28, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
I be happier with the news of “Rodney Recalled” if it was accompanied by “A. Ward sent down.”
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 3:24 PM EST reply actions
More like : “Put on waivers”… but same idea.
Can anyone confirm: I think we’ve passed the time when we could send Yelle to Albany?
And I still think this is a top-down problem. With Tues to Fri to go to plan C, I’m hoping the braintrust have a 4-day retreat holed up someplace – maybe like Ocracoke – the end of the road; Time to dispense with “niceties” and figures out how to run a hockey team. Drastic measures will ensue. I think it’s a coaching shake-up.
Seems like we all felt this desperate after the Kings game, then Cam Ward went out in Columbus, and we found out it could get worse. Maybe we should count our blessings that Pitkanen’s injury is not career ending.
Hurricanes Hockey:
Never for the faint of heart.
Nor for the weak of stomach.
by hockeymomof2 on Nov 28, 2009 3:35 PM EST up reply actions
Elevate Francis to Head Coach; Move Mo Upstairs to Work with Rutherford
It’s time to try elevating Francis to Head Coach and moving Mo upstairs to work with Jim Rutherford. Maurice can’t necessarily prevent Aaron Ward from being horrible; but perhaps Francis can do a better job than Maurice in terms of managing and motivating the team. In reality, at this point, the focus needs to be on honing a system for next year. The probabilities are greater that a meteorite will hit the RBC than the Hurricanes reaching the playoffs.
Power Play
Until the Hurricanes draft, sign as a UFA, or trade for, a power forward who is a natural scorer — in the mold of (1) Jordan Staal, (2) Nathan Horton, (3) Ryan Getslaf, it is going to be tough for the Hurricanes to have an effective power play. I would not be shocked to see Jim Rutherford sign Babchuk on a two year contract; and who knows maybe Babchuk would be exactly what is needed for the Hurricanes to have a great power play (and yes, I recall the tremendously passionate debate about Babchuk). There is also a chance that Boychuk and Sutter will work together on the power play next year and make it far more effective.
They talked about this on the post-game last night and either John or Mike M (they both may have said it at different times actually) brought up an excellent point in rebuttal of this strategy.
Francis is already on the bench and therefore has to shoulder some of the blame for this debacle. To have any guy “move over” from an assistant/associate job into the head coaching position seems a little like that whole adage about “trying the same things over and over again and expecting different results” to me. I’m not sure I see it working.
Wild idea that's been successful in recent history
Bylsma from Wilkes-Barre to the Penguins
Boudreau from Hershey to the Caps.
Daniels from Albany to the Canes.
Not sure he has what it takes, but he could flip flop with Mo. Who except the most dedicated hockey fans ever heard of Bylsma or Boudreau before they arrived with a treasure chest of talent that looked great on paper was totally lost on the ice? Interim basis till JR can work something out (or permanently.. if it works) I’m not looking for the playoffs even. Just some dignity and leadership for these guys.
Hurricanes Hockey:
Never for the faint of heart.
Nor for the weak of stomach.
by hockeymomof2 on Nov 28, 2009 4:54 PM EST up reply actions
Not Francis
Sorry, but Ron has too much smell on him from this train-wreck for my liking. Not just the PP, but the line juggling as well. I thought Rowe would get the job when Lavy left. So him or Daniels makes the most fiscal sense as PK could probably get them relatively cheap.
Humpty dumpty sat on a wall.....
by drifterscape on Nov 28, 2009 5:42 PM EST up reply actions
Whitney/Sutter/LaRose Line -- you have to be kidding
The idea anybody would put Whitney/Sutter/LaRose together on a line is just crazy as far as I am concerned. It isn’t that Whitney and Sutter can’t be on a line together; but putting them with 5’8" 165 lbs LaRose is nuts. Given the fact LaRose has scored one goal this year, moving up Kostopoulos wasn’t going to hinder the Hurricanes’ goal scoring.
Check out the lines in the first two Thrashers’ scores:
Goal 1: # 4, 13, 16, 34, 41, 59 (Whitney, Sutter, LaRose)
Goal 2: # 4, 13, 16, 34, 41, 59 ) (Whitney, Sutter, LaRose)
Sutter needs to be paired with somebody like Cole for speed and for physicality. Then to pair Aaron Ward and Alberts together, along with Whitney/Sutter/LaRose is hockey insanity. Alberts can play within his limitations; but expecting him to overcome the incompetence of Aaron Ward is an exercise in self-delusion.
If Whitney is paired with Sutter, then Kostopoulos is a vastly better choice than LaRose. In any event, last night was yet another low point in the road to winning the Taylor Hall extravaganza. It probably was going to take this kind of total collapse for Jim Rutherford to be given full authority to make drastic changes and to trade or waive some very popular players.
Ok A.Dog:
Who EXACTLY put those lines together? Hmmmmmmmm?
That crazy Whitney/Sutter/LaRose line
No question that Maurice either thought up or condoned having a Whitney/Sutter/LaRose line. It’s hard to envision how that line was supposed to work. Who is going to back check when Sutter goes to the net? I guess they thought LaRose would rise up to his full 5’ 8" height and strike terror into the heart of Kovalchuk.
Lines: I promise, it wasn't me
Lines: I promise, it wasn’t me. What as the brain trust thinking with that line? Maurice is head coach, so obviously he had to either initiate the line make-up or condone it. Either way, it’s hard for me to visualize Maurice as a great on ice coach. I think he does have a system he wants to institute; and whether the system will work with different personnel, I can’t say. It absolutely is failing miserably with the team as constituted.
Get a load of this nonsense:
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 4:30 PM EST reply actions
Yea thats def crazy talk, if anyone is safe on this team its Staal and Cam for years and years and years.
A TRUE CANIAC......YES I AM........
Not only that, but to rumor it is for Cogliano and Grebeshkov. Really? Is that how much Staal is worth? Really?
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 4:36 PM EST reply actions
I like Cogliano and am not Staal’s biggest supporter but there is no way JR goes this crazy. I want to know who these three sources are.
Mickey Mouse, Voldemort’s ghost, and the Uni-bomber I think… but seriously. This type of trade isn’t one that a team having a terrible season makes. This is a trade an organization in dire peril makes. I don’t think we’re there quite yet.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions
LOL those sound about right. It would be a cold day in you know where before JR does this. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds. Did you see that a pick was in there too? Seriously? Chances are we’ll have all the top picks we want on our own. :rolls eyes:
Yeah the draft pick is the hilarious icing on the ridiculous-cake.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 5:10 PM EST up reply actions
Staal Rumor
I was about to post the Eklund link which I saw on Twitter. I replied to him and said Carolina would not trade Staal for Ovechkin, Malkin, or Crosby. Staal is the “Carolina Hurricanes.” He and Cam Ward will retire as Carolina Hurricanes.
I would not be shocked, however, if Corvo is traded for a power forward or a high draft choice. I would not be entirely dazed if Whitney decided a trade to Edmonton made sense to him as a place to finish out his career. The way Cullen is playing, he seems to be trying to make himself too valuable to trade. He is busting his chops. Cole, too, is playing as hard as I have seen him battle in years.
Without Aaron Ward and Wallin (I realize many people disagree with me on Wallin), and with Boychuk, McBain, Rodney, Carson, and Bowman and our pick of (1) Taylor Hall, (2) Tyler Seguin, or (3) Kirill Kabonov, the Hurricanes are a much more competitive team. It would make no sense at all to dismantle the team in its entirety.
That’s exactly why I am calm about the immediate future of this team, despite the folly we are witnessing right now.
There’s a core that’s fine and the remainder serve out their contracts this year or next, so eventually drop away, even if untradeable. Even the untradeable (cough/Tverdovsky/Melichar/cough) can be thrown in on a deal, if nothing else.
This is fixable with parts that are stocked in the warehouse. All it needs is time and trading partners. In the meantime, enjoy the few good moments the team provides and laugh at their follies in between.
Edmonton partner
Edmonton just lost A.Hemsky for the year and they are more desparate than most to make the playoffs. So they might make a willing partner for a winger.
How about Whitney and LaRose for P.O’Sullivan and a pick.
Humpty dumpty sat on a wall.....
by drifterscape on Nov 28, 2009 5:30 PM EST up reply actions
Isn’t it O’Sullivan who has the (cough crazy cough) dad in the area? While he wouldn’t have any say in the matter if he’s traded here, I doubt very much we’d get him at his best with all the distractions.
Yeah, Patty-O is from Winston-Salem. And if memory serves, he still has a restraining order on his Pops.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 5:40 PM EST up reply actions
Not that I think it matters, but I read somewhere recently that his dad doesn’t live in NC anymore. Can’t recall where to confirm though.
SISU
It must have been recent since I remember that’s all the talk was about last season when we traded him for Cole.
It wouldn’t matter in terms of actually trading for him (I doubt he’s in a contract position to dictate where he will and won’t go), but as a GM for either team, I would think twice about it.
Wow that sentence sounded awkward. Let's try it again:
It must have been recent since I heard a lot of talk about that situation last season when he went to EDM for Cole (and therefore could have come here instead).
There. That sounds a little better at least.
Yeah, I think the whole daddy issue is moot, aside from the fact that this entire trade is ludicrous.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 28, 2009 5:47 PM EST up reply actions
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