The Return of Cam Ward: Hurricanes at Devils, Game Day Preview
by Bob Wage on Dec 9, 2009 1:26 PM EST
55 comments
It's not exactly "The Return of the King", like in the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy, but the Carolina Hurricanes are pretty happy about the return of their franchise goalie to his rightful spot between the pipes as the Canes, (7-17-5) take on the New Jersey Devils, (20-7-1) tonight at "The Rock". After the netminder was sliced and diced by Rick Nash's skate in Columbus on November 7, the team has been riding the backs of two goalies who had not played very much up until that point in time.
Michael Leighton had barely seen any action as the team rode Cam Ward almost every game up to the date of his injury, even for back-to-back affairs. Manny Legace was scooped up from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, where he was one of three goalies on the roster.
Legace won four games for the Hurricanes during these trying times and seems to have prevailed in the "Cam Ward backup" sweepstakes. More about that later.
Ward started off the year pretty well, but eventually succumbed to the onslaught of shots against him. His numbers before the injury are nothing to write home about. He will be facing Martin Brodeur, who just earned his 103rd career shutout, tying him with Terry Sawchuk's NHL record.
While the Devils have been gangbusters on the road, (11-2-1), their home record is not bad either. (9-5-0). They are currently riding a three game winning streak and have won six of their last seven.
The Atlantic Division leaders are led in scoring by Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Travis Zajac.
The Canes are led by Ray Whitney with 20 points. Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu have 17 each.
After much hullabaloo, Rod Brind`Amour will be back in the lineup tonight. Sergei Samsonov is out with a lower body injury. Otherwise, look for the same lineup as Monday night. (Nic Wallin remains out).
The puck drops at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised by FS Carolinas. We will have the open game thread starting at 6:30.
John will have relevant Jersey news over at In Lou We Trust.
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First!
Go ’Canes and go Wardo. We need pressure from Cole and Staal down low for tonight. Maybe Eric can get scoring other than assists tonight!
Good to see Cam back. I’m a little nervous about tonight, since Jersey stifles offense and the ‘Canes already have problems scoring. But I’m hoping for another ‘W’. Go ’Canes!
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Dec 9, 2009 1:39 PM EST reply actions
Brind'amour back in the line-up
Sergei out with a lower body injury
http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=509228&navid=DL|CAR|home
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Dec 9, 2009 1:45 PM EST reply actions
Brind'Amour and Samsonov
I think Samsonov has been battling injuries for a while; but has been gutting it out. He only had eight minutes of time on ice against the Penguins. Even with his nagging injuries, Samsonov has been playing some of his best hockey over the last four or five games, I thought. I have believed he was a much tougher player than some gave him credit.
Brind’Amour has a chance tonight to prove on the ice that he still has what it takes. I really hope he can have a great and intense game. He could hardly have more incentive and motivation than he has now. To my mind, Maurice/Rutherford/Francis/Rowe gave Brind’Amour a throw down (my mill town upbringing jargon): “Show me what you got and don’t bring your weak … stuff … in here” is how I recall it being said.
This is going to be interesting.
I wonder how Wardo really is.
I’m sure like every other hockey player, excuse excuse me, insane hockey goalies, he could still be bleeding, trying to push his ribs back into his chest, coughing blood and saying, “Just a flesh wound”
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
Monty Python Reference #3
“Come back here you coward, I’ll bite you with my teeth.”
I tried to stand in goal, they shot and they scored. So I stood in goal again and and a second shot came, they scored there too. But the third shot, that one I stopped!
it always burns within
the downward spiral never ends
when driven into sin
your salvation's found in a sinner's deed
by Douchebag St John on Dec 9, 2009 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
Is that from.....
Luftwaffe General Adolf Galland?
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
I'm sill looking for the virgins between 16 (okay 18) and 19 and a half
in the Castle Anthrax
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
She's a witch!
She turned me into a toad.
I got better.
Honestly, did you get what I posted?
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
it always burns within
the downward spiral never ends
when driven into sin
your salvation's found in a sinner's deed
by Douchebag St John on Dec 9, 2009 4:49 PM EST up reply actions
I guess it’ll be OK to win one more tonight but then we better start losing again. At this point to move up in the standings does us more harm than good.
I do feel nervous for Cam tonight………………..1st game back and with the way he’s been playing this year could be a recipe for DISASTER.
A TRUE CANIAC......YES I AM........
Aaron Ward
One test would be to healthy scratch Aaron Ward and Wallin and see if the two minutes of chaos resulting in two or three goals ceases.
Could well be the fragile psyche thing; but if I were the coach, I absolutely would be a maniac trying to find out whether or not it was the overall sensitivity of the team to adversity or whether it was the result of a couple of players lacking mobility. It wouldn’t take me 33 1/3% of the season to put A. Ward and Wallin upstairs with the press to see what happened. The wost that could happen is that we would learn from the experiment that the team is fragile mentally.
i’m worried about Cam being ready. I’ll feel better once we get 10 min into the game and I see for myself he’s fully 100%.
Hurricanes Hockey:
Never for the faint of heart.
Nor for the weak of stomach.
I am still of the opinion that Legace is the #1 guy at least for the rest of this week… if they want to slowly phase ward back in then fine….
Mo is the “king” of “ride the hot-hand-in-goal…” Not that Legace is on a blazing hot streak… but you know…. 2-in-a-row….
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Dec 9, 2009 3:33 PM EST up reply actions
no time better than the present to bust out a recycled ’shop:
Barry Melrose Rocks: Hockey and mullets. What else is there?
Jeez! I’m so glad you mentioned that. I TOTALLY missed it myself. Well done.
SISU
by LTD on Dec 9, 2009 6:15 PM EST up reply actions
this has been a good thread for movie references tied into the hockey game, nice job.
GM of CanesCountry.com
Brind'Amour story goes national
From NHL.com this afternoon with quotes from several teammates and Mo.
From Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy citing the CC poll from yesterday and putting his spin on it.
Hurricanes Hockey:
Never for the faint of heart.
Nor for the weak of stomach.
Brind'Amour on National Press
The national attention raises the stakes yet again. All eyes are on Brind’Amour tonight. I thought Walker’s comments were right on point. The problem exists because of the overall ineffective play by the team. The reasons for the poor play have been discussed in detail; but in the end, some players who needed to play well simply did not do so. It’s the poor performance by the team that is driving management to make changes. It’s another reason why I respect Scott Walker. He doesn’t mince words or make excuses.
Yeah, both owning up to the problems while stating that it’s a fact of life.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Dec 9, 2009 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
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