FanPost

The Truth about the Canes

Without going into too much detail here's what you need to know about the Canes, the good and the bad.

(According to the lines of Game 7)

Line 1 -
Staal, Whitney, Walker

By far the best line for the Canes in the playoffs. Both the Bruins and especially Devils had a real tough time shutting this line down.  Believe it or not that's mostly due to Ray Whitney (There's a reason they call him the wizard)  He's been our most consistent offensive performer in the series and is one of the best in the league at puck handling and setting up scoring opportunities (See Scott Walker's series winning goal).  Staal however is our best talent and can put the team on his back with his ability to control the puck behind the net and his scoring and skating skills.  Scotty Walker brings alot of grit and heart to the team and is not the villain the media tried to paint him to be.

Line 2
Cullen, Cole, LaRose

In terms of talent a very good line that has the potential to score regularly but hasn't been able to put it together consistently.  Cole is perhaps our most overrated player (except for perhaps Brind'amour) and it's sad because his play has never really been the same since his neck injury at the hands of Penguin goon Orpik.  He still has great speed and grit but has trouble finishing on scoring opportunities and has a very inconsistent shot.  Cullen is on par with the talent level of Jordan Staal but is a very streaky scorer.  LaRose has really blossomed into a great player in these playoffs.  He's a very hard worker with good speed and determination and has shown skill in setting up goals (like Staal's series winner in NJ and our short handed goal in NJ) that I didn't know he had. 

Line 3
Jokinen, Ruutu, Samsonov

This line has been the jewel in the rough for the Canes and perhaps my favorite to watch in the playoffs.  Nicknamed the "Euro line" for obvious reasons.  Jokinen as most know by now has been Mr. Clutch so far in the playoffs and just always seems to be in the right place at the right time when it matters most.  Ruutu (like LaRose) had a career regular season although he hasn't quite put up the scoring numbers in the post season.  Although Ruutu (like Walker) brings a physical edge to the Canes and will take a run at anybody and has delighted Caniacs with big hits throughout.  Samsonov really came on in the Bruins series after a relatively quiet NJ series.  He has tons of skating and puck handling ability but has the tendency to not do anything productive but "skate in circles" as one Bruins fan put it.  He, like Cullen, tends to be a streaky scorer so we'll have to see if his hot play continues on into the Pens series or if he was just motivated to get back at his old team.

Line 4
Brind'amour, Bayda, Eaves

This line doesn't get a whole lot of ice time and is far inferior to our top 3 lines.  I hope I don't infuriate too many Canes fans with this next bit and let me preface it by saying I have loads of respect for our captain and believe he was one of the main reasons for our Cup win.  However, Brind'amour has been one of (if not the) worst players on our team this year. During the regular season he was among the league leaders in minus ratings and has been the direct cause to several goals scored against us in the playoffs. (See game tying goal in Boston Game 7)  He is still very good although no longer elite at winning face offs and is valuable on the power play due to his good passing and quarterbacking skills.  But he has become a huge defensive liability for the Hurricanes, thus his move to the fourth line.  He has lost a step or three and turns the puck over much more than he used to.  Bayda has a good shot and has the talent to be on the third line of most teams but doesn't get much ice time.  Eaves has good speed and puck handling abilitites.  Like Cole he has tons of talent but has real problems at finishing.

Corvo, Gleason

Gleason is our number one shut down defenseman and will probably be matched up against the Crosby line in the Pens series.  He is one of the most underrated defensemen in the league because he is a strictly stay at home D-man.  Corvo is an offensive minded defenseman who has great skating and passing ability for a D-man and a plus slap shot.  He his a valuable asset to the power play and is still a great defender. 

Pitkanen,  Seidenberg

These 2 defensemen make any line much more dangerous when they're on the ice.  Pitkanen eats most of our ice time and is in my opinion one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.  He has exceptional speed and passing ability for a D-man.  Seidenberg has good legs, a good shot, and great passing vision as well.  I can't say enough about Pitkanen though.  He really acts as a 4th forward in terms of offensive ability and is the sole reason Samsanov scored the go ahead goal in game 7 in Boston. Pitkanen also really impressed me with his defensive abilities throughout the playoffs of which Seidenberg is no sloud either.

Wallin, Kaberle

Wallin has lost a couple steps since his playoff heroics of 06 but is still a good skater and has valuable experience.  He is a smart stay at home defender but looks a bit slow this year.  Although he does have a bit of magic.  Kaberle can sometimes be a liabilty on defense but is a smooth skater and good passer.  Babchuck sometimes plays in place of Kaberle and is loaded with potential and has a wicked slap shot but over the playoffs has really made some bone headed mistakes and perhaps has let the playoff jitters get to him. 

Cam Ward

What can I say about Cam Ward that hasn't already been said?  He's really turned into an elite goaltender since former Pen Barasso has worked with him.  He is one of the most clutch goaltenders in the NHL.  His postseason record in Game 7's speak for itself and he always seems to come up with huge saves when they're need most.  He single handedly kept us in striking distance in Game 7 against NJ.  Perhaps his greatest strength was Tim Thomas's greatest weakness: controlling rebounds.

 

(This is in partial response to a Pittsburgh fan wanting to know about the Carolina Hurricanes who it seems nobody outside of North Carolina will ever know or care about.  Ah well, the plight of being a Caniac.)

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