Cam Ward in the Groove for Carolina: Hurricanes 4, Senators 1
by Bob Wage on Jan 11, 2010 1:31 AM EST
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PrintThe Carolina Hurricanes recovered from a slow first period in which they were out-shot 16-5, and scored two goals in each of the next two periods to take advantage of a tired and hurting Ottawa Senators team, 4-1 Sunday night at the RBC. The Sens just lost the previous night in Florida, 3-0, and this loss was their fourth in a row.
The Hurricanes have now won two in a row and three of their last four, making this the closest thing to a "hot streak" the team has had all season.
A big reason for the hot streak is the recent play of Cam Ward, who looks like he is really hitting his stride. The goalie is suddenly playing like it's the playoffs again and every save he makes looks easy as he's returned to playing positionally sound hockey. Ward kept his team from falling behind in that slow first period when the puck seemed like it was in the Carolina zone most of the time.
The Sens did break through first on a point blank goal in the second period by Chris Kelly, but Brandon Sutter and Tom Kostopoulos would team up and answer that goal just 40 seconds later for the home team. Sutter led "TK" with a perfect lead pass and the gritty forward dove on the ice stick first, to tip the puck into the net past goalie Pascal Leclaire.
Later in the period, Rod Brind`Amour took a pass from Patrick Dwyer as Dwyer skated around the back of the net, and rifled in a shot from just inside the blueline for what would turn out to be the game-winning goal. It was the second goal in three games for the captain as he now is riding a three game scoring streak, (2G 1A).
Coach Paul Maurice is rewarding him with more playing time and Brind'Amour is making the most of it.
In the third period, the Canes did not back down and kept the pressure on. Brett Carson would score his first NHL career goal from the point on a nice pass by Ray Whitney. The puck bounced in off a Senator, but as Carson said after the game, "I'll take them anyway I can get them."
Just a couple of minutes later Ray Whitney would again play the role of playmaker, but this time he fed Eric Staal, who made a nice backhanded move on Leclaire to seal the deal for the Canes.
It had been a long couple of days for Staal has he just attended his sister-in-law's funeral on Saturday, caught a plane from Thunder Bay to Toronto Saturday night, jumped on a plane from Toronto to Charlotte at 4:30 a.m., then flew to Raleigh later in the morning. The youngster got a bit emotional after the game while talking about his wife's sister and his time with the rest of the family. He thanked the organization for giving him the time off, but it's a topic the media probably could have left alone for a day or two.
The Hurricanes will skip practice on Monday and fly to Toronto for a show down with the Leafs on Tuesday night.
Game Notes:
- Cam Ward was named first star of the game as he made 31 saves on 32 shots.
- While the Canes were out-shot 15-6 in the first period, they turned the tables in the second and third, 13-6 and 15-10.
- Tom Kostopoulos has a streak of sorts going himself and has scored goals in three of the last four games.
- The line of Sutter, Jokinen, and Kostopoulos looked very good out there together. Once again, Sutter continues to amaze with his nonstop hustle at both ends of the rink.
- Matt Cullen picked up an assist on the Staal goal and now has assists in four straight games. The assist was his 100th while with the Carolina franchise.
- Joni Pitkanen once again played a game high 28:48. He led the Canes with seven shots on goal and was tied for best with two blocked shots along with Gleason and Wallin.
- The youngsters from Albany once again played a solid game. Patrick Dwyer led the team with seven hits and was all over the ice. It seems like Jerome Samson has yet to lose a puck battle along the boards since he has been in Raleigh. Apparently, Jiri Tlusty's strength looks deceiving because near the end of one powerplay, he was able to keep the puck in the zone by himself while battling against two Sens. Zach Boychuk is still adjusting to the big leagues, but his speed is noticeable and he looks to break out with a goal anytime.
- Tim Gleason and Niclas Wallin each finished with a team high +3.
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Hey Bob
According to the Game Report the attendance was about 17,000. Is this the “paid” number or were there really 17,000 there today? It would not be too bad for a last place team in January.
There were not actually 17,000 people there…. (Probably closer to between 15k-16k)
BUT… It was not a bad crowd for the (A) last place team in (B) January on the © first Sunday of NFL Playoffs…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jan 11, 2010 9:19 AM EST up reply actions
Very true. I think Kostopoulos’ play will result in LaRose being traded. I had heard great praise for him from the coaches and management when he signed. Maurice seems old-school in how much time he gives new or young players; and Kostopoulos is definitely earning his time. I suspect next year the fourth line will be Samson/Dwyer/Kostopoulos and hopefully Maurice/Francis/Rowe will roll the fourth line and give that fourth line about ten minutes a night. There will be a lot of puck battles won, cycling, and a lot of checking if that occurs.
If they do trade Chad I hope he goes out west because he is one of those players that can come back to haunt you, his career is far from over. He has just been plagued with injuries.Rosey will be back to form just hope its not against us.
as much as
I love Rosey & has an autographed 3rd jersy with his name on it hanging on my wall…but i am afraid that unless he is like totally onfire and scores a whole bunch of goals close to what he had last year (19) he will be put up for trade …and i agree…out west please…as He is the type who would come back and “bite the canes” big time…Love the guy, and his ethics…but maybe he had been training too hard with capt. Rod too much…take care max…
If you think you can't, you won't !
Cam definitely earned the 1st star, especially in the first period. I don’t know why the Canes were so sluggish the first 20 minutes, maybe the unusual start time? Once they got going in the 2nd, though, it was a fun game to watch. Good physicality, good effort, good results.
Three cheers for Staal getting a goal. With his family’s loss, playing a hockey game must be a relief.
That was TKO’s second diving goal of the year, if I remember correctly.
Hurray for Carson and his first NHL goal. I really like his size and work ethic. He’ll be a solid Dman in the years to come.
Don’t look now but the Canes are only 6 points behind Toronto and 4 points behind Edmonton. Like many of you, I am torn between “Let’s get a really high draft pick” and “Boy, these games are so much more fun when they win.”
Never, never hope for a "losing season" for the "1st round pick".
How many first rounders are total busts? Remember Michael Jordan was not the first pick in the draft, neither was Tom Brady.
How much fun is it to watch a team play for the last place?
I would rather see the team play hard, make it to 89 points and not get into the playoffs being the 10th or 11th seed than “win” the first pick because they sucked that hard.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
I was at the game yesterday and it was certainly, discounting the 1st period, a great game to watch. It’s true you should never wish for the 1st pick, that means being the worst in the league. How many playoff games has Kovalchuk been in? Not many. Despite all the high draft choices Columbus is a perennial loser. So picking high is no guarantee for winning. However, teams have turned it around via the draft: Pittsburgh, Washington, to a lesser extent the LA Kings. I’d prefer to be a team that consistently picks high and wins every year and develops what’s in the system: Detroit, New Jersey. But with no real chance of making the playoffs this year, if we finished one, two or three in the draft, I would be okay with it believing that it is one off year. Also, would the Canes prefer to have an other player than Sutter from his draft year? Probably not. Even though they picked 11th, they probably wouldn’t change a thing about that pick.
by hockeythoughts on Jan 11, 2010 9:04 AM EST up reply actions
If your not first your last,lol
if we don’t make the playoffs i would just as well have the first overall pick. why not? No body remebers those who dont win. they are all jumbled in the “did’nt win” catagory. the last time this team had a top 2 pick it turned out to be a decent player by the name of Staal. I dont think this team will stay down for long. So hell while we are down here (in the basement) we should atleast get something for it.
by CarolinaCanes on Jan 11, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
Short term, I agree with you. It would be a lot of fun to watch them really go on a streak here and it’s been a real treat to watch them the past few games.
Long term I disagree. If we made it to the 10th or 11th seed, I worry that JR would not rebuild as much as we need to (because no matter what happens from here on out, you can’t forget the horror of the first half of the season and have to acknowledge that something needs to be done). We wouldn’t trade the expiring contracts at the deadline because we’re pushing for the playoffs. We’d then likely lose them in the offseason for nothing or for much less than they are worth (or we’d resign them all because they “were so close” or whatever JR said last season). That’s not to say I want them to tank the rest of the season on purpose (I like putting smiley faces on my calendar as much as the next girl). I just think that finishing poorly may help them in the future, beyond just the first overall pick.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
thats hilarious…..looking back now every girl I ever dated put smiley faces or stars or something on the calender on “good days”.
Early pic or our young Rats learning confidence and winning ways… tough trade off, then you might think well maybe we can grab someone thats been in the league for two years and is starting to show some scoring ability, via trade then take your chances with a top 5 pic also. I personally would like to see the run, way more fun..
I assumed LCD was talking about 10th or 11th conference. I don’t think we’d get a top 5 pick (unless it was through trade-which I don’t think would happen because we’re pushing for that 8 seed) if we finished that high in the conference. And I’d much rather see the run too, but I think we’d end up in the same position next season if we did make a run like that.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
Sorry, typos...
*10th or 11th in the conference.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
Not necessarily because some of the vets are gonna go anyway and room will be made for the Rats, meaning we wont end up in the same position. Just saying trades are coming anyway so why not grab an experienced sniper, because even if we get Hall it doesn’t mean he will be NHL ready right away.
( JR reluctant to bring people up early) Just saying, but I see your point also. Just kinda building on what Hockeythoughts stated above, (sutter draft)
I’m with you on being torn on what to hope for, Gillimus. That was a great game to watch the effort and the pizzazz – and again the fun they seemed to be having out there. I swear Brind`Amour has lost 5 years the last week.
Gleason for the "C" :
Just what do we need to do to make this happen?
by Carolyn Christians on Jan 11, 2010 7:58 AM EST up reply actions
NHL.com shows Whitney as the 3rd star of the game, with his 2 assists. He’s really gonna have some trade value, I’m afraid.
At the ESPN stat leader of the day, Ward comes out first. But look at all the Canes – #7 to 12. I know it was a light schedule but even Wallin and Tlusty got a mention in the top 20.
Gleason for the "C" :
Just what do we need to do to make this happen?
by Carolyn Christians on Jan 11, 2010 7:56 AM EST reply actions
A photo accompaniment is always nice :-D
SISU
by Jamie Kellner on Jan 11, 2010 8:01 AM EST up reply actions
How do you do that???
Gleason for the "C" :
Just what do we need to do to make this happen?
by Carolyn Christians on Jan 11, 2010 8:01 AM EST up reply actions
I have a piece of software called Hypersnap that lets you capture images. I’ve used it for years. It has some pretty cool features like scroll and multi-region capture and can snag a shot from most video sources, it also has some basic image editing. Looks like there’s a free download but I actually own the software I think I paid about $35 for it when i bought it. Not sure if the free download has all the features or is time limited.
SnagIt is another popular tool, it may even be a free download as well. I’ve never used it but a lot of my friends do.
SISU
by Jamie Kellner on Jan 11, 2010 8:18 AM EST up reply actions
tyvm – way cool. I’ll check it out.
Gleason for the "C" :
Just what do we need to do to make this happen?
by Carolyn Christians on Jan 11, 2010 8:31 AM EST up reply actions
You can also do a screenshot (ctrl – PrintScreen) then edit the picture in paint.
by camwardsaysno on Jan 11, 2010 9:26 AM EST up reply actions
Trade Value...
Only if he agrees to be traded, b/c of the no-trade clause in his contract. :)
Ray Whitney for Carolina Hurricanes Captain 2010-2011 (after Rod Brind'Amour graciously retires ;-] )
Leighton's 15 minutes of fame
OT – but I just spotted this:
Leighton to appear on NHL Live!
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton will be among the guests on NHL Live! on Monday, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.
Leighton has played a major role in the resurgence of the Flyers after being claimed off waivers by the club on Dec. 15 from the Carolina Hurricanes. In 10 appearances with Philadelphia, Leighton is 7-0-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
I look at those numbers and can only shake my head.
Gleason for the "C" :
Just what do we need to do to make this happen?
by Carolyn Christians on Jan 11, 2010 8:09 AM EST reply actions
Different style and caliber of defense in front of him….. Needed more time on ice in games and Lavi seems to be a believer in him. Between the D here and the lack of confidance the Canes showed in him could all be contributing factors to his dismall play here…
this is true,
he really needed to go in order to get this chance and show the nhl what he can do,
i think he becomes the next craig anderson or mike smith, where people start to be lieve but also are a little weary.
congrats to leighton! its great to see this.
It is an unbelievable record. I don’t have the exact quote, but I remember him saying when he left something about how he was surprised he was leaving and that it wasn’t his fault this team was losing and he added that Cam had a losing record. It just goes to show players may thrive in a different environment especially one where people believe in you. Most people just want a chance to prove themselves and I don’t know if he really got that opportunity here. I coach youth sports and besides teaching the obvious fundamentals I also tell them over and over how good they are to help build their confidence. It’s amazing how the dynamics change when they think you as a coach have their back and how their play changes when they reach that point when they actually believe in themselves and think that they are really that good.
by hotchipsnsalsa on Jan 11, 2010 9:13 AM EST up reply actions
I didn’t shake my head…. but I did laugh.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jan 11, 2010 10:16 AM EST up reply actions
Brind'Amour Redux
My theory as to why we are seeing the new/“old” Brind’Amour the past couple of games comes from the social psychological side of the puzzle moreso than the physical side.
I think we’re seeing “new hope”. Whether cognizant of it or not, Brind’Amour’s detached game-face stare has become even more pronounced as he sank lower in the lines this season. We’ve seen his legs die, and some of that could easily be due to physical reasons.
However, last night, in particular, the skating suddenly returned. So, miracle cure? Or, inner fire rekindled?
I’m going for the latter. From an ‘old folks home’ line of relegated rejects (Yelle/Walker), he’s now in charge of sheparding some of the more promising talent we have around the ice. His minutes jump from 4 or so per night to 11+ on Friday and 13+ last night (12+ at even strength).
Goals are suddenly a possibility. Shifts will number in the upper teens, not single digit.
He has renewed purpose. He has hope. Can see it in the feet.
Congrats to Brett Carson on his first NHL goal. IMO, he’s made quite an impression.
by Cory Lavalette on Jan 11, 2010 10:23 AM EST reply actions
Did he call to thank you? Better a late Christmas gift than none!
by outlander_caniac on Jan 11, 2010 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
ha … I forgot that’s what I Santa’d to him.
by Cory Lavalette on Jan 11, 2010 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
I love watching highlights from the other team’s casters when we win. Those Ottawa announcers seemed very frustrated with their team :-)
agree but I thought the Senators announcers were very good. Nowhere near as lopsided homers as the NJ Devils announcers, for example.
Sell
I believe Wall Street would define the all-too-recent play of some of our more senior members as the “Dead Cat Bounce”. You could look it up. Time to Sell.
Dead Cat Bounce
I agree that Aaron Ward and Brind’Amour should absolutely be traded. To be fair, Aaron Ward has been playing close to the way I personally thought he would play; and if he had played this way all year long, I would not be in throes of feeling Aaron Ward misery every time he is on the ice. Brind’Amour, too, has played the last two games as well as anybody could hope for a 39-40 year old forward who underwent very serious knee surgeries. Brind’Amour could help the organization tremendously if he didn’t oppose being traded. I don’t think he has a formal NTC; but I am under the impressive he and Rutherford must have a “gentleman’s agreeement” that given all Brind’Amour has done for the organization that his wishes with regard to staying or being traded would be respected.
Wallin also has picked up his play as of late; and is playing a much more physical game and a much less hesitant game. He has relatively good forward skating speed (as opposed to lateral speed) with the puck. From all I hear, Wallin will absolutely not waive his NTC; so he is not going to be traded.
My best guess is that Whitney and Rutherford will work out a suitable arrangement whereby Whitney is able to play with another contender, but will re-sign with Carolina. I haven’t really thought of Cole being traded. Cullen, however, seems almost certain to be traded; but again it is feasible that Cullen would be traded to a contender and then re-signed.
I feel confident myself that LaRose will be shopped; and that once he heals, he may well be traded to a team that needs a hungry, energy player who can score. I would be more surprised if LaRose does not wind up scoring anywhere from 15 to 20 goals a season if he gets with a run and gun offensive team.
Samsonov, too, is likely to be shopped; but he is more likely to be back next season. Yelle, I believe, does not seem to be a player for whom other teams would trade; but really other than his terrible start to the season, he has played well on the fourth line.
Corvo is unlikely to be traded unless he has healed completely and unless his injury hasn’t lowered his trade value significantly. I wonder if Rutherford will be talking to Whitney’s, Cullen’s, and Corvo’s agents to see what their idea of each of their clients’ re-signing value will be.
Central Scouting Report lists (1) Hall; (2) Seguin; (3) Fowler (OT)
Here’s the link to the Central Scouting Report mid-term
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=513195&navid=DL|NHL|home
And the first paragraph:
Hall grabs midterm top spot over Seguin, Fowler
Monday, 01.11.2010 / 12:00 PM / 2010 NHL Entry Draft
By Adam Kimelman – NHL.com Staff Writer
The battle for the top spot at the 2010 Entry Draft has turned into a three-horse race. And like any good horse race, this one currently is too close to call.
In NHL Central Scouting’s midterm ranking of North American skaters, Windsor Spitfires forward Taylor Hall currently leads the Plymouth Whalers’ Tyler Seguin and Windsor defenseman Cam Fowler by a nose. And there’s a lot more time before the stretch run, meaning a lot can change between now and April, when the final rankings are released, and it could last all the way to the draft in Los Angeles, to be held June 25-26 at Staples Center.
Reminder for those interested
NHL Network is showing a special during On The Fly at 7 p.m. tonight with Hall, Fowler and Pierre Maguire.
by Cory Lavalette on Jan 11, 2010 1:10 PM EST up reply actions
maguire ??
maybe the canes would want him to coach…steve rolls off and shakes his head..as it’s bad enought to have seen him on nbc during the playoffs…Naww…..were not that bad off are they ??
If you think you can't, you won't !
TSN viewers say no #1 for Carolina
TSN.ca poll says that we’ll be behind Edmonton in the draft. Comforting and at the same time ironic in that we both went to the finals 5 years ago and now we both stink :-)
Time for another losing streak................................
I’m getting a little nervous with the way the Canes are playing right now. There are other teams that are dropping to the bottom and it doesn’t help to go on a winning streak. I would hate to pull against them(not that I could) but we also don’t want to give up last place. Since the playoffs are out of the picture might as well tank the rest of the season. Some might think this is crazy thinking this way but to finish in the middle would be the worst case scenario. Its great watching them play this way but again save it for next season.
Staal will be the next CAPTAIN........get over it!
Power Rankings
Not that I hold The Hockey News in very high esteem, but I will note that we have risen on this week’s Power Rankings from 28th to 24th, mostly on our 5-4-1 “last 10” record.
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