Mistakes Cost Carolina: Red Wings 3, Hurricanes 1

 Staal’s skill set is not playing the body. However, I saw him making some really good transitions into the offensive zone, and even had a couple of key ’keep ins." There may be games where he is invisible, but just because he does not show up on score sheet does not mean he is not contributing.

Additionally, I felt Rod Brindamour had another solid game last night. I thought he made some real smart plays.

Wallin, however, was just the other side of horrific. He was part of the screen on goal against number one, was a party to the boobled play on goal # 2 had the reversal turnover on number 3, and nearly added one of his own to the back of our net.

Some positives: Boychuck looks like he needs a little more time in A to fully develop, but you can see the foundation of a solid player is already there. Dwyer, I am starting to really like more and more. I knew he was a good PK’er, but I never new he was the worker he was. Rosey’s spot is in jeopardy with Dwyer in town, unless Rosey can find that consistent scoring touch Tripp keeps advertising. Tlusty is doing pretty well so far. I think his point production and chemistry with Sutter is a promising sign for the future. As for Sutter, the kid is a building block piece that I hope we hang on to for a long time.

Some negatives. Cam Ward is playing lights out, but the team is doing little to help him in terms of clearing rebounds, and bodies from around the crease. Drew Miller does not find his way on the score sheet if people make him pay for parking in front of the crease.

Special teams looked horrible last night. The PK gave up 2 last night and on the ones that they didn’t, they really had to rely on Cam too much. You gotta keep the shots coming from the perimeter and at low % angles. Seemed the Wings owned from the dots down. The PP was equally bad. Sustained pressure is one of the keys to a successful man advantage and we had next to none.

O well, Taylor Hall here we come!

Not gonna matter after this season….his contract is OVER

It must have been the fact that he was playing against better Swedes and mistified him? Nik needs to be gone along with a few other disaster pieces on board. When is the real trading season gonna begin!?

I’m with you on Wallin HM. I love him, but he was bad last night. Like A.Ward bad with that last turnover being the proverbial icing on the cake of awful. Although in his defense, my feed showed the puck bouncing a little before it got to him so perhaps he didn’t screw that play up all on his own.

I respect Wallin but what bugged me was that his reverse give-away, while aptly described by TrippTracy, led to one of Tripp’s more embarassing Homeristic ramblings.
That Nik Must have done it because Bertuzzi tricked him by calling out. Yeah right, probably in Swedish too. How about he just made a bad play.

So true. Wasn’t he also in the way when Lidstrom’s shot from the blue line went in (which Cam never saw)?

Samson had deceptively long reach. There were a couple times where I thought the puck would get chipped up the boards but Jerome managed to beat the defender to the puck. That happened a few times.
Stinky, I’m with you on Boychuk.

to Stinky – exactly my point on Boychuk. He’s a year behind Sutter, & just came out of juniors last spring. He just needs to learn what works and what doesn’t in the NHL. He’s smart enough and he is motivated enough – has lots of heart and I know he will figure it out, and he will be great. Just not there yet.

Tomas Holmstrom is your prototypical front of the net player. He stands there with his hockey butt on the goalie’s face practically and cleans up rebounds all day long. He can really mess with goalies who can’t handle traffic in the crease.

I agree, Boychuk’s had his taste of the NHL. Now go back to Albany and play 20+ minutes a night against kids your own age.

I agree. Let me digress on why I think this about Boychuk. It reminds me of when I played tennis and was really starting to get serious about strategy and setting up points. I would try certain things (little small in-the-moment decisions) and if they didn’t work, I wasn’t sure if it was because it was the wrong decision or because I didn’t execute well enough against a smarter/stronger opponent. When I asked my coach she said it was the 2nd. My decisions were good, but I needed to be able to practice them in a less challenging situation to perfect them. It’s a subtle game of inches sometimes, and needs to be executed perfectly for the magic to work. (Whitney is the master)

I think that’s what LilChuk needs. This run of NHL games is expanding his very keen mind to what’s possible. He can take all that he’s seen and head back to Albany (where many of the players are NHLers at some time past or future), and get these decisions nailed until their instinctual. Then we can reap the rewards when he comes back. Guaranteed.

staal (i.e. “stall”) had a lazy ass game, and rod was horrible as well (i.e. centering pass to a red wing, getting knocked off the puck, etc.)

Rod and Yelle consistantly suck, not sure what you have been watching. The simple fact that the more Rats we get the better the team is doing seems lost upon you. I guess facts tend to do that to people who refuse to admit when they are wrong. Plan B right?

A

Ahh! Very true! Thanks rmmeli!

agreed. The sad thing is, When I look at Mo, I just see apathy. Who the hell let’s their team go on a 14 game losing streak and doesn’t bag skate his squad once in there? People make fun of Lavi for being gum spitting mad, but at least he freaking cared and held players responsible.

I disagree with your idea that no backup will prevent us from going deep simply because we went to ECF’s last year.
But I totally agree with the idea that ‘Canes Staff has a very different idea than at least you and I about what a backup goalie is supposed to do. And JR used to be a goalie so I’m really confused what their doing.

mo must go

Couldn’t agree more.

Ah yes. TKO most definitely deserves to be included in the positive things category, especially as of late.

I was wondering the exact same thing.

JR said that we would see lots of players rotated up from the AHL for the remainder of the season.

I think we’re conducting inventory to see just what we’re holding…and to give everyone competing for a roster spot in training camp next Fall a taste of the big leagues.