Five Observations: Carolina at Ottawa
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2010 9:16 AM EDT
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The Carolina Hurricanes dropped their first game of the season Thursday, losing 3-2 to the Senators in Ottawa. Here are five observations from last night's game.
1. If Cam Ward continues to play like he has through three games, the Hurricanes will be a playoff team. That's saying a lot, seeing that the Hurricanes allowed several scoring prime scoring opportunities last night. He's faced 81 shots the last two games and allowed just four goals — one of which, the first from last night, was an absolute fluke — and he's allowed just three even-strength goals through three games.
2. In the long run, pairing Joni Pitkanen with Joe Corvo and Tim Gleason with Jamie McBain may pay dividends, but right now it's costing the Hurricanes. Corvo and Gleason have always had a great on-ice rapport, but the current top two pairings have definitely had moments of confusion in the season's first three games. That's to be expected, and seeing that the team has won two of three makes it more "something to watch" than a pressing concern.
3. It's hard not to like the effort of Carolina’s rookie forwards. Drayson Bowman has been one of the Canes’ top defensive forwards and is creating more and more chances in the offensive zone. Jeff Skinner has arguably been the Hurricanes’ most noticeable forward through three games, seemingly manufacturing a scoring opportunity every second or third shift. And Zac Dalpe, though limited to around seven minutes a night, has looked comfortable with the NHL pace. All that being said, Dalpe and Skinner have shown a tendency to run around in their own end a little and, coupled with the lack of chemistry in the top two defensive pairings, that has led to chances for Carolina's opponents.
4. Nick Foligno’s hit on Patrick Dwyer is a perfect illustration of the blind-side hit to the head that the NHL claims it wants to get rid of. Yet there was no penalty on the play, with the officials telling Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice that the hit was shoulder to shoulder (judge for yourself below).
"They felt that the hit was shoulder to shoulder," Maurice said to the Ottawa media after the game. "Unless Patty's [Dwyer] head is growing out of his armpit, I'm not sure how that is possible. [The referees] just missed it."
An interference penalty called on Milan Michalek shortly after the hit had the feel of a make-up call — and it led to Carolina's first goal — but that still doesn't address the fact that the early season results are in and nothing has changed with the officials calling penalties on these hits, particularly if the victim isn't laying prone on the ice. It shouldn't take a player suffering a serious injury — or the offender displaying clear malice, of which I don't believe Foligno had — for the call to be made.
5. Maurice finally tweaked his top line, inserting Skinner in place of Chad LaRose on Eric Staal's wing. LaRose has had plenty of chances through three games, but if a more skilled player had been receiving those opportunities Carolina might have more than eight goals this season. That's not a knock of LaRose, who continues to do all the things that make him valuable — hustling, finishing off checks, chirping at opponents, being reliable defensively — but he's simply not a top-line player and finisher. On the other side, Erik Cole has been productive on Staal's wing.
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That quote by Maurice.
Quote of the year. I love that. :)
On a side note – Cole was a mad man last night when I tuned in after the 1st period. I hope he keeps that up and doesn’t regress to old man Cole.
Please Paul Maurice, pair up Gleason and Corvo. Please.
Jim Rutherford is a moron.
Cole's stickhandling really looks rough, though.
He’s never been a Whitney or even Samsonov, but I feel like he’s been able to stickhandle through a check or two more in previous seasons than I saw last night.
His skating looks more solid than it’s been in a while, but without the puck his impact is limited.
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the Greensboro Coliseum rafters in 1997 didn't see any of this coming.
I have to say I was impressed by Colesy. His move along the boards worked atleast twice in the the first period alone and that move hasnt worked in a couple years. (we all know the one im talking about) He had pop in skates as well. I was down on Erik as much as anyone, but I have to say that I’ve liked what Ive seen this year.
by CarolinaCanes on Oct 15, 2010 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I was also impressed with Cole. IMO he was stickhandling much better than I recall in the last few seasons. And I have to say its always nice to see him do something other than drive down the right side and take a left in front of the goal mouth… then fall over.
I have a feeling he’ll either start scoring himself soon, or definitely create some chances for others.
Cole and Ruutu
I agree that Cole’s play thus far pre-season camp, the preseason, and through the short season thus far has been a very pleasant surprise to me. The Hurricanes need a healthy Cole and a healthy Ruutu to compete night in and night out. Bowman’s increased physical play is also a pleasant surprise. Cole is not going into the NHL Hall of Fame as one of the elite finishers in the modern era; but the Hurricanes need his speed and size.
An interference penalty called on Milan Michalek shortly after the hit had the feel of a make-up call
Said the same thing to my wife last night. The hit to Dwyer coupled with the two that Cole could have drawn on his previous shift definitely gave it the feel of a make up.
Don't trust me. I have psychological issues.
great synopsis, Cory. It was no fluke that as soon as Mo changed the lines, the goals started coming. I just don’t know why he did not see this after game two in Finland…. it was pretty evident that Rosey was not working out on the top line.
The only point I don’t agree on a hundred percent is that the defence is not a major concern. The D really cost us the game last night. If Cam had any help last night, he probably could have had a shutout! He was on in a big way, and the 5 guys in front of him left him in a shooting gallery. Forget second attempts, the Sens were helping themselves to thirds and fourths. Pits was awful, and Babs was only marginally better. Even Gleason was making bad decisions. I honestly think Harrison was our best D last night. No wonder we lost LOL. We have too many young guys who are still sorting out their defensive roles as forwards for our rearguard to under perform like that. they HAVE to be better.
I agree that it wasn’t good last night. I just don’t consider it a huge problem yet — we need to see if chemistry helps the issues that are there.
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2010 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Cory,
I agree with you. Last night Fisher had one pure luck goal, and although there was too much running around on defense, other than Harrison the other five defensemen are doing fine on balance. I am much, much concerned about melding the lines to obtain consistent even strength scoring.
Sent via Ipad
other than Harrison the other five defensemen are doing fine on balance.
Really? Granted Harrison is slow, but he was the only dman that was somewhat realiable last night. I’ve never seen McBain play that bad and I haven’t seen Corvo play that bad in a while, both looked like they’ve never played against a team that knows how to cycle and they were handling the puck like a grenande.
I seriously don’t understand Mo’s mental issues. Is he a goldfish? Why do we have to sit through him tweaking the D lines every single year when he always comes up with the same damn conclusion.
Corvo and Gleason work well together! Let them fricken be! Why, why, why continue pair Pitkanen and Corvo when they are playing terribly together and Corvo/Gleason are already a proven commodity? He pairs Corvo and Pitkanen together at points every year like something is going to change, it never does.
McBain is the biggest defensive liability amongst the top 4 so he’s paired with Gleason, the best defender of the bunch. I cant think of any other reason although I agree Corvo and Pitkanen are both too eager to jump out of their defensive position to make a play and it’s causing problems.
JussiJuice is right. Hard to comprehend why Mo keeps trying a D pairing that has never worked (Pitkanen/Corvo).
Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, can only assume that they’re focusing on an early meld of what could be a top pairing in the future of Gleason/McBain, plus (as Killswitch points out) covers for McBain (who did have a tough night in Ottawa).
Still a team in transition that might not get all the pieces it needs until later in this season…or the next.
Here we are now...entertain us.
Pitkanen and Babchuk have played well together in the past also. I think they could make a great 2nd pairing leaving Carson/Harrison and McBain for the 3rd pairing.
It was no fluke that as soon as Mo changed the lines, the goals started coming. I just don’t know why he did not see this after game two in Finland…. it was pretty evident that Rosey was not working out on the top line.
Not denying this, but two factors worked against moving Skinner up to the first line before last night. 1) Mo is not one to trust rookies, especially 18 year olds, with a lot of ice time. Remember when JR had to come out publicly to force Mo’s hand to give Staal more ice time in his rookie season? 2) While LaRose may not have worked on the first line, the team was still able to win both games and never go down by more than a goal. It wasn’t broke, so why fix it?
Mo is who he is. Personally, I’m quite surprised that Skinner was moved up to that first line as early as he was. He’s been creating scoring chances in the first three games, and was the best forward on the ice before being moved up to the first line. Mo had few options, which as far as I can tell is the only reason it happened.
Don't trust me. I have psychological issues.
My guess is he did it because the 1st line was creating scoring chance after scoring chance only to see LaRose or Cole squander it away on a fumble or missed shot. You can’t have your best offensive player out there not producing. I think Mo made this move hoping that Skinner would finally finish some of Staal’s great plays. Replace Cole with Jussi or someone else who can actually finish a play and we have a real 1st line.
I was fine with Skinner-Jussi-Ruutu, but that line together would obviously be our best scoring line. Staal was hurting without the best offensive players on his team and it was painfully obvious.
Samsonov
It seemed odd they played Samsonov last night, apart from the goal he didn’t look very good, he turned over a lot of pucks at the blueline.
not really, he kind of waved at it, we’re all glad it went in, but that goal shouldn’t obscure the fact that he didn’t play very well.
My only hope is Mo wanted Sergi to get in to get a more honest appraisal of where he is at post neck sprain. I think we all agree he did not look 100% even with the lame puck goal he scored. So I can only hope this was the reason, because if not Mo is mental to have healthy scratched POS over giving Sergi another week to get closer to 100%,
It is still early so I take it all with a grain of salt. Yet some of Mo’s decisions so far have been puzzling which many would say is par for the course for Mo, but can only hope for the best, and reevaluate about 10 – 20 games in.
The goal wasn’t a pretty shot? Staal goes on a wraparound with the goalie on the left post. Of course the goalie goes to the right post. Staal waits so long to pass I am sure every one of us was saying “NOT THE WRAPAROUND!”. By the time that the pass is made the goalie is covering 7/8s of the goal mouth, including the lower near post and the only place Samsonov can score is by putting the puck into the top of the net, near post, which is what he does. I thought that was an excellent shot only three other players on our team would be expected to get.
We are living in bizarro world. The canes are 0-1 when Staal scores, 2-0 when he doesnt and Harrison was arguably our best blue liner last night.
by Iggy Reilly on Oct 15, 2010 10:39 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
You know, I have a feeling that Dalpe is going to be sent down after Tlusty gets through with his conditioning stint. I feel bad for Dalpe, because I think he could do a lot better if he was given some more ice time.
Please Mo, take those POS's off Staal's line and put the more skilled POS with Staal!
You know I agree that Dalpe is going to be sent down, but I am not than unhappy with it. He really needs to be getting minutes, and If he isn’t getting them here, he needs to get them 3 hours down the road!
by wylde4canes on Oct 15, 2010 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
I hope he doesn’t feel too bad. On a team where LaRose and Cole are 1st liners and player like O’Sullivan and Dalpe are 4th liners or healthy scratches… Is there really justification for anything? It seems the Canes have become a Union, seniority determines line placement.
Kind of hard to agree with that when Skinner and McBain are getting lots of ice time and Bowman’s logging more than 11 a night. Truth of the matter is, as long as Jokinen plays center, there’s nowhere for Dalpe to go. They want him to be a center. As for O’Sullivan, he’s essentially a specialist and managed no points in five PP minutes in the first two games. Samsonov, in the same role, scored. It may not have been pretty, but he scored.
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2010 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
This is problem with this team that I discussed in the summer, there’s too many 3rd line type players that are hard to cast in traditional roles. It’s got to be frustrating for guys like Dalpe,Tlusty, Boychuk, Bowman, and Sully not knowing what their role is. It’s kind of contradictory to put Samsonov and Sully on the 4th line which is typically an energy line and then give them PP minutes. Team chemistry and individual confidence isn’t a lightswitch. I know it can’t be easy with the batch of forwards the coaching staff has been given but make a decision and stick with it – indecisiveness & constant change aren’t good leadership traits.
I actually like the way things are going forward b/c Cole, LaRose, Samsonov are all expiring. I think they could let all three walk, then give Jussi a bigger deal to keep him. Then you have a group of young guys that are ready and have some NHL exp. heading into 2011-12. You also have some assets to move at the deadline if the team is out of the playoff race.
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2010 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree totally, I think the Canes should let all 3 walk. Which would seem to indicate to me that we would want guys like Skinner, Sully, Dalpe, etc. to try their hand on the top line and see if we have the chemistry moving forward. Maybe their plan is to try to increase Cole/LaRose’s value by placing them on the top line to increase the likelihood of a trade. But it isn’t working out.
When we won the Cup, it was because we had guys slotted right. LaRose was a great 3rd/4th liner, he will never be a 1st line guy. Cole is a shadow of his former offensive self. He still has great positioning and defensive play, but his days of finishing plays as a 1st line winger are long gone. It is simply painful to watch him blow scoring chance after scoring chance.
It’s Game 3. I think you’ll see some guys earn more time as time passes (if they’re deserving based on their play and if it doesn’t impact the team in the standings if they’re in the playoff hunt). Yes, you want your young guys getting opportunities, but not at the risk of rushing them or blowing their confidence.
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2010 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions
If I were LaRose and Cole, my confidence would surely be blown after losing so many clear scoring chances in the first 3 games. Frustration affects everyone.
I realize it is Game 3 and the kids need time to adjust. I hope that is actually the plan, but from the majority of past occurrence we have to go by… It seems more likely that Maurice will misuse the kids until told otherwise by JR.
Its really really odd that JR and Mo never seem to be on the same page about personnel.
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 Oct 15, 2010 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Cole was never a goal scorer, his prominent role when you considered him to be in his prime was as a power forward. He played like a pure power foward last night, creating open ice and close range scoring chances.
Cole as a Power Forward
I agree. Cole’s role on the team in general and the first line in particular is to use his speed so that he and Staal can get down the ice ahead of the defense. With Skinner on the line with Staal and Cole, Cole need only get the puck to the net and Staal and Skinner will do the rest.
I think that Cole is a first liner on this team. I really think that statement is a stretch. Cole and Rosie have proven more than Patty O. Cole is the perfect type of player to play Staals wing and Skinner looks like he might be able to get it done on the other side. Jussi could do it but then we lose a bit having to run a rookie centermen on the third line. I think we all have opinions on what we would do, I have mine, but I don’t think any of the moves Mo has made have made me scratch my head to much.
by CarolinaCanes on Oct 15, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Chemistry
For the most part there is no real chemistry going on, offensively or defensively. In some ways this game can almost be viewed as the season opener, as it was almost a week since the team played in Helsinki, so I agree that it’s not time to panic yet. I do think there are some line tweaks that are obvious, and those should be taken care of so chemistry can develop- assuming the right tweaks are made of course!
Other than that I think while the Canes lost, it wasn’t disheartening. The Sens were going to come out hard, as Mo pointed out, due to their shaky start, and that first goal was a total fluke. Passing out if the D zone is still an issue.
I’ve lost count but I’m nearly certain Pitkanen is the player responsible for the most icing penalties on the team. His execution on moving the puck out of the defensive zone is lacking too often. Both he and Corvo seem rather disinterested when it comes to actually playing defense. That’s a bit of a problem given that they are our top defensive pair. If the young guys keep improving and start providing some points on offense, I think the Canes have to look at trading away someone (in my opinion one of these “offensive” defensemen) and acquire a shut down defenseman like Gleason (can be) and Harrison (is working hard to be). There is simply no way Ward can keep up with this workload every night for a full season.
First of all, welcome to Canes Country. :-)
I’m with you on this thought. Earlier I thought we’d improve the D with some kind of O for D trade, with a D element thrown in from our side to open up the roster spot.
But, more and more I’m beginning to also consider the possibility that it might be more of a major D for D trade, with sweetners from either side, as needed.
Offensive D-man for defensive D-man as two GM’s fine tune their team.
And, if we were talking about Joni’s $4.5M salary level, then that’s some definite top-4 D talent coming in the door.
Here we are now...entertain us.
I think we all can agree that the Canes need some more physical forces, specifically among the defenseman. Why not explore the option of adding Bieksa from Vancouver? They are currently down Salo, but they have other defensive options. He’s a physical guy that will stick up for teammates and he has a right-handed shot, so he might work well with Pits. I know the Canes would have to take on his salary, but it is only for the reminder of the season. So if he works out and likes it here, maybe he’ll resign for less; if not, let him go to free agency. I think he could be had for the right price and that price shouldn’t be too high considering the Canucks cap issue. They would probably want a cheap 3rd or 4th line or prospect and a AHL level defenseman. We might could offer TK and Carson/Harrison.
Please Mo, take those POS's off Staal's line and put the more skilled POS with Staal!
i have to agree that the main issue from last nights game is the defensive confusion.
it looked often like they were a little out of touch with each other, but they played well against that, they recovered well (when the y could) when it broke down, and seemed to get better as the night went on.
"a bit of love"
Foligno's hit
It’s on the NHL website as one of the game highlights so I guess they have no issue with it.
Per TSN he was Fined....
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 Oct 15, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s because Dwyer is a career AHLer and he was lucky not to be injured. If Foligno would have laid that hit on a Star player, people would be going nuts.
Thats the general problem with NHL culture. Nothing matters until a top draw gets hurt. It is really going to take Crosby or the Ovenchicken (because according to NHL marketing, they are the only two that play the game) getting hurt before something changes and even then it will be after much hand wringing.
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 Oct 15, 2010 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
hard to disagree there. The truth is that it is name recognition and stretchers that get weight with Colin Campbell and Co.
by wylde4canes on Oct 15, 2010 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
The only good thing to take away from it is that the players and the just retired players have a different mind set. Mike Peca in that article says that Foligno should be suspended and that the lack of an injury should have nothing to do with the punishment. The mindset is changing, but as is the case with everything in hockey it will take entirely too long to come around.
Don't trust me. I have psychological issues.
Pitkinen
He’s a hard one to grasp as a fan. He logs a lot of ice time, and puts up 30-45pts per year. He skates very well. But he seems too casual much of the time. His passing out of the zone is a case in point. Either forcing a stretch pass, or just an absent minded pass in general. We have seen him take over a game when he wants to, he is that good. But too often he seem just plain apathetic out there. I love his talent, and watching a focused, motivated Pitkinen is is great fun, but I am really not a fan overall. Personally I wouldn’t mind a trade as Elsker describes.
Game
Overall I agree with most of the comments. Watching Joni and Corvo together was painful. Both need a stay at home D partner. Joni’s style makes you either love or hate him. Reminds me of how people viewed Coffey. His skating style was effortless and everything he seemed to do appeared to be without breaking a sweat. Joni does a lot of subtle things that are not appreciated. In my opinion he is better than he is given credit for and I believe we will regret it if we trade him.
LaRose is an energy guy. So play him on an energy line. He will never be a top 6 player. Love his game but use him appropriately. Skinner or Bowman will give Staal space and vice versa. Pleasantly surprised at Cole’s power forward game so far. More like the Cole before the neck injury. But not convinced it will last a full season.
I’m surprised at all the love for POS. He has had his share of life adversity and I sure would like to see him successful but it needs to be earned. We are seeing what caused LA and Edmonton to sour on him. When he was in LA he scored 20+ but he played with Kopitar who is an elite player and created a lot of space for POS. But his defensive play was horrible. What good is a player that gives you 20 goals but gives up 40. He doesn’t provide back pressure and doesn’t battle along the boards and releases early. Exactly why Boychuk got sent back to the AHL. Also why he ended up in the press box in Edmonton when they were desperate for goal scoring. The coaching staff are sending him a clear message. Hope he gets it before he ends up down in Charlotte.
The only reason why Dwyer isn’t just waking up now is because he saw Foligno coming at the last second. This is exactly what i thought the league was trying to eliminate. Shows no respect for the game and its participants. Suspend him anyway to send a message. Or change the instigator/fighting rules to allow the players to take care of business. In the days of Howe, Lindsay, etc. he would have had the night from hell after that hit.
Or change the instigator/fighting rules to allow the players to take care of business. In the days of Howe, Lindsay, etc. he would have had the night from hell after that hit.
I personally think this is they way to go. It’s the only game on earth where guys are out there swinging deadly weapons at each other( Well there is Lacrosse actually ) and also, its the only one where physical contact comes at such violent speeds. Fighting served a role to make sure things were settled with out sticks or dirty, dangerous hits. Making it harder for someone to protect a team mate, I would argue, has caused these dangerous plays to elevate to the regularity you see today. If you are still going to have contact, which you should, the Matt Cooke’s of the world need to have someone to answer to. It reminds me of when Jason Doig Knee’d to Knee’d Kevin Adams and then avoided Jesse Boulerice and answered to Cole. No instigator and he cant dodge the designated tough guy. Just MHO.
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 Oct 15, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
+ 100,000,000
So one guy hacks at another. Then at some point later there is a staged fight between 2 players not even involved in the initial hacking. And that is if they both “agree” to drop the gloves at the same time. The hacker perp smacks his stick against the boards when the grappling is done in appreciation of his teammate "protecting " him. If someone wants to go at the hacker, all the hacker has to do his skate away or not drop the gloves ( pulling an Avery). This is not policing at all. This is the NHL trying to artificially keep a traditional aspect of the game, in the game.
Can not agree with you guys more.
I have read and heard many interview with a myriad of older generation players, who feel the instigator rule changes have lead to an increase in dangerous cheap shots and play.
I think it still needs to be policed, we don’t need to go back to the bench clearing hay day of hockey fights. Yet a simple understanding of, if you take a cheap shot and injure one of ours, you will get yours. Knowing that second before you make the hit that if you hurt this guy their enforcer is going to be trying to put your lights out for the rest of the game… I can’t help but think that would go much further in making you ease up on the vulnerable player , than the current make the hit, MAYBE get fined or suspended, and then just go sit on the bench while the current circus half orchestrated fighting occurs..
Great Points
I’d only add that one way for teams like the Hurricanes to self-police is to use hitting opportunities rather than fights. If a chump takes a cheap shot, rather than having Kostopoulos get slaughtered trying to stand up for Dwyer, turn Bowman and Ruutu loose on the guy and put them in every time Foligno is on the ice and whenever he touches the puck, pound him.
I tend to agree as well about O’Sullivan but would say O’Sullivan has not be nearly as bad on defense for the Hurricanes as he was with LA and Edmonton. O’Sullivan can be an impact player, but he has to decide that he likes playing a two way game. As far as LaRose, I’d work him down this season to the fourth line and let him cycle the puck. He’s a great character guy and has North/South speed; but he doesn’t have the body control and eye-hand coordination to stick in the top six given the other talent on the team.
I was looking at the roster and trying to come up with lines I like and we really are crowded at the wing positions. I would like to see these lines, but it leaves out Samsonov and Tlusty; not to mention players like Boychuk, Osala, and Nash.
Skinner-Staal-Jussi
Bowman-Sutter-Ruutu
POS-Dalpe-Cole
LaRose-Dwyer-TK
Please Mo, take those POS's off Staal's line and put the more skilled POS with Staal!
There is way too much crowding and I doubt they will find trade partners any time soon. Dalpe will probably get sent down, which is probably a good thing as you said earlier. He will get 1st line minutes down there, his play is deserving of top-9 ice time but Skinner has effectively taken his place as the top offensive young gun.
POS seems to be shaking out as an afterthought. Healthy scratch or 4th line minutes. It is unfortunate, but his play style doesn’t really differentiate him enough. It seems like he could have been a Jussi-esk breakout type player if given the chance. Bowman may be sent down to give him a better shot… But any way you look at it, some young player (or three) will not get the time they deserve because of the logjam until trades, injuries, or finite demotions of veterans give them a better chance.
I believe that it may be O’Sullivan that’s sent to Charlotte, even with the waiver exposure element in play.
If we need him back at some point, he’s not exposed to re-entry waivers and I doubt anyone would take him on the way downward…and, if so, so what?
Here we are now...entertain us.
I was thinking that… If they got really desperate for spots they may just send Tlusty or O’Sullivan through waivers. I would think there is a high likelyhood that both these players would be picked up by other teams as they are young, cheap, and have high potentials.
In Tlusty’s case it would mean a 1st round pick wasted, I doubt they would make that move… But I’m not sure they would be adverse to losing O’Sullivan when the young prospects are playing so well.
I agree on Tlusty. Much more likely to be included as a bargaining chip in a trade than lost to waiver, if they think there’s no role for him.
But, once healthy, there probably is a role for him…at least until that trading chip is needed.
They would surely hate to lose the 2009 first round draft pick (Paradis) that is now manifested in Tlusty with no return whatsoever other than freed-up salary budget. Those RFA’s are valuable.
Here we are now...entertain us.
O’Sullivan should get a good look on a scoring line, and if it doesn’t work then he needs to be sent down. End of experiment. Maybe I haven’t seen him enough but I am not too high on Tlusty. Don Cherry raved about him one night on Coached Corner when "lusty was a Leaf. His time up with the team last year wasn’t overly impressive to me. Others are high so maybe I am missing something.
Cory, you read my mind on LaRose.
www.prosportsblogging.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Oct 15, 2010 1:08 PM EDT reply actions
Skinner
All thoughts of Skinner needing to be anywhere other than in the NHL vanished from my head after last night’s game.
elskling and I usually watch road games on time delay (mostly so as to blow through the commercials and keep the action going), but we also slow down and admire/analyze plays along the way since Time is sort of meaningless to us. Lost quite a bit of watching time to one play, in particular, watching frame-by-frame something that happened in a blink of the eye in real time.
Skinner’s push to the goal mouth right after the goalie switch was made in the first period flashed by quickly in real time, but here’s what happened in an amazing sequence of events:
Skinner is sweeping down the left side of the ice with Erik Karlsson defending with inside position. Karlson switches from skating backwards to matching Skinner’s forward progress and makes the textbook D-man move of attempting to separate Skinner’s stick from the puck.
He succeeds in placing his blade inside of Skinner’s and pushing it toward the wall and off the puck. Skinner’s eyes are locked onto the puck, as they have been the entire time down the ice. He lifts his blade over Karlsson’s blade and re-establishes contact with the puck.
Karlsson then goes to NHL D-man move #2, putting a hip on Skinner’s hip in order to ride him off the puck. Skinner’s eyes never left the puck as he starts to be ridden off of it, but he leans back on the hip pressure like it was a pivot point and cuts his skates into an incredible power curve with one skate directly behind the other, cutting sharply to the net face and springing off of Karlsson in the process by absorbing his energy and accelerating away in a tighter curve and with more velocity.
Karlsson is now left behind the play until he can catch Skinner again at the goal mouth. Skinner has the blade hooded over the puck the entire time this power curve is in progress, looks like he’s going short side on the goalie, who was moving towards the post, but then takes it inside and attempts to go five-hole with a backhand move.
Shot hits the pads and is loose. Skinner’s eyes have never left the puck (intense focus!). He somehow gathers it back onto his stick and again gets off a shot, now short side, that Elliott stops with a flashed pad.
By now, Karlsson has arrived and Lee is also trying to bulldoze Skinner out of the crease area, which he succeeds in doing. But not before Skinner squeezes off a third shot, which also hits the goalie’s pads.
Karlsson manages to corral the rebound and sweep it into the corner, but only because Skinner is now being pushed out of the play by Lee.
Just incredible stuff. The focus, the high skating skill, the puck-handling, the never-say-die attitude.
Mo said he wanted to see how the kid does with defenders draped all over him.
Well…he does just fine. No question to me, he’s NHL material.
Here we are now...entertain us.
Skinner pulls off sick moves like this two or three times a game. I do think he may be trying a little too hard for his first goal though, something I haven’t seen a lot of is his wristers and slap-shots in the slot that are just deadly. Once he gets a few goals under his belt… I hope he will open up his game a little. He doesn’t have to be cute like that every time to score goals, a good number of his 70 goals last year came from snipers shots in the slot.
I thought my DVR would make game watching more efficient as commercials can be skipped but I find myself doing the frame by frame thing as well. Haven’t done it with Skinner, sounds like I am missing even more than I thought. Even to the naked eye his skill level is amazing. Whether he stays on the first line or not is still TBD, but the fact that he needs to stay in the NHL is a certainty. While some site playing in the world championships would be a great growing experience for him, I think he’s grown far more just going to Europe with the team than he ever would have being a leader on Team Canada ( not knocking that as a great experience as well). Yes he can still have that as he’s not played 9 games yet, but he’s showing he can play in a mans league, so why send him back to the boys? Just use him wisely and monitor his physical condition, giving him a night off if he hits a wall.
I’m not sure I totally agree with observation # 1. Cam will definitely be the one to get them into the playoffs but even if his GAA is 2.5 at seasons end assuming he plays like he has, can the team average more goals than that? I’m just baffled that the PP looks as bad as it does when that is essentially their ticket to winning games. Not only is the passing horrendous but teh personnel out there at points last night was inexcusable. Its not a secret that they like to set up shots from up top yet at one point last night they have three small forwards out there, maybe skinner, jussi and samsonov and theyre each about 15 feet minimum from the front of the net with the D-man loading up a shot.
Cole needs to finish his chances
How many times have you seen Cole with a perfect opportunity, usually a breakaway, to bury a goal, yet he skates in and puts a weak shot on goal? We could have won the game if he puts away a few of his 4 or 5 chances. Though, saying that, he has looked much better this year and has a jump to his step.
Give O'Sullivan a Chance
Give O’Sullivan a tryout on a top line before sending him to the press box or Charlotte…
Skinner – Staal – Cole
O’Sullivan – Sutter – Ruutu
LaRose – Jokinen – Samsonov
Bowman – Dwyer – TK
And send Dalpe to Charlotte for some minutes. He’ll be the first call-up after injury.
Why would you demote Bowman to the fourth line?
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Cole
The think that makes Cole a top line option is not that he has golden hands or the Midas touch, but that his skating ability and physical ability are of a very high caliber. When the best parts of Coles game are firing he can be a dominate figure, even without the hands of a pure scorer. If he’s not doing what he can do best then he becomes more of a checking line player.
Bowman
I can see Bowman on a 4th line as well, at least for now. He works his tail off and has earned a spot on the team but I don’t think he’s shown the scoring ability yet.
Tampa Bay
How impressive was the TB back to back road wins in Montreal and Philly? Good thing they do not have an elite goalie or you may have a team with serious Cup aspirations.
I was extremely worried about Tampa because on paper they have really improved all around. But then I read an article by Eklund praising them and saying Tampa and Washington will own the SE Division for years to come. If there is one truth in life, it is whatever Eklund says rarely if never comes true. So Carolina is probably going to win the SE within the next 3 years.
I want to see a Skinner-Jussi-Staal line! SJS, SJS, SJS!
by PackPride17 on Oct 15, 2010 11:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Line changes?
Well, for what it’s worth, from John Forslund’s tweet moments ago:
Lines today, Jokinen moves up with Staal. Skinner takes center with Larose and Samsonov. O’Sullivan in top nine w/Sutter and Ruutu
Maybe the org reads Canes Country. :-D
Here we are now...entertain us.
Kind of odd. Skinner and Staal get a taste of life together, score a goal, have at least one other scoring opportunity, and then Skinner is moved to 3rd line center. I guess Mo just can’t stand a kid on the top line.
I want to see a Skinner-Jussi-Staal line! SJS, SJS, SJS!
by PackPride17 on Oct 15, 2010 6:25 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Maddening, isn’t it?
Mo’s rolling the bones again.
Somebody needs to remind him that motion is not necessarily progress.
Here we are now...entertain us.
Sigh… This is exactly something Mo would do. He has some weird obsession with sticking Skinner with LaRose. Samsonov also meets the height requirement for the Midget line.
Mo’s next genius idea will be to put Harrison on Staal’s right side. His philosphy is Staal needs a physical force to play with and scoring ability is overrated.
I want to see a Skinner-Jussi-Staal line! SJS, SJS, SJS!
by PackPride17 on Oct 15, 2010 9:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
SE Division Not Bad
For all the constant ridicule that the SE Division gets, they are not doing to bad so far. The SE and Central are tied for the most combined points so far, but the Central has played 1 more game. The SE also has the most combined wins in the early going.
I would say this would maybe halt all of the Southleast stuff for a while, but I guess I am thinking to highly of our “friends” to the north.
I want to see a Skinner-Jussi-Staal line! SJS, SJS, SJS!
by PackPride17 on Oct 16, 2010 11:47 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
TB is for real… I have little doubt they will be pushing Washington all season long (especially if Smith/Ellis can provide halfway decent goaltending). Stamkos is the next Superstar of the league, I honestly doubt Ovechkin will ever win a Rocket Richard trophy ever again.
Atlanta and Florida have proven not to be pushovers. I think Florida in particular has surprised people and has probably gone from “Lock for last place” to “Hunting in the 7-12 Range”. In my opinion, the only teams that have looked just awful in the East are New Jersey and Buffalo.
Nick Foligno: The Aftermath
Saw in the Transactions section of the N&O’s sports page today that Nick Foligno had been fined $2,500 by the league for his illegal hit on Patrick Dwyer.
But, there’s even more information here.
Apparently that’s the maximum amount allowed under the CBA.
Here we are now...entertain us.
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