Vancouver Dominates Carolina: Canucks 5, Hurricanes 1
by Bob Wage on Oct 18, 2010 12:48 AM EDT
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PrintThe Carolina Hurricanes crossed another contest off of their long road trip but could never find their legs in this game as the Vancouver Canucks dominated them, 5-1. This was the second loss in a row for the team and they are now 2-2 for the season.
There is not much positive to report about this game for the Canes as they continue to struggle with major problems in their defensive zone. The new lines created by the coaching staff never seemed to gel and failed to generate a consistent scoring effort for much of the night.
Patrick O`Sullivan showed some individual spark on offense and was rewarded with a goal late in the second period, but Vancouver would score two more in the third to put the game out of reach. Little used backup goalie Cory Schneider, (11 career NHL games) was able to shut down the Canes whenever they did come close to generating any other offense.
Former Hurricane defenseman Andrew Alberts got the scoring going for the 'Nucks five minutes into the game and things just got worse from there.
Quick Hits and Stats:
- The Canes won 39% of the faceoffs for the game. Staal was 5 of 18 for 29%, Sutter was 8 of 16 for 50%, Jokinen was 3 of 5 for 60%, Dwyer was 4 of 11 for 36%, and Skinner was 3 for 6 for 50%.
- The team had 26 blocked shots led by Joe Corvo with 5.
- Eric Staal had a team high 5 shots on goal. The Canes had 33 for the game.
- Carolina was 0-5 on the powerplay, (including a short 5-on-3). Vancouver was 2-5.
- While the Canes had 33 official shots on goal to 28 for Vancouver, don't be misled by that stat. The Canucks had better chances and much more puck possession time. The Canucks also had 26 shots blocked and missed the net 16 times for a total of 70 shots. The Canes had 15 shots blocked and missed the net 17 times for a grand total of 65 shots.
- Tuomo Ruutu had 6 hits while Tom Kostopoulos was next with 5.
- A few of the Canes had minor injuries to deal with and needed repair as Jay Harrison took a puck to the face, Sergei Samsonov took a stick to the face, and Brandon Sutter had an awkward fall. All players returned to the ice and nothing seemed serious.
After the game, Joe Corvo admitted that he felt "sluggish". He said many of his teammates felt the same way, even if they did not admit it. "It's pretty ridiculous" he replied, when asked about the team's travel schedule.
Things don't get easier for the boys as they next travel to San Jose for a Tuesday night match with the Sharks. What will the coaching staff do with the lines next?
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Reminds me of ealry last season
Man, this really was a bad game. It reminded me of the games this team played last year during that long losing stretch. I hope we are not seeing beginning of something like that, but I have hard time seeing this team to play competitively against these West coast powerhouses after such a poor effort.
Hope I am wrong, but if something does not change, this season can be over very soon…
What was the over/under on the return of emo Joe?
My favorite Finn took two really stupid hooking penalties, both at inopportune times.
Bet Vancouver feels really sorry for us on this road trip. What was the ungodly number of road games they had to play in a row before and after the Olympics?
Low point for me was the not one, but two short-handed opportunities during our 5-on-3. That was just woeful.
We knew this trip would be a challenge, but Helsinki hangover or not, they have got to find their legs. The flight to San Jose leaves in just a few minutes.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
The dog ate my sisu.
I was saddened by the fact that Andrew Alberts was one of the best defensemen on the ice. And that Harrison looked decent. PO’S may have played his way onto the regular roster, he was back checking, he was involved in the play, and he was one of the few on the ice trying and succeeding. You could see that the Canes were trying to shoot more often, but there were several times when a pass would have led to a much better shot.
Unfortunately Ward played a good game, and there were far too many open attempts on him.
Just because Sammy is relatively short doesn’t mean he shouldn’t draw a high sticking call when hit in the face with a stick. At times it seems like the Refs were making “make up calls” on the penalties they had just called themselves.
I also thought some of the lines were working early, and then they got all mixed up with the injuries and such by the third, and the lines were once again not working.
Can what happens in Vancouver stay in Vancouver?
There was really not very much positive to take away from the game. Skinner had some flashy moments, but may have played his worst game yet. Bowman looked good during his brief moments on the ice. The rest of the team resembled Corvo’s remarks…“sluggish”.
I expect heart and effort from this team as we face the expected tough developmental year. Every game is an investment in the future…hope we see some returns this season.
2 years to the Cup
My grandma told me 57 years ago
If you can’t say “anything” nice,don’t say anything….so with that…I’ll follow her wise & sage advice…But the picture with this posting says it all…
Everytime you write off the Hurricanes,
They make You Look Bad!!
Road or no road, this team looks more and more like the team we saw last year.. Our offense may be sharper, but our defense is terrible. Harrisson and Babchuk are good enough for a top AHL-team at best.
by NorwegianCaniac on Oct 18, 2010 6:34 AM EDT reply actions
Honestly, it’s time to trade Pits or Corvo for a scoring forward to play with Staal. Pitkanen is loafing round the ice for 25 minutes a game and not making an impact, and Corvo has just lost it.
by Capt. Stinky on Oct 18, 2010 8:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Only watched the first period
So these remarks are based on that alone. While the young kids weren’t perfect, I thought they showed more jump than the “older” guys. Our defense is horrid. I honestly feel bad for Ward because they are going to leave him out to dry night in and night out with the way they are playing. The score should have been 10 to 1 with the kind of chances Vancouver was getting, at least in the first.
Man I had a horrible sporting weekend – Buckeyes lost, Browns lost, Checkers lost and the Canes imploded.
The kids did have jump, but it was an unorganized mess on the ice. Nobody, defense or offense, seems to know what they are supposed to be doing or where they are supposed to be on the ice.
by Capt. Stinky on Oct 18, 2010 8:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Just my opinion...
I am fortunate that I know good coaching from experience. I got to be coached under Anson Dorrance, George Tarantini, and Izzy Hernandez in NC. What I clearly see the problem is NOT the players. It’s NOT that they aren’t trying. They are clearly confused. This team has not worked on organized plays, systems, positioning..etc..whatsoever. I have NO idea what they do at practices. You could have 11 Sidney Crosby’s out on the ice and it wouldn’t matter if you have no organization on your team whatsoever. The players never opened up for each other just for chances on goal, for passing, for moving it up and down the ice. It’s like they’ve been taught to just watch each other and react late. The reason Babchuk and O’Sullivan did well was because they trusted their own instincts. Even Sutter has had the wind taken out of him by the coaching staff. Sutter was effective before because he just did what he thought he should do regardless of the rest of the team. Babs and O’Sully are doing the same thing now. They just do what they think they should do and it’s working. They are not being coached well or effectively. We looked completely disorganized out there with noone having any idea what to do; like they’d never played hockey before. Cam didn’t stand a chance with the puck constantly being right in front of his net the entire night. I’m not sure what group of professional hockey players could do well under this staff. I hate to say it, but I wonder if Laviolette or some other coach couldn’t do wonders with the true talent and ability out there. This isn’t an attitude problem with the players. They just seem to have no good captain at the helm IMO.
thank god the week has ended because it was bru-tal!!
all of my teams this week ended with a loss.
canes vs sens, my pack lost, chargers and then last night.
but this is a new week…
Part of a Process
Last night was painful to watch at many levels, but I had to keep reminding myself it’s all part of a process. When Jim Rutherford rebuilt the team, the inevitable result of so much youth meant this season would have games like last night. As disappointing as the game was, each defeat this season will bring the young prospects one step closer to their NHL quality play.
Skinner is a perfect example. He sets the high water mark for effort and focus even at 18. O’Sullivan showed a determination to back check and disrupt the flow of Vancouver’s offense.
Unfortunately, on offense the first line of Jokinen/Staal/Cole and LaRose/Staal/Cole were
ineffective. I think LaRose’s best and highest use for the Canes is as a fourth line energy player and on the penalty kill. Cole is skating hard, but lacks the shiftiness and scoring touch one would like to see in a first line power forward.
Scoring goals was and is a tremendous concern for the Hurricanes. I would prefer to see the Hurricanes brain trust put together lines as follows:
Skinner/Staal/Jokinen
Bowman/Sutter/Ruutu
O’Sullivan/Dalpe/Cole
LaRose/Dwyer/Kostopoulos or Samsonov
Jim Rutherford will face even harder decisions when Tlusty comes off of his two week conditioning stint. If Boychuk shows consistent goal scoring at Charlotte, the choices get even harder for Jim Rutherford.
The team’s defense is not as bad as it played last night; but this team will not have a fun 2010-2011 season if it continues to struggle to score two goals a game.
Sent via Ipad
I must have been watching a different game to you. It was a ragbag team of individuals who seemed to have no clue what they were supposed to be doing or who they were supposed to be playing with. There was no defense, just like the game against Ottawa. I did not see anything to take away from this game apart from the fact that O’Sullivan seems to be buying into the team game by backchecking.
“The team’s defense is not as bad as it played last night” — SAY WHAT?!?!? You are only as good as you play, sorry.
by Capt. Stinky on Oct 18, 2010 8:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah that game was so not worth staying up for. But, I have a suggestion. I’d like to propose two things-next game we play TT Bingo. And from now on, we have a Jeff Skinner Funny Face of the Game feature in the post-game recap. Because he’s given us some really good material so far this season and it’s just going to waste!
Example A:
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
I like. ON both counts
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions
So what I don’t get is that we are supposed to have poor defense, we knew that going in, but our offense was supposed to be potent enough to keep us in the game. What happened. We looked both small AND slow. We sucked in all 3 zones, though we were a nightmare in our own end.
Also, WTF was up with moving Skinner back to center and putting him on the third line. He was hot playing the wing, and looked really good on Staal’s wing.
Helsinki is starting to look more and more like a fluke.
Cole is really an anchor of a player. I swear I saw the guy literally just skating around both the offensive and defensive zone. Either he was severely disinterested in the game, or he was so tired that all he could do was skate around without putting forth any effort.
Either way, that is not a good sign.
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
As long as Staal is losing all his faceoffs, and our top line spends most of its time chasing pucks and playing defense, its gonna be tough.
On the bright side...
Even though we were playing a supposed faceoff powerhouse, we managed to up our faceoff % to almost 40%. I guess it’s a start. :)
Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only bright side…
Is it to early to hit the panic button?
Seriously, that really was a pathetic effort last night. Road trip or not, these guys are professional NHL players, and if they don’t “have their legs” then where are they? Are they not supposed to be conditioned to handle the stress of a schedule like this? They were totally outplayed in all phases of the game last night, and I am deeply disturbed to see both ottawa and vancouver pass on us with tic-tac-toe accuracy, while we on the other hand bumble around the ice struggling to complete a single cross-ice pass.
This team better shape up and shape up fast, or else this will be another downer year for this state and team; and shaping up against a team like san jose probably will not happen….
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
I see & Understand your point BUT
one thing no one has really pointed out…for what ever the reason even if the Canes had a week off and were fully rested…the team as a habit for ages has started out slow…why or who started that I don’t know…even the Checkers do & did the same thing ? is that or could that be a organizational trend ? Somebody needs to do something…slap spmeone,make someone mad,kick someone in the booty, or stomp on a few corns…but waiting until 20 games has come in oder for any team to gel just don’t quite cut it for this fan…but that’s just my observation & opinion..
Everytime you write off the Hurricanes,
They make You Look Bad!!
by CaniacSteve on Oct 18, 2010 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Pretty awful outing, sadly Harrison again was our best dman. I’m really starting to long for Carson to come up. The line juggling is gettting ridiculous, Mo’s got to get a grip and stick with something.
I’ve wanted Carson since day 1 – can’t understand how a guy that played 20 minutes a night last year is now in the AHL and Harrison (who was ranked lower than Carson) gets to play – UGH
Mo has no idea what kind of lines to have, so that is why all the line juggling — I think alot of the issues on this team are coach problems, not player problems – if the coach doens’t know what to do – how can the guys know
Sorry – frustrated fan here
by livingthelife59 on Oct 18, 2010 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions
harrison was terrible,
why was he killing a penalty.
he was hte reason the second goal was scored.
"a bit of love"
Ahhh no, TKO and Gleason both laying on the ice was the biggest part of goal #2. Harrison may have been our best D last night. again. =(
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
my assumption is the Pitkanen has an injury, and gleason and corvo are just having to clean up too much.
honestly corvo needs to have backup the way he plays, thats how he does best
thats why gleason and him work well tgoether, but gleason has been changing his style because they havent been together, i think this pairing will get better,
and pitkanen is just looking lethargic and slow, HAS to be a nagging injury.
"a bit of love"
What u got there...
What you have in that game was one team that clearly had cohesion and played as a team and one team that was young, inexperienced, guys that were chasing the puck around the rink all night.
The most disturbing sight to me was the lack of anticipation shown by the young guys. They were beaten to nearly every puck for the entire night. That really concerns me because that is not a coachable issue. It may get better with confidence but generally, it comes to hockey sense. These guys look really great in practice but, when the rubber meets the road, speed means nothing if you are negating it by slow reaction time.
The defense was not good. Gleason looks bad to me. He is not making good decisions. Joni’s style is not going to be helpful when the other guys are not disiplined. Couple of really bad turn overs. Some of this play will go away with time and learning but it shows that from team to team, there is a fine line between dominence and eeking out a win.
I was really waiting for this game as a measuring stick. Vancouver is one of the elite teams in the league. A disjointed effort will not beat them. What have we learned?
1) No flow with the top lines. Solution, Pick your lines and stick with them. Play lots of scrimmages and get comfortable.
2) The defense is jumpy and impulsive. Solution, Set up some strict stay at home rules until the offense gets settled.
3) Faceoffs are a big glaring problem now. Solution, camp Brind A’mour. Work on this every day after practice until we have the results we need. Otherwise, why is Roddy there?
4) Penalty Kill needs work. Solution: Positioning and agressiveness within a system is in order. That takes time to develop.
All in all, a good indication of how much work the coaching staff has ahead. This is a big big big project for Maurice and company. I am just not sure they are up to the task. Early indications are painful at best. Show me improvement and I am fine.
How bad is Minnesota?
Mo et al didn’t do it last year, I don’t expect them to this year. Long season ahead.
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions
As I recall, the Canes were one of the winning-est teams after Jan 1. What do you mean Mo didn’t do it last year? That was an amazing Spring, and they almost pulled off the impossible. And it was fun to watch.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 18, 2010 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions
oh yeah… selective memory…
:D
but wasn’t that when the rat pack came up? they already had their own system in place… didn’t have their good instincts beaten out of them.
It’s monday morning. The glass is half-empty…
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Captain Wrap-around?
The only difference between this game and the 14 game winless streak was three items:
1. Captain Wrap-around did not make an appearence. (unless I was asleep which was a distinct possibility)
2. I had to fight the urge to change the channel to the Military Channel and watch re-run episodes of “Hitler’s Bodyguards”
3. We can’t blame this loss on injuries
actually, I did not think Staal had a horrible game, he made some decent plays, including one in the first where he sacrificed the body to get the puck up ice. His faceoffs continue to be crap though. The line shuffle left me scratching my head, to be honest. Dalpe was playing well and he gets “press boxed.” Skinner is our hottest player so they change his position and demote him to the third line. Jussi has struggled the last couple of games, so he gets promoted to the first line. Can anyone tell me, seriously, that this is good coaching? The only thing I liked was that they gave Patty O a chance to play, and he rewarded us with our only goal.
POS shouldn’t have scored that goal… He is going to be benched for a week! He should know by now that success is punished in Mo World.
Can Maurice just sit there and smile while JR handles all the things that take a brain? At least let him put halfway decent lines together? This is just getting painful.
I thought Staal played well, at least he had his feet moving. Our Finns look like they never left Finland.
Now there’s one of the very few things I’ve seen in this comment thread that I actually agree with.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
The dog ate my sisu.
by Jamie Kellner on Oct 18, 2010 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
LOL I worded that poorly, actually I probably should have said there are two things I agree with. I agree with you about both Staal and the Finns.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
The dog ate my sisu.
by Jamie Kellner on Oct 18, 2010 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
It is tough, but right now it’s true.
As wonderful as it was for them to have the opportunity to play in front of their home country, I think it put a tremendous amount of pressure on them and took some emotional toll that may take a while to recover from. i saw it in their faces in Helsinki.
They’re all excellent players and they’ll pull through it, but right now none of them are playing at their best and it is hurting the team.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
The dog ate my sisu.
by Jamie Kellner on Oct 18, 2010 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Especially considering at any time, they could be up to 43% of the team on the ice (50% if you count just skaters). I don’t think they’re going to recover until the 2nd or 3rd home game, to be honest.
"...they will not force us...they will stop degrading us...they will not control us...we will be victorious..."
Mah blog.
WOW
It sure seems like old times that’s for sure. I must admit the game last night to say the least was painful at best. We have to have a coaching change before this gets out of hand, we have some of the best talent around but no one to lead them. I agree the team as a whole looked disorganized and didn’t seem to have a clue. I was very much encouraged by Cam’s performance, when you face what he faced last night soem are going to get by you. I thought the young guys looked good for the most part and were a lot quicker to get in the mix. Cole did a nice job he seems to have some hussle back….bottem line the coaching staff must step up.
Exactly what were you expecting?
So they lost – sheez! Stand back from the ledge, people. We learned a lot last night. We identified a lot of problems but I don’t sense that anyone in the organization is in denial or heaping blame on others, and/or refusing to work on it. (do you?)
Maybe this is some PTSD of the 14 game winless streak we’re seeing from each other. New team, not the same situation, nor the same system, nor the same expectations, nor the same over-confidence that became no confidence on old legs. This is not last season.
It’s too long a season for everyone (fans especially) to be either at +10 or -10 emotionally. Let them go through the process we all anticipated this summer without panicking. Maybe winning the first 2 games against a struggling Wild and a few bright reviews in the press had you all thinking the season was ours, locked in get to the playoffs? Really?
This isn’t about a team that doesn’t care or is mailing it in. They’re lost, but not indifferent. They can fix this.
Hang in there – please suspend judgment – and watch the season unfold. What were you expecting that last night’s display is apparently so shocking to many of you? It’s a problem to be solved. It can be a really fascinating story to watch, unless you’re hockey fans who consider winning quick and early the only acceptable form of entertainment. (Which, btw, is not my experience with Hurricanes fans, which is why I’m a little stunned y’all are responding this way).
This is not an unknown or hopeless situation in the history of sports. If y’all are so quick to bail, then go ahead, rant and rave, but that’s not going to change anything.
In my opinion this is just part of the ugly start we knew was coming in June when they announced the schedule and we knew we were going young. Deal with it or if you can’t, then go cheer another team, and we’ll welcome you back to cheer when the Canes are up to your standards.
Or enjoy the process of a team and players learning what works and what doesn’t given their set of skills, experience and smarts.
My .02. Do with it as you will.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 18, 2010 9:47 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I’m trying to reserve some judgement til we get into November but that was absolutely brutal last night. I was expecting this to be a rebuilding year but man, that was tough to sit and watch.
Also, I’ve never been one to get on the Mo Must Go wagon but this just looks like a horribly coached team. Making mistakes that you see in preseason games, they seem to have zero plan on how to move the puck up the ice and just look like an unorganized mess.
Like you said above – we are only at Game 4 of 82 and everything I saw was correctable. The bright spot for me so far has been Bowman. I really like his game!
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
Yes, but… we got spanked! Did not like…
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess what worries me the most is the constant line juggling. It’s exactly what we saw last season and it does not work!
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Every team juggles lines. The only big in-game moves I saw were swapping Cole and LaRose. I’m thinking they needed Cole’s size with Skinner and Samsonov. Woiuldn’t be surprised if they knew that might happen before the game started since that 3rd line was so conspicuously small. He could have moved O’Sullivan up and LaRose to play with Sutter and Ruu, but he kept that line intact.
Constant? It’s only 4 games, There are 13 forwards who can play, there are gonna be adjustments to see what they’re capable of and develop the young kids both by playing and by watching.
When they made the deep run in the playoffs in 09, it was new line every night for the NJD and the BOS series. We all loved his spontaneity then. It worked. I agree they need to find chemistry, but I don’t see the lines as schizo as they’ve been in the past.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 18, 2010 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I know, I know, n=4
let me re-state that then:
what worries me most is my anticipation of the constant line-juggling that we saw in that loooong beginning of last season – it’s deja vu all over again…
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions
So it’s PTSD? Remembering last October and how sick we felt in November, forgetting how fun Feb and March were because we lost.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 18, 2010 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
yep! I think most of us are suffering from it…
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Line Juggling
This year I have wanted much more line juggling than has occurred to date. Whitney’s and Cullen’s goal scoring has to be replaced in some way, shape, or form. It made sense to try LaRose in the top six; but given the offensive fire power available, I much prefer seeing Skinner with Staal or Skinner with Sutter. Additionally, much of the line juggling has to occur in response to other teams shifting their lines around. With the Hurricanes team, lines are always a work in progress.
Even if you want line juggling it has to make sense. I will continue to jump up and down on the soap box about this, but you don’t take your hottest player out of position and demote him to a lower line. It is juggling for the sake of juggling and inidcates that, as a coach, you don’t really know what direction you are going in.
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m sorry, who is our hottest player? I didn’t know we had one.
Sutter was the best in game 1. Skinner in game 2, Staal in game 3, O’Sullivan in game 4. I don’t see a pattern.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 18, 2010 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions
I was thinking skinner?
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Skinner, by far. He was on a two game point streak and had been our most consistent offensive zone presence.
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
He had a bunch of turnovers last night. You want him moved to wing I take it?
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 18, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Damn skippy!
He struggled at center in the preseason and the moved him to wing and it was like a revelation. So why did Mo think moving him back to center was going to be any different now that the games count?
fwiw imo I would say Sutter was our best player in game 1 and Skinner our best in games 2 and 3. Had he stayed at wing and got better minutes, he very well may have been our best last night too.
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Skinner does not belong at Center. The majority of his ice time last night was spent backchecking and defending. Granted, that is what our 3rd line Center should be concentrating on, but that is NOT what I want our 18 year old offensive prodigy concentrating on. We have plenty of grinders to fill that role, Skinner needs to be in a position to score.
this this this.
the good news is that i think Mo (or somebody) realizes this.
Through 2 periods skinner had just 8 minutes of ice time, but in the 3rd he had almost 6 minutes. What did he do in the 3rd? Yes the game was already over, but he had an opportunity and hit the outside of the goal post.
Skinner was DEFINITELY the canes best player through 3 games. If you look at the total and not just each individual game, he was BY FAR the best offensively. He generated MANY scoring chances and it was amazing that he had not cashed in on any of them yet.
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
There’s been way too much juggling to date, I expected a little juggling, but this is kind of crazy. The young guys need some consistency.
I don’t mind the juggling if it wasn’t just completely random with seemingly zero point.
It was said earlier (I think PP maybe?) but it is mind boggling. We move Skinner to Staals line last game and it results in lots of offense and a goal. The result? Skinner gets demoted to the 3rd line. Jokinen struggles, so Mo throws him up on the top line. POS plays great in preseason, gets healthy scratched or 4th line duty.
It is so frustrating.
I don’t think anyone is going to bail on the team — I just think alot of us (myself included) are seeing the exact same things happening that lead to the 14 game losing streak and that is upsetting to us — and I do blame alot of the bad decisions on the coaching of the team. He is constantly juggling lines and no one can get into any rhythm — out defense is terrible – probably worse than last year. I know people on here love Pitkanen (for the record, I’m on the fence and my husband hates him) — but is he really living up to his paycheck as highest paid d-man on the team? Where is his accountability from the coach?
These are questions people are asking – I don’t think we expected a 14 game winning streak, just consistent effort game in/game out and allowing the ‘kids’ to develop
Gee – even this morning Branecky said O’Sullivan was the best player and needs to be on a scoring line to be effective – ya think:? I thought it was a waste for him to be on the 4th line and I feel the same way about Bowman – a waste to put him on the 4th line – If the coaching isn’t going to use these players and put them in a situation to succeed, then send them to Charlotte where they CAN succeed.
Oh and thanks HMof2 for all you do for us — I wasn’t disagreeing with you – just stating my frustration -
by livingthelife59 on Oct 18, 2010 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I dunno HMO2, I expected the team to get beat, but I did not expect them to look like this. I knew the D would be bad, but I didn’t think that veteran guys like Gleason and Corvo and Pitkanen would be outplayed by a marginal player like Harrison. I knew we would be small and easy to bump off the puck, but I never thought we would also look slow and be beat to so many loose pucks. I knew we would give up alot of goals, but I thought for sure we would at least be scoring a healthy amount ourselves. I am sorry but last night should not have been when the team identified some of it’s problems. These problems have been apparent since game 1, we just finally played a team who could thoroughly exploit them.
I am going to continue to pull for this team, even when we stink, but last night was not acceptable, even for a rebuild team. Rebuild team’s die by their flaws, ours was DOA.
One Bad Game and the Universe is Falling into the Black Hole
HMof2, thanks for the comments above. The Hurricanes are a young team and they are going to have nights like last night where they look as if they don’t know how to lace their skates. They are also on the away schedule from Hell. The Hurricanes brain trust is trying to figure things out and the players are trying to figure things out. The Canucks are an excellent team and will put a beatdown on plenty of other NHL teams this season.
I agree with you, HMof2 as well in regards to expectations for the team. If fans want a smoothly oiled, seasoned team, perhaps they ought to spend this year looking at the Penguins or the Capitals and then come back in 2011-2012 to watch the Hurricanes. Their angst will be far too high to watch the 2010-2011 Hurricanes closely if their expectation is to watch a consistent, predictable team steam-roll the NHL.
Prior to the start of the season, I didn’t have Patrick O’Sullivan on my radar for the Canes. Last night I thought he played a complete game under trying circumstances. I love the way Skinner is leading the team by his relentlessness, strength, and goal scoring acumen. Bowman continues to play intelligent, physical defense while looking to score goals.
I worried about the Hurricanes scoring this year; and continue to feel LaRose is out of place in the top six. All in all, it was a truly ugly game of hockey; but I’m happy to watch the team grow this year. To do so, it means I have to steel myself to the reality that I will seem some brilliant hockey from the Hurricanes with tremendous victories; and I’ll also watch them on some occasions get mopped across the ice. Such is life in cheering for a young team whose future is bright.
no one is expecting well oiled precision or a steam rolling. All I am asking for is an identity and a direction, and the stones to stay that course. Every game so far has felt improvised, and at times poorly so.
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I can see that we will just have to agree to disagree on this one. =)
If I can just say one more thing on the topic, I am really not as concerned with results this year. I was resigned to a non playoff year from the start. What concerns me is that their doesn’t seem to be a plan or and identity. If this year is going to be a loss in terms of points earned and playoff appearances, then it needs to be spent establishing who we are going to be going in to next year. That should start game one. These young guys need to be given a clear and consistent message about what Hurricanes hockey is. That is why teams like Detroit and NJ are perennial playoff teams that only ever have minor blips here and there (though NJ is having a hell of one right now!) They have an identity and every player, every night knows it. Whether it is their first shift with the club or their 500th game.
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes AD
but for the last season + 4 games now the team has a bad history of starting out slow even when rested…who gets the blame for that ? Ron Francis,Wesley or Barrasso ? and sadly even the Checkers last season (as the rats) and now this year are also starting out slower than my dead grandma…any ideas as to why that is ??
Everytime you write off the Hurricanes,
They make You Look Bad!!
by CaniacSteve on Oct 18, 2010 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Reality check
OK, a few things…. Skinner is leading the team with his “goal scoring acumen”? That’s bad news, because he has no (real) goals through four games. No knock on Skinner, who has played well, just a reality check here.
Also, everyone keeps chirping about how young the Canes are. Really, this team is not that rookie driven. Skinner and McBain are getting regular minutes, and Dalpe and Bowman have gotten marginal minutes. The guys who are getting lots of minutes are the same players who were useless last year at this time.
Thanks Mom
Everyteam can have a bad day…See TB routed by FLA…..My post was intended as humor not serious X’s and O’s. Captain Wrap-around was a compliment to the fact that he has not tried the Wrap-around…..Bad choice of words…“did not show”…..
Thanks for the pep talk!
i would love to be able to enjoy the process of players learning, but until i see them actually start to learn things…i will continue to be a negative nancy.
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Agree there are plenty of extenuating circumstances, but...
despite the travel schedule, young team, challenging team speed of the Canucks, small number of games played, etc., there are worrisome signs.
The most worrisome thing is that when watching the Canes, you don’t get the sense that they are struggling to learn a new system or that the new players can’t keep up with NHL players. To echo comments above, you see a team that appears to be trying hard but to lack direction. There’s no sign of a systematic team offense that is barely failing to click. On defense, again there is no sense of a systematic approach that is just a little out of synch. Veteran players seem lost or overwhelmed.
I’d feel a lot better if I could occasionally say, “They almost pulled it off that time—they can make that play work” or “The Canes are starting to put together some effective lines.” I’d be happy if I had the sense that the Canes coaches are making the most of the talent they have. Either I overestimate the team’s talent or the Canes’ coaches are getting less out of the team—as a team—than an NHL coaching staff should.
The bright spots I’ve seen are overwhelmingly individual efforts, like Staal’s great efforts late in the Ottawa game and Sutter’s and Babchuk’s efforts in the first game in Finland and Skinner’s in the shootout. Those are great but would be even better if they came on top of an offense that generates scoring chances. The Canes have five even-strength goals in four games. How many have come from the Canes’ approach to offense?
There was a glimmer of hope with Skinner briefly on Staal’s line. Snuffed out by demoting Skinner to third line. Dalpe was more than holding his own against NHL talent. Off to the press box. Scoring is clearly an issue. O’Sullivan gets benched. (Yes, he was back last night and scored a goal, and that’s a positive.)
It’s unreasonable to expect to win this year but it is not unreasonable to want to see the Canes play better as a team or to see coaching adjustments that seem responsive to what’s happening on the ice. Could it be as demoralizing for the team as for some of us fans to see the lines handled the way they are? I think of other coaches as searching for effective combinations, finding out which lines work best, and then sticking with them. But with the Canes, if we saw a Jokinen-Staal-Skinner line produce five goals in a night, I’m not at all sure we would see that line again in the next game.
Scoring seems to be well down the list of what the Canes’ coaches care about in line combinations. Maybe the even-strength lines are out there to draw penalties and allow zero scoring chances, and can go for a break-away if the other team blunders and there’s no defensive risk whatsoever. Otherwise, the Canes’ scoring is supposed to come from power plays, not from team offensive play in the other team’s zone.
The lines that AD proposes above look good to me. Why aren’t the Canes at least trying them?
by curiouscanesfan on Oct 18, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Same bad power play
Once again we looked pathetic on the power play. We never establish our position in the offensive zone. Either someone attempts to skate up the middle and gets stripped of the puck. Or we dump it in and get beaten to the puck. The Canucks almost scored a couple of short-handed goals!
I can only blame that on poor coaching.
Its not hard for other teams to plan their penalty kill, keep 2 guys high, the D-man will move the puck down low to about the bottom of the faceoff circle if a shot is not available, no need to pursue the puck at this point, this forward will pass to the slot, have the slot player covered and youre good.
our powerplay has no movement. to expand a little on what you’re saying about the slot player: I think most of the time it was jokinen last night. Yeah, he just sort of stood around in the slot, provided no support to the boards or behind the net. He needs to be floating around finding open ice, swapping places with other forwards, forcing the defenders to move along with him.
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
I thought Samsonov looked completely out of place and he cost us our only real chance on the 5-on-3. Why he was constantly out there in the first place is a coaching issue. It seems like they are still in preseason mode with the amount of line switching (especially on the PP). Looks like they are testing new people out when they should already have at the very least least 1 successful unit in place at this point.
There were several times last night when Samsonov was in the slot with his stick on the ice calling for a pass when the puck was shot from a bad angle instead. He also was getting into the dirty area in front of the goal and not getting pushed out of the way. Until he got high sticked he was playing a good game.
I would be the last person to pin bad play on the coaches but what does it say when the best player on the ice was a healthy scratch the game before. O’sullivan was probably the best player in the pre-season, on the first line, doesnt make any glaring mistakes in helsinki yet gets moved to the press box. The pre-season is the time to get line combos sorted out, you should have an idea of what will work just on paper, yet Mo uses regular season games to try to find chemistry. And I’m not putting this solely on Mo, Francis seems to have plenty of input as well.
Picking lines is like picking lottery numbers IMO…What do you guys think of mine?
Staal Skinner O’sullivan
Jokinen Ruutu Samsonov
Sutter Cole Bowman
Dwyer TKO Larose?
i haven’t seen a player look off the defender and shoot the puck with that kind of accuracy/velocity since justin williams.
Also basing this on his play during the preseason, where he also scored a (maybe others?) very nice goal.
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
He was also doing the little things last night, on both sides of the puck. That said, I am not sure about first line, but he has to be in the top 6 in order to utilize his skill set (IMO).
by wylde4canes on Oct 18, 2010 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
These lines I put together are based purely on offensive upside. To me that is going to be this teams biggest concern all year.
Yeah we had a bad defensive game, and lets be honest, if you do that against vancouver they WILL make you pay.
What concerned me more was that we could only manage 1 goal against a goalie with 11 career NHL games and a GAA of 3.5
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Just going out on a limb but I take it the “Hurricanes Fan Confidence” poll on the front page will take a bit of a dip this week!
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
I personally dont think there is anything more that Staal could do besides beat every defender twice over and score. Everytime he touches the puck he rushes it into the O-zone and looks like he’s about to create something good.
Example:
Stall receives a feed from corvo with a good head of steam!
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Skating up ice 2 on 2 with Jokinen on the other side
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
They’re on side and Staal has a lot of speed!
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Into the goalies crest of his jersey or blocked by the defenders shins.
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
(sic) the first time I spelled it stall.
by ECUCanesFan on Oct 18, 2010 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I love this blog and the ability to read other people’s opinions. However, one thing that seems to be more and more consistant is that when we lose the comments constantly lean toward blaming one player or a combination of players in addition to the coach so after a while it gets a little tiring, but thats just me. We are at game number four so I don’t see the where we need to go into dire straits. I think this teams need to find out what’s going to work for them so you need the line juggling in order to do that. They also have young players so they need the experience so I think we are going to see a lot of mistakes. We knew going into the season that we are going to be a borderline playoff team at best so I don’t know why our play is such as a surprise at this early stage. We have beaten a mediocre Wild team which a borderline playoff team should do and we have lost to two teams that are considered cup contenders. Vancouver especially looks like a seasoned team so I think we take all of this into consideration when we grade our play.
by hotchipsnsalsa on Oct 18, 2010 11:06 AM EDT reply actions
I dont remember anybody putting daniel alfred—-oops, i mean ottawa, as a cup contender x.x
But as for the ‘4 out of 82’ comments (not you in particular, but everybody) i remember last year people voiced the same concerns, and others respond with the same comments after the canes started out 0-2 last season. It was an ugly offensive start to the season… a 2-0 shutout by ray emery (not the best NHL goalie), and a 7-2 loss to boston, where we didn’t score a goal until the score was already 5-0.
Lets look at the numbers through 4 games last season and this season:
Both teams 2-2 with a shootout win.
Last year, the PP was an abysmal 2/26. (7.7%)
This year slightly better, but still not very good, sitting at 3/20 (15%)
Last year, the PK successfully killed off 20/27 attempts (74.1%)
This year, the PK unit has killed off 13/19 attempts. (68.4%)
The struggling special teams from last year were a common thread throughout the season, and I see no reason to think that this year’s powerplay or penalty kill will be any better.
gee i remember when
Bobby Orr had a slump…and if some think we’re bad here…you should have heard the mouths & lips flapping then…and the Boston Globe wasn’t beng nice either…
speaking of Toronto…the lead in their division too…:-}
Everytime you write off the Hurricanes,
They make You Look Bad!!
I have gotten complaints that the blog is too positively slanted and I have gotten complaints that the blog is too negative. Human nature dictates that we will not always agree on things.
Regardless, I just wanted to put out a reminder that everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone’s opinion is welcome here, positive, negative, or in between. It’s all part of being a fan.
Editing Manager of CanesCountry.com
HockeyMom+ AD= right
While it is time to sort out and fix the problems with the team, it is not time to panic. I am prepared for a lot of ups and downs, and possibly a fair amount of roster movement either via the I-85 express or possibly a trade during the first 3 months or so of the season. That being said, last nights game was a contrast between a team that has the right players in place and chemistry. For me this was not a game on the roadie that I checked off as a potential point getter. The "Nucks are very good, possible contenders.
Now for my thoughts.
Why is Eric Staal taking a single faceoff with Jussi on his line? Let Jussi take the draws and sort out the defensive responsibilities later.
Pitkinen continues to not look great. His best moments have been when he has to recover from his own miscues.
Cole, with the exception of last night has skated hard but with little to show. As long as he is a catalyst for his line mates that is great, but his line is not doing much, so his effectiveness is lessened, his fault or not. If his presence on the top line is not resulting in goals, then maybe it is time to look at another spot for Eric C.
Bowman has also been working hard, and not always on a line with a lot of scoring potential. Based on his time with the big club last spring and his time so far this season I am hoping his ability to score has not been overestimated. I am hoping he is not another Ryan Bayda. As it is he is a great checking addition/4th liner. But the team has plenty of those and not a lot of potential scoring pop.
Not suggesting he go down, but there has to be some adjustments to the lineup and I am wondering how he will shake out.
Ruutu. 1+1 in 4 games is not horrible, but I think he’s been a bit invisible so far this year, on our continent. He’s one of the players who has to produce.
O’Sullivan. Nice goal, at times looked like he was ready to pay the price and play NHL brnad of hockey. I hope it wasn’t a short lived response to enjoying the press box view in Ottowa.
Road trip. I am torn between thinking they should be tired already and not. They did have a few days off between Helsinki and Ottowa, and a couple before playing the Canucks. I know travel itself can be tiring, but if they are down now it’s going to be a long year. Will have to see how it shakes out in the long run, and how the other teams European Vacation affected them.
Gleason. Maybe not his best game, but his intermission interview comments made me wish again that he was wearing the “C”. I think Staal deep down just wants to play hockey. He was a very talented hockey player growing up and was thrust into being a center ( like the most athletic kid playing shortstop in baseball). I think Eric S. is very skilled but maybe doesn’t need a lot of attention. He has tried to be a good captain and a leader, I am not saying anything bad about his efforts to do his best with the responsibilities given, I just think he’s a quiet. laid back kind of guy who just wants to play the game. This may be extreme but if he were to be respectfully relieved of his captaincy and put on the wing he’d be a very effective player. Just my thoughts.
Gleason
Looked off. I know the whole team stunk it up, but he looked physically wobbly at times. Anyone else see that too?
Well...We All Know Where I Stand...
Actually no. I am going to give Mo & his crew some time on this one. The travel and schedule is almost too much for any human. But if we can actually LEARN from the mistakes in this brutal stretch, the rest of the season should be manageable.
Vancouver was the high-water mark. If Mo can put together DYNAMIC games plans and stabilize the lines…we will be okay.
I am already prepared for at least an 8 game losing streak.
But after that…
For the record, I’m impressed.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
The dog ate my sisu.
by Jamie Kellner on Oct 18, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I understand the sentiments of those of you who are all saying give it time. I know they are in the middle of the road trip from hell. I know that the season is only 4 games old. I agree that this is all part of bigger process, that isn’t even really aimed at this year.
All that said, what concerns me is that the coaches are not sticking with the things that work, and are turning back to things that have already failed. Skinner on the wing and in the top 6 worked well. Taking Rosey out of the top 6 for more skilled players, that worked. Why would you reverse those things in the next game. It is like a lesson learned in Ottawa is forgotten and we have to relearn it .
As I said in an earlier post, I am ok with losing. I just want to see something on the ice that says we are learning.
Eek. I can’t believe the next few words are actually coming out of my keyboard. ;)
I agree with wylde4canes.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
I will say we at least need to show some improvement on the PP…..sheesh….I would be happy with 1 SOG out of PP at this point….oh well.
Yep, it’s a true sign of serious problems when I watch us with a full 2 minutes of power play time and we can’t muster one shot on goal or the other team is have better scoring opportunities than you.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
better scoring opportunities than you
Key letters there being ‘ies’ making opportunity plural…
Want. Hockey. Now.
by Andrea's evil twin on Oct 18, 2010 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Are they holding Skinner back or shielding him?
Skinner’s future is on the wing. If he’s not a top six forward, he was a disastrous use of a very high draft pick. The Canes desperately need a scoring wing. They drafted Skinner and he looks dazzling at times on the wing. Why immediately abandon what seems to be working and demote Skinner to third line center when the team has a half dozen candidates in Charlotte and Raleigh for that position?
Do the coaches have some secret inviolable plan of playing Skinner so many games on the wing and so many at center? Could they be trying to shield Skinner from matchups with superstars like the Sedins? Are they holding him back, sacrificing all else to indoctrinate him in the Canes’ defensive system, or trying to protect him?
by curiouscanesfan on Oct 18, 2010 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Who are the leaders here?
The offensive leaders, the experienced players who should be delivering the mail are as follows;
Staal
Cole
Ruutu
Jokinen
Samsonov
Sutter
Larose
… in more or less that order.
Skinner should be played wherever he needs to to ensure his best development as a young player.
The above players are the ones who should be leading the charge. With that expectation should come the right mix to maximize each of the above players skill set. I really think Skinner should be used not in a spot where he is expected to produce, but where his unique skills can help one of the above succeed, and where he can be free to grow and contribute without the pressure of being a leader, or one who needs to produce in order for the team to succeed. Could be the top line, could be the 3rd line.
I really believe that our piss poor defense (both forwards & defenseman) is directly affecting our offense. We are wasting so much energy chasing the puck in our own end and for such an extended period of time, our guys don’t have the legs to complete an extended offensive shift.
I also believe that Skinner would be served best by playing with Staal & Jussi. Those two drawing the focus and shooting the pucks should allow Skinner to get some open nets and rebound opportunities. That should help his confidence and get him use to playing top line minutes. If you match him with Sutter and Ruutu, he could also get some rebound opportunities; but those 3 players have too similar games right now (drive the net type of players) that those 3 might not compliment each other too well.
I want to see a Skinner-Jussi-Staal line! SJS, SJS, SJS!
by PackPride17 on Oct 18, 2010 9:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Just who is...
Jesse Jones,and what does he know about red dawgs ?? Hehehe
Everytime you write off the Hurricanes,
They make You Look Bad!!
Wow
Probably a good thing I had no time to even read today, much less post. :-)
Well, have to admit I did sample a few posts from litmus-test posters, just to gauge the mood.
Recommended HMof2’s post on some thread somewhere about enjoying the ride, because that’s what will get you through a season sane.
Take it from someone that survived the ‘02-’03 and ‘03-’04 manifestations of the Canes. We look like worldbeaters compared to that muck.
Seemingly always way more posts after a debacle than a solid win, and understandably so. And, I enjoyed them all, even if a bit belatedly so.
Here we are now...entertain us.
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