Sutter Shines For Carolina: Hurricanes 4, Sabres 3 (OT)
by Bob Wage on Feb 12, 2010 7:00 AM EST
150 comments
The Carolina Hurricanes won their fourth game in a row as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime Thursday night, 4-3. Brandon Sutter was the star of the game for the home team as he scored Carolina's first goal and set up the game winner in the extra period.
The Sabres jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the game as Carolina had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. Derek Roy scored inside of three minutes off of an Andrew Alberts turnover and Jochen Hecht scored at the 13 minute mark on a shot which took a bad bounce and fooled goalie Manny Legace.
But the Canes didn't fold, they kept battling back and the Sabres started taking penalties.
Sutter scored during the Hurricanes first powerplay as he took a puck from under a Buffalo defenseman and flicked it by a surprised Ryan Miller. Then Ray Whitney scored on another powerplay chance with just two seconds left in the opening period.
The Canes went into the dressing room with all the momentum and came out on fire in the second period.
While they had multiple opportunities, (and once had a three on zero chance, which Miller stopped), the only goal of the period was scored by Stephane Yelle, who got a perfect shot past Miller that perhaps the goalie would like to have back.
Yelle had an excellent game and had a couple of other prime chances. But Miller rose to the occasion and made several fine saves the rest of the game to keep his team in it.
On the other side, Manny Legace had another solid game and looked pretty comfortable in his own right. But the Sabres put on plenty of pressure in the third period and finally tied the score on yet another turnover in the Hurricanes end.
It looked like Joni Pitkanen was going to break the puck out, but Derek Roy was all over it. Legace made a fine stop on the initial shot by the Buffalo sniper, but Roy took the rebound behind the net and got the puck past Pitkanen and into the net as the defenseman tried to recover.
With the score tied, both teams battled but neither could take advantage and the contest went into overtime.
Just a minute and change into the extra stanza, Brandon Sutter made a beautiful, no-look backhanded pass to the front of the Buffalo net and Sergei Samsonov was right there to bang in the game-winner. Sutter said after the game that he saw his teammate out of the corner of his eye and tried to get him the puck.
The victory gives the Hurricanes eight wins in their last ten games. While the odds of making the playoffs are still slim to none, no one in the locker room has given up yet. They are all saying the same thing, as long as they are not mathematically eliminated, they still feel they have a chance.
Next up is New Jersey on Saturday night.
- Sutter was a star on the ice. He finished with three points, (1G 2A), had one takeaway, one blocked shot, and won 75% of his faceoffs. Not bad for a kid who didn't even make the team after training camp and had to start out in Albany.
- Manny Legace probably wishes he could play against the Sabres every night. He has a lifetime record of 5-0 against Buffalo including his win against them last week. Legace has won all three of his starts since Cam Ward went down with back pain. The Canes are 4-0 since Ward's last start in Calgary. (Justin Peters has the other win.)
- The Hurricanes have a record of 19-3-1 when leading after two periods.
- Head coach Paul Maurice earned his 400th career victory with the win. Overall his record is 400-406-99-50 for a .497 winning percentage out of 954 games.
- Jussi Jokinen picked up an assist on the Ray Whitney goal and extended his scoring streak to eight games.
- Once again Aaron Ward led the team with three blocked shots. The team had a total of 15 for the game.
- The Canes were credited with a total of 30 hits led by Patrick Dwyer with five. Tim Gleason, Steven Goertzen, and Andrew Alberts had four each.
- Joni Pitkanen had six shots on goal, a team high. In all, the club had 35 shots on goal.
_____
There were plenty of rumors floating around the press area, but nothing of substance. Scouts from several teams attended including: Toronto, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Montreal, Minnesota, Columbus, Los Angeles, and the New York Islanders. Will the rumored "Cullen deal" take place today?
The club has an optional practice on Friday at 11.
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After watching us beat those Sabres twice in a week, I’m wondering if Ryan Miller was the best choice for starting goalie for the U.S.
or are the Canes just that damn good…
this game could have been 12 or 13 to 3. I think Miller played very well all things considering.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 9:07 AM EST up reply actions
He gave up a TON of rebounds though….i thought that was very telling
by Adam's Journey on Feb 12, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions
A great game, but at times Buffalo out musceled the Canes. And at times it looked like the sabres were goijg to maul the canes as did flames had…but over all a good never say die game. Our Defence needs to tighten up more as too many people around the canes net far too often. And one thing i did notice while watching the game on tv, was when the canes had the puck in buffalos end, very seldom did the canes have anyone @ the net..seemed all were too busy chasing /passing the puck around.
If you think you can't, you won't !
Big-Body Hockey and the Hurricanes
As the Hurricanes quickly transition to their 2010-2011 team, I am optimistic that the Hurricanes will use their draft picks and trades to upgrade in terms of being able to play big-bodied hockey as well as the skill game. As CaniacSteve pointed out, the Hurricanes have issues when they do not have bodies battling in front of the net. I am not suggesting the Hurricanes need to trade everybody and become a team of Neanderthal thugs, but it is painfully obvious that the successful NHL franchises rely on their version of Jordan Staal and Ryan Malone to out-muscle skilled but smaller players.
The Hurricanes have such talent already and last night was an example of how well the Hurricanes team is capable of playing. It sounds as if the Cullen trade will happen soon; and that the Whitney trade will be a March 3rd deadline, last minute deal. To my mind, both Cullen and Whitney are victims of the Hurricanes’ slow start. The sad thing is that as far as I am concerned neither Whitney nor Cullen were prime contributors to the slow start; but they and their families are having to be disrupted by the ineffectual early season play by some of their teammates.
I continue to hold out hope that Whitney will return next year. Cullen has been playing fantastic hockey; and perhaps his agent and the Hurricanes can reach a reasonable compromise as to his salary next season.
I totally agree on upping our size at all cost this summer.
And speaking of size, I’ve been impressed with Steven Goertzen. I was at the game on Tuesday night and really noticed him on the ice. He was grinding in the corners, stealing pucks, and playing pretty well defensively. He had a few breakouts that could have easily ended with a puck in the net.
As much as I LOVE to see Buffalo lose, I gave away my tickets for the game last night. Much more enjoyable to watch the game at home without some belligerent rust-belt drunkard yelling insults in my ear all night.
that's my section.
didn’t have tickets to this game. probably a good thing, as arrests look bad on my bar records.
by DidJussiThat? on Feb 12, 2010 10:13 AM EST up reply actions
We’re normally in 329, but 110 is where our St. Baldrick’s tickets were. =)
by Raccoon Fink on Feb 12, 2010 10:16 AM EST up reply actions
I’m a peace-loving calm kinda dude…but everytime Buffaloe comes to town I inch closer and closer to starting an all-out brawl…
Yeah
I generally take the “<so-and-so> fans are the worst!” thing with a grain of salt, most fanbases have good and bad… But man, the Buffalo crowd is consistently annoying.
by Raccoon Fink on Feb 12, 2010 10:21 AM EST up reply actions
Hence the extra security to get in the game and the extra police present inside the gates.
Greensboro was a black hole.
I sit in 123 and there was an extra security guy by the tunnel where the Sabres take the ice.
"Last season we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn't think of any place else to play." - Harry Neale
by hotchipsnsalsa on Feb 12, 2010 10:50 AM EST up reply actions
BTW Ottawa
You are welcome. With the combo of our beating the Slugs and them beating the Craps they move into the 1st spot in their division and 3rd in conference. This also knocks the Slugs to at least 5th in conference, making our pick from them better!
That pick will be determined more by playoff finish than anything else.
Greensboro was a black hole.
thought that draft order was determined by the finish of the regular season standings, with the exception of the cup winner who picks 30.
Not totally. The cup loser is 29. The conference finals losers are 27 and 28. Remaining division winners, then wildcard teams are ranked next, filling in the 26th through 15th picks. In both cases, better records result in later picks.
Greensboro was a black hole.
oh, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.
by wylde4canes on Feb 12, 2010 10:00 AM EST up reply actions
The NHL keeps tweaking it. It’s hard to keep up. Standings will play a big part, but the best realistic thing to hope is that the Sabres finish fifth in the east and lose in the first round. The best thing to hope for is that they don’t win another game the rest of the season and are drafting second behind the Canes at #1!
Greensboro was a black hole.
There were a lot of obnoxious angst filled Buffalo fans last night. Funny how last season when they were out of the playoffs hardly any showed up, but I thought they were “true fans” that knew hockey.
It was a great game – the crowd made it a playoff like feel to it. I hadn’t felt that anxious about a game since OT in Game 7 vs. Boston. I joked to my section mates, “well as fans this is our playoff game.”
I am just glad the team as a whole hasn’t tanked it this season…I can take losing as long as their is effort, and I think that’s what most of the fans (with the exception of few) really want. A good effort and we as fans will support you no matter what.
Happiness is Buffalo in my rear view mirror.
I can’t stand most Buffalo fans either. Fortunately, it was a weeknight game last night so only two thirds of them were drunk. We had six of the drunk variety sitting behind us and they were being typical Sabres fans; obnoxious, foul-mouthed, and picking on the Canes fans around them. In the third period, one of them said loudly “Every city we go to the other team’s fans hate us, but they can never tell us why.” His buddy shot back, “I can tell you why. We’re a**holes.” There’s at least one self aware hockey fan in western New York.
Yeah, wait until the Sunday March 21 game. The whole state will take a long weekend to come down for that game. On the bright side, it should be a boon to the local schools as they sales at the ABC stores that week will trounce super bowl weekend. On the down side, the game starts at 5:00 so the Sabres fans will all be drunk in the parking lot, starting fights.
Greensboro was a black hole.
Cullen's Last?
Why are we so anxious to let Cullen (and Whitney) go? Yes, I know they are UFA’s in the summer and we are trying to get something for them…why can’t we go ahead and sign them now to a one-year/two-year extension? Is that part of these equations?
Our ‘age’ issues have not really been them…as far as I am concerned you should still have at least one ‘vet’ per line. Cullen’s/Whitney’s leadership on-and-off ice are huge. At least Whitney is vocal.
Maybe it is just me.
It has been rumored that JR had a potential deal to “rent” Whitney to a contender, but Ray was negotiated for a 3 year contract from JR. JR blinked and said no. So Ray didn’t waive his no trade clause on this one. Good. A two year deal sure, but not three.
Realize that Cullen is probably gone (if Rod doesn’t retire next year) as Sutter will most likely take Cullen’s slot. And Matt doesn’t have a no trade clause.
Go Canes!
It’s not that such a thing hasn’t been considered it’s that not trading these guys is not in the teams best interests.
Ray Whitney will either re-sign here in the summer or he won’t. Trading him won’t change a thing. It’s best to get something for him rather than nothing, especially when the something looks to be rather significant.
Cullen, like after the Cup win, will likely get offers from other teams that will pay him second line center money. Here in Raleigh with the emergence of Sutter, he’s likely to be third line. If he likes it here and wants to stay, he will. If he wants more money, he’ll leave. Either way, you trade him and get something back.
Corvo is likely to get a big contract on the FA market. We can match that or not. Either way, he should be traded to get something now.
Yelle and Ward won’t be back, so if the team can get anything for them it’s a good deal.
Greensboro was a black hole.
Very entertaining game, and it’s always nice to beat the Slugs.
For all of you A. Ward haters I think he has finally found his niche with this team which has allowed Joni to open up offensively a little bit.
Although we had a turn over that gave up a goal, the passes seem to be right on which shows the difference between a struggling team we saw at the beginning to a confidant team we are not seeing.
Also, a couple of weird stuff happened last night. I ususally arrive around 6:30 but there was an accident on 440 so I didn’t get there until the siren. That person who wound the siren was the slowest person I have ever seen turn the crank that it didn’t even sound like a siren. Maybe a wounded duck. And then there was the substitute PA announcer that was mispouncing names and I didn’t know Aaron Ward was a forward? But the weirdest occurance occurred at the start of the 2nd period when Manny came out with about 15 seconds to go before the start. He was still stretching and clearing the crease at the time of the face off and the puck came down toward him and he didn’t even flinch as he was still ‘sweeping’ the crease. Well, Mike mentioned during the post game that the projected playoff number is now 86 points. Although it is still doubtful the odds are improving for the playoffs.
"Last season we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn't think of any place else to play." - Harry Neale
Yes I wish someone could have told the stand in PA announcer that it was Joni Pitkanen playing last night and not Yanni….or did I miss that trade :)
At the “We Love the Canes” lunch, I sat with him and asked him how to pronounce his first name and he pronounced it “Yanni.” He also said he was not sensitive how his name was pronounced. He is a very shy but extremely funny and likeable person.
The in-house announcer at last nights game BUTCHERED some names… my favorite was “serge Samminof”
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Feb 12, 2010 9:36 AM EST up reply actions
btw.
anyone notice the game corvo had? I don’t know if he showed up in the score sheet but he had a fantastic game. great burst into the offensive zone good decision making.
Am I the only one starting to fall out of love with Joni???
well I don’t know if I am falling out of love with Pits, but that entire sequence on the 3rd goal was horrible for him.
Corvo had a great game, I believe as well. I also thought that Staal had a very good third period, despite not being on the scoresheet. He seemed to be willing the puck into the offensive zone,even in double coverage. He also looked good on the other side of the puck.
agree. staal had a very impresive game. I’m always amazed at his strenght on the puck. He has the ability few have to just skate in through the Nzone and into the Ozone. I was very impressed. That C seems to make a difference in his commitment level.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 9:21 AM EST up reply actions
Staal had a good third period, but he looked out of sorts most of the first two periods. He seemed to be leading the way on the overpassing early in the game. He also missed on a couple of one-time opportunities. He got things together late, but I wouldn’t say he had a good game.
Greensboro was a black hole.
The play that sticks out to me is the 3 on 1 in the second period where he sorta halfheartedly slid the puck towards Ray (?) and it was immediately picked off by Buffalo. I was 5 hours away and on my sofa and knew that was going to happen. It’s like his brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
I forgot about that one too! I sit on the other end and was watching that. It was some kind of awful. Like I said above, I think he finished strong, but he certainly didn’t start well. I think a lot of guys were playing to make the tradable players look good to the scouts in attendance. (Anyone at the game notice how many scouts were there last night? It was crazy).
Greensboro was a black hole.
During the broadcast, Forslund said there were 9 teams represented last night. The vultures are a-circling.
And yes, he finished well, but the start of the game wasn’t good (for anyone really).
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
Only nine? Not that that’s not a lot, but the pressbox on both sides were loaded with people. Maybe some of that was Buffalo and Olympic media. I guess some teams may have sent their scouting departments as opposed to just one scout.
Greensboro was a black hole.
Maybe teams send more than one person if they’re interested in more than one player? That way each player is thoroughly evaluated?
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
he tried to snap a hard pass and fanned on it. thats it. just wasnt his night offensively.
But i actually saw him hit a couple guys and be the first in on the forecheck a couple times as well
Didn’t look that way on my end, but I could be wrong. It’s been known to happen. ;)
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
Yes you’re wrong…..
Staal + Jussi = GOAL
by canescup on Feb 12, 2010 10:37 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
guess you didnt see his 3 point effort the two games ago…or realize that he has had 16 points in the last 16 games…or know that in the last month only Lidstrom has more points (14 to joni’s 13…mike green has 13 as well)
If you are falling out of love with that, you must have something personal against the guy
I realize what he has done. But to be honest playing with players that are averaging more than a point a game doesnt hurt eaither. The guy is very talented (and one of the nicest players ive met). His defensive lapse’ over the past month or so just seem take away from that. I did not mean that i “FELL out of love” with the guy. He just makes bad decisions around his own net when he has the puck. Last night was not the first time, it was just the latest happening.
I still like Joni and I love the fact he is so young. I would just be more confortable with better defensive play from the guy. (the pass accros the front of the net is probably biggest pet peeve)
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 9:36 AM EST up reply actions
joni is simply not a defensive defenceman. He is asked to be the most offensive defenceman on our team, to take those risks to make plays, and he logs incredible TOI (among the most in the league). He logs so much TOI he plays with EVERY line, not just the point per game guys (who btw, we only have 1 for the entire season – Staal 48 in 48). Do you remember what our D and entire team looked like earlier this year without him?? Lots of folks probably dont agree, but I’d argue that Pits is our most important player.
Sure he could be better defensively, but so could most other defenceman on the team.
Maybe the team could move him up to a forward position. He has the offensive skills, and with his experience as a defender, he could make a very good defensive forward, rather than an offensive defender. Just a thought.
by CoastalCane on Feb 12, 2010 10:16 AM EST up reply actions
the reverse sami kapenen approach,lol.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 11:06 AM EST up reply actions
I was refering to pits having 16 points in his last 16 games. We have a few players that are a point a game or close to it over the last 16. Not just staal. As far as the season goes, your right. But in the context of the convo, there are quite a few players hot right now. If you want to use the he plays with all the lines argument, not just the top lines then you could also make the argument he should be expected to score that much when the team is so hot and he plays so much. not that im making that argument, just sayin ;)
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 11:01 AM EST up reply actions
With respect, I disagree. I thought Pitkanen is continuing to play better and better. He is out-skating almost everybody on the team other than Staal and Sutter. It is almost funny to see him spring past the veteran forwards and leave them in the dust. I like the fact he is shooting more and exudes confidence. In my view, a GM could build an excellent defense around Gleason, Pitkanen, and Carson. I thought Corvo played great as well. I wish and hope there is a way to keep Corvo. He is not old for a defenseman and unless he is looking for outrageous money, I hope there is a way to re-sign him. My guess, unfortunately, is that he will be traded and not re-signed; but I really hope I am totally wrong about that.
agree with EVERYTHING you said. My problem with Pit is on the defensive side of the puck. Battling for lose pucks etc. Last night was not the first hicup. It might be the most obivous of them but by no means the first.]
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 9:38 AM EST up reply actions
Joni
I still dont get the no-love for Joni! He makes one poor decision that leads to a Buffaloe goal. But the man is so valuable.
Do you not notice he led the team last night in shots on goal?? For a defenseman?? And he at times will confidently skate the puck from zone to zone and completely create an offensive possession on his own. You’ve GOT to recognize how valuable an asset this guy is!
I completely see the value!!! If an offensive minded Dman gets caught pinching and cant get back I understand that. If he causes a turn over that leads to a rush I get that too. Taking risk is part of the game and I give a pass on that. Im talking about his puck control around his own net. Pit is our most valuable Dman,, i see that, I just want him to be a little better around his own net. Being an offensive type defensmen has no bearing on that.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 11:04 AM EST up reply actions
Lehtinen Status - Thread Hijack
RW Jere Lehtinen left the game after suffering a lower body injury on a blocked shot. While Lehtinen is questionable for Saturday’s game in Phoenix, coach Marc Crawford said he did not think Lehtinen would have to miss any games in the Olympics. Lehtinen will play for Team Finland
Taken from the Dallas Morning News – Might this be Jussi’s opening?? Lehtinen’s really tearing it up with 3G, 9A in 38 games this year. Think Finland ought to save face and right a wrong, and add Jussi’s 46 Pts in 59 games NOW when they’ve got a chance!
Finland has a great team IMHO. hopefully it is Jussi’s shot. It should’nt even be like this but… its the way Timmy had to do it. The only difference is Jussi should be a no brainer.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 12, 2010 9:13 AM EST up reply actions
Per twitter:
ice_chip: Word has it Matt Cullen will be traded today. Should be official in a few hours.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
More:
ice_chip: Should be a pretty sad day for the Canes. Cullen was a big part of the drive to the Cup in 2006. Trading him now is a cost-saving move.
ice_chip: Canes expected to get another high draft pick, but not first-rounder.
ice_chip: Cullen trade expected to be only transaction today by Canes.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
There was no guarantee he’d stay here next season. If he wants to come back and is willing to take third line money then he’ll be back. If he doesn’t, well he wouldn’t have stayed anyway. Plus, with Sutter on an entry level deal the Canes may be able to offer a little better than third line money.
Greensboro was a black hole.
Oh beans !!
i was about to post the same thing..good job LTD
If you think you can't, you won't !
by CaniacSteve on Feb 12, 2010 10:02 AM EST up reply actions
Teams don’t seem to be offering up a lot of first rounders this season. I think a lot of that has to do with the contenders being the same as last year and not wanting to go two years without a first round pick. Also, JR and PKs refusal to take any salary back is costing them higher returns for guys. Taking back an expiring contract will help to pry those first round picks out of other teams.
Greensboro was a black hole.
yeah, well mayeb eif we end up with 4 pick in the second we can roll a couple together and end up in the first again, or at the very least our odds of finding a second round steal increases.
by wylde4canes on Feb 12, 2010 10:08 AM EST up reply actions
hey guess I am not so underwhelmed, pick and a guy you could call a project.
by wylde4canes on Feb 12, 2010 11:24 AM EST up reply actions
When I woke up this morning I was still grinning from ear to ear about last night. That was immediately tempered when I found the ice_chip tweets about Cullen on my phone. He had to have known this move was possible today, but you would never know it by watching his game last night which is a testament to the kind of guy he is.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
More twittering:
puckdrops Take this for what it’s worth. RT @SunGarrioch: If Matt Cullen is being moved today, Sens are a possibility. They made an offer him.
Hope not. I can’t get excited for the Sens.
The Senators make sense. They’re playing as well as any team right now. Cullen would improve their special teams play and give them some offense depth. Here’s hoping it’s a second round pick and a d prospect. Ottawa seems to know how to develop defensemen.
Greensboro was a black hole.
Hoping for a hat trick….still got my nice photos of Matt at ‘Skate with the Canes’…..him and Gleason were the most sociable of them all….really gonna miss him.
I’m glad Mo gets a free pass this year….great to see some of my fav players get traded away because of his stupidity earlier in the season…instead of watching them in the playoffs again. While he gets to sit back and tap his woodeye wondering how to play 5 D-men on a shift.
Kinda like watching your buddies at work get laid off because management was stupid to begin with….but they still have their bloated salaries and nice offices…..oh well, such is life.
I agree it is frustrating; but I put the blame on the veterans who failed to play true upper tier hockey for the first twenty games and were taking very amateurish, rookie penalties and mistakes. I don’t blame the coaches for Cam Ward and Staal getting hurt at the Olympic camp, or for Jokinen and Piktkanen being hurt while training before the Hurricanes camp was started. I did question the lines in the early season and the time on ice given to certain veterans. My position in that regard is well-discussed already and won’t be repeated unless specifically requested.
The mantra at the start of the season was the team would go as far as Cam could take them, but if anything has been proven over the course of this season it’s that this team will go as far as Staal takes them. His injury at the start of the season crippled the team. This team has one legitimate superstar in Staal and then a lot of depth talent surrounding him. This is different from many other teams that load up on four or five superstars, and then cheap players elsewhere. When one goes out, it’s not as bad. Here in Carolina, when Staal is out, or not drawing top defenses then opposing teams can put top line defense against our second line and the Canes don’t get the match ups they need to win.
I’m not saying that MO is great or hasn’t made mistakes, and I’m not saying some of the Veterans haven’t preformed as well as they could. But look at this team now and this team at the start of the season. The big difference is a healthy Staal.
Greensboro was a black hole.
As Staal Goes
C-Leaguer — great, great point.
It’s the only conclusion that makes sense to me at this point in the season. Again, not giving the Coach or the Vets a free pass. Mo starting Cam against St. Louis early in the season as opposed to Leighton to force the team to play a simple game still galls me. I just think that the injury to Staal, and the fact that Sutter wasn’t on the team at the time, just left the team too thin to get the match ups they need to win.
Greensboro was a black hole.
You could say the exact same thing and insert Lavi and talk about the 2006-07 or 2007-08 Canes.
by Adam's Journey on Feb 12, 2010 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
The team is now playing great Hurricanes hockey, so the coaches deserve a reasonable share of credit for the play over the last 20 to 25 games to the extent they have a reasonable share of responsibility for the futility of the play in the first 20 to 25 games. With the enhanced draft position and accumulation of picks, as well as the talent from Albany/Charlotte the talent pool available to the coaches will be better than this year. There will also be addition by subtraction as some of the less talented Hurricanes players will have expiring contracts. Wallin’s trade clears a roster spot as well.
I like how the Hurricanes are playing now as a fan. It is exciting hockey. I am cautiously optimistic that the new Hurricanes teams will be able to sustain this type of hockey; and if so, I can’t complain myself about the coaching. If there is another season of starting out skating in mud and taking every stupid penalty there is in the book, it’s fair to blame the coaches then. If the team comes out from training camp and the pre-season playing this kind of inspired hockey, the coaches will have shown me their system works.
I am a little miffed at this Cullen deal. Only because I just bought a Cullen jersey last year! And my only other jersey is my Brind’Amour Captain jersey. In one year both of my jerseys are obsolete, and they are so damned expensive to buy…. oh well.
Another thing: anyone know what has happened to our regular PA guy (the goal score, intermission announcer guy)? I was watching on TV and could tell it was a different guy. What happened to the regular one?
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
Announcer
Last nights guy was pretty bad. No emotion, couldn’t pronounce sam-SON-ov to save his life, and was slow too. He was still reading the officials names when they did the video.
But what happened to our regular? He is terrific. This new guy better not be a replacement….
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
Could be worse it could be Mark Roberts again.
he was the PA announcer during the Greensboro days.
by Adam's Journey on Feb 12, 2010 10:58 AM EST up reply actions
I hear ya as well! I think I solved the problem this Christmas though…..got a Francis Captain Jersey in the Alt Black ! It will never go out of style as Ron Francis is a Classic…. and it’s new and current because of the 3rd jersey! Love it!
by HowieHurricane on Feb 12, 2010 10:06 AM EST up reply actions
uhoh, you may find yourself on puck daddy’s jersey fouls……….=)
by wylde4canes on Feb 12, 2010 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
Maybe our regular announcer was a healthy scratch because he’s being traded to the Sharks?
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
Could also be out with an “upper body injury” :)
by HowieHurricane on Feb 12, 2010 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
Getting back to the game last night-check out who earned the 2nd star from Puck Daddy.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
you cant think of it like that/
a 2nd round pick is a second round pick
anything after the top 5 ish is a toss up anyway
we just need lots of 2nd rounders. they are valuable
Plus the organization is still in need of building depth. you can build a lot of depth with second round picks…
plus you can use the extra picks to throw in on a deadline or pre-draft trade.
by Adam's Journey on Feb 12, 2010 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
wow. picard is a dman right? What the hell are we going to do with him? We don’t need that right now unless we are geetting rid of Ward or Corvo.
WTF?
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
He’s an RFA…he’s going to be signed for next season…
Ward won’t be here next year.
by Adam's Journey on Feb 12, 2010 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
This is a good trade. Cullen will have a chance for a good run in Ottawa, and we are getting a decent return. Hopefully they can work it out and he’ll come back next season. He was always one of my favorites. But if not…
Thanks for the memories, Matt.
Rutherford: "We wish Matt all the best, and thank him for his many years here in Carolina."
http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=517357
Doesn’t sound like a ‘see you next year’ type of send-off, but then again, who knows.
jf has now dropped two multi MIL dollar salaries, maybe he is looking for staals elusive “winger” (whic hcould be resigning whitney)
"Alexandre is a good, young defenseman who should become a regular part of the Hurricanes’ blue line," said Rutherford.
Sounds like Ward’s replacement all right. Just wondering what he is going to do now? Where is he going to play with a full bluline?
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
Who is going to take Cullen’s spot at center?
"Last season we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn't think of any place else to play." - Harry Neale
by hotchipsnsalsa on Feb 12, 2010 11:02 AM EST reply actions
My question as well. This is a strange deal going on here.
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
they have ta;lkinf about this for weeks,
sutter will take cullens spot
and brindy will be re recalled from the 4th line finally
Yea, and then who takes over for Brindy? The other option would to put Jussi on the 3rd line, but surly they wouldn’t do that.
"Last season we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn't think of any place else to play." - Harry Neale
by hotchipsnsalsa on Feb 12, 2010 11:08 AM EST up reply actions
Matt Cullen
Mattie will be missed.Not only was he a good man he was a good Hockey player. Congrats to cane’s for beating the sabers twice in one week. The cane’s have been playing great hockey the last month and a half. To bad they go off to such a lousy start. Justin Peters has done a good job since being called up also. Get well soon Cam.
robert
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