"Special" Win For Carolina: Hurricanes 4, Sabres 3
by Bob Wage on Oct 14, 2011 11:39 PM EDT
in Carolina Hurricanes Game Recaps
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PrintSpecial teams shined for Carolina as they won their second game of the year on Friday night in Buffalo.
The Hurricanes had trouble keeping out of the penalty box once again, but the penalty kill unit not only killed all of the chances they faced, they scored two shorthanded goals to boot as the Canes ruined the Sabres home opener, 4-3.
Tim Brent and Brandon Sutter scored the shorties and Jeff Skinner buried a powerplay tally with 1:24 left in regulation to put the game away for the visitors.
Thomas Vanek would start things off for the Sabres at 6:58 into the first period, but Jay Harrison tied things up less than two minutes later with a wicked wrister from the point, right at the end of a powerplay.
Harrison was really looking for his offense in this affair as he was credited with a career high five shots on goal. The tally would have been his first career powerplay goal, but it was changed to an even strength score later in the game.
It was a wild, back and forth first period. Derek Roy put the home team back up as he cleaned up a rebound/pass on a pretty 2-on-1 break with Drew Stafford. That score was a minute and 41 seconds after Harrison's goal.
But the Canes would tie things up again, this time when Brandon Sutter scored his unassisted shortie with just 12 seconds left in the opening period.
The scoring calmed down a bit in the second period, but tempers flared. Tim Gleason and Paul Gaustad dropped the gloves when several players came together on the side of the Carolina net. Bryan Allen took out Jason Pominville earlier in the game with a hard hit at the blueline. This was a gritty, physical affair all night long.
Again, while killing a penalty during the second period, Jiri Tlusty started another 2-on-1 with a nice defensive play and broke in on Ryan Miller with teammate Tim Brent. Tlusty put the puck at the opposite side of Miller and Brent knocked in the rebound to give the Canes their first lead of the game.
Buffalo put the pressure on in the third period, but the Canes counter-attacked nicely when they had the opportunity. Ward was solid in net throughout, but the defense was clearing away rebounds as well.
With 2:21 left in the game, the puck took a home team bounce as it hit something on a dump in along the boards and skittered to the front of the net. Jay Harrison was behind the net waiting for the puck, but Drew Stafford was ready for it and popped it in over Ward to tie the game.
But shortly after, Vanek inadvertently tripped Tim Gleason and the Canes went on a powerplay of their own. The first unit moved the puck beautifully just before Jussi Jokinen found Skinner all alone with a no-look, cross ice pass and last season's rookie of the year made no mistake, beating Miller for the game winner. Eric Staal was screening the goalie on the play.
The Canes will travel home before flying to Boston as they continue their (State Fair) road trip.
Game Notes:
- Tim Gleason was +2 for the game and added to his league leading plus/minus stat, (+5). He was also given credit for a team high three hits.
- For being such a physical game, the Canes were only awarded an official eight hits for their trouble.
- Once again Bryan Allen led the way with three blocked shots. Joni Pitkanen also had three blocks and had a team high 24:05 of ice time.
- They finished at 50% in the faceoff circle. Brandon Sutter continued to shine and had a 62% mark. The rest of the centers were : Staal 42%, Jokinen 64%, and Brent 50%.
- Zac Dalpe left the game early with a lower body concern. It looked like he took an awkward hit behind the net. There was no update at the time of this article.
- The team almost had a franchise best four shorties. Sutter hit the post on another open try and Staal was stopped by Miller on a clean breakaway as he was set up nicely by Alexei Ponikarovsky.
- Cam Ward was outstanding in this game again as he made several clutch stops throughout. He finished with 39 saves on 42 shots. The Canes had 34 shots of their own. Staal and Harrison led the club with five shots each.
- The team gave Paul Maurice a game puck afterward since this was his 900th career game for the franchise. This was another true team effort, from top to bottom.
- Jamie McBain and Gleason both had a team high +2, while Staal picked up his game a lot in the third but finished with a team low (-3).
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We have an update on Dalpe, courtesy of Anthony Stewart on Twitter, including a photo.
@EhStew13: The Dalpe Dr. Giving a thumbs up #hesokfolks @ZacDalpe22 twitpic.com/70g4ua
That looks like Skinner next to him taking some nourishment.
The twitter conversation tonight between Stewart and Brent on the plane is excellent BTW. Dwyer chipped in a bit too.
If you want to catch up, check out my Canes Players list here.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Oct 14, 2011 11:48 PM EDT reply actions
Okay you are really starting to scare me.
Blind optimist and Kool-Aid drinker
by Jamie Kellner on Oct 14, 2011 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
An unofficial Dalpe update:
@EhStew13: The Dalpe Dr. Giving a thumbs up #hesokfolks @ZacDalpe22 twitpic.com/70g4ua
And in case you were wondering, yes, 2 points are on the way back to Raleigh:
@EhStew13: @Brenter37 eh did they pack the 2 points back there? #zing
@Brenter37: @EhStew13 the 2 points are in the seat next me- ill look after them on the way back to raleigh #badabing
@EhStew13: @Brenter37 make sure they drink lots of water , were gonna need em next game #zingzing
They must’ve had to turn off their electronic devices for the flight because that’s all we got.
Blind optimist and Kool-Aid drinker
100% effort.
For a full 60 minutes.
Total team win.
In regulation.
Against the Sabres.
In their home opener.
It’s been a while since I was this giddy.
Blind optimist and Kool-Aid drinker
by Jamie Kellner on Oct 14, 2011 11:52 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
No joke, I’m feeling a whole better now than I did after Devils game. A full 60 minutes of effort.
I’m loving Tlusty paired off Sutter. I thought Tlusty would be real solid player for us if he could ever get healthy. Very glad we kept him around for another year. He’s only 23 and a former 1st round pick so he’s got skills. Hope he continues to blossom and can be a core member of this team moving forward. Never knew had the physical side of his game that I’ve been watching so far in this very early season!
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
by anonymousJ on Oct 15, 2011 12:29 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I really didn’t think Staal played a bad game. Thought it was pretty good and was shocked to see he was -3 for the night. Big win, we certainly don’t look like a Canes teams of old where you could push us around. We really matched Boston and Buffalo’s physical play the last two games. Real refreshing to see.
My main negative tonight, gotta quit these too many men on the ice penalties.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
by anonymousJ on Oct 15, 2011 12:16 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
A lot of the negatives here are addressed in game analysis, btw. Posting at 10 a.m. tmrw.
by Cory Lavalette on Oct 15, 2011 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I was watching the NHL Network after the game last night. They were talking about the hit that Allen put on Pominville and Marty Turco said that he thought it should warrant a suspensiont. I don’t agree.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting"..........holy cow.......what a ride!"
Turco is way off. Penalty, yes, but it was not a suspend-able hit in my eyes. That said, it doesn’t tale much to get Shanabanned!
by wylde4canes on Oct 15, 2011 8:52 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
Here is a video of the hit from the Buffalo feed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfBhmDzbwmI&feature=youtu.be
Good Morning
And yes it is a Very Good Morning as the Canes & The Chiefs won last night !! wooo hooo !! Sounds like Brent & Stewart are feeling more confident and at home!! That helps more than many fans realize. And from what i have seen thus far..it seens that Skinner,Sutter and Tlusty have stepped it up several notches and are no longer taking any guff,grief or crap from anybody…Between the shortie goals, the decking of the Sabres captainn last night add in the grit and katy bar the door play and body slam Skinner pulled and the efforts of the Juice,Ruutu and our captain Eric Staal…all working together …it does give we of the Caniac Nation a massive does of Joy as the canes give the oposistion all the whoop ass they care to digest…and fior this fan.to steal part of a line…" This is…Hockey…. Baby" !!! and for having a crappy shedule…the canes seem to be doing a wee bit better…but we fans( who got to go ) will Always have Helsinki…:-0
9/11/01 - Never Forget !!
Long Live #63 The Condor
Go Canes & Checkers !!!
I feel better about this win than the Boston one. We looked feisty tonight and we took it to a hot team on top of that. Still, penalties have got to be addressed, especially bench penalties which are soooooooo avoidable. I would also like to see us working on cleaning up in front of Ward. We gotta clear out the crease and be physical there.
by wylde4canes on Oct 15, 2011 8:50 AM EDT via iPhone app reply actions
Good win over a good team...
But it’s hard to stay “hot” after a five-day break like Buffalo had coming off their last game.
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 15, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Great game from what I saw
I probably saw two thirds of the game but in fits and spurts while I had to attend to other things. For example, I saw the Brent goal but not the start of the play. If Staal did anything bad last night, I missed it. Every time I saw him he was in the goal crease making it easier for somebody else to score or something like that.
The Canes have had defenses that are this good or better, but I don’t recall their having a defense LIKE this one. I can’t recall a group that was this physical. Amnesia?
The Tlusty-Sutter combination goes way back. Remember the goal Tlusty scored on his first shift as a Cane, beautifully set up by Sutter? Tlusty seems to have all of his speed back after last year’s knee surgery and he’s more physical every game despite the recent shoulder surgery. Fingers crossed: if Tlusty stays healthy, he’s really going to help this season.
Besides being more physical, the Canes collection of bigger players helps with reach. Ponikarovsky, Stewart, Allen and Harrison all get their sticks on a lot of pucks. Staal and Sutter have always been great that way. You are more likely to get hit against the Canes now and less likely to get a pass through.
I thought Staal, Ponikarovsky and Ruutu looked good as a first line. They were stronger defensively than the first line has been and created some scoring chances. Ruutu is getting closer to full health.
I am beginning to think Staal should move to right wing because of the face-off issues. Maybe when Nash or Rask graduates to the NHL, Sutter can move up to the first line. That would fix the faceoffs, add speed and obviously help on defense. That Sutter goal shows he can score. I’d like to see him running with Staal at some point.
Somebody needs to move up to the Skinner line now in place of LaRose. I’d nominate Stewart.
I hope Dalpe is OK. He must be deflated after all the Calder talk, then getting put on the 4th line with little playing time, and now getting hurt. The Canes’ season is looking better and better but not for Dalpe.
by curiouscanesfan on Oct 15, 2011 9:27 AM EDT reply actions
staal is a natural winger
Of Maurice, Karmanos said: "I’m happy Paul is back but he’s going to be judged the same way as any other coach. We need to win more consistently."
by Sergeant Stinky on Oct 15, 2011 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
+12
Of Maurice, Karmanos said: "I’m happy Paul is back but he’s going to be judged the same way as any other coach. We need to win more consistently."
by Sergeant Stinky on Oct 15, 2011 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
MO MUST GO!
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 15, 2011 12:04 PM EDT reply actions
Seriously, though...
19 comments the day after a big road win against the rival Sabres? Would people rather the team not win?
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 15, 2011 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s more to do with that it’s a Saturday. A nice one at that, at least down here in Charleston.
Eh...
The working man knows no off days. #risengrind
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 15, 2011 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s Saturday. I think people are sleeping late or out doing things. Maybe the State Fair?
by curiouscanesfan on Oct 15, 2011 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
do you complain when you get good service at a restaurant, or only when you get bad service?
Of Maurice, Karmanos said: "I’m happy Paul is back but he’s going to be judged the same way as any other coach. We need to win more consistently."
by Sergeant Stinky on Oct 15, 2011 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, when I get good service, I tend to compliment whoever was responsible.
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 17, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously you two, this is old. If you can’t play nice why not just ignore each other?
When my opinions and reality don't coincide I re-evaluate my opinions, not reality.
I thought it was a reasonable answer to his question.
Do you disagree?
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 17, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I think a lot of fans just read the headlines and not the comments any more. People get tired of seeing Mo must Go, Staal sucks, Canes suck, blah blah blah.
I'm trying to be positive here, so if you're not go PUCK yourself.
by canescup on Oct 15, 2011 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You are correct sir……all of that gets very old.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting"..........holy cow.......what a ride!"
by Spanky31 on Oct 15, 2011 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Some of us didn't get to watch the game
But I’m glad we won. My only concern, not based on anything but comments and results, is we didn’t score 5 on 5… I know Harrison wasn’t credtied as PP, but it was in effect.
But at the same time, I’m gald we Mo finally split Staal and Skinner. I think that’s a good coaching decision. Still like to see Dalpe given a shot on an offensive line.
I think we are starting to see the benefit of the better defensemen and Lewis’s system. Allen and Gleason are better. Pikanen seem more engaged and playing better as well. Harrison is better again. Faulk and McBain are challenging each other to be better… Kaberle….Well, based on his past play would have thought he would have been a better upgrade to Corvo than what i see right now… But that’s hard to say. Happy with the defensive side right now, expect it to continue to improve as we get better at the system.
Still not happy with our offensive system/top two lines right now. They’re connecting on the PP, but we still need better 5 on 5. Maybe splitting STaal and SKinner will help. I believe it will. Let’s hope it does and lets keep the good teaqm scoring going at any rate.
Come next April
I think we’ll be really glad ‘Canes got two points and Slugs got zero. Still, 5 games 5 points is the same as last year’s weak pace. But I’m optimistic about our chances.
Poni had a pretty good game. He brought the physicality I was hoping for. I think having Allen as an instigator type may take some of the big-hit pressure off of Ruutu and he can provide a little more offense.
Given the schedule...
I’d say five in five ain’t half bad. And, though we’ve obviously got a games played advantage, I’d rather be on the inside of the playoff bracket looking out than the other way around. We’re ahead of the pace Boston and Tampa are putting up.
Personal attacks are the weapon of the ignorant.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Oct 17, 2011 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I did want to point out that Cam is looking a lot better these last 2 games as compared to his first 2. Sutter, Tlusty, Brent, and Poni all looked good. Sutter’s speed was unbelievable. Tlusty is looking very solid and able to provide some offense. Brent is just a good player. Poni was very steady. That penalty on him was complete BS. I do think there is some chemistry between him and Staal, maybe that can flourish.
Harrison, Gleason, and Allen had very good games. Harrison is more of a player than I thought. The Roberts Camp was a wise move on his part. Gleason has rebounded nicely from a sub-par season last and I love seeing that. Allen played very solidly. If he can handle the puck a little better, he could be easily considered a top 4 guy on any NHL team. Kaberle has not been impressive so far, I hope he turns things around and shows something, right now I would consider him our 6th defenseman.
Some managers manage using the carrot, Mo manages by using "The Stick."
by PackPride17 on Oct 15, 2011 6:53 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
very solid game
the difference is they hustled for 60 full minutes. i think we could beat any team if they continue to play this way. the key is us not having our 3rd period meltdown.
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