Penguins At Hurricanes: Game Day Preview
by Bob Wage on Nov 12, 2011 12:21 PM EST
in Carolina Hurricanes Game Day Previews
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PrintThe Carolina Hurricanes, (5-8-3) return home for the second half of a back-to-back sequence as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins, (10-3-3) tonight at the RBC. The Canes have lost four in a row and five of their last six. The Pens have a 7-1-1 record in their last nine games.
Pittsburgh also played last night, a 3-1 win over Dallas, so they will be a bit weary as well. Neither team had a morning skate today, so at this time we do not know who the starting goaltenders will be at either end of the rink.
Cam Ward faced 40 shots last night, so one would assume that Brian Boucher would get the nod for Carolina. But we will not know for sure until that information is released. The lines used last night may or may not be changed:
- Skinner, Jokinen, Ruutu
- Boychuk, Staal, Ponikarovsky
- Dwyer, Sutter, LaRose
- Stewart, Brent, Tlusty
- Gleason, Allen
- McBain, Pitkanen
- Harrison, Kaberle
The Pens are led in scoring by James Neal, who was acquired from Dallas in a trade last season. Evgeni Malkin, who had been recovering from an injury, is back in the lineup.
Marc-Andre Fleury went the distance last night, but only faced 20 shots. Brent Johnson is the backup and could see action.
For more up to date information about the Pens, check out Frank and friends over at Pensburgh.com.
Many are expecting some kind of change for the Hurricanes because the team has to find it's way out of the downward spiral they are in. At the very least, will Jim Rutherford visit the dressing room?
Rumors are out there the team is trying to trade a defenseman for a forward. While the club would love to get Justin Faulk back to Raleigh and into the mix, you have to give up quality to get quality and the defensemen are not exactly on top of their games at the moment.
Last night's contest was close until midway through the third period, but similar to what has happened in the past, the team seems to give up and fold after facing adversity in that deciding period. The Canes have allowed 24 third period goals, most in the league.
Zach Boychuk now has points in two straight games.
The Penguins went 3-0-1 against Carolina last year.
The game starts at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast by FS Carolinas. 99.9 The Fan will have Chuck Kaiton and we will have an open game thread with comments from press row starting at 6:30.
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I liked the Ruutu quote from @ice_chip after the game last night.
“We can’t just sit back and wait for teams to make mistakes, we have to go after them”
Frustration with the “system” creeping in?
Sorry if this seems argumentative
Probably splitting hairs but, this team is not seriously short of talent it is seriously short of playing near potential.
Also talent. We have two genuine first line players (Staal and Skinner) and two genuine second liners (Jussi and Ruutu), and then a bunch of prospects and third-liners. That is a lack of talent.
On defense, we have one genuine talent (Joni), one great potential (McBain), one great #3 defenseman (Timmy), and a lot of 4-6 players. That is a lack of talent.
Only in net are we pretty well-off. Ward is a true #1 goalie, and Boucher is a very capable #2.
Otherwise…. jeez.
Can we break the scoreboard tonight?
Maybe we can fix it so that they only play 2 periods tonight. Here’s to hoping for a better turn out. I’d hate to see this on Monday – imagine the horror of hundreds of Jeff Skinner bobbleheads raining on the ice after 2 goals in 9 seconds…
really ????
you mean all the “tweaners” & 17 yr.old female fans throwing “their” bibbleheads..nope don’t see that part of the fan base giving thiose up..just yet..unleess he pulls a Justin beiber on us..but and while the young man is human..but he is too focused at the moment ..i hope ..LOL ..this fan wants a win…even if it is an ugly win…and at this stage..ugly will work for alot if us here in the Caniac Nation huh ? I have another triffecta tonight..as Canes,Checkers & Chiefs all play tonight looking for redemtion..as all 3 lost last night….5-1…1-0….6-5 (SO) so hopefully the hockey gods accepted my sacrifices..to appease them…Go Somebody…please ????
9/11/01 - Never Forget !!
Long Live #63 The Condor
Go Canes & Checkers !!!
Hagman
Niklas Hagman placed on re-entry waivers today by Calgary. That means that another team can get him and pay half his $3mil salary. Usually teams do this when they know other teams may be interested. Leaks out of Calgary say they have been talking with Carolina. Not sure I’d want Hagman but wonder if something is going down.
Babchuk is on IR
broken hand.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
Rene Bourque is much better choice; couple of observations
I’d like to see Rene Bourque with the Canes. I don’t see what Hagman brings other than being inexpensive. It seems nonsensical to try a “top six” forward who is not an impact player rather than bringing Dalpe into the top six. By the way, Boychuk has had an assist in each game in which he played in the top six. I’m at the point of thinking the Hurricanes are worrying too much about reeving up Staal. I’d strongly consider bringing up Sutter to the first line and having Ponikarovsky/Sutter/Boychuk as the first line. I’d prefer not to reunite Staal and LaRose on the third line; but I don’t think Maurice and the other coaches can help themselves in that respect. I’d put Tlusty/Staal/LaRose as the third line if LaRose had to be on the third line. I’d rather see Tlusty/Staal/Bowman as the third line and I’d sit either LaRose or Dwyer. The forwards are trying so hard to get Staal going that they are not focusing enough on the game itself. Staal is trying so hard it’s counterproductive to his own performance.
I agree. With Hagman you would have to hope he has a major turnaround in his career. We already have a couple of “projects” and don’t need another.
Staal has been a point a game guy most of his career. This is a 15 game slump.He is in his prime and assuming he is healthy, I have no doubt he will turn this around.
i agree
he’d turn around rather quickly with Iginla on his wing.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:26 PM EST up reply actions
Only one guy on Calgary I want
and hes in the last year of his contract, and he wears the C.
The Condor. #63.
Olli Jokinen is up there
We could field two Staals, two Jokinens, and three Sutters.
The Condor. #63.
Tonight
I have read many of the post the last few days expressing frustration and anger. The frustration I get. And everyone is entitled to their opinion. My view is that I will go to the game tonight and cheer just a bit louder for my adopted team. I may have to just to drown out the Pens fans who will no doubt be there in abundance.
It has been a long time since I laced em up for anything but a beer league game. But during pro days I can still way too vividly recall that feeling when things weren’t going well. The time in the dressing room getting ready seems to feel that much longer. The mental prep more intense. But at no time is there anything but the determination to get back on the ice and turn it around. Once on the ice you grip the stick just a bit tighter. Overcommit on hits, patterns and passes just a bit too much. And you can feel the crowd when things don’t immediately go well and that makes you grip harder. Booing never does one positive thing for the home team. I remember one team where we coming off a 9 game losing streak. We played our guts out at home the first period but were down 1-0 and the home town fans gave us a standing ovation as we skated off and then again when came back for the 2nd. It was unexpected and some of us shot a quick glance down the bench. Don’t know how or why exactly but suddenly things seemed to flow our way and we potted a couple and went on to win the game handily. Went 14-3-3 our next 20 games and later finished the season with a long playoff run. Same players, captain, coaches as during our 9 game losing streak. It can be a funny game at times.
by sittler27 on Nov 12, 2011 4:14 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
nice post
but if they roll over in the third like they did last night, you can bet there will be some lusty booing. And there should be.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:16 PM EST up reply actions
No argument there. They look “fragile” to me. Something goes bad and they fold. We all have our opinions on why that is. My opinion is that there are times you need to calm your team down and Mo missed that chance when it was just 2-1 and it got away from them. I have defended him for quite a while but I am now falling into that camp that he isn’t the right guy to coach this young team.
You are hardly alone. All the N&O sports guys seem to think changes are coming very soon, and Mo seems to be first in line. I do think Rutherford will make a trade first, but this team will be at least two people different in a month. Barring that 14-3-3 streak, of course.
trade
Rutherford announced a week ago that he was going to make a deal. Nothing. Nada.
What the hell is he doing other than watching the season slip away.
Though if you listen to Maniscalco last night, there’s nothing we can do, and we’re just lucky to be able to waste money watching our team not compete.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:24 PM EST up reply actions
Rutherford can’t just use his Jedi mind tricks to will another GM into a trade. Why make a trade that doesn’t help the team long term? What trade do you propose?
then why announce he was working on one?
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:39 PM EST up reply actions
As I recall Rutherford said we need to make some changes to make the team better. The clear implication of course was that he was working on possible trades. I tend to think Rutherford is trying to work out a trade; but his hands are largely tied. I also think Rutherford is trying to deflect the momentum of fans to call for Maurice’s firing by indicating the organization is looking to make some improvements. My guess is the only medicine strong enough to cool the passion of some people for Maurice’s firing is winning soon and often. I’m still hanging to my hope that Maurice sticks the entire year, as unpopular as that view probably is.
counting on that #7 pick again, huh?
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:49 PM EST up reply actions
i want a coaching change
because I told my wife that I wouldn’t buy anything at the RBC other than the tickets that got me in there until they fire him, and if they fire him, I will reward the organization by buying a black Gleason jersey. She said “ok.”
So I have some self interest here.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:50 PM EST up reply actions
Well, fans can’t do anything (except vote with their dollars, which is happening), but the team can do a lot of things.
We can certainly waive a bunch of vets and “fail for Nail” the rest of the way. Give Bowman, Boychuck, Dalpe, Nash all top six roles. Play Faulk and Sanguinetti 20 minutes a night. Get Dumolin in as soon as BC finishes the season. Do it all with Jeff Daniels behind the bench. Lose 50 games, but at least let the young players try to gel and get a feel for one another.
Exciting Hockey Eases the Pain of Losing to Some Degree
I heard an interesting perspective today that candidly I had not really focused on until I heard it. We were talking about the Canes situation (not an unusual situation in our household) and one person said the problem was not that the Canes were losing games as much as the problem was the Canes were losing games while playing what he/she felt was a boring style of hockey. The point was the fans at the RBC would still come to watch the Canes play if the style of play was more energized. I’d summarize it as playing with an edge and trying to win at all costs rather than trying hard not to lose.
It does make sense to me. If the feel at the RBC during the games were of a young, skilled, hungry team battling hard, hitting hard, and skating hard, I think there would be less of a tense atmosphere in the stands. Winning is always better than losing; but exciting hockey I contend eases the pain of losing much more than seeing hesitant, boring hockey.
true dat
this isn’t a football forum, but you can liken this to the Carolina Panthers. Last year, painful and agonizing to watch. I didn’t even bother most sundays. This year, exciting new QB and fun to watch. They’re not getting the wins, but still a whole lot more fun to watch.
Skinner’s always fun to watch, but these collapses are killing me. Something needs to give this team a spark or hell, just spark Staal. It’s like they come to work, their brains check-out early, and can’t wait to leave.
sounds better than what is happening now.
At least it would be progress, the youth would be gaining experience and the Org could evaluate talent and potential. As it is now, we are just spinning our tires and not moving in any desirable direction.
by xlwino on Nov 12, 2011 4:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Each to his Own
Even if the Hurricanes are wretched all night, I’m opting for the long view. I have no intention of booing anybody. They know they are digging a hole. The team realizes fans know they are playing poorly. People pay their money and it’s a personal decision whether to boo or not. Nobody is a better fan than any other fan; but I’m not about to boo some young kids because they are in a slump. I do understand entirely the desire to boo. It’s hard to resist at times.
Young kids?
They play for money, bud. They lost the chance to be called kids when they signed up.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
I hear all that…. but money doesn’t suddenly make them mature veterans. Until you have gone through as a pro you don’t know just exactly how to deal with it. What I do know is that they are giving the best they’ve got and it is just not in me to boo them….. however I respect the right of any fan who pays hard bucks to go to a game to boo if that is how they choose to voice their frustration.
If I screwed up in court at 26,
I’d have lost my job.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:36 PM EST up reply actions
I watch attorneys make mistakes every day. In depositions there are always questions I could do better. I know when I make mistakes; and I don’t need somebody booing me to tell me I should have approached an expert witness differently. Again, it’s whatever any person is comfortable with in terms of whether to boo or not. I happen to be on the side of cheering or remaining silent rather than booing.
This aint the RYHA
I don’t boo kids. I do boo 30 year old men who fold under pressure.
The Condor. #63.
so whose in goal today?
Ward? Boucher? Fleury? Johnson? Who knows????
by whalecanes@s... on Nov 12, 2011 4:30 PM EST reply actions
Stopping the other team's momentum
One of the things the Canes have to do is regroup after giving up a goal. I can’t count how many times they give up 2 quick ones in a row. We can’t call time-out after each one but we can (and should) change lines — probably going with either the 3rd or 4th line — whoever wasn’t on for the goal. We might not get the momentum back right away, but we can stop it from multiplying.
Last night’s game was a great example. 2-1 in the middle of the 3rd isn’t good news, but 3-1 just a few seconds later is terrible news. And it’s not like this is the first time this has happened.
by OpeningNightCaniac on Nov 12, 2011 4:37 PM EST reply actions
Ward's only great weakness
is the tendency to let a second one in quickly.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:40 PM EST up reply actions
Glove Side High and Puck Handling
I think Ward’s two areas that need the most improvement are glove side high shots and puck handling. Last night goal #2 was a power play due to Staal having one of his moments of frustration. Goal #3 was Staal declining to back check after having come back on the ice after the team when down 2 to 1. Given the team’s history of flubbing the next shifts after facing adversity, a time out would have been a grand idea after the second goal.
you think his stick coming up in a battle on the boards was intentional?
Wow. the willingness to blame one player for the struggles of a whole team, rather than the coach, where the blame actually belongs, is amazing. Maybe we can blame LaRose too.
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 12, 2011 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
That play was reckless by Staal. Behind NYR net. No reason to risk the high sticking. The slackness is failing to hustle back to help was just poor hockey.
I’m not sure what you were watching. The failure to hustle back, I can see. The reckless play behind the net, not from my view. Staal was battling for the puck, pinned against the wall, trying to get the puck out. He swung to get the puck out and was pushed at the time, which caused his stick to come up high. It was strictly unfortunate.
It's time for change! "If you want to change the culture, you will have to start by changing the organization." - Mary Douglas
by PackPride17 on Nov 13, 2011 10:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Can someone tell me
when the last time this team in need of an emotional boost had anyone record 5 PIMs for fighting?
The Condor. #63.
Don’t even know if it’s worth watching the game.. I know I will anyways but still feel like the wind has been knocked out of me after last night. I’m still reeling after that one.
Megaweapon… Megaweapon… Megaweapon…
It could be worse, you could be heading to the arena to listen to all the pens fans while watching another painful game.
Well heading out now. Let’s go canes – try to play 60 please
by sunshine12 on Nov 12, 2011 5:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Read all the comments, pretty passionate about the poor play we’ve seen lately.
I have to agree that coaching is not fully, but largely responsible for these collapses we have been seeing. Sitller, I agree with you, down 2-1 Mo needed to sense where his teams head was at, and take the appropriate action to deflect the “oh crud” feeling. Maybe instead of booing we the fans can cheer when we think that time is coming and give the boys a lift.
I loved hockey before the team moved down here, so my bottom line is that we have hockey here, and anything is better than not having an NHL team. I have my opinions, but my first love is the game and second is the team. So while I am disappointed when the Canes play poorly, I always leave a game or turn off the TV satisfied that I was able to see another game of the sport I love.
For tonight I am hoping for maybe a few more lineup tweaks or some attempts to right the ship.
Maybe Joslin back in, and Dalpe as well. I know sometimes trying to many things to get out of a slump can actually make it worse, but throwing Joslin and Dalpe in would at least get a couple of hungry young guys in the mix. Forget about the mistakes they might make. The veteran lineup and Mo’s cautious approach have not gotten the team too far, have they. the boys have a lot of game coming up in a short stretch so a continued funk is going to leave a lot of points on the table. Just a couple of those points could have come in handy last April.
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