<< <i>Just got back from watching the Hurricanes and Hawks. Best overall game I've seen from Carolina this year. Good in all facets. Tomorrow night we play at Philly. Going to be a tough test. Going to need Cam Ward to be HUGE in the net. >>
Just don't give up more than 5 goals and you're set.
Sooooo, when is the appropriate time to hit the panic button? Bruins play 17 of their first 21 at home and have started 3-6...I knew there would be a Cup hangover, but this is getting a little frustrating. I'm glad Claude is going back to last year's lines, moving Seguin onto the Bergeron/Marchand line.
BTW - waking up to the news that Seguin has a congenital hip condition does not help matters either. I can only assume the Bruins did their proper DD before drafting him, but news like that always makes me nervous for the long-term.
I'll freely admit, I don't know a whole lot about most of the WC teams (especially the recent bottom feeders).....so what's up with Edmonton?? Can they sustain this, or are they just riding a really good hot streak by the Bulin Wall?
Hat trick for Seguin in a 7-0 romp over 1st place Toronto....been a long time since we've been able to watch a complete offensive weapon on the Bruins....
Now this is more like it....24 goals in their last 4 games....Cup hangover seems to be over....somehow the Bruins own the league's best goal differential heading into tonight's game, despite a 7-7 record.
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
My Hurricanes have gone on a losing streak that I can't figure out. Four games in a row we have been tied late in the second period. In all four games we lost in regulation, and three of them we got HAMMERED in the third period. We can't score goals. We can't stop third period goals. Four games, zero points, outscored 17-6. Nobody hurt, so we can't even use the injury excuse. Good grief....
<< <i>My Hurricanes have gone on a losing streak that I can't figure out. Four games in a row we have been tied late in the second period. In all four games we lost in regulation, and three of them we got HAMMERED in the third period. We can't score goals. We can't stop third period goals. Four games, zero points, outscored 17-6. Nobody hurt, so we can't even use the injury excuse. Good grief.... >>
Rumors are the Paul Maurice is on the hot set. Maurice is a Whalercaines icon, but I would not be surprised if that scumbag Karmanos fires him.
<< <i>My Hurricanes have gone on a losing streak that I can't figure out. Four games in a row we have been tied late in the second period. In all four games we lost in regulation, and three of them we got HAMMERED in the third period. We can't score goals. We can't stop third period goals. Four games, zero points, outscored 17-6. Nobody hurt, so we can't even use the injury excuse. Good grief.... >>
probably doesn't help that your best player has yet to score at even strength this season. Staal has 3 goals - all on the PP. His career shooting % is 11.2% and he's currently at 5.1% so there should be a market correction soon on that end. Sadly he's also taken it upon himself to become an even poorer defender. 16 games played, -16. That's difficult to pull off. That said, he's at least still showing strong puck possession stats with more takeaways than giveaways at 7:6. I didn't understand the Kaberle signing when the Canes were already rolling out Pitkanen, McBain, and at times Faulk. The Canes were already shallow at top 6 forwards, and they just took Cole's money and distributed it to another offensive (whose skills have been eroding for 2 years) d-man that they really didn't need. On top of that, when Jokinen has been healthy, Maurice has your top playmaker skating at an off-position for him at C, on a checking line? Seems like a poor use of the limited Canes offensive resources.
I've always been a big fan of Coach Mo, but the results don't lie. Staal is playing very poorly, and our defense is atrocious. But, it is the weirdest thing that it keeps occuring in the 3rd period. Last night was a typical night. We were tied with the Rangers 1-1 going into the 3rd. We lost 5-1. Same thing happened against the Flyers last week, and in the game before that. 1-1, then lose 5-1. The only close game was against the Devils. It was 1-1 and we lost 3-2, still giving up 2 goals in the 3rd. I don't know if it is a coaching thing, or a conditioning thing or what. Of course, when you only have 1 goal per game, you don't win a lot of games. It might be that we are such a finesse team now that we are just wearing down. We had guys like Erik Cole and Dennis Seidenberg in the past, but we've replaced them over the last couple of years with European guys that don't hit. We're a fair team and a skilled team, but big bruising teams like Philadelphia just pound us. As far as the Bruins go, I think you guys will have the edge next time.
<< <i>I've always been a big fan of Coach Mo, but the results don't lie. Staal is playing very poorly, and our defense is atrocious. But, it is the weirdest thing that it keeps occuring in the 3rd period. Last night was a typical night. We were tied with the Rangers 1-1 going into the 3rd. We lost 5-1. Same thing happened against the Flyers last week, and in the game before that. 1-1, then lose 5-1. The only close game was against the Devils. It was 1-1 and we lost 3-2, still giving up 2 goals in the 3rd. I don't know if it is a coaching thing, or a conditioning thing or what. Of course, when you only have 1 goal per game, you don't win a lot of games. It might be that we are such a finesse team now that we are just wearing down. We had guys like Erik Cole and Dennis Seidenberg in the past, but we've replaced them over the last couple of years with European guys that don't hit. We're a fair team and a skilled team, but big bruising teams like Philadelphia just pound us. As far as the Bruins go, I think you guys will have the edge next time. >>
could be conditioning related, but I'd venture to conclude that it's team defense related. 3rd period = most ice time devoted to your top 6 forwards and in the Canes' case, your top 6 forwards are largely terrible defensively. Staal, Skinner, Stewart are below average, and on top of that you have Kaberle and Pitkanen taking up most of the 3rd period minutes (along with Gleason and Allen) on the blueline, and the former two are also below average defensively. Pitkanen has been almost at brutal as Staal this year. So along with the low octane offense, that's a lot of pressure on Ward. As far as the physical play goes, the Canes are #16 in team hits, and #10 in blocked shots. So that's not that bad. Philly and Boston have always been overrated in terms of their physicality. The Canes rank ahead of both teams in hits, and have compiled 51 more blocked shots than Boston. Hits can at times be overrated anyway as if you look at the top 5 hitting clubs, 3 of them are the league leading Columbus, and also Ottawa and the Peg. btw, 2 of your top 3 hitters are Euros in Ruutu and Ponikarovsky. Only Dwyer has posted more hits than those two with Gleason right behind them. The Canes do however rank #10 in most team giveaways, and are terrible in takeaways ranking second to last, so that's a terrible ratio. I attribute that to the lack of talent in your top 6. The Canes are also 4th from the bottom in winning draws in general, and more importantly are even worse at defensive zone draws. That's never a good thing. The Canes PP ranks 24th at 13.7%, and 19th on the kill at 80.6%.
As far as more SABR inclined team stats go, your boys are tied with the Jackets at #29 in the league at 5 on 5 +/- per 60 mins at -1.1, and also 29th in 5 on 5 goal differential. So your boys are terrible during even strength. That screams team defense failure. The team Relative Corsi Rating shows that your bottom 6 forwards are as equally deficient on defense as well as creating offensive chances. And at present, the Canes only have 3 players who average more than 1 point Per 60 Minutes on Ice in Skinner, Jokinen, and Sutter. Compare that to one of your rivals in WASH which has 8 players who average more than 2 points per 60. So given all of that, it would appear the Canes' have earned their 5-8-3 record.
We tried to lose late again tonight. Hurricanes took a 3-0 lead into the third period against the Penguins. Then we gave up three third period goals (including a short-handed one) in eight minutes. Then, in the last five minutes the Canes came alive again as Eric Staal got a gutsy goal, then hit Chad LaRose on a breakaway for a 5-3 lead. The four game losing streak is OVER!!!
9 straight and atop the division....better than I could have expected after their atrocious start. Thomas has been doing his typical stand on his head routine lately, and Seguin already has at least a half-dozen highlight reel goals/assists....good times.
The Bruins style of play has been the reason for their success. They are a very physical and agressive team and when they take the body they are at their best. They also need to keep up the three zone checking because they are not talented enough to just glide around.
I went to the game Friday night (Carolina vs Winnipeg), I've NEVER seen such a lackluster effort. The Canes were literally booed off of the ice at the end of the game. They just made no effort whatsoever (aside from Cam Ward). So, as I drove home and I listened to the postgame on the radio, I knew Paul Maurice was gone. Kirk Muller was a player in the mold of Rod Brind'amour. He was gritty and tough. That's exactly what we lack. I would not be surprised to see more changes.
<< <i>What do you guys think of the realignment? >>
As a Wings fan I'm pretty happy about it. Being on the eastern time zone and playing in a conference that only has has one other team in the same zone sucked. Travel and watching games from the West Coast into the night can be brutal. I think most Western Conference teams are happy. Playing a home and home with everybody in the east especially Toronto and Montreal is going to be extra special. Toronto is only 4.5 hours away from Detroit by car and not playing a home and home with them has been brutal on southern Ontario/ Eastern Great Lakes puck heads.
BTW the Bruins-Wings recent tilt was one of the best regular season games I've seen played in years. it felt like the playoffs. I covet Original Six match ups.
MJ
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Love the format. I don't love where my Hurricanes ended up. We have no Southern teams in our division. All six are in the Northeast, plus us. I also don't see us spending money at the rate that the New York teams, Washington, Philly etc can spend. So, basically, we suck now and we will be unable to dig ourselves out of this hole. Realistically, we probably won't sniff the playoffs with Philly, Pittsburgh and the Caps all lumped with us. We will basically be competing for one spot every year with the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders. Truthfully, I see this as a very likely death sentence for the Hurricanes.
<< <i>What do you guys think of the realignment? >>
Stars fan here - VERY happy. Between the Stars and the Rangers both being in Pacific time-zone conferences, I've spent WAY too many late nights watching "meaningless" midseason games.
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One thing I don't like is how two conferences have 8 teams and two have 7...just like the AL West in baseball, the chances of making the playoffs with one fewer team are greater. The NHL should strongly consider contracting 2 teams. Phoenix is a "dead-hockey city walking" anyway, and although Florida seems to have a good squad this year, they could go too.
As far as the schedule goes, I think they could rotate (NFL-style) an extra game between conferences each year and eliminate one conference game (I realize this isn't very easy with the uneven number of teams per conference). As much as I love games vs. Montreal, I don't need to see them 6 times in the regular season, and then 7 more times in the playoffs. I realize this can happen under the current system, but it is far more likely under the new system. It kind of cheapens the regular season rivalry games, IMO.
All in all, I guess it makes sense for the league. I like that each team plays home and away vs. everyone. I just hope they seed the conference champions by points in the Final 4, and not do some stupid rotating matchup thing.
Canes made their first trade (of many I am sure) to dump salaries while the rebuilding occurs. We shipped Tomas Kaberle and his 3 year $12.75 million contract to the Habs for Jaro Spacek and his ending at the end of the season contract. Honestly, I would have traded Kaberle for some used equipment or some arena food. He really gave us nothing. He supposedly was a power play specialist, but all he gave us was 4 power play assists and no goals in 29 games on the man advantage. He only had nine points total. For a guy that isn't exactly Rod Langway on the defensive end, he should have produced more. Well, now he is Montreal's problem. I expect Spacek will be here for the remainder of the season, at most. But who knows? We have a lot of young defensemen in the minors that should be ready by next year. I expect to see more trades in the next few weeks.
Kaberle is a shell of what he used to be and I was shocked that the Canes gave him that kind of deal. I am even more shocked that they were able to dump him. He just looked lost on the B's after they traded for him.
Looking forward to the game with Philly tomorrow, although I must say, it's a little sad that Philly's best player and best defensemen won't be on the ice.
My Canes managed to get a win over Vancouver last night. We had no Skinner or Pitkanen. They were missing Daniel Sedin. We did get more power plays than they did, but even at even strength we played a solid game. I was really proud of the team. This is now three straight games we've gotten a point. 5 points in 3 games. We probably are too buried to make a serious playoff push, but at least we are being aggressive offensively. Win or lose, the games should be more fun to watch.
<< <i>Looking forward to the game with Philly tomorrow, although I must say, it's a little sad that Philly's best player and best defensemen won't be on the ice. >>
yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL.
<<<yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL. >>>
By your own account in previous posts, McQuaid can barely skate, and is borderline unworthy of a spot on an NHL team, but your point is well taken. I think Shanahan's thinking was that was more a reactionary play than dirty play from a guy with no prior history, hence no suspension.
Against your point, Lucic was just suspended for 1 game for his hit against Philly in that game, though.
<< <i><<<yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL. >>>
By your own account in previous posts, McQuaid can barely skate, and is borderline unworthy of a spot on an NHL team, but your point is well taken. I think Shanahan's thinking was that was more a reactionary play than dirty play from a guy with no prior history, hence no suspension. >>
<< <i>Looking forward to the game with Philly tomorrow, although I must say, it's a little sad that Philly's best player and best defensemen won't be on the ice. >>
yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL. >>
Laner, how come you don't post Torres elbow/shoulder hit on Ference and then McQuaid coming to the rescue.
Stanley Cup rematch starts in 90 minutes....can't wait!
Luongo should be embarrassed sitting this game out....does he have ANY pride, whatsoever? Although the way the B's have been scoring lately, he might see the ice in the 2nd period....
<< <i>The players didn't have any certainty that travel would be cut down, plus they don't like that some conferences have 7 teams and some have 8. >>
Well, not just that - they asked for specific information and weren't given anything. Like even the most basic of analysis that should already be done by the NHL wasn't done - or at least wasn't given to the players. They absolutely made the right call in squashing it.
Comments
<< <i>Just got back from watching the Hurricanes and Hawks. Best overall game I've seen from Carolina this year. Good in all facets. Tomorrow night we play at Philly. Going to be a tough test. Going to need Cam Ward to be HUGE in the net. >>
Just don't give up more than 5 goals and you're set.
BTW - waking up to the news that Seguin has a congenital hip condition does not help matters either. I can only assume the Bruins did their proper DD before drafting him, but news like that always makes me nervous for the long-term.
<< <i>My favorite NHL-related article so far this year >>
Lions fans are also trying to stop the madness at the Turkey Day half time show
yuck
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
<< <i>
<< <i>My favorite NHL-related article so far this year >>
Lions fans are also trying to stop the madness at the Turkey Day half time show
yuck >>
I know-- and as a die-hard Lions fan going on three decades now I fully approve of the effort.
<< <i>My favorite NHL-related article so far this year >>
Brent Sopel does not approve.
<< <i>
<< <i>My favorite NHL-related article so far this year >>
Brent Sopel does not approve. >>
Brent Sopel and his stringy mullet can go fly a kite.
<< <i>My Hurricanes have gone on a losing streak that I can't figure out. Four games in a row we have been tied late in the second period. In all four games we lost in regulation, and three of them we got HAMMERED in the third period. We can't score goals. We can't stop third period goals. Four games, zero points, outscored 17-6. Nobody hurt, so we can't even use the injury excuse. Good grief.... >>
Rumors are the Paul Maurice is on the hot set. Maurice is a Whalercaines icon, but I would not be surprised if that scumbag Karmanos fires him.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>My favorite NHL-related article so far this year >>
Brent Sopel does not approve. >>
Brent Sopel and his stringy mullet can go fly a kite. >>
how dare you speak ill of the type of renaissance man who proudly displays a nude portrait of himself in full view within his western suburban home.
<< <i>My Hurricanes have gone on a losing streak that I can't figure out. Four games in a row we have been tied late in the second period. In all four games we lost in regulation, and three of them we got HAMMERED in the third period. We can't score goals. We can't stop third period goals. Four games, zero points, outscored 17-6. Nobody hurt, so we can't even use the injury excuse. Good grief.... >>
probably doesn't help that your best player has yet to score at even strength this season. Staal has 3 goals - all on the PP. His career shooting % is 11.2% and he's currently at 5.1% so there should be a market correction soon on that end. Sadly he's also taken it upon himself to become an even poorer defender. 16 games played, -16. That's difficult to pull off. That said, he's at least still showing strong puck possession stats with more takeaways than giveaways at 7:6. I didn't understand the Kaberle signing when the Canes were already rolling out Pitkanen, McBain, and at times Faulk. The Canes were already shallow at top 6 forwards, and they just took Cole's money and distributed it to another offensive (whose skills have been eroding for 2 years) d-man that they really didn't need. On top of that, when Jokinen has been healthy, Maurice has your top playmaker skating at an off-position for him at C, on a checking line? Seems like a poor use of the limited Canes offensive resources.
<< <i>I've always been a big fan of Coach Mo, but the results don't lie. Staal is playing very poorly, and our defense is atrocious. But, it is the weirdest thing that it keeps occuring in the 3rd period. Last night was a typical night. We were tied with the Rangers 1-1 going into the 3rd. We lost 5-1. Same thing happened against the Flyers last week, and in the game before that. 1-1, then lose 5-1. The only close game was against the Devils. It was 1-1 and we lost 3-2, still giving up 2 goals in the 3rd. I don't know if it is a coaching thing, or a conditioning thing or what. Of course, when you only have 1 goal per game, you don't win a lot of games. It might be that we are such a finesse team now that we are just wearing down. We had guys like Erik Cole and Dennis Seidenberg in the past, but we've replaced them over the last couple of years with European guys that don't hit. We're a fair team and a skilled team, but big bruising teams like Philadelphia just pound us. As far as the Bruins go, I think you guys will have the edge next time. >>
could be conditioning related, but I'd venture to conclude that it's team defense related. 3rd period = most ice time devoted to your top 6 forwards and in the Canes' case, your top 6 forwards are largely terrible defensively. Staal, Skinner, Stewart are below average, and on top of that you have Kaberle and Pitkanen taking up most of the 3rd period minutes (along with Gleason and Allen) on the blueline, and the former two are also below average defensively. Pitkanen has been almost at brutal as Staal this year. So along with the low octane offense, that's a lot of pressure on Ward. As far as the physical play goes, the Canes are #16 in team hits, and #10 in blocked shots. So that's not that bad. Philly and Boston have always been overrated in terms of their physicality. The Canes rank ahead of both teams in hits, and have compiled 51 more blocked shots than Boston. Hits can at times be overrated anyway as if you look at the top 5 hitting clubs, 3 of them are the league leading Columbus, and also Ottawa and the Peg. btw, 2 of your top 3 hitters are Euros in Ruutu and Ponikarovsky. Only Dwyer has posted more hits than those two with Gleason right behind them. The Canes do however rank #10 in most team giveaways, and are terrible in takeaways ranking second to last, so that's a terrible ratio. I attribute that to the lack of talent in your top 6. The Canes are also 4th from the bottom in winning draws in general, and more importantly are even worse at defensive zone draws. That's never a good thing. The Canes PP ranks 24th at 13.7%, and 19th on the kill at 80.6%.
As far as more SABR inclined team stats go, your boys are tied with the Jackets at #29 in the league at 5 on 5 +/- per 60 mins at -1.1, and also 29th in 5 on 5 goal differential. So your boys are terrible during even strength. That screams team defense failure. The team
Relative Corsi Rating shows that your bottom 6 forwards are as equally deficient on defense as well as creating offensive chances. And at present, the Canes only have 3 players who average more than 1 point Per 60 Minutes on Ice in Skinner, Jokinen, and Sutter. Compare that to one of your rivals in WASH which has 8 players who average more than 2 points per 60. So given all of that, it would appear the Canes' have earned their 5-8-3 record.
<< <i>Whoa the Bruins are on Fire-Ya!!! The cup hangover has ended. >>
it has been fun watching Seguin let loose with more ice time
And Paul Maurice out in Raleigh. Kirk Muller is his replacement.
<< <i>What do you guys think of the realignment? >>
As a Wings fan I'm pretty happy about it. Being on the eastern time zone and playing in a conference that only has has one other team in the same zone sucked. Travel and watching games from the West Coast into the night can be brutal. I think most Western Conference teams are happy. Playing a home and home with everybody in the east especially Toronto and Montreal is going to be extra special. Toronto is only 4.5 hours away from Detroit by car and not playing a home and home with them has been brutal on southern Ontario/ Eastern Great Lakes puck heads.
BTW the Bruins-Wings recent tilt was one of the best regular season games I've seen played in years. it felt like the playoffs. I covet Original Six match ups.
MJ
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
<< <i>What do you guys think of the realignment? >>
Stars fan here - VERY happy. Between the Stars and the Rangers both being in Pacific time-zone conferences, I've spent WAY too many late nights watching "meaningless" midseason games.
Working on the following: 1970 Baseball PSA, 1970-1976 Raw, World Series Subsets PSA, 1969 Expansion Teams PSA, Fleer World Series Sets, Texas Rangers Topps Run 1972-1989
----------------------
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As far as the schedule goes, I think they could rotate (NFL-style) an extra game between conferences each year and eliminate one conference game (I realize this isn't very easy with the uneven number of teams per conference). As much as I love games vs. Montreal, I don't need to see them 6 times in the regular season, and then 7 more times in the playoffs. I realize this can happen under the current system, but it is far more likely under the new system. It kind of cheapens the regular season rivalry games, IMO.
All in all, I guess it makes sense for the league. I like that each team plays home and away vs. everyone. I just hope they seed the conference champions by points in the Final 4, and not do some stupid rotating matchup thing.
go Wild!!!
not sure that they can sustain it, but Yeo has sure got them together.
<< <i>Looking forward to the game with Philly tomorrow, although I must say, it's a little sad that Philly's best player and best defensemen won't be on the ice. >>
yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL.
By your own account in previous posts, McQuaid can barely skate, and is borderline unworthy of a spot on an NHL team, but your point is well taken. I think Shanahan's thinking was that was more a reactionary play than dirty play from a guy with no prior history, hence no suspension.
Against your point, Lucic was just suspended for 1 game for his hit against Philly in that game, though.
<< <i><<<yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL. >>>
By your own account in previous posts, McQuaid can barely skate, and is borderline unworthy of a spot on an NHL team, but your point is well taken. I think Shanahan's thinking was that was more a reactionary play than dirty play from a guy with no prior history, hence no suspension. >>
<< <i>
<< <i>Looking forward to the game with Philly tomorrow, although I must say, it's a little sad that Philly's best player and best defensemen won't be on the ice. >>
yes but fortunately for the B's you'll still have the opportunity to see one of your top defensemen as the result of Bruins being ineligible for suspensions in the NHL. >>
Laner, how come you don't post Torres elbow/shoulder hit on Ference and then McQuaid coming to the rescue.
Luongo should be embarrassed sitting this game out....does he have ANY pride, whatsoever? Although the way the B's have been scoring lately, he might see the ice in the 2nd period....
More importantly, the CBA expires after this season....this could just be a ploy for them to "give back" at the negotiating table.
<< <i>The players didn't have any certainty that travel would be cut down, plus they don't like that some conferences have 7 teams and some have 8. >>
Well, not just that - they asked for specific information and weren't given anything. Like even the most basic of analysis that should already be done by the NHL wasn't done - or at least wasn't given to the players. They absolutely made the right call in squashing it.
Tabe