|
#61 Vs. Clr: Grinding to success |
|
|
|
|
|
Because all ended well with a feel-good 5-2 Sunday afternoon win, I think many will underestimate the importance of the 1st Cullen goal and Larose's play to set it up. There was no rivalry. It was an odd 3pm start that messes with the usual routine. And the Canes were playing their 6th game in 9 days.
And the game started horribly for Carolina. The team was clearly flat out of the gate. The 1st goal against only 1 minute in was the bad Hurricanes that haunted the team a week or so ago when they were horrible. Colorado came out physical and Carolina did not. The Canes were lackadaisacal with the puck, coughed it up in their own end and then saw Ward get beat from a bad angle. Had Colorado managed to pile on another goal or even 2 before the Canes woke up, I fear this was headed toward another of the ugly home losses that we have seen of late. Instead a fight by Tim Conboy seemed to help a little. And a goal by arguably the Canes best forward game-in and game-out of late (could also make an equally good case for linemate Ray Whitney) seemed to get the team's feet under them and allow them to start the methodical process of grinding out a win that they should get.
While wins against the Islanders, Lightning and Avalanche are not benchmark wins, they count for 2 points the same as any other, and they are points that you simply must get this time of year. And the Canes did and probably earned a well-deserved day off on Monday before they start back into the playoff chase on Tuesday.
A few notes:
1) Confidence. What percent of decent scoring chances is Matt Cullen finishing these days? Partly due to his linemates Whitney and Larose, Cullen seems to be finding the puck on his stick in front of the net a couple times a game lately. And his finishing proficiency rates up with the best in the league right now. The best example of 2 players confidence and rhythm right now was the Cullen goal against Tampa on Thursday. You could see Whitney turn his skates and stick before the puck even got to him when Larose forced a turnover on the forecheck. He knew exactly where he was going with the puck before he had it. And then Cullen got the puck in front of the net and knew what he had for time. Instead of rushing a quick shot off the goalie's pads he knew the situation and that he had time to make a move to the backhand and pick a hole. Larose continues to be a great fit. Just like in 05-06, he brings a 3rd guy who can skate with them and does a tremendous job winning pucks via forecheck turnovers or on the offensive boards.
2) Defense. Pitkanen had a great return game with the big goal and 25 solid minutes of ice time. The defense with the all-important effort and help from the forwards had another solid effort. Ward saw a total of only 31 shots in the past 2 games.
3) Behind the scenes. The line story every night has been Whitney/Cullen/____ with Larose being the most recent and the best fit, and a little more sporadic it is Staal's line with Staal scoring in bunches when he does. But a little-noticed story that makes a difference has been the development of BrindAmour's line. They are not scoring in bunches, but BrindAmour seems to have found a decent fit with Jokinen and Eaves. BrindAmour is plus 1 since taking a couple days off to better his "lower body injury." The captain himself is playing good hockey, but I think there is also something to be said for his line's chemistry right now. You MUST go 3 lines deep without having 1 that can be picked on especially on the road this time of year. Break even is fine with the way Cullen's line is going and with Staal's sporadic bursts of scoring.
Next up is Ottawa on Tuesday. The Senators are at the very edge of being done for 08-09 but are playing better hockey since their coaching change and looking at games like Tuesday as huge 4-point games that they MUST win to get back into the playoff race. The Canes need to bring the Thursday night level of 60-minute effort out of the gate.
Go Canes!
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»