The effort was good all the way around, but you really have to credit these 2 points to Cam Ward. He was at his best in the 2 most difficult parts of the game, early and late. After being pulled after only 1 period on Tuesday, Buffalo's game plan early obviously featured throwing anything and everything at Ward to see if he had it in him to wilt under duress. He did not. And again late, Ward was some combination of sound and outstanding. Ward's development is still a work in progress, but you have to love the way the guy responds to duress and pressure after a bad outing. Time and time again he rises up rather than wilting.
After help from Ward getting their feet under them after a slow start, the Canes played a pretty decent game, but you have to give credit to Buffalo for giving up very little. Even during stretches where the Canes did get the better of the puck possession and offensive zone time, very little came of it. The key to being able to win a 1-1 game was the Canes ability to avoid the bad version of defensive zone and coverage breakdowns. The Sabres mostly had to earn whatever chances they got. Ward's rebound control except for the lone goal also kept things bottled up even when Buffalo had the edge.
A few other notes:
1) Whitney/Cullen/Larose. They had another phenomenal night despite not registering a goal. You have to give Buffalo credit. While Whitney/Cullen/Larose did get the puck to dangerous places on the ice many a time, they rarely found much time/space to do much save for a couple Larose near misses.
2) Unsung hero. Tuomo Ruutu spent entire powerplay shifts parked right in front of Lalime taking whatever punishment was being dished out and risking catching a Corvo or Babchuk shot in the face. He, of course, was the screen on the Babchuk goal and also a few other almosts.
3) Ice in his veins. Tonight was obviously not his only contribution, but you can circle a 1 and put an arrow pointing to Jokinen on the score sheet. His shootout goal was worth a point in the standings tonight. Even live at full speed, he seemed to just sit there with the puck in front of the crease and wait for 2-3 seconds for Lalime to finally do something, anything to give him a piece of net to shoot at.
4) Anton Babchuk. He continues to improve offensively and play sound defensively. He found himself 1-on-1 with Connolly on the rush twice which is a situation that can make a big type defenseman look slow and silly. It happened neither time as he used his size/reach and positioning to turn both into harmless plays. He was generally good in his own end again tonight and threw in a huge goal to boot.
Next up is a game that you simply must get in Atlanta!
Go Canes!
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