More than anything, the Canes loss in Montreal on Tuesday night made me appreciate how fortunate the team was to get 2 points the night before versus Columbus. It is just hard spotting teams 2 goals early in climbing back into games, and that was on full display in Montreal. Just like Monday night, the Canes did push back in the 2nd period, but in the end it just was not meant to be. Carey Price was good, and the Canes settled a bit too much for just trying to beat him instead of scoring from 5-10 feet out like the Habs did.
I said after Monday's win that the Canes looked gassed through most of that game. The same was true Tuesday. I think it is easily a game that you can just leave behind and move on. The Canes managed to win 4 out of 5 during a physically challenging 5 games in 7 days. That is pretty darn good. It is definitely a time to look forward not backward.
The opponents are not gimmes by any means, but rest-wise the schedule lays out friendlier up until the Olympic break with 2 days off, a single game, 3 days off, another single game, 2 days off and then a back-to-back to close out the pre-break run. With the chance to recoup between games and all 4 games being at home and a tough road stretch waiting on the other side of the Olympic break, it is crucial that the Canes recharge quickly and finish the pre-break run strong.
A few notes on the game:
--Repeat road Columbus loss. Was this game not exactly the same as the loss in Columbus a short while back? The Canes were playing the 2nd half of a back-to-back against a rested team. The Canes gave up a couple goals early. The Canes got more chances after that but the vast majority were from outside the defensive perimeter playing "let's try to beat the goalie" against a good goalie having a good night. Both ended with identical 3-0 losses.
--Jordan Staal. He was impressive. In a game when much of the team looked worn out, he had stretches in the 2nd period in which he was just as physically dominant both skating and being strong with/pursuing the puck. That was impressive considering he has paid the same physical tolls recently as the rest of the team.
--Justin Faulk. He is the only 1 that really concerns me right now. He just looks like he is hitting a physical wall skating-wise. With his Olympic team selection, he has no rest coming. He and his partner had a rough time in the Tampa game a little over a week ago. Faulk was good in the next 3 but had another rough night especially early versus Columbus and was not great again versus Montreal taking a small shoulder fake that allowed Gallagher to leave him in the dust and skate around the entire net straight to the front without any hindrance. The most telling thing in his game when he is not going 100% physically is that is skating with the puck on his stick. The majority of his turnovers follow a similar pattern where he does not get any speed heading out of his own end and instead looks to pass real early from a slow start such that the lack of progress up the ice minimizes his options and ability to create new passing lanes. Hopefully, the 2 nearly 2 weeks of more spaced out hockey and a few off days will be what he needs to get his legs going again.
--Power play. It actually looked better in the 2nd period. Jeff Skinner's shot off the post was the best chance, but there were others. But right now alternating between not scoring but looking like there is hope for stretches followed by just not clicking for others is not cutting it.
--Alexander Semin. He has been solid of late but had an off game Tuesday night. The 1st and very important Montreal goal was on a slow developing 4-on-2 rush that seemed to take forever and feature about a dozen passes. Komisarek and Harrison defended the initial rush pretty well and at least did not allow a path to the net. Semin was the 3rd man back and did nothing in particular going to any player or passing lane resulting in a prime chance. He also had a bad pinch as the high forward when the defenseman on his side was deep and took a penalty in the 3rd period. Just like the team in general, it was a game he needs to put behind him and get back to playing good hockey like he has been.
The next 4 games are very important. To be in good position entering the break, the Canes really need to push up to 2nd or 3rd spot with at least a couple point lead to allow for a little bit of cushion. The Canes schedule after the break is much tougher than the Jan/Feb run. The team plays 16 out of their final 25 on the road including tough road matchups against Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim and Pittsburgh. The time to collect more points needs to start very quickly with the next game and minus any kind of losing streak.
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