This guy netted his 200th goal in a great game.

Lord knows I love seeing the Canes hop to the top of the Southeast (admittedly narrowly), but they did it in a fashion Muller specifically said they’d try to avoid – namely, the Islanders opened up the game and made it high-scoring in spite of the Canes’ best efforts.

Still, a regulation win is nothing to sneeze at, and 2 points is 2 points. Onward:

- The PK was dismal. Dismal. The Canes need to fix that mess and fix it quick, because allowing chances galore and not managing to curtail Islander shooting lanes was painful to watch.

+ Semin had a great game, along with the entire top line – which had 3 goals among them. Not at all shabby.

+ Skinner seems determined to drive play. This is not a new thing; he was last year, too. This year, though, he appears to have some discipline to match, along with more experience. It’s downright great to watch him develop.

- McBain remains serviceable, with glimpses of excellence, like his shot that Wallace tipped in. But in between those flashes are long, long stretches of him chasing the puck and looking insecure in his position. That needs to improve.

+ Many times tonight, I thought, “Thank God for Jordan Staal”. He’s so good at opening up play and he’s so defensively responsible, something the Canes desperately need.

- The Canes in general did a very poor job at slowing down the Islanders’ momentum. Fine, the refs called a lot of penalties; but the PK wasn’t the only time during which the Canes pretty much completely failed to control play. They had their moments, but in between those moments were long stretches where I wondered why they were playing with their heads jammed up…other orifices.

- Honestly, Cam Ward could’ve been better. He was due for some regression, but still.

Overall, this was a solid effort. The Canes play the Devils tomorrow, which means they’ll need as much rest as possible and to get some jump in their step. They have the chance, being on top of the Southeast, to widen that berth and try to stay in playoff contention. Hopefully they’ll manage to grab another two points tomorrow.

Earning his place…?

Here you go.

• An interesting article about the Canes’ 4th line, from the ever excellent Shutdown Line [Shutdown Line]
• Joe Corvo proving his worth? I mean…I guess. For one game, anyway. [N&O]

Thanks for the Stanley Cup, Lavi. Hope your team does terribly tonight.

At least it got to OT this time!

Carolina played a pretty uninspired game. Too many missed chances (as usual this season), too many penalties, some really untimely turnovers, an absolute inability to control play for much of the game. This is par for the course when it comes to Carolina playing Philadelphia. I’m unwilling to just say “well that’s how it is”, because that’s a pretty reductive statement, but…well, that’s just how it is. Laviolette and the Flyers play a game that manages to punch through Carolina’s defense time and again.

After McBain’s singularly unimpressive performance against Ottawa, I probably shouldn’t be surprised he was scratched – but I am a bit surprised. I don’t love Muller’s tendency to keep everyone on as short a string as they’re being kept now. I know it makes sense, the shortened season being what it is, but it hurts my delicate consistency-loving soul, or something. It worked well for Ward, though, and I’m sure it’ll serve for McBain, too.

Speaking of Ward – he was one of the only bright spots in an otherwise shitty game. He kept the Canes in it when they had no right to be, and (while he did get lucky, with some posts), was definitely the person who earned the loser point the Canes ended up with. Hopefully he can keep this streak going.

Laugh it up, buddy. You earned it.

What it says on the tin.

1) Alexander Semin

“What if Eric Staal had an elite winger,” everyone said. “What if Eric Staal had someone who could keep up?” The answer, thus far, is: we will cry like babies over the time that was lost. It’s no one’s fault that Skinner couldn’t be the guy; he’s too young, and sometimes players just don’t have chemistry. But wow, does the Canes’ top line look good right now. When Semin’s shooting percentage gets a little less insane – prior to last night, it was around 3%, which is pretty dang low – that’ll spell nothing but good news for the Hurricanes

2) Offensive defense

I’ve been as suspicious as anyone of Rutherford’s defense-constructing methods, these last few years. Various members of the Hurricanes front office have repeatedly stated that they’re trying to build a defensive corps that can move the puck and jump-start offense, but that’s easier said than done, whispered the crumpled-up contracts of T. Kaberle and J. Corvo. Coaching issues meant that the Hurricanes’ defense crumpled at key moments, allowing way too many quality shots and having an unstable PK and a weak PP.

That is improving – not as quickly as most fans would like, but still, it is improving. Justin Faulk is coming into his own as an elite defenseman; Jamie McBain is more than serviceable. On top of that, the Canes have Tim Gleason and Joni Pitkanen, both of whom are skilled enough to make up for the often youth-related mistakes that Faulk or McBain might make. Also, let us not forget Harrison, whose game-winning goal last night sparked this point being on the list at all. Harrison has shown an ability to get into the play at key times, which is something all competitive teams rely on their defensemen for. As the Hurricanes continue to develop (and Muller continues to work on the special teams, which he’s known for), this will become both more obvious and more important.

3) Goaltending

Muller started Dan Ellis against the Flyers in a pretty transparent move to get Cam Ward up to speed quicker than he’d been managing thus far. It’s true that Ellis has been playing well, but it’s equally true that when the team has an off night against a team that has their number – so, that Philly game – Ellis is not capable of bailing them out. That’s why the team has Cam Ward, who’s capable of being an elite goaltender. I say “capable of” because he’s been streaky in the past; but it’s undeniable that he’s put forth ridiculously solid years backstopping extremely lacking Hurricanes teams.

In the long run, the Hurricanes aren’t exactly hard-pressed for goaltending; Justin Peters’ general existence is evidence enough of that. But in the short term, it’s good to see Cam Ward getting his legs under him again. The Hurricanes pay him big bucks for a reason; he’s not undeserving, but it does mean they demand a lot from him. It’s not really surprising that when his position was even mildly threatened, he responded. Hopefully, he’ll keep responding.

Call it a comeback. Hopefully.

Quick rundown, as it’s late:

- Carolina’s play was just awful for significant portions of this game. How much of that is actual motivation problems and how much of it is Ottawa being a good team? Who knows. But the Canes need to possess the puck more against teams like Ottawa, who stifle zone entry and are aggressive in their own end.

+ Semin had a great night, with a goal and several chances.

+ LaRose was overdue. Good to see him get one.

+ Ward appears to have found his groove. Important, since the Canes depend on them more than they don’t – and tonight he bailed out the team.

- McBain’s influence on the game was negligible, but a few times he made some downright awful choices, giving the puck away in the defensive zone.

+ It’s good to see Harrison active as he was in OT.

+ Special teams were very good indeed.

Overall, this was a decent effort by the Canes. Nothing flashy, and some mistakes – but they came from behind to win, and that’s something that a good hockey team is going to have to do occasionally. I’m definitely not displeased.

We can all agree he looks better in a Canes jersey, I think.

• Hurricanes-Leafs scoring chances, courtesy of the ever-excellent Shutdown Line. [link]
• The N&O’s rundown of the Leafs game [link]
• Alexander Semin is great!!!! – everyone in Raleigh’s opinions, apparently [link]
• Cam Ward talk (among other things). [link]

I’m still sick. So these are your links.

We can all agree he looks better in a Canes jersey, I think.

Welp, due to unforseen circumstances, that Cam Ward article just did not happen. However, here’s an article quoting Rutherford being defensive of Semin, which I think we can all appreciate. Semin!

“Boy, he’s been a very good player for us,”GM Jim Rutherford told CBC.ca. “He could have five, six goals by now, he’s hit so many goal posts. But it’s not even the fact he has one goal. He’s played the game at both ends of the rink. Players have to focus on him all the time.”

(more)

Call it a comeback. Hopefully.

God, does that feel good to type.

The obvious story here is Cam Ward. He had (ostensibly; shot-counting was a little wacky) 41 saves and kept Carolina only one goal down after a nightmarish first period for a team desperate to get it back after an awful game against Philadelphia on Saturday.

For the last two periods, I was left sitting and thinking about how hard it is to understand why this version of the Canes can play so badly. Passes were crisp to the point of making the Leafs look silly – Justin Faulk’s massive 5-on-3 goal is proof enough of that. Everyone who was supposed to had good looks, and both Staals scored while Skinner got 3 assists. Defense was competent, and pretty excellent on the PK. And, most importantly, Ward stood tall in net, making the kind of saves the Hurricanes depend on him for.

Essentially, the Hurricanes need more of the last two periods. They need to be firing on all cylinders, all the time. When they’re not, it can be disastrous. Ward finding his groove will be the subject of tomorrow’s post, but for now, I will say he’s been obviously rusty and benching him in favor of Ellis seems to have done him some good. Semin could stand to perform a bit more, but he also had good looks and hit the post at least once. The Staals played a skilled, disciplined game.

And, perhaps most importantly, Muller galvanized the Canes after a decidedly awful first period, and they came out with momentum to burn in the second. If Ward hadn’t been on his game, then the Leafs could have easily been up by 3 by the end of the first. Bad periods happen; it’s a testament to how the Canes are developing as a team, and to Muller’s leadership of them, that they came out with so much force in the second. That kind of composure and will to win is what needs to stay.

(Yes, there was the no-goal call on Bozak. It looked like a kicking motion to me, but I’m not an official. Calls go your way one night and against you the next; it happens. That was a change in momentum for sure, but far from the only factor in the Canes’ victory.)

The Canes get a break tomorrow, and will be staying in Toronto to practice. Until then, Canes fans, rest on your laurels. Sure, it’s just one game, but the Canes are back at .500 and only the rankest of cynics wouldn’t feel good about that.

So long, kid.

…yeah, I got nothing. Maybe everyone in the front office is drunk. Strike that, after last night’s game (which I didn’t watch, go go gadget having a social life for once) definitely everyone in the front office is drunk.

Anyway, the Canes have swapped Zac Dalpe, who’s been perfectly serviceable, for Tim Wallace. Why? Who knows! Let’s all play Russian Roulette! Sigh.

Thanks for the Stanley Cup, Lavi. Hope your team does terribly tonight.

The Hurricanes enter this game with the Flyers having been thoroughly unimpressive last night against a gassed Ottawa team, but still managing to pull out a one-goal win on the strength of Dan Ellis’s shutout. The Flyers enter this game having dropped a 3-2 decision to Washington last night. I’m not going to crow about this being an easy win, because much though the Flyers are 2-6-0 right now, the Canes aren’t exactly stellar with their 3-3-0 record. And on top of that, consistency – both from game to game, and from period to period – has been the biggest problem for the Canes this year.

The Flyers are an injured team. Everyone knows about Chris Pronger, who won’t be playing again for them, but Wayne Simmonds is also out tonight. What the Flyers boast is a point-per-game player thus far in the season, Matt Read, and a slightly lower goals-against average than the Canes. Their PP and PK are also slightly better. Additionally, they’ve dropped 3 straight games, which means they’re most likely due for a win.

Given Philadelphia’s excellent win percentage against Carolina, Carolina absolutely should take even this defense-light, struggling team extremely seriously. The top two lines will need to be firing on all cylinders, and the third and fourth lines need to connect better than they did last night. Additionally, the Canes defense and goaltending absolutely must not be as leaky as they’ve been in the past. The Flyers are a team that’s capable of scoring, even without Simmonds; it would be awful for Giroux to have a breakout game against the Canes.

Tonight, the Canes stand to improve their record to 4-3-0. That’s a big chance, and one the Canes absolutely must capitalize on.