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GDT: Canes v. Flyers 2/6 7:00

DISAPPOINTING to say the least! It looks like they are trying to prove DeCock right. If they have quit on coach, they've quit on the rest of the team as well.

I've long been trying to see and understand what a team identity even is. Now I know: it's Keystone Kops! It's damn sure NOT a team! It's a bunch of misfits running around willy-nilly. I went tonight, as I said, not with dread but a hope they would be out to prove Luke wrong. But instead...!

Despite the Flyers not playing any better, it would have been a blowout against if Cam had not been pretty damn good. Bless him. Elliott was a factor as well too. Anybody remember when Skinner spent more time on his skates than on his ass? Every guy on that team has a lot of talent and ability in hockey and his position, his job but Peters just can't seem to get anything out of them, individually or as a team. I guess he has truly lost them. And RF hasn't helped one damn bit! He doesn't even show up. All I can do is protest!
 
Peters threw out Staal, Faulk and Skinner repeatedly in overtime. If there wasn't a louder message to the leadership of this team, I don't know what was...
 
As the 3rd period was mercifully coming to an end, I thought to myself - we don't deserve to win this game. And then we dominate the OT, only to lose on a shot Cam should have easily stopped. I'm not blaming him - he was excellent most of the game. We had plenty of chances to score, but either fumbled the puck or missed the net. Skinner was hopeless out there and I was surprised that Peters kept putting him in the OT. This team has a loser mentality that it just cannot shake.
 
*AH* said:
But what was the message?
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Sadly, I think the message for the most part is the talent and leadership on this team simply isn’t good enough! We all keep saying they should be better, they should have more points but the reality is they really are what the standings say they are, a mediocre, non playoff team with a coach and GM that have no answers on how to improve it or get better. How many chances do you need in a game to simply bury opportunities that present themselves and they fail time and time again. That first period last night should have been 3-0 Canes easy, Staal short handed 2 on 1 miss and the Lindholm shooting 3 feet wide all alone in the last minute. It’s missed chance after missed chance, overtime same old story, guys missing golden chances, squeezing sticks too hard, it’s consistently the same old, wash, rinse, repeat. It’s a collection of overslotted misfits tainted with a losing culture that just seem lost most of the time.
 
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I knew when the 3rd period ended that the Canes we're doomed. And Cam let in a softie for the ages. This team just sucks. The coaches all suck. The GM sucks.
 
Not sure if they played much better - the Flyers missed a lot of chances and were flat for a good part of the game. We were not physical - this could have easily been a blowout against a good team or if Cam wasn't very good for much of the game.

TVR was off, and Aho wasn't his usual self.

I think the message to the leadership on the OT was get out there and lead. Sadly Jordan Staal does play his heart out but has no finishing ability, and nobody else out there is able to take advantage of what he creates. Tripp said we looked very dangerous in OT - I thought we looked frantic.

Jordan's comment after the game - we played better and there are things to build on if we want to make a playoff push... If we want to make a playoff push is telling. Pretty sure he does but I don't think the rest of the team is willing to pay the price.

Too many guys just refuse to finish their checks.

Post game comments of it being an even game and could have gone either way are true on the scoreboard, but we got owned for much of the game, and the whole third, and this is a team we have to be better than - not even with if we hope to do anything like playoffs.
 
Interesting point, C'mon,
Too many guys just refuse to finish their checks.
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I think what we have is a GM that has brought in the wrong guys-- guys not built for a physical game and guys whose nature is not to be physical. Beyond Staal and McGinn, we really don't have guys who consistently bang and buck. Remember when Aho went out against Calgary, JWilliams stood up, no one else and especially no one wearing a letter. This has been a consistent theme for years and to me, it's composition and that's on the GM.
 
*AH* said:
But what was the message?
Click to expand...

The message is "you're the leaders-- put this on your shoulders and finish it." Never have I seen that trio on the ice in overtime, but Peters was putting it on them-- of course, no finish...
 
SlapShots said:
The message is "you're the leaders-- put this on your shoulders and finish it." Never have I seen that trio on the ice in overtime, but Peters was putting it on them-- of course, no finish...
Click to expand...

Peters has mostly refused to put Skinner on the ice in OT, probably because forwards have to defend for real in a 3 on 3.
 
It's funny that some people have said Dundon needs to talk to "hockey people" to get advice. Is Francis not a "hockey guy?" Now if he thinks he needs to talk to other people outside the Canes that probably means Francis is going to get the ax. People working for other teams are probably not keen on helping the Canes. He could talk to retired guys or guys between jobs.
 
I think the thing that really has ticked a lot of fans off is just the overall sense of complacency and lack of urgency from Francis overall in a season where everyone agreed that it was vital to make the playoffs to bring the fans back to this team. He just refuses to try anything different, does not seem to take much risk nor does he even seem to be bothered by the fact that most of his core players have under performed for several years. The fanbase deserves so much more, Dundon has already figured that out in spades and is trying...but the time has come to show the same urgency on the hockey side. When you are that close to sniffing the playoffs, when you pretty much have enjoyed an injury free year, when you have a new owner with some money to spend...go out and get creative and do something...anything!!!
 
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I'm so sick of the Cam Ward apologists. Yes, he played well for 60 minutes. But when the chips we're all on the table, he let in a complete stinker, lost the game. Yes, the Canes could have scored and taken care of business, but there's no excuse for that softie. I'll be so glad when Cam is finally done, gone, retired, etc. I'm sick of nostalgia blinding people to facts. Yes, Darling sucks. But Cam Ward is NOT the answer either.
 
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TheBigKahuna said:
I'm so sick of the Cam Ward apologists. Yes, he layed well for 60 minutes. But when the chips we're all in the table, he let in a complete stinker, lost the game. Yes, the Canes could have scored and taken care of business, but there's no excuse for that softie. I'll be so glad when Cam is finally done, gone, retired, etc. I'm sick of nostalgia blinding people to facts. Yes, Darling sucks. But Cam Ward is NOT the answer either.
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No sign of any Save Doctor waiting in the wings in the system either...Ned has been ok, Booth has a lot of development ahead of him, Hellvig is an over-ager having a good year in Kingston...but truly they swung and missed on Darling and now that gaping hole in net is going to be an albatross moving forward.
 
*AH* said:
DISAPPOINTING to say the least! It looks like they are trying to prove DeCock right.
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Luke doesn't need proving right. He's had the measure of this team since back in the fall, and too many fans have been thinking he's some sort of alarmist. Nope ... he's been completely realistic in his comments. Peters hasn't done much if anything to help this situation and Francis presented him with a comedically flawed roster ... again. These facts have been self evident all season. When they are "on" this roster is perfectly capable of beating the lower half of the league and sprinkling in a few wins over the big boys. When they are either off color or just average, then turning away is the best option because even when they win, it's ugly.
 
Ah, Peters has been vindicated! His job is safe. All the massive changes he made generated a point. Start mapping out the parade route.
 
I'm curious if Dundon has re-thought his opiniion of the coaching staff, front office and team. He was with the team for the huge egg in Toronto. He saw the team play against one of the league's best in Boston resulting in another lopsided loss. Now, in the month of February, the team has scored 5 goals in 4 games and the opponent has scored 9 goals. I don't care if you're hockey knowledgeable or not, you have to know that's pretty rotten production with a crappy goal differential.
 
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