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GDT: Lightning @ Canes 1/19 5:00

I see our team as the equal to the Bolts, even with Stamkos and Hedberg, without them we should have been the better. But we were out muscled and out hustled, out D'ed, out played and sure out goalied. And the unheralded Jon Cooper way out coached the vaunted Kirk Muller. Cooper is getting the best from his squad, Muller is not. But they were game enough to try and stay in the game and mount something of a comeback.
 
Tampa is tied with Boston for first in their division. We are 23rd in the league and once again more than likely to be vying for a lottery draft selection.
 
Boardwork said:
I still can't believe Dwyer left the zone after giving his stick to Sekera to get a new one. When he left, that is when Vinnie Babarino, or what ever his name is, left the point for the backdoor goal. I get wanting a stick, but while the puck is in your zone and the pp team has control? I think that changed the whole game (but the defense breakdowns were the story).
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For a guy who, to a certain extent, has survived on hockey smarts, that was inexplicable.

Elsker said:
I think Skinner is on the right set of tees for where his game is right now and I like him paired with Lindholm. They both deserve better than Ruutu.
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Agreed. If he's not going to play with E. Staal, he belongs with Lindholm. The black hole of suck that is Ruutu is killing them.
 
*AH* said:
I see our team as the equal to the Bolts, even with Stamkos and Hedberg, without them we should have been the better. But we were out muscled and out hustled, out D'ed, out played and sure out goalied. And the unheralded Jon Cooper way out coached the vaunted Kirk Muller. Cooper is getting the best from his squad, Muller is not. But they were game enough to try and stay in the game and mount something of a comeback.
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On paper, without Stamkos it is close on paper and is a very valid point about coaching. I thought Tampa would fall apart when he broke his leg but they have continued to play pretty well. That is good coaching. Yzerman has also done a great job of building the roster as the Canes and Bolts have been pretty close talent wise over the past couple of years. Looking at current teams, you have to give big edge to Yzerman over JR on roster moves/team chemistry so it is not only coaching issues. I can't see JR ever making the tough move to let Staal go as they did with Lecavalier.

With Stamkos (and Hedman) playing I think Tampa is a better team. Stamkos is a top 5 talent in the game and incredibly dynamic player. Carolina doesn't have anyone to match that.
 
IF, again, IF and when EStaal is playing playing up to his talent level he is pretty close to equal with Stamkos. Unfortunately he hasn't done that in awhile. Eric should be a to 5 NHL forward. And yup, we were sure as hell out-GM'ed!
 
*AH* said:
IF, again, IF and when EStaal is playing playing up to his talent level he is pretty close to equal with Stamkos. Unfortunately he hasn't done that in awhile. Eric should be a to 5 NHL forward. And yup, we were sure as hell out-GM'ed!
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Agree on the coaching and GM pieces, but I have to respectfully disagree about Eric. Even if he is fully motivated and playing with max effort he lacks the elite skill level of a Crosby, Stamkos, Tavares, and Ovechkin. Even at his best, Eric is more of the all-star caliber player and not super-star type player of the elite guys. Still damn good though and should be a top 10-20 type player in the NHL (if he wanted to).

Even on his own team, Skinner and Semin are far more skilled (stick and footwork) than Eric but lack his overall size/strength.
 
*AH* said:
I see our team as the equal to the Bolts, even with Stamkos and Hedberg, without them we should have been the better. But we were out muscled and out hustled, out D'ed, out played and sure out goalied. And the unheralded Jon Cooper way out coached the vaunted Kirk Muller. Cooper is getting the best from his squad, Muller is not. But they were game enough to try and stay in the game and mount something of a comeback.
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Totally agree AH with all of this...Tampa on paper is average up and down their lineup, and especially with Stamkos injured the Canes simply need to at the very least match the intensity, they simply leave far too many points on the table when they need them most. Muller and company are on the hot seat and I fully expect wide spread changes soon.
 
Hard to judge that game because the sucky start really snuffed out any real chance of getting the W, but after they stabilized I thought they played a pretty good team game for the last two periods.

And yeah ... Carolina is as good as Tampa, but that little bugger St Louis makes a huge difference. Always has.
 
*AH* said:
IF, again, IF and when EStaal is playing playing up to his talent level he is pretty close to equal with Stamkos. Unfortunately he hasn't done that in awhile. Eric should be a to 5 NHL forward. And yup, we were sure as hell out-GM'ed!
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Nope, not even close.

Staal isn't even in the same league as Stamkos based on both skill and drive.
 
And Purcell - when did he last NOT score a goal on us?

I made a brain fart name mistake - HEDMAN not Hedberg! AWK!

Yeah, we were pretty good in the 2nd and played a really entertaining game in the 3rd.

OK, Eric isn't really a top five but he can, should and must be a top 10 (or 12)!
 
Yeah, I think Stamkos makes the vast majority of peoples' "Top 5 NHL Forwards" list. Staal isn't making those lists unless it's JR writing them.

Staal may have at one time crept into the top 10...but not lately. I've seen him in the 20-25 slot more often than not lately. He's shown the ability to be a game changer. But seems to still lack the attitude and work ethic needed to crack the top 10 on a regular basis.

There's a pretty important group of people who just put together a list of top Canadian forwards, and from all accounts, Staal wasn't even a consideration. And although he acted like he was disappointed, could he really have thought he'd make the olympic team? I heard him say "I think they made a mistake" by not choosing him. Why not do like St Louis, and prove it?
 
Big mistake starting Peters. The Columbus game on the 2nd of a BTB with travel would have been to time to insert JP. Or if Anton really needed a break, then Peters should have been in there against the weaker Florida team. Putting Peters in against a strong Tampa team was basically saying we're probably not winning this one anyway ... Good Luck guys.
 
JamesNorthern said:
Yeah, I would venture to say that Tampa would miss Martin St. Louis much more than they are missing Stamkos.
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VERY true ... and really, anybody who follows hockey at any level beyond fantasy stats and box scores knows that. He makes everything they do work at a higher level.
 
JFG said:
Big mistake starting Peters.
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Yeah ... probably, but you have to play him sooner or later so you don't ground the starter into pulp. And I'd hang most of that ugliness on the guys in front of him. You're always free to make a great save, to be sure, but the D looked as bad as they have in any game this season.
 
Team defense breakdowns, but yes, personified by our top pairing, who were on the ice for all five goals against.

Yes, have to play the back-up goalie sometime. And, after three quick goals on seven shots, even if no fault of his own, JR's probably now thinking he just might be able to safely sneak Peters back down to the minors.
 
Elsker said:
The number of games I have walked out on over 12 seasons could be counted on one hand.

I left at the second intermission. Had better things to do. Be afraid JR.

Our 2-point weekend rubber-banded us from a 1-in-5 chance to make the playoffs (per Sports Club Stats) up to a 1-in-4 chance and back down to a 1-in-5.

Not impossible...just unlikely. And nothing I see on the ice below me persuades me otherwise.

Only 7 points out with 2 games in hand sounds tantalizingly close and oh so doable. But the reality of having to literally out-play the four teams between us and that slot is the unlikely part. Not without getting red hot.

Again, that unlikely part. It could happen. But when it doesn't, we're going to be looking back at the woulda-coulda games like the Calgary one as where some of the missing points were missed.

Same as it ever was.
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Interesting that today when I get home, there is a message from our ticket rep on my answering machine. Do they know that I have left early twice in the last week??? Are they really going to have the balls to start talking about playoffs (and putting money down for same)????

I am not calling back ... I am not in the mood to listen to this drek.
 
BadgerCaniac said:
Interesting that today when I get home, there is a message from our ticket rep on my answering machine. Do they know that I have left early twice in the last week??? Are they really going to have the balls to start talking about playoffs (and putting money down for same)????

I am not calling back ... I am not in the mood to listen to this drek.
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Guy i work with told me his rep has been reaching out to him as well, multiple times. My buddy, in a nice way, told him that if they don't make the playoffs this year that he's probably going to drop his season tickets. The reply from the rep, "don't forget that you are able to see all these world class hockey players play in our building". That's absolutely not what i want to hear when plunking down a wad of cash for season tickets. Geez.
 
HurryCanes said:
... The reply from the rep, "don't forget that you are able to see all these world class hockey players play in our building". ....
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And that's why the Canes were SUPER pleased to be in the Metro the way it is now. They were banking on the Pens, Flyers, Rangers fans to buy tickets.
 
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