Chronological Blog List
The foundation of Canes 2020-21 success — Strength down the middle
Ask and you shall receive. Pre 2020-21 season concerns A regular theme of my pre-season writing about the Canes was for the team's middle centers to find a higher gear than in 2019-20. On September 4, I wrote this article entitled, "Questions down the middle." ...
Gm25 Vs. Nas: Canes ride special teams and overtime invincibility to 3-2 win over Predators
What a time to be alive as a Hurricanes fan. Even when the team puts forward a B effort, the result is still regularly an exciting win. The Hurricanes were not horrible on Thursday night, but it was far from their best effort. The team had stretches where it had the...
Revisiting the Dougie Hamilton situation
Shortly after the Canes lost in the playoffs and the team's off-season started, I did a deep dive on the Dougie Hamilton contract situation. Now six months later and nearly halfway through a shortened 2020-21 season, today's Daily Cup of Joe revisits the possibility...
Gm24 Vs. Fla: Canes/Panthers oddly find slower gear as Canes net 4-2 win
After a couple recent Canes/Panthers match ups that featured a torrid pace and higher-end hockey, Sunday's game between the two teams was mostly oddly pedestrian. The first period had an odd plodding pace to it pretty much throughout the period almost like a game of...
Gm23 Vs. Det: Just like old times, Canes win and surge in front of home crowd with 5-2 win over Wings
The return of (attended) Canes hockey It had been more than a year since the Hurricanes last played on home ice on February 28, 2020, so that was the headline of the game. The 2,924 fans in attendance certainly enjoyed the show, but more so I think the event is...
The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft as relates to the Hurricanes’ future blue line
Today's Daily Cup of Joe steps away from the here and now and jumps forward to June the expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken will occur. Just like with the previous expansion draft, each team will lose exactly one player after having some exempt because of limited...
Assessing Alex Nedeljkovic and broader goalie situation after six starts
The Hurricanes entered the 2020-21 season with goalie prospect Alex Nedeljkovic ready for an audition at the NHL level but also with it unclear if/how that would happen with two veteran goalies on the depth chart above him. When the team took the chance sending him...
Gm21 @Fla: Canes extra hockey dominance continues with 3-2 overtime win over Panthers
Extra hockey goodness continues As I said on Twitter shortly after the game ended: https://twitter.com/CanesandCoffee/status/1366579145333825537 With Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the Florida Panthers, the Hurricanes pushed their 2020-21 overtime record to 2-1 on the...
Digesting the Tampa Bay Lightning series
On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes moved on from the four-game set against Tampa Bay and picked up a needed win against the Florida Panthers to get back on track. Even with the shortened 2020-21 NHL schedule there is a lot of hockey yet to be played in the regular...
Gm19 @Tam: Canes deserve better fate in 3-1 loss to the Lightning
Shortly after the Hurricanes game ended, I said on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CanesandCoffee/status/1365130414021632001 As much as a third straight loss stings, I think this one clearly falls into the category where you just have to shrug and move on. Either of the...
‘What I’m watching’ — Gm19 @Tam: Canes seek push back in final game of set after decisive loss on Wednesday
After an exhilarating 1-0 overtime win with a COVID-depleted roster and then a stellar win in the first of a four-game set, things have taken a turn for the worse in the past two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is still early in the season and the Hurricanes...
Gm18 @Tam: Canes beaten decisively by the measuring stick in 3-0 loss to the Lightning
Short recap of the Hurricanes 3-0 loss to the Lightning Whereas the first game of the ongoing four-game series saw the Hurricanes control play and win decisively in a shutout, Wednesday was exactly the opposite. Tampa Bay had the upper hand pretty much from the...
‘What I’m watching’ — Gm18 @Tam: Evenly-contested series continues in Tampa
Note that today's game is another early 5pm start. After a downright impressive 4-0 win over the Lightning in the first of four games, the Hurricanes fell to a Tampa Bay team that rebounded for a 4-2 win. To the Hurricanes credit, the team survived a slow start...
Gm17 Vs. Tam: The Lightning push back and ride momentum from strong start to 4-2 win
The first of my three watch points in may game preview read: 1) Responding to a push back Be it a fast start, more physical play, frustration and old school fisticuffs or a strong push at some point during the game, I would expect Tampa Bay to push back hard at some...
‘What I’m watching’ — Gm17 Vs. Tam: Checking if this is for real versus the Lightning
Playing the defending Stanley Cup Champions on Saturday in the first of a four-game set, the Hurricanes probably showed exactly what peak Canes hockey looks like for 2020-21. The 4-0 final was maybe inflated a little bit by an empty net goal and the fact that the the...