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After a couple of great weeks of hockey in mid-November, the Hurricanes have taken a small step back the past two weeks. The team’s 1-2 mark in three home games during Thanksgiving week was obviously sub-par. The team’s 1-1-1 mark last week was more of the treading water variety. Before the start of the Thanksgiving week home stand, I wrote about the importance of the next two legs of the 2017-18 season in terms of deciding the Hurricanes’ level of success. As noted above, the first leg, the short home stand, was a downer with a 1-2 record. The second leg was defined as the long stretch of mostly road hockey between the November and December holiday weeks. The first three games of that stretch did feature two of three games on the road, but the travel did not start in earnest yet. The Hurricanes basically took a quick trip to Columbus and then returned home before another quick trip to New York followed by a home game. But yesterday the team departed Raleigh and is scheduled to be away for 12 days and six games with some long flights touring the Western Conference.
I continue to think that this stretch of schedule could play a large role in deciding the 2017-18 season, and that is the primary subject of the Monday Coffee Shop.
Carolina Hurricanes polls
Please remember to click ‘vote’ after each individual poll response.
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Discussion questions
1) What do you make of the combination of Justin Williams’ salty post-game interview after the loss to the Rangers and the follow up with a spirited and physical win on Saturday that uncharacteristically saw two fights, Jeff Skinner mixing it up after the whistle and more?
2) After pushing 25 games into the 2017-18 season using Cam Ward only in slots that seemed likely/reasonable for “the backup”, do you think his somewhat better play on Saturday should earn him at least one “starter’s start” on Tuesday to see if/where that goes? If yes, do you think there is risk in not 100 percent committing to Darling as starter and riding through the storm?
3) What are you more general thoughts on the road trip? Do you think it has the potential to be a defining stretch for the entire season, or do you view it as just another stretch of hockey that the team needs to grind through and stay close to the pace of the pack?
Go Canes!
1. While it’s too early to say ‘too late’, I think this style of play should have been apparent 5-7 games ago as other teams continue to make strides while we sputtered. I also don’t think we have the right personnel to sustain such style over the course of a season, thus we should trade current talent for different talent before it is too late. Call Buffalo and check on O’Reilly…the pay is worth the grit and BP loves the guy.
2. I wouldn’t mess with the goaltending just yet. Darling has not been the problem (goalies will make oopsies and sometimes it comes in waves). Our overall team play has been the larger problem and so I would focus on setting Saturday’s game as the bar moving forward.
3. This trip has to be the defining point. Too many teams have out-chanced the Canes and are making statements they should be in the playoffs. The Canes, on the other hand, are 7th in Metro and looking at their 9th season of golf.
No, one game IS NOT A TREND! After we string three or four wins together, or five out of six…then maybe we can feel somewhat optimistic. I’m pretty skeptical about THIS TEAM…doing that!
We need an injection of talent…or something else!!??
Don’t push your luck with Wardo, and let Darling have a few starts in a row (unless he really BOMBS).
This team MUST DO BETTER THAN .500%- too many teams to pass, and most of them are better or much better!
1. I thought it was excellent – something more than a coincidence. And Williams led by example on the ice, fighting for pucks, staying in front of the net. But it wasn’t just Williams leading. I am hoping that the team saw a side of themselves they didn’t recognize, but liked and want to see again. There was a lot of good energy after the game and not just because the game was a win – but because of the energy within the game. Time will tell if it sticks and we will get a good read in Vancouver tomorrow.
2. I am with lfd and pg – Darling is the starter; continue to treat him that way. Ward will get more starts as the season progresses to keep Darling fresh. But a single good game by Ward doesn’t change things – really, he just did his job as a backup (and he did it very well).
3. When the schedule came out I had to swallow hard when I saw this month’s schedule, and the next two weeks are the worse. It can break the team’s chances if we do poorly. It could really buoy the team with a solid (better than “hockey .500”) run. So, yes, I would call it “a” defining stretch.
1. Fighting and grit are not in this teams DNA. It is not a sustainable strategy.
2. Sitting Darling is like sitting Rask. It’s the only strategy available to BP other than unflinching loyalty to the expected, yet undeserving #1.
3. My belief is that at this point in the season, “you are what your record says you are”.
Given that belief it’s safe to assume we are in year 3 of a 4 year rebuild. We will soon be thinking the “T” word.