Quick hitters
–I think the entire game hinged on the first period. The Canes were dominant but got nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. What stands out most was Teravainen being unable to hit half of an open net (puck was squibbling on way to him which made it tough shot) 30 seconds in and then the inability to score on the 4-on-3/5-on-3 sequence.
–As much as I love Justin Williams and everything he has done for the team, I think he missed badly with his first period death wish for Torey Krug. The 4-on-4 sequence midway through the first period relieved pressure for Boston and the subsequent penalties created breaks to help them get their feet under them and survive the first period.
–For as many times as the Hurricanes have pumped a bunch of low-quality shots and declared “hot goalie”, I think tonight was legitimate. Rask is in a surreal kind of groove where he makes a dozen great saves and then has luck to back that up. He somehow had a shot he did not see go straight into his glove and another go off his stick and into his glove somehow. I said before the series started that a path to victory would result if they cracked Rask. That has not happened so far.
–Special teams was again arguably the difference. The Canes power play just seems to become slower and more predictable by the game.
–Important to note is that in no way was Tuesday’s loss the result of lack of effort, heart or character. The effort was 100%.
–As I said on Twitter shortly after the game, if the Hurricanes wanted to somehow try to write a script to top the Washington series win, this start would be it.
Game recap
The game started exactly as the Hurricanes would have hoped. Only 18 seconds into the game, Teuvo Teravainen had a grade A scoring chance shooting on a chunk of open net from a tough angle. The puck was not flat when he received it which made it tough, but it was still a missed opportunity. Only 37 seconds later seemingly overwhelmed by some combination of pressure and possibly crowd noise, Brandon Carlo flipped the puck over the glass for a penalty. But the power play could not convert. Nevertheless, the start was exactly what the Canes wanted.
Meanwhile in an alternate universe, Justin Williams seemed to acquire some odd obsession with Torey Krug. The two traded punches (gloves on) behind the net for matching penalties 6:43 into the game. Had the Canes started slow and needed a spark, maybe this makes sense, but the Hurricanes had been dominating 5-on-5 play. At the point of the penalty, the Hurricanes had 11 shots on net and 6 more misses with the Bruins having one on net (and no misses). The matching penalties made for more room on the ice and offered relief for the Bruins at a time when they were being annihilated. After the penalties, the Hurricanes got their feet under them and had four of the next five shots on net. Then Williams took another penalty on Krug for holding the stick. But that penalty was cut short when the Bruins took two penalties in rapid succession. The Hurricanes had 1:09 of 4-on-3 power play time and then 45 seconds of 5-on-3 power play. In general, the Canes power play is just a slow grinding effort right now. They did muster a couple decent chances and some scrambles around the crease, but it is a results business this time of year, and the Hurricanes did not net results. The Hurricanes would net yet another power play attempt and not score. And the period would finish with Williams taking an elbowing penalty again trying to run Krug. The period would end with a massive 20-6 shot advantage for the Hurricanes but nothing doing on the scoreboard.
Sure enough, the Bruins pushed back to start the second period. First, the Bruins fourth line intercepted a soft clearing attempt by Brock McGinn and quickly converted it to a transition scoring chance. When Justin Faulk was slow to find Chris Wagner in front who tapped in a pretty pass from Joakim Nordstrom. Then the Bruins would add a power play tally when Brad Marchand walked right around Faulk to the middle of the face-off circles. His backhand shot went off Calvin de Haan and found a hole through Curtis McElhinney. The 2-0 deficit was obviously a problem, but also significant was that the Hurricanes then opened things up with defensemen pushing up. The result was more back-and-forth play and more even footing for the Bruins after being hemmed in their own end in the first period. The Hurricanes looked shaky after the second goal but somehow survived. The Hurricanes finally scored to get within a goal when Calvin de Haan oddly beat Tuukka Rask right through from distance with no screen. The goal was odd in that it seemed like about the 15th most difficult chance Rask had faced. The teams would head to the dressing room with the score 2-1 Bruins after a second period that saw the Bruins regain the upper hand.
The Hurricanes pushed intermittently especially in the front part of the third period, but Rask continued to have an answer for everything. The best chance was a back door tap in attempt by Andrei Svechnikov. Much like the Teravainen chance early, the play was not as easy as it looked with the puck bouncing. Nonetheless for a team that desperately need a goal it was a good chance gone by the wayside. The Hurricanes had a power play late but again failed to score, and their time with the extra attacker looked a bit disjointed like the power play with a few turnovers in the defensive zone and not that much for great chances in the waning moments.
In total, the effort was 100 percent there, and the Hurricanes arguably deserved a better fate. Tuukka Rask rightfully won the first star. On the Hurricanes side, the story was one of missed opportunities on the power play and otherwise.
Player and other notes
1) Tuukka Rask
For as much as the “faced a hot goalie” explanation was often overblown in the past, that really was a headline story for this game. Rask was like a magical puck magnet. Even the shots where he had no clue where it was hit him. Most telling was a shot that he somehow managed to deflect up toward the net but into his glove. After a couple up and down years in play and with the Bruins fan base, the “Tuuuu” cheers are somewhat amusing. Over the past couple weeks, Bruins fans have probably been digging Rask jerseys that had been left for dead out of the back part of their closets.
2) Special teams
For those who watched the game, this is a no-brainer. The failure to score on the power play in the first period was arguably the single biggest turning point of the game. And with the Bruins scoring on a second period power play, the minus one on special teams was one way to account for the difference on the scoreboard.
3) Justin Williams
The details are above, so I will not recount them, but Williams first period death wish for Torey Krug seemed to single-handedly offer relief to a Bruins team that was struggling to get out of its own end in the first period. The 4-on-4 after the first penalty (a matching one) was the first chance the Bruins had to breathe. The two more penalties that followed also helped the Bruins get their feet under the. Because of how much Justin Williams has done for this team as a leader this season, this will likely either be ignored or just get swept under the rug, but I think it was significant in how this game played out.
4) The effort and intensity
One could not ask for more from the Hurricanes in terms of their start or effort throughout the game. The team competed for pucks, played with pace and pressured the puck whenever possible. Though the result fell short, it was not for lack of effort.
5) The defense trying to find one
15 of the Hurricanes 36 shots were from defensemen. And sure enough Calvin de Haan scored the only Canes goal. Dougie Hamilton had a game high 6 shots on net (tied with Williams).
Next up is game 4 at PNC Arena on Thursday.
Go Canes!
Go Canes!
I think this game is a good measuring stick for the team’s and the coach’s strengths and weaknesses.
Firstly, if you look at the forwards, the Bruins have a huge edge in terms of skill and experience, half the Canes roster is made up of heart and soul guys that are playing out of their minds but are basically 4th line guys, good 4th line but still 4th line.
The top 6 are not delivering 100% and the Bruins top 6 outplay them.
You also see how the Bruins decided to go for it, went out at the trade deadline and got two players that are making a difference in this series, Johansen and, to a lesser extent, Coil.
The Canes’ self rental, Ferland, has been downright bad and Nino (who was not a rental but an upgrade for most of February and March) has disappeared, though you do notice him on the way to the hot box.
If the Canes had gone out and added , say Heyes and Zuckerello they’d have more depth at forward (of course the teams that went out and got these two players were eliminated before the Canes, but the point is that the Canes were in a position to go for it, but chose not to).
Also we see Roddy’s biggest shortcoming, he’s not a good special teams coach. He has been in charge of the Canes powerplay for years and we all know the result, it’s been consistently mediocre. Roddie is a great coach, I take back 95% of my initial doubts and I honestly think he is the right headcoach for this team, and one of the greatest players and personalities in this sport (or any sport), but everybody has their shortcomings and Roddie is not a special teams coach, he needs to hire an assistant to run the powerplay, because that is where the Canes have been exposed and have downright embarrassed themselves in the playoffs (going 2 for 35 is not bad luck, it is a symtom of systematic issues).
The Bruins are simply the better team, on paper and on the ice, and there’s no shame in that.
It’s stil hard to watch after the Canes have beat the odds and performed so admirably for such a long time, but I sense the team is satisfied, has finally hit a wall physically, or both, I consider this season well and truly over, but the team surpassed all expectations.
I hope they can pull out a W on Thursday, to leave home ice on a high note but honestly I don’t expect it.
Man, I can’t agree with a lot from that post. Nino has played a hard game. He had a big hand in the Canes only goal by blocking his guy on the faceoff and getting the look for deHaan. Nino isn’t a creator. He’s there fighting in front of the net. The skill players around him need to create more opportunities. He has done his job, IMO.
I will agree that Ferland doesn’t look good, but as little hockey as he has played recently it’s not surprising he hasn’t been much of a factor. Frankly, this season has been a typical Ferland season. Great play early, injuries, little late in the season. It’s why you don’t pay him. Someone will pay Ferland and I wish him the best.
PP and PK are as much about player skill and confidence as they are coaching. I see so little confidence in the Carolina skill players that it’s not surprising they aren’t getting it done on the PP. Aho and TT just stand there. They have to make something happen. For everyone that wants Hamilton on the #1PP were you watching the 4 on 3 and 5 on 3? Hamilton was a disaster. Clapper at the goalie with no one in front? Missing the net 3 times after taking all day to shoot? The Canes need someone with confidence to run a PP. Maybe Bean is that guy. Word is he has no lack of confidence.
When Brind’amour ran the PK it was one of the best in the business. The Canes haven’t had a decent PP since the days of Laviolette. Skill has a good bit to do with that. Coaching the PP and PK really isn’t that hard. Getting guys to buy in is hard. Getting guys to have confidence in themselves is hard. Not a coaching issue, IMO.
Totally agree Breezy. As the game wore on, the play started to tilt more and more to the Canes defensive end. There were many good opportunities to tie the game but different from the Washington and Islander series, it appeared to me that Boston was slowly sucking the life out of the Canes as the game wore on. I have a ton of respect for this lineup. I don’t question their effort and heart but I think finally the long regular season push and getting to the third round of the playoffs if finally taking its toll. This is what happens. The deeper, more talented teams generally go further in the playoffs. Boston, San Jose and St. Louis all have stronger, and more experienced, lineups and were pre-season picks to get where they are now. And not unexpectedly, those same teams have a stud goalie as well (although St. Louis’s is a surprise). All-star goalies can steal a series, not just a game or two during a playoff run. It’s been fun but the real challenge is just starting. How to get good enough to go further in the playoffs and have a chance to win it all. It will be a most interesting off-season.
Side note….what is the consensus on the play of Necas and view of his future role (if any) with the Canes? Seems like he’s had a quiet season but I don’t follow the Checkers at all and curious if he’ll be part of the puzzle next season or is a ways off from hitting Raleigh. I
As far as Necas goes I’ve heard the same story. Great ability and skill, poor hockey sense.
I wouldn’t call Necas’ season quiet. at 0.81 ppg he has the second highest PPG on the Checkers for players playing more than 40 games, behind only Poturalski (who has been a beast). Necas has been a playmaking wing for the Checkers – and very effective on the power play.
Is it legitimate to say that JW’s penalties cost us the possibility of scoring one or more goals in the first and could have have cost us the game? That is pretty mind-blowing.
Aho and Turbo (and Staal) had any number of Grade-A’s that were shutdown by Rask. If a couple of those had gotten past him we wouldn’t be talking about our top-6 being outplayed by theirs.
I really enjoyed watching Svech in the third. He literally seemed to be trying to put the team on his back – and he very nearly succeeded in shaking it up for a different result.
Matt – I was listening to the radio call during the game; in addition to the McGinn and Faulk miscues on the first Bruins goal Tripp and John mentioned two others in the sequence.
1. Nino failed to get it deep.
2. Aho failed to get a body on Kuraly to stop him.
3. The weak pass from McGinn.
4. Faulk – they actually didn’t mention Faulk being slow to the net.
Pardon what seems to be an epitaph. Last nights game now feels like the last one of the season. There is solace knowing we made it to the ECFs, sadness in knowing the roller coaster ride is soon coming to an end. What we we saw last night was the what we thought we knew in late September. Great heart, great effort, light on offensive skill. “The committee” knows what it needs to do this summer. Hopefully TD gives them the budget to do it and the Checkers continued success in the playoffs gives the team another solid rookie class to build with. May this be the year that ends the rebuild and begins the build back to the SCF.
Yes, the PK has been pretty decent all year and was good until this series. I was primarily thinking about the PP when I made that statement.
It is the coaches job to find a pp system that motivates the players or players are comfortable withand yet yields results. Brindy has been in charge of the PP for years and the Canes have gone through a significant number of roster players but have consistently failed on the PP, a pair of fresh eyes would not hurt the situation.
Brindy has turned the canes into one of the best 5 v 5 teams in the league, the team must be able to do more on the PP.
With Nino, yes, I’ve seen him hustle, but he hasn’t been scoring, his scoring has dried up completely and we needed him to chip in some goals, because we are awfuly light on pure scorers at forward.
Our top guys missed a number of open net chances yesterday. If they had hit the net I agree it would be a different topic, but they didn’t, and that’s why I said the Bruins top 6 outplayed the Canes top 6.
I know the differences are small, sometimes almost random (we deserved to beat the Islanders but not to sweep the series, the Canes got a lot of luck there on top of playing lights out).
ON the Gocheckers website there is a recent shaya’s 10 thoughts column that mentions Necas. His last two games have ben great apparently but shaya sort of indicates he has not been playing up to expectation this season (the expectation has been pretty high).
Based on that I would guess he may need some more seasoning in the AHL, or he knows where he has t improve and goes on a ambitious offseason mission to fix it, (hopefully after winning the cup, the Checkers are going to have a big challenge in Tor but they are one heck of a hockey team).
Well, let’s go for a W tomorrow and take it from there.
To clarify Shaya’s remarks on Necas, Necas has had a slow and unproductive post-season until the past two games. Shaya wasn’t referencing Necas’ regular season.
Loved the effort and play of the Canes last night. Its just a matter of playing a better, more experienced team in the 3rd round. Getting to the playoffs and winning has been great – look at other teams like the Leafs, Jets, Flyers and Blue Jackets and you see what an achievement and improvement this has been for the canes.
Hopefully the bandwagon fans will stick around for a while.
As the young guys (including Aho) improve with experience I am confident the results in the future will be better.
We will see if players like Walmark and Foegle improve and find out if guys like Necas, Bean etc can play in the NHL.
It will be interesting to see what our extra d-man will bring, they may just use Faulk or deHaan to restock the minors. or trade Pesce for a top six forward. I don’t see us signing a UFA. That could change if JWilly retires.
BTW, the sharks goaltending has been shaky at best, really bad at different points this season. IMO – Rask has been very good but Boston’s team defense has been stellar.
The Canes definitely miss TVR on D.
Very under the radar good D man who makes a huge difference.
I’ve plenty of offseason thoughts and speculations, but am trying to save those for the offseason.