Hey all, Tuesday’s horribly disappointing loss arguably represents the greatest opportunity to be frustrated since the Canes and Coffee comments picked up steam. What a day to be alive at Canes and Coffee, am I right? 🙂 With that comes to opportunity for readers and fellow Canes fans to be nasty to each other or instead have great debates in a true ‘we are in this together even if we disagree on things’ neighborhood coffee shop kind of way. Let’s stay on the right side of being respectful to each other.
In addition, there is not a need to candy coat a player or team management’s performance. It is fine to say that they did poorly, that they should be traded or whatever else. That falls under evaluating and offering an opinion on their performance which is for better or worse within the realm of their jobs. That said, it is never okay to take shots at players or staff personnel personally. Please, let’s stay on the right side of that line on a day when no doubt there will be tough evaluations of individual performances and suggestions for changes in personnel.
On to wreckage
Deja vu and/or just painful reinforcement
I said before the run of 11 out of 12 games at home during the front of part of February that the favorable stretch of schedule would be make or break time for the 2017-18 season. I set a target of 9-3 for that stretch of 12 games. The 5-5-2 mark that followed did not end playoff hopes for the 2017-18 season, but for me it did significantly decrease the probability that the team would find the higher gear necessary. The end of that stretch was in the middle of a six-game losing streak (0-4-2) that reinforced my initial thoughts. Then in a game that the team really needed come off a tough but decently-played home loss to Winnipeg, the Hurricanes fell absolutely flat in a 6-2 loss. The game saw the Hurricanes implode for four goals against in the span of only 3:51 to start the second period.
After that loss I wrote:
What stood out most to me was the completely lifeless reaction to a slow start and then an even worse start to the second period. As I said on Twitter, the season has been trending negatively since the down stretch for the home stretch in mid-February but based on Tuesday’s performance and the lack of reaction, I will be shocked if Tuesday’s loss does not prove to be capitulation day for the 2017-18 season.
But then on Tuesday, the Hurricanes somehow trumped that debilitating loss, rubbed salt in the wounds of those who had already given up the 2017-18 and made it abundantly clear to anyone still clinging to hope that the 2017-18 season was over.
What happened
For those who were away from Canes hockey on Tuesday, congratulations! You picked an incredibly good day to be away. If you already endured it live on Tuesday, please skip down. No one should go through it twice.
On Tuesday, the Hurricanes played a ‘meh’ first period but almost emerged from the period tied. A Brad Marchand goalie with 11 seconds remaining in the period netted the Bruins a 1-0 lead, but the Hurricanes were obviously still in the game. The second period featured a tremendous period of hockey by the Hurricanes and even some scoring. The often seen shot count domination of 18 to 6 actually resulted in score board success too. Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen each netted a goal on the power play. And Batman and Robin (Justin Williams and Brock McGinn) netted another when Williams scored an effort goal lunging to tap a puck out of the crease and into the net. When Brock McGinn scored a shorthanded goal early in the third period, the Hurricanes seemed to be on their way.
The Hurricanes seemed to take their collective feet off the gas after that, but with a three-goal lead, limping to the finish line and a victory seemed possible as the midway point of the third period neared.
Then…It happened.
Trumping the implosion in Minnesota a week earlier, the Hurricanes somehow gave up three goals in the span of only 1:17. Then when a late penalty by Justin Faulk sent the Bruins to the power play with the score tied at 4-4, one could just feel it coming. And sure enough it did. The Bruins scored on the power play and then added an empty-netter for good measure.
Best guess is that the wreckage will still be smoldering when people arrive for work on Wednesday morning, but once the major explosions had subsided, the Bruins had scored five times in the third period to convert a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 win.
More so than the third period itself which is no doubt etched on Canes fans’ minds, the lasting image for those who could bare more when they arrived home could be the post-game interviews by Justin Williams and Justin Faulk. Both legitimately struggled to even comment or find words for the debacle despite seemingly trying. Justin Williams without exaggeration looked like he was fighting to hold back tears, and Justin Faulk looked pretty similar.
As I said on Twitter afterward:
#CanesCoaster officially crashes. There's just not enough ice cream for this kind of stuff.
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) March 14, 2018
Respecting and acknowledging the elephant…
I have my usual set of scribbled notes with details, and if forced, could do the normal recap and notes that breaks down individual plays, players and other specifics of the game. But I think especially for anyone who did not witness the game, this would be a massive disservice to the real story right now.
This team is unmistakably 100 percent lost right now. It just is.
How we got here, who is to blame for what and how to fix it are complex with multiple angles, opinions and discussions to be had.
But very clearly in my eyes anyway, we have reached the point where it is not a story about a team that failed in 2017-18 or was not good enough in 2017-18. This is a story about a team that broken in a bigger way.
Three silver linings
While mostly respecting the elephant, I will offer two silver linings from Tuesday’s debacle and the state of the team in general.
1) Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen
Buried beneath Tuesday’s wreckage was a goal each for Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Each also assisted on the other’s goal. The duo that is 20 and 23 years old respectively has grown to become two-thirds of legitimate first scoring line that the team has not had in years. I continue to believe that the third part will likely need to come from outside the current roster, but two-thirds is a great starting point.
2) Unmistakable, while painful, might be best
If this team is in fact broken (which it is), maybe best is to leave absolutely no doubt. A mid-March surge similar to 2016-17 could push the team to within a few points of a playoff berth and possibly suggest that the team continues to be close. That has the potential to suggest that minor tinkering personnel-wise could be enough. Especially with a new owner who is only a couple months deep in the situation, blatantly obvious and unmistakable could be good in terms of driving changes that are not just about the roster or roster weaknesses.
While I do think there is an element of that too, the bigger thing is that the the team needs a dramatic change in attitude, leadership, mentality, confidence and/or something else that lies beneath the surface and is not measured in statistics.
3) The necessary “jolt”
Last summer, I campaigned for Justin Williams to be named the captain over long-timers including Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner. Many who disagreed talked about earning it, upsetting people, ruffling feathers or whatever else with the Justin Williams being brand new to the team and the other candidates having paid dues and maybe deserving it. The “jolt” as I called it that Justin Williams being named captain was actually a huge part of why I wanted to go that direction. I believed that the team needed some kind of shock to the entire system, a “jolt” if you will, to find the next higher gear necessary to make the playoffs. Interestingly, regardless of what happens next personnel-wise at the coaching or player ranks, I actually think that Tuesday’s loss on the back of what has preceded it could in itself prove to be a needed jolt. I guess the question at this point is whether the jolt will shock the team alive or completely put it into a cathartic state.
In showing my consistency to offering a Daily Cup of Joe, I am putting my “path forward from here” into a separate article. The latest “random thoughts” article that I wrote at lunchtime would be completely disrespecting the elephant if posted for Wednesday morning.
Daily Cup of Joe for Wednesday charts a path forward after Tuesday’s ugly loss.
Go Canes!
Lmfao.
Matt, you should just leave the recap just how it is. And probably disable comments if you can do that since I’m not sure everyone will be able to keep it at least PG rated. That was just disgusting. This team is broken. Unequivocally broken.
I have never seen the team collapse like this. And it was cued by…wait for it…miscues in the defensive zone. And on the goal that made it 4-2 t he Canes went from aggressive and dominant to tight and tentative. Boston jumped on it.
In the end – what Chara giveth…Faulk threweth away.
Canes were good on the forecheck but even when they were up 4-1, there was bad individual coverage below the blue line. I turned the game off at that point but there was this uneasiness that from what I was seeing, Boston would score a few and at least make it interesting and we know what can happen when the Canes start to slide in third periods. I had no idea it would end the way it did but they were definitely experiencing some issues in their own end that were covered up by either a good Ward save or a Boston errant pass or miscue. I guess the cover is off for good now.
Unbelievable…. No actually it is believable
The Canes have become over This season the laughing stock of the League…
Dump the whole coaching staff and the dead weight players Mr TD !
Do It, Don’t hesitate, You know you have to at this point!
RF is doing nothing now, make him the coach for a few weeks! Earn his pay!
After listening to Peters’ post-game remarks just now – very passive-aggressive in a number of responses – it may be a good idea to let him go now rather than at the end of the season.
I agree, but I’d hate to see them hire a new coach and then Queenville become available. Although that’s seeming less likely then it was a few weeks ago.
Definitely agree that BP has to go. Even if he’s just a scapegoat, after a season like this the coach has to go.
I’m torn. I don’t like coaches pilloried in knee jerk reactions to individual game results, no matter how horrible they may be. However, I attended the Canes/Flyers game from a few seasons ago when Laviolette was coaching the Flyers and the Canes blew them out something like 5-1. I believe it was only a handful of games into the season and I turned to my wife when the final horn sounded and said this is the type of game that gets coaches fired. Well, it seems like Deja Vu all over again and I would not be surprised to see Peters replaced after that debacle. All teams have meltdowns during the long season, they all get blown out from time to time and crazy stuff happens. But there is something subliminal with this group that just seems….off. I think they play hard for the most part, they’re just not passionate. Having a do or die attitude is not the way you would describe this group. The culture, the attitude, starts with the coach and unfortunately for BP, I think he’s fallen short with this aspect of his job. I don’t think it matters in the long run whether or not he’s let go now or in a few weeks. However, the owner may feel like he needs to apply a tourniquet to simply save the patient to live another day, and give the fans and community something to look forward to a year from now (and three weeks to sell season tickets). I think BP is a dead man walking. Too bad for him…by all accounts a good guy and did some good things. Just not enough of them.
BP’s post game conference was definitely the interesting. yOu got to feel for the guy, but his “sarcastic” and passive aggressive responses did not fit the “Bill” and definitely incidated in his mind he was filling up his clean water bottles along with his other stuff and getting ready to skip town.
I think the core of the team, the culture, the coaching, has been broken for some time, not just this year, and I am on record as saying that last year’s run after the team was out of the playoffs was the worst thing that could happen to the long-term well-being of the team. sadly I think I was right. But now I conversely say that this inexplicable series of performances may benefit the team going forward.
The coaching staff, at least BP is gone, there’s just no doubt, but whether it is this week or end of the year I don’t know.
TT and Aho were great. TT is the guy who is earning respect in these dreadful times, a bit like Lindholm was doing last year.
I feel for Faulk, I am sure he is a an athele a good person, and just needs some time off, counselling, a good few hours in the gym and I ohpe he comes back in the fall with some fire in his gut, feeling he has something to prove.
The interview with him was embarrassing, he didn]’t have anything to say and he didn’t look like the leader. JW did so, much more, he also has a lot more maturation. I think the responsibility of being a captain doesn’t suit FAulk, maybe it would in 4 or 5 years with more success under his belt, but for now I think it is an extra responsibility he is not comfortable with and needs to be free from.
The whole team is too comfortable, there are too many feel good stories. Yes, on the human angle these are great, but the mom’s trips and dad’s trips and playing the equipment manager as a backup goalie, and uniting brothers, and inviting guys to stay with the big club for a day on their birthday. I don’t know, it feels like collectively players are getting too comfortable and not focused on the core of the team, winning games.
This is the legendary dark before dawn people, change must be coming.
I agree Williams’ comments were better than Faulk’s, but man….what a tough situation. I give them both props for stepping up to bat and talking to the press after that garbage. Where were the other captains? Has Skinner ever faced the press after a stinker?
I like Justin Faulk’s ability. He can be a really good defenseman in this league. He seems lost. His decline defensively started last season. It accelerated when he lost Hainsey as a partner. The Canes need a solid veteran D in the worst way. Faulk may need a change in scenery, but I think he will be a good player somewhere in the NHL.
Just embarrassing to be a Canes fan right now. THEY ARE NOT EVEN WORTHY OF US GIVING A DAM RIGHT NOW.
“I can’t believe what I just saw. I can’t BELIEVE what I just saw.”
– Jack Buck, after Kirk Gibson’s 9th-inning home run in Game #1, 1988 World Series.
Except after this season, which started with so much hope and optimism, I think I can believe almost anything.
I was at the game. The third period debacle took all of the wind right out of me. I wasn’t mad, I was embarrassed for and felt sorry for the players in general. There were players on the ice that played hard last night and who have played hard all year. I really felt sorry for them. I’m sure they are really down emotionally.
This team seems totally mixed up. Most, if not all, of the players I have concluded have played very hard over the entire season with a down game or so. If that’s the case, why the lousy results? The results are lousy because:
1) Players in general are slotted into roles they are not capable of performing in an adequate manner. This team’s talent level is such, according to the coach, that it has to play at its peak level game in and game out in order to win. That would be a difficult task for any team in the league. Then, when you have players asked to fill roles that they are incapable of filling successfully, they die trying. I therefore want to acknowledge the effort of these players who have played hard ALL YEAR in roles they were placed in that were not the type roles they are best at playing:
1. Jordan Staal: Required to be 1st line scoring center with a regular game to game rotation of wingers to work with. Not a role he is best cut out for, but he laced up his skates and made the effort ALL YEAR. This in addition to the responsibility of shutting down the other team’s top scorers, leading the penalty kill, and being the glue to try to hold things together.
2. Justin Williams: Played hard every game all year. Without any designation from the coaching staff, personally tried to instill pride, confidence, and show the way as a defacto leader. No player in the league tried harder IMO to lead a team to victory than Justin Williams.
3. Joakim Nordstrom: I don’t believe anyone can question this players guts, determination, or effort. If he was on a team that had 3 bonafide scoring lines, he would be a valuable asset. But he was on a team that had no (as in none) scoring line and his positive traits were lost and his negative (poor scoring ability) was highlighted. I’ve been down on Nordstrom all year, but I felt kind of guilty last night for it because he had to suffer the humiliation despite working his tail off to try to get a win.
4. Cam Ward: Called upon to be the No.1 and played well enough to deserve a better fate than this season has brought. Despite all the negative feedback about his ability to be the No. 1 goalie (plenty of it from yours truly), he kept his mouth shut and tried to fill the role. There were just too many glaring defensive breakdowns for any goalie to thrive, and he just crumbled like Lundqvist in New York, like Price in Montreal, like Holtby in Washington, and Bobrovsky in Columbus did from the same level of defensive play in front of them.
6. Aho and TT: Their shear hockey abilities just allowed them to overcome all else. Imagine them with on a line with another 1st line scoring type player.
7. Skinner: Humiliated all year by a head coach that played him in a third line role with a steady rotation of players as line mates who were third or fourth line players. Played his heart out every game that I saw (I saw them all) in a role not suited for him with a menagerie of different and much less talented linemates.
8. Defense Corps: We required a bunch of young inexperienced defensemen to perform like they had years of experience in the NHL. It was evident for most of the year that they needed an experienced helping hand especially on the penalty kill. With no such help provided, they played their heart out trying to make up for the lack of experience with effort.
9. Victor Rask: One of only two players on the team that has a positive plus/minus statistic. Asked most of the year to be a second or third line center. This being the case while he probably met Bill Peters’ on ice expectations (he scored at his usual rate and was not on the ice a lot when the other team scored even handed). Yet, was maligned all year by me and most of fandom for being a “dog” of a player. Most of the fans complaints centered on his apparent lack of effort. If he in fact lacked the effort, how in the world did he come out with a positive plus minus statistic? What a dichotomy. Loved by the coach and despised by the fans. How the guy kept his spirits up all year is beyond me.
10. Darling: Came here from a team that had Keith, Seabrook, Van Reimsdyk, Rosival, Hjalmarsson, etc. as a defensive corps in front of him and also defensive talented forwards on established lines to support him. All of the defensemen were experienced and excellent in their defensive roles. We put him on the ice with a totally inexperienced defensive corps and a mishmash of mixmaster lines thrown together on a nightly basis and then stirred further during games and we (including yours truly)expected the same result.
I reflected on all this after last nights game and the above is why I felt kind of sorry for the players on this team. There was a lot of effort from them this year. It appears to me a lot of it was needed just to make up for deficiencies at the coaching and management levels. Hopefully, Mr. Dundon can sort all this out and rebuild not only the talent level of this team, but the heart and soul of the players. I pay to enjoy seeing them play well and win. As a fan I enjoy critiquing the team’s performance both good and bad. This year things have regressed to the point where even though I have suffered paying for not seeing them play well or win and where I feel sorry for my having been so hard on the players who have played with so much effort without adequate support or management’ i.e.; in a hopeless situation.
Great post, and very well thought out.
RedRyder, that was a great write up.
I’d add DR.
Mr. Ryan would have made a good 4th line center this season but was consistently slotted in over his head, including overtime situations.
We need to wait with trade speculation until the summer I guess, but I am wondering about something like Skinner and Fleury or TVR to the Oilers for Sakera and RNH.
the Oilers need a talented winger and more defense.
We need at least an adequate first line center and a defenseman with experience that can bring out the best in our younger guys, or older younger guys.
Faulk had great success with Sakera.
Skinner is a top talent but somehow I don’t see where he fits in the Canes line up and we need to give up something to get something.
I’m sure Skinner could tear it up on a line with one of the Oiler’s top 2 centers and, unless we had a repeat of 2006, it wouldn’t hurt the Canes overly much.
I think a trade like that, a couple of prospects panning out early, and an upgrade in goal could be all the on ice personnel adjustments needed to change the dynamic of this team.
I agree with much that has been written above, especially the feeling of sadness. I’m beyond anger at this point. It’s very apparent to all of us, and to TD, that the organization is broken. The first step in repair is starting at the top. No organization can be successful without excellent leadership. New ownership was the first step. Its now obvious to me why RF was fired. He is as much responsible for this culture as anyone. The culture and fire should have improved over the past 4 years. The opposite has happened. A new GM is absolutely needed, as well as a new coach. It really bothers me that at no point have we seen anger from the players, either in their post game comments or their play on the ice. Anger at the continual losing, a display of “we’re sick of this and not going to take it anymore”. The organization needs a heart transplant. Lots of players need to be moved and a reset needs to happen. It will take a couple of more years, but this situation is intolerable!
I must say that to some degree, I agree with all that has been said. I would like here to add a few comments.
1) Last night’s game was exciting (we scored four goals against the Bruins).I would always prefer to see us lose 6-4 than to win 1-0 in overtime. It’s just a better game.
2) if I was Mr. D, i would try to talk the Bruins into playing some of their home games here. They drew a large and loud crowd of fans. It irritated me no end, but they paid for the seats.
3) I have tried to be a fan of Bill’s, but I can say that it has been difficult. It all started for me when he decided to go to Europe instead of attending training camp. I can name a dozen things he has done since (including his Capt. Queeg imitation in front of the press last night) that show me his shortcomings as a coach.
4) Let’s not be too quick to trade our people. Faulk is more valuable to us than he is to anybody else. Skinner, at long last has found a line mate with whom he is finding chemistry. Phil came to his aid immediately when a Bruin goon came after him. They combined a couple of times last night on some potential scoring plays.
5) we were playing the big bad Bruins last night. Scoring goals in bunches is what they do. Gooning it up
Is what they do.Did you see the size of those guys? Playing a physical game against that team would exhaust us if we were well rested.
6) Nordstrom has shown in the last 2 games that he is having a great deal of trouble with his vision. It is dangerous for him to continue playing as he is. They say that it’s the mask. I am sure that the mask is part of it, but watching him last night shows me that there is more to it than the mask.
6) I am all for canning Bill immediately. Let’s see if Stan Bowman will give us back Ulf Samuelsson. Well, I can dream. Can’t I?
That game perfectly summarized what is the Carolina Hurricanes. I mean, it was perfect; so perfect in fact, I found myself strangely not mad at the conclusion. It seemed fitting.
1. Carolina jumps out fast and dominates play in the first (granted, that doesn’t always happen,) but fails to score.
2. Carolina gives up a goal with 10 seconds left in the 1st.
3. Carolina adjusts and crushes the 2nd scoring three goals taking a two goal lead.
4. Carolina takes a penalty near the conclusion of the 2nd losing some momentum.
5. Carolina comes out of the locker room and promptly scores a shorty, then killing off the penalty. Euphoria. We really should be a playoff team!
6. Carolina defecates the bed and gives up 5 in the final 10ish to lose.
Our movie script was written before our very eyes last night.
I like Peters and Smith. It’s time to blow it up. Keep Smith and seeya to everyone else. Please trade Faulk. Please. Trade Skinner too and get something of value before UFA. I’m at the place where I want an entire roster of Ryans and Rasks or I want significant changes to our roster. Sick of 7th picks.
Amen Red Ryder, my sentiments exactly.
I would add that: 1) the team being up for sale earlier, (2) a very tight budget and (3) former majority owner Karmonas are the MAIN reasons for the current situation. In fairness to RF, he did well with the salary restrictions and situation that he inherited. We will never know the outcome if he had been allowed to continue.
There is hope for next season! We now have an aggressive new owner that will open his wallet to acquire talent and shake things up. He accurately recognizes that he needs an astute deal-maker GM to re-shape the team; you can bet we will be bigger and more physical next year. I’m guessing that TD sensed that RF was too attached to the pieces that he assembled. Sure, maybe their styles contrast, but I believe that if we were firmly in playoff position right now then RF would still be GM. Sometimes you just need to add salt and pepper and a couple of spices to the dish to make it really special. A John Tavares spice would be good.