The Morning After

Last night was a tough night to follow Hurricanes hockey. I went into that game over the top excited & all I left with was a mini-Skinny bobble head. 

It was Jeff Skinner's 100th game, as well as his Calder bobble head night.  Cam Ward let in 4 goals in the first 2 periods, but to be fair, they were good shots and the defense wasn't giving him much help. The phrase "look alive" seemed to be lost on the Canes (with the exception of Pat Dwyer and Jay Harrison). Even Skinner was out of it; his normal fluid transitions were messy and he just looked off his game. Maybe the novelty of his bobble head was getting to him? It was nice to see Eric Staal actually getting things down the ice though, even if they weren't able to convert.  

To be honest, I think the reasons the Canes are 1-17-3 to the Flyers in the last 21 games has a lot to do with Coach Laviolette knowing "the system".  He took over the Canes from Paul Maurice in 2006, so he had to look at the books and analyze what happened to the team before he came along.  I think this just shows the stagnation with Maurice's coaching style; the Canes need something new because obviously this isn't working.  Also, I was disappointed that Zac Dalpe saw a measly 2:41 TOI and Zack Boychuk played 3:54. Tlusty saw a little time on the pk, but also didn't play much.  This disappointed me; I understand they aren't as good, but they could be used to shake things up. Even the Flyers 4th line saw more play; lowest time on ice was around 7 minutes.

I could keep expressing my displeasure, but that won't help us move into the future.  Canes play Eric Cole and the Canadiens tomorrow night. Let's Go Canes! 

Penalties of the day reflect Skinner's two penalties last night (even though 1 was technically not him).  

Holding

Holding is one of the ambiguous penalties in hockey because many things constitute holding; luckily it's not commonly called. In general, it is using a free hand to prevent an opponent from moving. Most calls involve grabbing and holding an opponent's stick, but it is also called when a player takes their opponents stick.

Too Many Men on the Ice

This penalty is the result of an unsuccessful line change and is when more players are on the ice for a team (normally 5 plus goalie) than is legal.  It's a bench penalty and the person serving it is normally arbitrary.  

Avalanche at the Penguins tonight! 

Duchene & Stastny vs Malkin and J Staal! 

Until Next Time,

L