By Brian LeBlanc
NCSportsTalk.com - Puck Drops
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The Canes have a season-high four game point streak going into tonight's game. That streak has propelled them out of the NHL's standings basement, and they enter tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning looking for their second regulation win of the season. If they want something to build on, Thursday's dramatic last-second win over the Leafs in a shootout gives them plenty of ammunition. The Canes went down 3-0 for the eleventh time this season, but battled back and took two points from a Leafs team that looked to have a regulation win sewn up before Erik Cole tied the game with three seconds left.
The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the RBC Center for the second time this year tonight, and the Canes will yet again be piecing together a lineup. Fortunately for the Canes, they're getting one key cog back tonight, as Joni Pitkanen returns from an upper-body injury and takes the place of Bryan Rodney, who was sent back to Albany, in the lineup. It's still a few more games for Eric Staal, although he is skating and should hopefully be back sometime late in the week.
Here we go...
2:30 1st: A solid start for both offenses, which doesn't say much for the defensive corps on both sides of the ice. The Canes had a couple of good chances immediately after the opening faceoff, and the Lightning responded in kind a minute later.
3:05 1st: Tom Kostopoulos has sure had his chances this season, but frustratingly he remains stuck on one goal. His latest chance, off a Joni Pitkanen (welcome back) feed to the top of the crease, was tipped right on by Kostopoulos but Lightning goalie Mike Smith managed to kick the puck out just in time.
5:40 1st: Near-disaster for the Canes as Andrew Alberts turns the puck over and gives the Lightning a 3-on-2 deep in the offensive zone, but Patrick Dwyer is the man on the spot to poke-check the puck away from Martin St. Louis before any damage can be done.
8:20 1st: Matt Cullen comes within an inch or so of giving the Canes the lead, but his redirection of a Tuomo Ruutu point shot hits the far-side post behind Smith...
9:00 1st: ...and then just under a minute later, James Wright's shot from the low slot bangs the far post behind Manny Legace. Could easily be tied at this point.
11:55 1st: At the end of a Tampa power play, Rod Brind'Amour somehow managed to get behind both Lightning defensemen at the blue line, then remembered that he's posting a -18 and inexplicably blew a tire in the high slot. He still got a shot off, but it didn't have much of a chance and Smith kicked it out easily.
13:20 1st: The Canes came close again, as a Pitkanen shot was slowed down but not stopped by Smith and the puck lay in the crease for a second before Andrej Meszaros cleared it out of harm's way. Both teams have had good chances, and it's only a matter of time before one of them cashes in.
14:08 1st: Allow Lightning radio play-by-play man Dave Mishkin to describe what just happened: "SAVE MADE SMITH!!!!!!!!!! HE STOPPED A 2-ON-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Yes, in all caps for a reason. Words don't do justice to a Dave Mishkin call.) Brandon Sutter found Ray Whitney alone in front of the net, and Whitney passed to Erik Cole who had an open net...but for some bizarre reason passed it back to Whitney, allowing Smith enough time to get over and stop Whitney's attempt. In Cole's defense, he was being checked by a Lightning defenseman, but there's no excuse for not taking that shot and at least trying for a rebound.
15:18 1st: Lightning lead 1-0; St. Louis 6 (Tanguay, Foster) (pp) That was bound to happen. Kurtis Foster's point shot from the left side on a power play deflected twice before getting to Manny Legace, and while Alex Tanguay couldn't clean up the garbage his rebound bounced right to Martin St. Louis at the bottom of the far circle. St. Louis fired a shot upstairs that Legace had no chance on to give the Lightning the lead.
19:20 1st: Joni Pitkanen was the victim of a low check at center ice and skated gingerly to the bench, though he didn't head to the locker room. Just what he needs, after being a walking (skating?) medical ward all season.
End 1st: An entertaining period ends with the Canes in a familiar position, down 1-0 despite outshooting the Lightning 10-9 in the period. At least it doesn't look completely hopeless, right?
2:35 2nd: Canes tie the game at 1; Ruutu 6 (Whitney, Pitkanen) (pp) A few seconds after Ray Whitney misfired on an open net from the far circle, Tuomo Ruutu was on the receiving end of a Whitney centering pass across the crease that Smith never had a chance on. Ruutu was unchecked at the bottom of the near circle and fired the puck home to tie the game.
8:47 2nd: The Canes have owned the period despite only getting one on the scoreboard. They haven't allowed a shot to the Lightning yet in the period.
10:23 2nd: Todd Fedoruk had the Lightning's first shot of the period, on a breakaway from the blue line in that Legace stopped with a quick glove. Both goalies have had sparkling saves thus far, befitting a tie game.
11:55 2nd: LaRose came close -- again -- to his first of the season, but Sergei Samsonov's pass eluded LaRose's glove and he whiffed on the shot.
13:46 2nd: Canes lead 2-1; Jokinen 6 (Corvo, LaRose) One thing we've learned tonight is that Mike Smith has problems trapping shots in his pads after he makes a save. Joe Corvo's point shot from the top of the right circle was tipped on goal by Jussi Jokinen, and Smith made most of the save but not enough to keep the puck from trickling over the goal line, missing the far post by less than an inch. And who set Corvo up for the shot? That's right, the aforementioned Chad LaRose.
End 2nd: Not much doing for either side after the Jokinen goal. The Lightning did manage five shots in the period, but the Canes fired 10 more on Smith to take a 20-14 lead in that department. If the Canes win, it will be only the second game of the season that they've come back after trailing following the first period.
1:45 3rd: St. Louis nearly potted his second of the night, surprising Legace with a shallow-angle shot that nearly beat the goaltender to the short side. The diminuitive winger owns a point-per-game average in 54 career games against the Hurricanes.
3:15 3rd: Pitkanen is tripped by Fedoruk coming through the neutral zone, but somehow both officials miss the call and earn the ire of 13,000 officials in the seats.
9:35 3rd: The Canes have had some great chances, again, but Mike Smith has been the difference thus far, stopping some high-quality chances that the Canes have fired at him. Antero Niittymaki has taken over the #1 role in Tampa, but Smith always plays well against Carolina and it was no surprise to see him in the net tonight.
10:57 3rd: Brandon Sutter nearly gave the Canes a two-goal lead, but his backhand attempt was stopped by the tip of Smith's skate and kept out of the net by some miracle. See what I mean about him always playing Carolina tough?
14:35 3rd: Big save by Legace on Lecavalier, coming out to challenge the shooter and giving his defense cover for blowing some coverage in the defensive zone.
15:37 3rd: Canes lead 3-1; LaRose 1 (Samsonov) Finally, Chad LaRose gets off the schneid and pots his first of the season. Sergei Samsonov found him with a lead pass into the offensive zone, and LaRose fired home a shot from well out that beat Smith and gave the Canes a two-goal lead. The assist was Samsonov's 300th in his NHL career.
19:21 3rd: The Canes will finish on the power play after St. Louis was sent off for tripping Matt Cullen as Cullen tried to hit the empty net.
End 3rd: The Canes have their first regulation win since the demolition of Florida a month and a half ago. Shots in the third period were 7 apiece, and the Canes led overall 27-21.
Postgame: An obviously excited Canes locker room said plenty of good things about their play tonight, and it was obvious that they felt this game has been in the cards for some time. LaRose earned an atta-boy from a teammate just as we started talking to him, and it was that kind of a night...lots of back-slapping to go around and a team finally showing what they're capable of. It's impressive that they've posted a five-game point streak after fourteen straight without a win, but it's more impressive when you consider they've done it without the services of their two franchise players.
Paul Maurice said that it's a nice luxury to not have to rush guys back from injury, although neither Eric Staal or Cam Ward will be put back in the lineup before they're ready to play, but you'd better believe if the Canes were sitting on nineteen straight without a point the calls to put Staal (at least) back in the lineup would be deafening.
Click for audio from Chad LaRose, Sergei Samsonov and Tuomo Ruutu. Maurice's press conference is attached.
The Canes hit the road for the next two, starting a Pacific Division swing in Dallas on Monday then following it up with a trip to Anaheim on Wednesday. They'll be back, as will we, on Friday night to face the Atlanta Thrashers. Join us as we entertain the masses yet again...
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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