By Brian LeBlanc
NCSportsTalk.com - Puck Drops
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The Canes remain as hot as they've been all season with a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders that sweeps the New York back-to-back by a combined score of 9-2. After missing the first courtesy of some poorly-timed dental work on your humble reporter, the Live Blog picks up in the 2nd and doesn't miss a beat...
1st Intermission: A trip to the dentist and the associated inability to feel half of my mouth won't stop me from covering the game tonight. Well, it did keep me from seeing the first period, which the Canes led 2-0 on the strength of goals from Eric Staal and Matt Cullen, Staal's eighth goal in five games since assuming the captaincy just over a week ago. The Canes are 1-2 on the power play, they're outshooting the Islanders 12-9 and a pretty good crowd for a Thursday night has been treated to twenty minutes of pretty good hockey.
Let's move to the second, where I'll be able to actually pay attention for a whole period...
:35 2nd: Jussi Jokinen should have made it 3-0 on a perfect one-time pass from Joni Pitkanen, but his shot inexplicably missed the target even though Isles goalie Rick DiPietro couldn't get across in time and the net was wide open.
5:43 2nd: Weird bounce off the back boards to Cam Ward, who alertly covered the puck in the crease on what looked like it could have been a dangerous play. Since owning the Canes early, the Islanders have struggled to get any traction in the offensive zone and Ward, as a result, hasn't seen a ton of work, making those weird bounces a little nervous.
8:45 2nd: The Canes have been able to spend long stretches in the Isles' zone, and while they haven't been able to add to their lead they're very obviously wearing the Isles' legs down by forcing them back on their heels for minutes at a time.
14:30 2nd: Cullen nearly had his third point of the night on a 2-on-1 shorthanded, but his pass for Tom Kostopoulos was just out of reach and Kostopoulos couldn't get his stick on it after Cullen made a pretty toe drag around Mark Streit to set up his teammate.
15:45 2nd: Big kick save by Cam Ward on Matt Moulson, who had about three whacks at a rebound from the top of the crease but couldn't get the puck past Ward's pads.
End 2nd: No scoring in the second, and there honestly wasn't much action at either end, with the shots only 5-3 in favor of the Canes who led 17-12 overall. The Canes will begin the third with just under a minute on a power play following a John Tavares hooking penalty late in the second.
1:20 3rd: Nothing doing on the power play, although again the Canes had consistent pressure and couldn't find a way to knock a puck past DiPietro. Since that first few minutes, the Isles have looked lost and haven't accomplished a whole lot, with just thirteen shots in the game.
5:04 3rd: Good backcheck by Isles rookie John Tavares, who got back to tie up Jiri Tlusty's stick with Tlusty staring at an open net and Brandon Sutter behind the cage ready to feed Tlusty for a tap-in.
7:30 3rd: The Canes look content to simply clog up the neutral zone and force the Isles to break through a trap to enter the offensive zone. So far, nothing doing, and the shots the Isles have taken are of the low-percentage variety. They haven't had a chance at all to set up and run a play in the Canes' zone.
9:40 3rd: Canes lead 3-0; Yelle 3 (Dwyer, Gleason) (sh) After misfiring on that 2-on-1 earlier, the Canes finally tally a shorthanded goal. Stephane Yelle stole the puck just inside the Carolina blue line and held off an Islanders defender on a rush that looked like it unfolded in slow motion, finishing it off by firing a shot that had eyes and beat DiPietro high to the glove side to give the Canes a three-goal lead.
15:29 3rd: Isles cut it to 3-1; Moulson 20 (Nielsen) So much for the shutout. Matt Moulson capitalized on a miscue by Niclas Wallin in the far circle of the Hurricanes' zone and fired home a screened shot that Ward never saw to put the Isles on the board.
End 3rd: The Isles threw everything they had at the Canes, outshooting them 15-6 in the third period, but a Jussi Jokinen empty-net goal sealed the win for the Canes as they swept their New York back-to-back by beating the Isles 4-1. Impressive showing, especially considering they were clearly running low in the gas tank by the end of the game.
Postgame: For a team that's been through as much as this one has this season, the Canes were in a remarkably upbeat mood. They know they're playing their best hockey of the season, and while it may be too late to make a real run at a playoff spot they still have a considerable amount of pride to play for and they're doing it well. Eric Staal continues on fire, with his eighth goal in just over a week; Paul Maurice says that it's not only a matter of being named captain, but also the fact that he's finally shaken the nagging injuries that plagued him early in the season.
Click for audio from Eric Staal (warning: a bit NSFW thanks to a well-timed Manny Legace practical joke), Brandon Sutter and Matt Cullen. Paul Maurice's press conference is attached.
We'll be back here Saturday in the midst of our bout with winter weather as the Canes welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to town, who will be flying across the country after playing in San Jose tonight. If you're snowed into your house, come hang out with the Live Blog and we'll keep you updated.
By the way, the RBC Center has seen the last of the Islanders for this season, but the Live Blog hasn't. Next Saturday, as the Canes conclude their pre-Olympics road trip at Nassau Coliseum, the third Live Blog Road Trip heads to Long Island, so mark it on your calendar now. It'll be a good time, we promise.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
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