Showing posts tagged “Washington Capitals”
Kate Shefte ·
18 Mar 2010, 10:35 PM ·
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Whitney won the goal-that-mattered award tonight, though there were several other qualified candidates. File photo by Peggy Boone, IndyWeekBlogs
RBC CENTER/RALEIGH - Joe Corvo’s two-goal effort…Chad LaRose’s late heroics….Ray Whitney’s overtime wrister led his team to a 4-3 win over Thursday night. There we go.
If all the Washington goals had counted, the ‘Canes wouldn’t have even made it to overtime. But thanks to a Whitney tally in overtime, Carolina won just its second game of the year after going into the second period down a goal. Corvo’s pair couldn’t save the league-leading Capitals, who clinched the Southeast Division last week.
There were two noticeable absences on the ice tonight. League points leader Alex Ovechkin was serving the back end of a two-game suspension for another illegal hit. The ‘Canes announced today that Tim Gleason would miss three weeks with a broken bone in his foot, even though he’d already played two games with the injury. Oh, that Gleason.
“Gleason’s probably the leader of our back end,” defenseman Brett Carson said. “He battles night after night. Obviously not having him in meant some other guys had to step up and play some minutes and I thought we did a pretty good job.”
Carolina got an early break when an apparent goal off the hand of Mike Knuble was waved off immediately with a few minutes left into the first period.
Scott Walker and Corvo have both seen dramatically different and ever-shrinking roles with their new club, the Capitals. Walker sat as a healthy scratch for Washinton’s last two games, but due to injury and suspension, he was called upon to suit up tonight. Corvo got things started when he picked up a rebound to make it 1-0 and Walker got the secondary assist. Corvo memorably scored a hat trick the first time he faced the Ottawa Senators after they traded him, and obviously that was the start of a trend of sorts as he wound up close to another tonight.
“[Corvo] played well. It’s kind of a habit for him to score against his old teams, and I read in the paper today that he wasn’t even pissed off at us,” Whitney said. “If he was, we really would have been in trouble.
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Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Alex Ovechkin, Brett Carson, Chad LaRose, injury, Joe Corvo, overtime, Ray Whitney, Southeast division, suspension, Tim Gleason, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
11 Mar 2010, 10:27 PM ·
1 Comment
LaRose had a scary moment tonight, but came back for the remainder of the 'Canes' 4-3 overtime win against the Penguins. File photo by Peggy Boone, IndyWeekBlogs
Newbie Brian Pothier and call-up Justin Peters were the heroes tonight as Pothier scored his first Hurricane goal in dramatic fashion 23 seconds into overtime against the defending Stanley Cup champs. Peters backstopped the ‘Canes to a 4-3 win with a 37-save performance.
I’m sure you all enjoyed Jeff Hamlin’s Ottawa recap last week (and David’s far less ridiculous headline) and I have to say, it gave me a little hope. Had I really been so out of it that I hadn’t realized how far this recent surge propelled the Hurricanes forward? No other team can top the ‘Canes’ 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games. But no – still fourth to last in the league. But wait…eight points back? How is that possible? History says all but one team in the top-8 in the Eastern Conference will make it to the postseason. But it’s okay to dream, right?
Peters said the team is going to keep going until it’s mathematically eliminated, and probably well afterward.
“We’re just going to keep fighting,” Peters said. “There’s no quit in this locker room.”
The Penguins pounced on the tired-looking ‘Canes early. Carolina left Jordan Staal alone with plenty of time and space less than two minutes in and he wristed a puck past Justin Peters. Later, on a Patrick Dwyer penalty, Peters couldn’t find the puck and Bill Guerin was happy to assist him.
“At times we looked tired tonight, but we battled through it,” Pothier said.
Sergei Gonchar had a blonde moment and checked Chad LaRose headfirst into the boards. It turned out to be far less nasty than it looked because LaRose popped right back up with an indignant look on his face. 10 seconds into the penalty, Ray Whitney sent a long Joni Pitkanen one-timer whistling past Brent Johnson to make it 2-1.
Jussi Jokinen was felled by a high stick behind the Pittsburgh net and went to the bench with a bloody nose. Somehow that one escaped the referees’ attention. But on the next play, Zach Boychuk made the Pens pay with a nasty, unassisted backhand that seemed to completely befuddle Johnson. I hope even as an NHL regular, Boychuk doesn’t lose that youthful appreciation for each and every goal, because he celebrated his latest as though it was his first.
“It feels nice to score a good one, especially against Sidney Crosby and the Pens,” Boychuk said. “It’s been a lot of fun – one night [Alex] Ovechkin, the next night Crosby.”
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Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Brent Johnson, Brian Pothier, concussion, elbow, Justin Peters, Matt Cooke, overtime, Pascal Dupuis, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ray Whitney, Washington Capitals, Zach Boychuk
Kate Shefte ·
3 Mar 2010, 3:50 PM ·
1 Comment
There still may be a few buzzer-beater deadline trades the ‘Canes haven’t announced yet, but right now it seems as though the team has traded away everyone…except those it said it was trading away. As of right now, Ray Whitney is still a ‘Cane despite rampant trade rumors to the contrary. Scott Walker and Joe Corvo are now members of the NHL-leading Washington Capitals, Aaron Ward is a Duck, Andrew Alberts is reportedly a Canuck and Stephane Yelle is floating out there in nowhere land, but he’s not with Carolina anymore.
Jim Rutherford did what he wanted – dumping dead weight and salary for draft picks. Carolina now owns the second round of the 2010 entry draft. Through various trades, the team now has at least 10 second-round picks. The Ducks re-gifted Justin Pogge to Carolina (wasn’t he a Maple Leaf, what…two or three weeks ago?) and the surging Hurricanes got Brian Pothier for Corvo. Poor Scott Walker got pawned off for what might very well be the last pick in the entire draft this year, but he’s off to a team with a very real chance of winning the cup. They might as well have called it “future considerations” for all the value a seventh-round pick usually has.
In minor news, every player Carolina signed in the offseason is now elsewhere except for Tom Kostopoulos. Ward and Yelle never seemed to mesh well with the team and were always a step behind, so chalk the whole Bruins exodus up to a failed experiment. Alberts was exactly as billed. He added needed grit but turned the puck over frequently, and wasn’t somebody the Hurricanes couldn’t stand to part with. The writing was on the wall for the perpetually injured Walker, but no one will ever forget his contributions to the ‘Canes’ 2009 playoff run.
The buzz on the web is that Rutherford wanted more for Whitney than anyone was willing to give – a first rounder and a solid NHL player, not a prospect. Maybe it just didn’t work out. We’ll know for sure in a few hours.
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey 2nd round, Aaron Ward, Andrew Alberts, Brian Pothier, Joe Corvo, Justin Pogge, salary, Scott Walker, Stephane Yelle, trade, trade deadline, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
30 Nov 2009, 11:33 PM ·
1 Comment
RBC CENTER/ RALEIGH—Caniac Nation couldn’t take another five-goal third period meltdown, and thankfully the ‘Canes provided an alternative – they lost this one the old-fashioned way. 39 shots on goal and a very late – like, 14 seconds left in the game late – Matt Cullen comeback bid didn’t pan out and the ‘Canes dropped their fifth in a row.
The entire game was a sideshow to the drama that unfolded in the first period, which saw Alex Ovechkin deliver an illegal blow and injure himself in the process. But while the Capitals recovered from the loss of their unequivocal leader, Carolina couldn’t muster enough to win after losing underrated defenseman Joe Corvo to injury.
***UPDATE: The ‘Canes announced this morning that Corvo will miss 8-10 weeks after undergoing surgery. He has been placed on injured reserve.***
Corvo got the scoring started four and a half minutes in on the power play when he scooped up a Tuomo Ruutu rebound and found a way around Jose Theodore.
Corvo strikes early in the first period, though would soon leave the ice with a sliced-up leg. Photo by Peggy Boone, IndyWeekBlogs
After that, Carolina players started dropping like flies. Less than a minute after his goal, Corvo sidestepped an innocent looking hit in front of his own bench from Washington’s Karl Alzner. But as Alzner skated away, Corvo clutched the back of his leg as Alzner’s skate cut it. He was helped back to the locker room, almost having to be carried by six Carolina trainers.
Corvo was taken to the hospital immediately to get the cut closed. Hopefully it isn’t too serious – the ‘Canes have had more than enough deep lacerations for one autumn.
Maurice knew just about as much as everyone else after the game, though he said it was a “significant” injury.
“He went to the hospital. He’s stable, he’s fine,” Mo said. “We won’t know the extent of the injury until the doctor looks at it and sees how deep it is and what [the blade] caught.”
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Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Ovechkin, hit, Joe Corvo, knee, laceration, Michael Leighton, Nicklas Backstrom, surgery, suspension, Tim Gleason, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
21 Mar 2009, 10:49 PM ·
3 Comments
RBC CENTER/ RALEIGH—The Carolina Hurricanes won their eighth in a row on home ice and third in a row overall against the Washington Capitals, 4-1. This time, Carolina was the tired team, having beaten the Islanders 5-4 at home last night. The Carolina defense came alive in the third to break a 1-1 tie with three goals.
The ‘Canes evened the six-game series against the Caps in the teams’ final regular season meeting, and if the season ended right now, the two teams would be facing each other in the playoffs. More importantly, the Hurricanes gained ground on Florida and Buffalo, which are on the outside looking in, and Montreal in eighth place. All three teams lost tonight.
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Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey 50th, Alexander Ovechkin, Anton Babchuk, Cam Ward, celebration, defense, empty netter, goal, Joe Corvo, Joni Pitkanen, Rod Brind'Amour, starts, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
21 Mar 2009, 2:25 AM ·
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RBC CENTER/ RALEIGH— During a day full of outrageous upsets, it looked like the RBC Center inhabitant that might be going places this spring might fall prey to the _ New York Islanders. Though the Islanders have settled firmly into last place in the league, the team has gone 4-1-1 in its last six and has beaten the likes of Chicago, New Jersey, and Montreal. The Carolina Hurricanes looked as though they might be the next to join that list after a lethargic second period, but the second line of Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen and Chad LaRose took the team on its back. Two goals each from Cullen and LaRose and one from Tuomo Ruutu allowed the ‘Canes to narrowly get by the Islanders, 5-4, and turn their focus onto the Capitals tonight.
Carolina started the scoring early when Cullen scored 44 seconds in. Cullen took a home-run pass that was misplayed by Islanders goaltender Peter Mannino and fired it easily into an empty net. LaRose made the score 2-0 with just over a minute left with a goal-scorer’s goal. LaRose patiently skated all the around Mannino, waiting for him to go down and for the top of the net to open up, then easily roofed it. The game appeared to be headed in the ‘Canes’ direction.
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Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey 5-4, back-to-back, Chad LaRose, comeback, Matt Cullen, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
12 Nov 2008, 10:02 PM ·
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Brandon Sutter (Gregg Forwerck, Carolina Hurricanes)
Brandon Sutter, Matt Cullen, and Joni Pitkanen all made surprising and simultaneous comebacks, giving the Hurricanes a line-up that was closer to normal than it has been on months. However, if this game was an indication of how their bolstered line-up is going to play, the ‘Canes are in deep trouble. If wunderkind Alexander Semin didn’t score it, he set it up, and the Hurricanes were crushed by a Southeast Division opponent in their second straight game.
“We’re only fooling ourselves if we think we’re playing the right way right now,” Scott Walker said after the game. “It’s not a matter of systems or design out there, you have to want to get back there, you have to want the puck. We’re just not getting it done, and it’s unacceptable.”
The Hurricanes are now missing only Patrick Eaves and Justin Williams from their ranks. The team couldn’t get anything going against the Capitals again and fell, 5-1, giving up the division lead and losing back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season. Those who were hoping for a quick fix didn’t get it; the Hurricanes obviously need time to gel and adjust after being without these players for so long.
Aside from Brandon Sutter, who boosted the Hurricanes’ penalty kill, Laviolette said he didn’t “think anyone really stood out” from the injured players in their first game back.
With Carolina employing both of its defensemen on the rush and pushing too far into the offensive zone – yet again – Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin slipped by on a two-on-one. Tim Gleason, stuck in the middle, went with the safer choice, attempting to sweep the puck off of NHL second leading scorer Semin. Gleason missed, and although Ovechkin is currently mired in a scoring slump, he hasn’t forgotten how to torture a Carolina goaltender. He forced Michael Leighton down and tossed the puck over his head effortlessly.
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Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Brandon Sutter, Scott Walker, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
6 Nov 2008, 10:46 PM ·
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Wow.
Just…wow.
The Hurricanes held a one-goal lead off a 3-on-1 Tuomo Ruutu goal with three minutes left in the game, and was assured of at least a point against the team that swiped the division lead out from under the ‘Canes last season. Alexander Semin (most unfortunate name in all of hockey? Quite possibly. And if you haven’t read his scathing criticism of superstar Sidney Crosby, check it out. Doesn’t he know that no one criticizes Crosby and lives to tell the tale?) scored with three minutes remaining to tie it up. Although the Hurricanes had been defensively sound throughout the game, they allowed Semin to sneak in with 11 seconds remaining and the left winger blasted a shot past Cam Ward. ‘Cane killer Alexander Ovechkin notched three assists, and Washington closed the gap on the division lead by two points. Washington has a game in hand.
Serving as the cherry on top of a devastating night, Semin’s follow-through struck Rod Brind’Amour in the face, and the captain limped off the ice, pouring blood. The play was entirely legal, and had no effect on the game-winning tally. The banged-up Brind’Amour will have to make a quick recovery and possibly find a face shield in order to log his customary 20-plus minutes against the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night.
This sudden collapse would not be so worrisome if the same thing had not happened a week ago against Edmonton, in which the Hurricanes surrendered another late lead. The Washington game proved to be a polar opposite of Tuesday night’s rematch against Toronto, in which the Hurricanes played a near-perfect first period and held on against an explosive Toronto offense to win in overtime. Aside from the recently-returned Scott Walker’s early goal, the ‘Canes failed to assert themselves in the first period, and instead relied on another strong game by their grinders. Ruutu and Walker provided the offense instead of All-Star hopefuls Brind’Amour, Eric Staal, and Whitney. Brind’Amour and Staal were held without points for the second straight game.
An otherwise good effort by the Hurricanes was wasted as they fell to the pesky Capitals, the team’s strongest contender for the Southeast Division title…and that invaluable guaranteed top-3 seed. The Hurricanes will have a chance to redeem themselves tomorrow night at home, where they are 2-2, against the Ottawa Senators.
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, face injury, Rod Brind'Amour, Tuomo Ruutu, Washington Capitals
Kate Shefte ·
24 Sep 2008, 11:03 PM ·
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Joni Pitkanen scored the lone goal in a game in which the Hurricanes failed to take revenge on the team that, just under four months ago, claimed their spot in the postseason. Tomas Fleischmann tallied two goals for the Capitals.
Neither team’s offensive juggernauts dressed for the game – Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour sat out, and Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom didn’t make the trip to Raleigh – though Washington had no trouble generating offense. Most of Carolina’s core defensemen were in the line-up, and all had NHL experience.
Instead of pointing fingers at the team’s defense or youth, Laviolette criticized the overall worth ethic.
“More concerning was the fact that we got outcompeted for about 50 minutes,” head coach Peter Laviolette said.
Most concerning of all is that the preseason injury bug seems to have attacked the Hurricanes yet again. Tim Gleason, the team’s No. 1 stay-at-home defenseman, left with a leg injury and didn’t return. Laviolette that the leg is being evaluated, but that “it’s probably going to be a little bit of time.”
Laviolette praised Pitkanen, making his first appearance as a ‘Cane, but few others - not a good thing to hear if you have yet to secure a roster spot.
“I thought Jeff (O’Neill) started strong, and then the game just started to get sloppy,” Laviolette said. “I didn’t think he was bad, but everyone needed to be better.”
Despite the growing rivalry between the two Southeastern division teams and the large number of players trying to prove themselves, no fights broke out. Ryan Bayda and Matt Murley played well and Scott Walker looked particularly refreshed, even though he was skating alongside guys who were nearly half his age.
Cam Ward split goaltending duties with Justin Peters. Both allowed two goals, and Ward was disappointed by his own performance.
“At the end of the day it was just an exhibition game, but we definitely wanted to put forth a stronger effort,” Ward said.
The Canes will have a chance to rebound immediately, as they travel to face the Capitals again tomorrow night.
“Obviously we’ve got to get a little more work ethic, but that will come,” team hopeful Brandon Sutter said. “I don’t think we have to worry about it.”
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey Brandon Sutter, Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes, Peter Laviolette, Tim Gleason, Washington Capitals
