Matt Karash: Canes Game #6: Quick Pho thoughts + bigger picture on Canes through 6

The breakout from the defensive zone is painful to watch. Tough to generate offense when you are never entering the offensive zone with speed or numbers. Not sure how that gets fixed, but it's been frustrating to watch.

This is where the team misses Pits skating the puck up ,and now Murphy is the only Dman who can ,and seeming easy when he want's ,but Imo he's not given the green light by Muller to do this ,because of who ever the high forward is at the time simply doesn't recognize Murphy is up with the puck which is s stupid mistake ,and vs the Yotes the forwards we horrible defensively along with the refs giving the Canes a fecking with those horrible calls anyway the line up per twitter is:

Ruutu/Staal/Semin
Tlusty/Staal/Gerbe
Skinner/Nash/Dwyer
Bowman/Sutter/Dvorak

Here are my observations for the last 2 games... feel free to agree/disagree/criticize/love/hate, etc.

-I said it before and I'll say it again, the 2013/14 Carolina Hurricanes will not make the playoffs unless their PP is top 10 in the league for the season.

-The growing pains of becoming a great team game after game, month after month, year after year. The team needs to learn how to play 60 minutes of hockey every night (the great teams do this: Pit, Chi, LA, Bos) and can win the hard games when they do not have their best effort from everybody, and when injuries kick in and yada yada yada.

-The penalties, now I understand they will happen, but I'm more aggravated by the choice of the penalty. Stick infraction penalties show one thing - you are not moving your feet and therefore try to slow down the opposing player (illegally) with your stick and not your body. I would be much happier watching the opposing goalie getting trampled over and sitting for 2 vs attaching your hockey stick the the skaters waist and hooking him, at least an interference penalty is merited. Our PK is much improved from last season, but the best PK is the one that's not on the ice... Semin's BS hooking led to the first goal of the game, Harrison's trip (against Was) led to a goal, etc, etc. If we are going to give up a penalty at least drive somebody into the boards, earn your 2 minutes in the box.

An aside to the penalty rant... as was the case last season, this year's team is not tough to play against. We do not throw the body around at all, the exception being against LA when Komi was playing, and now that Ruutu is back hopefully we start hitting... but it's blatantly obvious we do not try and stand anybody up when they cross our blue line. I don't think this bodes well for us over the 82 game season.

-The 1st line, I think I commented on an earlier blog by Matt stating my concern. I believe I said something to the effect of the other 29 teams that have hundreds of hours of video tape of last season's Tlusty-Staal-Semin.... yea, it's starting to show.

I'll end there, I could go player by player, but don't want to come across too negative. Those were a tough 2 games against two really good teams, but bottom line is we should have came out with 4 pts.

Well, 1st..Good Blog - Matt, 2nd yup there is a lot of work to do, and yet there are some bright spots... Those RIDICULOUSLY ABSURD "Embellishment" calls have pissed everybody off (that were paying attention)! I just don't get how any objective referee could make any of those calls! When someone is tripped, how can you not fall down? Semin's neck/ head getting cross-checked by ovenchickin nearly took his head off, and "he's not suppose to fall down?" Any argument about the number of penalties one team has vs the other is silly...if it's a penalty...then call it, but these diving calls are (at least the ones i've see this year) are BOGUS! Players, and refs have bad games, but these diving calls seem to be intentional, and unwarranted! As Matt said, there are things that need work, and some positive signs, as well.
Any word on Dobby?

Any word on Dobby?
- randycane

Put on IR till next week probably and Peters was recalled on emergency basis.

Put on IR till next week probably and Peters was recalled on emergency basis.
- ward30nhl

Skinner should be with Staal and Semin for starters, R. Murphy is getting better every game and Muller should give him the green light, he really can skate it. Semin has to be better, just seems off. Khudobin has been terrific and hope the injury is not serious. The competition he provides Ward should only be considered healthy and in the team's best interest. Love the way Gerbe complets, just need Semin to match the effort. Skinner and Tlusty should trade spots at least for a few games and see where it goes.

I am back with my new avitar, lol Anyway you can change you user name without having to open a new account and pay twice??

I am back with my new avitar, lol Anyway you can change you user name without having to open a new account and pay twice??
- flyerdude17

You paid? duh!!!

Marty Biron and Aarron Asham are on waivers. Canes' should pick up Biron if the price is right. Sorry, NOT a Peters fan here, and the team is in trouble unless the goaltending improves. Ward must find his game, and quick or its curtains I'm afraid.

Marty Biron and Aarron Asham are on waivers. Canes' should pick up Biron if the price is right. Sorry, NOT a Peters fan here, and the team is in trouble unless the goaltending improves. Ward must find his game, and quick or its curtains I'm afraid.
- CappyJr.

Peters may not be the answer, but i doubt Biron is any better...

On the puck movement thing:

That and the power play are the most glaring system problems. This team very much reminds me of the 2005-06 team in terms of puck moving ability. That team arguably had even less talent in terms of the D moving the puck up the ice. Of FKaberle/Ward, Hedican/Commodore, Wesley/Wallin you had at most 2 puck-moving types and even that is debatable. FKaberle would qualify and Hedican you could give credit because his skating ability enabled him to get started in a hurry but he really was not a maneuvering puck-carrying type in the pure sense of the word. Yes this team was 1 of the 2 (Buffalo the other) fastest teams up the ice in transition in the entire league. How? It was a heady bunch of forwards who presented quick/short/safe outlets to quickly get the puck going north/south in a different place from where the forecheck originally focused its efforts. With 1 quick 15-foot pass to Cory Stillman or Ray Whitney, you very quickly had 2 forecheckers taking the wrong angle at where the puck used to be and a passing-capable forward sizing up options down the ice. The result was the chance for passes to spring breakaways but more significantly after the first pass, the players in the neutral zone had to back up in a hurry and create a bunch of skating room for fear of having the puck suddenly behind them.

When I watch the Canes struggle for stretches moving the puck from their own end it too often looks like the forwards flew the zone hoping the puck will show up when they reach the other blue line. Minus Joni Pitkanen to singlehandedly take care of 25 minutes/night of moving the puck up the ice, the forwards need to better support defensemen with the puck on their stick in their own end. Dvorak gets this. Dwyer usually does too. But I think too many of the others fail in the role of providing a 2nd stick to quickly get the puck moving north-south in a different lane than where the forecheck originally targeted.

Hopefully the top line gets it going, skinner continues to score, and for some of are injured guys to get better ie: lindholm(already a fan after 5 games), Gleason, knuboin, pitkanen(it would take a Christmas miracle for him to play a full season)