Two things bother me most about the Canes 3-0 loss against Tampa on Friday night.
First, why is it the only time this team can ever muster up any desperation is when things are already 2 steps past desperate...March when you are mostly out of the playoff chase...in the 3rd period after you are down 2-0 and it is probably too late...etc.
Second, I am growing increasingly concerned that the Canes scoring problems are not a matter of players being in slumps but rather a system that just cannot generate enough high quality chances. I am on record as saying that a key to success this season was the ability to tighten things up defensively such that the team could play some 2-2 games where it was not their best night and pick up a point or even 2 when it did not play lights out. And despite the recent slide, I think the team has made progress in this regard. In fact, way back when (3 weeks ago) when the team was winning or at least collecting OTL points that is exactly what was happening. But I am growing increasingly concerned that in jettisoning all of the puck-moving/offense-oriented defensemen and really only adding 1 back (Murphy) and in adjusting the defensive zone scheme to fairly regularly put 5 players within a stride and a half of the paint to defend the front of the net that the team has virtually no ability to move the puck up ice at much better than 2 versus 3. Quick questions: When was the last time the Canes got an easy goal? How many do you figure the team has total this entire season? And relative to how many odd man rushes our opponents have had, how many do you figure the Canes have had? I continue to hold out hope that it is just a matter of getting Skinner back in the lineup to drive the 3rd line and getting a couple other players going, but I am less and less certain of that.
For those that did not see the game, I would summarize it like this:
1st period: Canes do not come out with any noticeable desperation or anything real good, but they are generally the better team. The Canes fail to capitalize on a couple power plays and have a couple more of the bad blue line turnovers (Semin and Sutter) both with Stamkos on the ice which is obviously bad timing and very easily could have led to the usual 1st period deficit. But the team gets out of the 1st period at 0-0 which at the time feels like a minor victory as bad as the 1st period has been to the team this season.
2nd period: The ice starts to tilt the other way. Tampa is generally better, and when a fluky intended pass off the end boards finds its way off Peters' back side and in, things turn spring of 2013. Eric Staal takes a penalty (he would have 2 on the night) literally within 6 seconds after the goal and the slide continues. The Canes seemed to be chucking the puck at the net here and there but too many shots were the far out, no one to pass to, no traffic on the way to the net variety.
3rd period: Awhile back the Canes played a couple real good 3rd periods to salvage points in games that started slow. This one just got slower. Down 1 to start the 3rd period, the Canes got outshot 11-2 with 0 shots at even strength up to the point where Tampa scored its 2nd goal to gain some breathing room. Per my comments above, only AFTER things became real desperate did the Canes start to play with that kind of attitude registering a whopping 12 shots on goal in the last 12ish minutes of the game mostly with the game out of reach, especially after the Lightning scored their 3rd goal.
The negative story lines are much the same:
--Tampa's top duo of Stamkos and St. Louis were on the ice for 2 goals for, and with the goose egg total the Canes best players did not tally anything. Eric Staal had a real rough night picking up 2 more minor penalties, an earned minus 2 and no scoring points. His half-hearted checking effort was directly involved in the Stamkos goal. Stamkos entered the offensive zone with Staal in front of him. Despite having help behind him, EStaal did nothing to impede or pressure him. Stamkos entered the zone with a head of steam and crisply moved the puck to Killorn. EStaal continued on the path to backcheck Killorn with an intensity level of about 40% that gave him time and a passing lane to find Stamkos who just kept cruising to the open ice and ultimately a goal.
--None of the 2nd tier players are doing much either. In no way can I fault Ruutu's effort. He enters and is reasonably successful at winning puck battles, but he just has not been a difference-maker in any of the 8 games he has played.
--I actually thought the power play looked decent Friday night, but when you have lost 3 in a row, you need results not progress.
--Lack of someone anyone stepping up to make a huge play. Nathan Gerbe has been the closest and only (outside Skinner who is not in the lineup) thing the Canes have to being a clutch player so far this season. "Only" is damning commentary about the rest of the forwards in terms of notching even an occasional needed goal. This game went 30 minutes deep where any kind of single play could have turned it in the Canes favor.
A few positives:
--Manny Malhotra. I am not a huge fan of the shuffling players on and off the ice for short shifts, trying to dictate matchups, etc. but Muller's use of Malhotra in a wing slot to take a huge number of defensive zone draws did pay off with more puck possession. He was an impressive 15 of 20 overall on faceoffs and 10 of 12 in the defensive zone many of the variety where he came on specifically to win a faceoff, accomplished exactly that taking the RW's place on the ice and then went back over the boards to be replaced by that wing. Ultimately the players in the top half of the roster need to step up to win games. Malhotra is no savior in this regard. But in the narrow role assigned to him, he was incredibly good Friday night.
--Ryan Murphy. He was real good with his stick, most notably rendering 1 of the 2-on-1s harmless and played a solid game overall.
--Justin Peters. I would not say he was great Friday, but in no way can you hang this loss on him. Tampa did not score until the midway point of the game and then Peters gave his team until about 48 minutes into the game to score a single goal to pull even, but even that was too much. So when I say that I hope the team gives Mike Murphy his chance on Saturday in New York, it is not commentary on Justin Peters' blame level but rather just a chance to try something else. He is not the problem right now. Bigger things are. But the Canes are now 0-4 with him in net, so I see no reason why it is not time to #FreeMikeMurphy.
Per my yammering on Twitter, Mike Murphy has a very strange set of limited NHL stats. In 2 games (both in relief) his record is 0-1. But here's the thing. He has saved all 9 shots he has faced for a 0.00 GAA and a 1.000 Sv%. In a strange set of hockey score keeping and win/loss determination, he lost for being the goalie of record on an empty net goal. The Canes were losing to Calgary 6-4 when they pulled Murphy for an extra attacker. Calgary then scored to make it 7-4. The Canes then went on to score 2 goals in the last minute to close the game out with a 7-6 loss making the 7th goal scored into an empty net the game decider and therefore Murphy the goalie of record.
With nothing else working, I put Mike Murphy in net Saturday as an appeal to the hockey gods who cannot possibly have a player's only NHL stats be a loss without allowing a goal. But then with the way things are going for the Canes will they just paste 5 goals on him making his then 0-2 record seem right?
Mike Murphy aside, I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Canes best players need to be better than someone else to win. I voted a few games back to separate Eric Staal and Alexander Semin. After watching press conference after press conference last season with Muller repeating the need to stick to it, play the system, etc, etc. as losses piled up, I think stubbornness is 1 of Muller's shortcomings. He seems to have a tendency to rationalize what should work and then stick to it. Eric Staal + Alexander Semin should work. And actually Eric Staal + Alexander eventually will work. But sometimes in the NHL when you hit 1 of those stretches where it just is not working, you need to think creatively outside the box, let go of your plan and find small bits of magic to eek out a few points here and there during the dark days, so that when the good days return it is not already too late.
I should get up a Rangers game preview by late morning tomorrow before my afternoon gets busy.
Twitter=@CarolinaMatt63
Go Canes!