When you net it out, Friday's results in a must-win game against the Rangers make Tuesday's exciting and hard-fought overtime win in San Jose look like a step 2 points in wrong direction in the draft positioning race.
And by itself Friday was just another tough 1 to take as a Canes fan. Through 2 periods, the Canes really had no business winning a hockey game, but mostly through the heroics of Anton Khudobin with a little help from some shot blocking, clearing pucks and some survival mode desperation in their own end, they were very much in a position to do just that. The margin for error was not big with a 1-0 lead, but the opportunity was definitely there. All it did was put the ball on the tee for an agonizing 3rd period loss that featured the full gamut of problems. The power play played its way to a minus 1 again tonight. The 5-on-3 game-winner put a bright spotlight on the Canes inability to capitalize and seize a commanding 2-goal lead with the same advantage in the 2nd period. The attention to detail and making little plays completely disappeared. And the costly mistakes crept in. When it was all said and done, it was hard, for me anyway, to really even leave angry. It felt more like shell-shocked and stunned.
Fittingly, I think the camel that was the team's season finally collapsed for good under the weight of a couple more straws from special teams, more specifically the power play. Sure there was a bunch of other hockey, but I think the highlight version of the game was. --Canes up 1-0 but unable to capitalize on a sizable 5-on-3 left the Rangers in it. --Off to a decent start in the 3rd, the Canes power play somehow managed to give up a 3-on-2 rush (with no 3rd player even remotely close to being in the play for the Canes) to let the Rangers back in it. --The Rangers finally climb over the top with the 5-on-3 tally that eluded the canes earlier.
The other version of the summary would be to tally the Canes failures to make little plays and avoid costly miscues in the 3rd period. --On the power play Eric Staal as 3rd forward in gets caught too deep seemingly worn out (seems like that was why he made no ever to catch up with McDonaugh when the Rangers were off to the races). --Anton Khudobin, who overall deserved much much better, made his 1 miscue of the game at an inopportune time getting beat 5-hole off the rush to make it 1-1. --The combination of Jiri Tlusty and Eric Staal fail to get a puck out of the zone and find themselves on the wrong side of the puck 4-on-4 which quickly leads to a goal against to again give away a 1-goal 3rd period lead without making the Rangers earn it the hard way. Tlusty had the puck on his stick and failed to get it out of the zone. With a 1-goal lead and playing 4-on-4, Eric Staal got too far up the ice before making sure the puck even got out. When it did not, both Canes forwards were left behind the play with Staal floating in behind the eventual goal scorer on his side of the ice only as he was throwing up his arms in celebration. --With the puck on his stick on no pressure whatsoever, Ron Hainsey flipped the puck over the glass to give the Rangers a power play with 4 minutes left. --Brett Bellemore (admittedly with a bit more pressure) does the same resulting in a 2-man Ranger advantage that nets the game-winner. --About 40 seconds into the 5-on-3 kill with the Canes surviving but desperately needing a set of fresh legs on the ice, Khudobin failed to corral a shot that went off him and trickled around the net. Without a needed whistle it was just a matter of time before the skill on the Rangers power play picked them apart.
A few notes:
--Anton Khudobin. He was generally phenomenal. He deserved better. And he was the only reason the Canes were even in the game entering the 3rd period. This said, he was part of the failure to slam the door shut in the 3rd period with a couple key plays in which he could have been better.
--Eric Staal. Disappointing. Maybe tomorrow I will go back and watch a couple plays again. Arguably the biggest play of the game was Rangers' shorthanded tally to pull even at 1-1. Staal was the 1st Cane out of the big scrum but just seemed to have nothing in the tank to even attempt to chase McDonaugh up the ice. How the Rangers managed to get 3 of their 4 players up the ice before we could get a single forward even in the picture is puzzling. Maybe EStaal's shift was just too long? He also factored in the 2nd goal against per my comments above when he pushed too far forward 4-on-4 before Tlusty (pretty sure it was him) was able to get the puck out of the defensive zone. At that point, EStaal was the forward coming back into the picture AFTER the goal was scored.
--Jeff Skinner. You have to give him credit for scoring on the penalty shot. At the time, it was a huge, clutch goal.
--Ryan Murphy. Jumping back up to the NHL level in a big game, he was impressive. He pretty much avoided any big mistakes and was effective rushing the puck up the ice all night. The only goal against while he was on the ice was the empty-netter, and he actually managed to get his stick on that shot but with no luck.
--The power play. I am at the point where I wish I could withhold my season ticket renewal until being guaranteed that someone else would be in charge of it next year. Not only is it not scoring, but it is now a minus 4 since the Olympic break.
The Canes get another quick turnaround and test of character with a game against old friend Tuomo Ruutu in New Jersey on Saturday night. It is not so much that I want the team to fail the test, but I think I am about at the point where losses when I am not watching in person are not at all the worst thing given the positive in terms of draft order.
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