• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

GDT: Canes v. Islanders 4/22 7:30

A

andyt

Canes Moderator
Staff member
Canes need a better effort in game 2.

To a man, the Canes said all the right things after the game. The win was good but the process was broken. The Canes were outshot by a wide margin, giving up 34 shots while only getting 26 on goal and half of them were in the 3rd period. Surprisingly, the Canes outhit the Islanders, 27-19 with Staal leading the way with 8. Svech had 5 hits to go along with a team high 6 shots on goal. Aho’s line was held to 4 shots with Jarvis generating 3 of them, he swapped lines with Svech for a bit to try to get them moving. Aho had 1 shot and 4 attempts, Guentzel didn’t register a shot on goal and only had 4 attempts, 3 of which missed the net. Aho also had 4 giveaways, half of the team’s total. Fast didn’t practice yesterday, so he’s out, RBA said he won’t play until he’s had a practice. The lines were as they started the game, not how they finished. Andersen also didn’t practice but we should see him again tonight.

The Islanders liked everything about their game except the result. They had allowed at least 40 shots on goal in the first 3 regular season games, so shot suppression was a big focus. Their top line of Cizikas/Horvat/Barzal had 12 of their 34 shots. JG Pageau is still listed as day to day but is expected to play tonight.

Note the later start time. Bally Sports South and ESPN2 for TV.
 
Hope the Canes find their puck-possession game for game 2. The PNC was notably quiet during the dismal 2nd period on Saturday, so let's get the place going tonight.
 
I thought Aho and Guentzel were pushing it too much, trying to wedge into spaces that weren't really there. That's fine. If you have an off night because you're forcing things, it's better than having a bad night because you're too passive. I hope Svech can stick on that line for a while, for the record. I like the all action mix with Jarvis on the 1st line, but Svech adds some size and against most of the playoff teams that's going to be a plus. Also, I love what Jarvis does to that Staal line.

As for the arena during the 2nd period ... I thought the arena was noticeably sloshed by then. Drunk people eventually get sleepy and a lot of that crowd had been going at it for a full work day by then. Mix in an energy drink.
 
BTW ... I got to Game 1 WAY too early because the anticipated traffic issues were either non-existent or happened well after I parked. Tonight, if past patterns hold, should be a "normal" night for entering and leaving the arena. So watch it bite me in the butt when I leave the house 45-60 minutes before puck drop.
 
A Saturday Game 1 with great weather spread out the arrivals enough it would have taken a serious effort by PNC parking to screw it up... not that they haven't "tried" before. We got there when "lots opened" about 2pm and our 6000 lot at least already seemed half full :) We have a pretty simple ingress pattern into West Premier lot across from the Backyard Bistro entrance, so I didn't notice any surprises on that account.

Game-wise, I think the Svech/Jarvis line placement can work either way, at least at home, so keep 'em guessing and go with what's working that day. On the road, you may have to see if you need the bigger body on the top line helping those guys out depending on matchup, rather than having all 3 'heavy' players on Staal's line. Although Jarvy's certainly game for going into the nasty areas as well, we do need the kid to hold up for 20-ish more games.
 
Last edited:
We enjoyed an extra early day Saturday and were in the East lot at 11:45am and the PNC parking crew were already well in place. Had a good chuckle when Dandy Don Waddell stopped his truck and yelled out at our group "hey, you guys are not supposed to be drinking out here this early" :)...I agree with JB that when you get an extra early start with the tailgate it can lead to some sleepy folks and that second period was the mixer to help with that. I was happy to see Rod flip Svech off the Staal line after two, Aho was a giveaway machine quite a bit and was pressing way too much Saturday, Svech on that line did seem to settle things a bit for both of those lines. That huge save or two early third by Freddy was the difference in a close game, Isles score there early they likely could have stole that game.

I expect a different Canes team to come out tonight, I think the offensive chances will be there more than Saturday, especially if the Canes can pad a lead early and make the Islanders change their game a bit to open things up.
 
We got to our usual spot in the East 2000 lot about 12:45 and joined our crew that had gotten there around noon. I was surprised at how empty the lot was.
 
Traffic alert for today, something to keep an eye on. Crews were repairing a gas main leak on Blue Ridge Rd. near the intersection with Ed Dr., near Rex Hospital. The main was repaired but they have to fill the hole. It might cause delays later on and could affect traffic on Southbound Edwards Mill too.
 
polarbare said:
Looks like Pageau stayed out with the scratches for tonight so not expected he's still out.
Click to expand...
They could really use his speed in the lineup. Even though that line scored the Isles' goal the other night, McLean playing with Lee and Engvall just makes that line very, very slow. Not to mention that it leaves their fourth line without a proper centerman ... leaving a matchup that Carolina really took advantage of in Game 1. I know they like having Matt Martin's snarl in the lineup, but it leaves them in the same mess they were in last year. He just can't keep up with Carolina's 4th liners. If anything, it's an even more glaring issue this year.
 
andyt said:
Traffic alert for today, something to keep an eye on. Crews were repairing a gas main leak on Blue Ridge Rd. near the intersection with Ed Dr., near Rex Hospital. The main was repaired but they have to fill the hole. It might cause delays later on and could affect traffic on Southbound Edwards Mill too.
Click to expand...
I live right there. I just walked out and it's pretty normal. They've had the northbound lane closed for a few days anyway, so no change there from the weekend. Once the medical offices on Ed Drive close, you don't get much left turn traffic southbound there, so by 5:30 or so it should be no problem. Y'all should be in the lot by then anyway.
 
Something to watch for from a review of some of the stats guys' breakdowns of Game 1. One thing Carolina has gotten better at since adding Guentzel (and to a lesser degree, Kuznetsov) has been finishing off the rush, and that's something NYI was pretty bad at defending for most of the season. In Game 1, the Canes generated some rush offense but were too often caught up in making just the right pass to actually get the puck on net. No shock there, since that's been a season-long buggaboo for this team. Something to look for early is whether or not the Canes adjust and get more shots on net when they have chances with speed instead of getting sucked into making risky combo passes that slow down the play and give the Isles's slower defenders a chance to recover. Specifically, I'll be looking at the Aho and KK lines for this.
 
andyt said:
RBA says Andersen in goal
Click to expand...
I’m a little surprised. But I guess riding a guy who is prone to injury is a little easier in the playoffs with all the off days, and Pyotr usually doesn’t have ill effects from sitting on the bench.
 
The lines in warmups are as they finished Saturday.

Guentzel - Aho - Svechnikov
Teravainen - Kotkaniemi - Necas
Martinook - Staal - Jarvis
Drury - Kuznetsov - Noesen

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Orlov - Chatfield
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top