The Canes interrupt a perfectly good road trip to host the defending cup champs tonight, since the schedule monkey is clearly crack-addled and has a sick sense of humor to boot. The foe is familiar of course, and not just because of all the TV time they got last spring. Carolina dropped a 4-1 decision in Denver on Saturday, in yet another display of their lack of overall offensive sharpness and shaky special teams. Frankly, we've become accustomed to the former over the last 9 months or so, but the special teams issues are really an issue. 78% on the kill is WELL below Rod Brind'Amour's standards, and the PP is famously chugging along at 16% ... and by chugging I mean struggling like a early 70s VW Bug with a thrown rod. It's moving, but it ain't pretty.
Carolina rebounded from that loss to the Avs with a 3-0 win in Chicago, but they honestly didn't earn the scoreline. Kuchetkov was great in net while Mrazek was awful in the Chicago crease, accounting for the scoreline. Meanwhile Colorado spent the interim period losing at home to a scruffy Blues team to break a 4 game win streak. The Avs, like the Canes sit 3rd in their Division ... so what we have here is two good teams that aren't really hitting on much in the early going.
Also, I can't wait to see what new twists the traffic control goblins at the PNC have in store for us tonight. The Blue Ridge Rd construction seems to have broken their will to live.
Carolina rebounded from that loss to the Avs with a 3-0 win in Chicago, but they honestly didn't earn the scoreline. Kuchetkov was great in net while Mrazek was awful in the Chicago crease, accounting for the scoreline. Meanwhile Colorado spent the interim period losing at home to a scruffy Blues team to break a 4 game win streak. The Avs, like the Canes sit 3rd in their Division ... so what we have here is two good teams that aren't really hitting on much in the early going.
Also, I can't wait to see what new twists the traffic control goblins at the PNC have in store for us tonight. The Blue Ridge Rd construction seems to have broken their will to live.