Another Test
Jan 9, 2009
So here we in Boston. It's frigid, the forecast calls for a 10-inch snow storm tomorrow and the Canes will be part of another matinee at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Canes have been close in two games versus one of the East's elite. There is a couple of ways to look at it. The optimist would say "good enough to win", the pessimist might opt for "good enough to lose." In both cases, the Bruins were the team to be had. On December 20th, another winter mix falling outside and it was the B's who especially early in the game were not very good. As a matter of fact they were stale, but the Canes could not finish them off. On December 27th in Raleigh, the Canes were coming off a come from behind win in Atlanta the night before and the Bruins were waiting for them in Raleigh. They were the club that hadn't played since enjoying their Christmas feasts. Again, it was partial sale with no closure for the Canes. Tomorrow, I don't think they will be afforded that chance. You see the Bruins have lost two of their last three. That gives them four regulation losses since November 1st. They are not used to this.They did win on Thursday against Ottawa. But it wasn't a complete game and their coach let them know about that today. So for the Canes who have systematically found success of late, their system let them down on Thursday. Playing a positional game defensively without a physical edge won't cut the mustard, especially in tomorrow's tilt. As a team to react to the Bruins and play with physical presence will be paramount to pass the team test.
There will also be some individual tests to be passed. Carolina's all-star will have to be just that. Eric Staal was basically held in check by Jay Bouwmeester of Florida. In a battle of 2009 all-stars it was the Florida d-man that matched number 12, shift for shift. Not until the very end of the game when Staal found another gear and became a dominant force. Tomorrow, it gets tougher when he sees Zdeno Chara shift after shift. When you are one of the best forwards on the ice this it what you see every game. Staal is used to this, but for the Canes to have success he needs to be on his game from the start against a guy that will probably win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.
But what if the "Big Bad Bruin" blue liner does his thing. It won't be a surprise, but it does lead us to the next exam. Paul Maurice made a move on Friday. He placed Matt Cullen in Rod Brind'Amour's spot with Ray Whitney and Justin Williams. This line could be the key in terms of getting the Staal line going too. Somehow the Hurricanes need to have a scoring presence or at least a threat from this line or the captain's new trio with Chad LaRose and Scott Walker. If this happens, it will push Boston back defensively and the Hurricanes could have enough to get the win. If not, Chara is too good and so is the rest of Boston's team defensive game and it could be "no sale" again.
The Hurricanes will be without Tim Gleason. At this writing it is undetermined what his status is. But I can tell you he very unlikely to play against the Bruins. That will force Maurice to find a man ready to "step up" and handle the minutes and defensive responsibilities of Gleason. Nic Wallin appears to be that guy. He is healthy and is longing for more minutes. He will get that along side Joe Corvo. Corvo, had one his worse defensive games on Thursday. The same can be said for Dennis Seidenberg. Both of those players have been consistently good and have been growing with confidence. The test will be the bounce back factor against a very good team that can throw three scoring and sometimes four scoring lines at you.
The Hurricanes chased the scoreboard in the third period against the Panthers. For the most part they haven't had to do that. For virtually every game of the new coach's tenure they have been tied or had the lead. They have been able to dictate their team identity. It's easy to play their style if they get the lead. That was not the case in the third period last night. they opened up and some mistakes were made.
Tomorrow is their chance for team redemption. This league is full of tests on game in and game out basis. For the Hurricanes a passing grade tomorrow will be a continued step in the right direction maybe a huge one. Coming up short will be something the Hurricanes need to avoid at all costs.
Enjoy the game!
