Defining moment
Jan 29, 2009
It's January 29th and the Carolina Hurricanes are about to play a game with the urgency of a deciding playoff match. Or at least one would hope that's the case.
Teams that play games under these conditions at this stage of the season have played down enough during the season to create a sense of peril with a large portion of the schedule still on tap. After all, we still have four-and-a-half-weeks to go until we get to the trading deadline.
But the reality is the Canes wake up this morning in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Albeit by a point or two, they sit outside the party. We have stated here and have felt for a while that this stretch (this being game two) of six games, four on the road again, would define their season.
How would the Hurricanes pass this test? Tonight is the springboard. It's really hard to hang the ultimate circumstances on a game in late January, and we won't do that, but there is a gut-wrenching feeling that a lot hinges on the two-point outcome tonight.
The league opened its doors on Tuesday night and since then the group of four that battle for two spots in the East have already had their defining moments.
The Buffalo Sabres face the most difficult schedule pre- and post-All-Star break. They started the business trip with a cathartic release of 10 goals in Edmonton on Tuesday. They appeared to run out of gas in Calgary Wednesday night but they will take a split in a very difficult back-to-back scenario.
The Florida Panthers met the challenge of the Philadelphia Flyers at home on Tuesday to the tune of a 3-2 win. They struggled going into the break dropping a couple of home games but did not leave their game on the "beach" and answered the call. The Pittsburgh Penguins sporting a relatively healthy line up hosted the N.Y. Rangers last night. They grinded through a 1-1 40 minutes and then exploded through the third, led by Sid "the young man" Crosby's four-point leadership factor.
Now it's our local hero's turn. What do they do tonight? They play a vastly improved Tampa lot that has won three straight, six of eight and have gone 10-5-1 in their last 16. This is a team that has 10 phony losses. Ten decisions in overtime or shoot out. Imagine where the Lightning would be if half of those were regulation wins.
It's a stiff challenge but it's at home. Don't even start to think about four points at home with the Thrashers here on Saturday; this is one that can't get looked by. The Hurricanes have already come up short in New York on Tuesday.
For a team that has been building a case on the defensive side of the puck since early December, their first few minutes were extremely poor. Defensemen getting caught out of position, rebounds not taken care of and forwards blowing by their coverage it was all there.
They seem to point to the power play as a way to jump-start their game. It is a point well taken but the Hurricanes at five-on-five are not playing with enough conviction or creativity to give them the confidence to succeed on the PP which seized up and slowed down four times in the Big Apple.
In the case of Buffalo, Florida and Pittsburgh ,their best players were central figures in their wins. For the Canes' perennial All-Star it was another game below his standards. For him, tonight's game is not a flash in the pan hat trick game but an opportunity for Eric Staal to recapture his form from the Igloo last week and be "that guy" consistently moving forward.
Their season will begin to be defined tonight. The Hurricanes have somewhat of their destiny in their hands. The more they slip out of the playoff mix, the less defined it gets.
Tonight is a start, to hopefully a great finish.
ETC:... Nic Wallin (ankle) did skate Wednesday. His prognosis is far better than first expected in Pittsburgh a week ago. At that time it was speculated that he may have a recurrence of a high ankle sprain. It appears that is not true. He will likely not play the two home games but will travel west with the team on Sunday. Scott Walker (head) will not play tonight after feeling a bit groggy after Tuesday's game. He is day-to-day.
Michael Ryan who is an AHL all-star and has been red-hot goal scoring at that level has been recalled. A choice between him or Wade Brookbank will have to be made. I'm sure the Canes will go to Ryan but a case can be made for Brookbank, who has been sitting and waiting for long while. Tampa does sport a line up with some thump and toughness, it might be time to call his number.
Peace!
