Preseason Games 2017

[gocanes0506]

1 hour ago, wxray1 said:

Nice dig by the Oil announcers on us, blaming the lack of Skinner awareness in the league on the Carolina fans.  Excellent.  Good job, jerks.

 

"Nobody knows about sneaky Skinner because Carolina is dead last in attendance."

 

I mean, what?  Maybe you guys -- you the NHL media who all circle Matthews in Toronto -- need to get out a bit, eh?  Eh?  Oh yeah, and learn how to score a game.  When the Oil score, you are supposed to put a  "1" next to the EDM logo.  Is that too hard?

Are they wrong? Our lack of a good market  and success has kept the talents of Skinner, Slavin, pesce and Aho on the down low.  

[gocanes0506]

As expected.  The results of playing a glorified AHL defense.  Having rask held down most of the preseason concerns me about his movement towards a number 1.  

[OBXer]

Tough Night.  Can we see the big boys play next game

[wxray1]

7 hours ago, gocanes0506 said:

Are they wrong? Our lack of a good market  and success has kept the talents of Skinner, Slavin, pesce and Aho on the down low.  

Because the lazy reporters have nothing better to do but talk about moving Carolina to Q.C.  They are not doing their job.  They come down here from Canada, don't pay attention to the game, and obsess over the phantom move instead.

 

But then again, today's journalists rely on reading fan reactions on twitter.

 

So, yeah, you are correct.  The bad attendance does keep Skinner on the down low.  This is absolutely true.  They are absolutely right.

 

I guess I'm just old, gocanes0506.  I remember a day when sports journalism dug deep.  Articles were interesting to read.  I loved my Cubs, but would religiously watch "This Week in Baseball" by Mel Allen.  He was the Yankees announcer, a team I hated, but I put up with my disdain to watch his excellent summary of the week in baseball.  Yep, got to hear about obscure players from the worst teams all the time.  It didn't slip under Mel's-- or the other baseball journalist's -- radar.

Edited September 28, 2017 by wxray1

[top-shelf-1]

1 hour ago, wxray1 said:

I guess I'm just old, gocanes0506.  I remember a day when sports journalism dug deep.  

The fact that FBI uncovered what, by now, we should all expect to happen every 10 years in college basketball - cheating - instead of some enterprising journalist nailing it in Kentucky or NC should be the epitaph on newspapering's tombstone. 

[raleighcaniac]

3 hours ago, wxray1 said:

So, yeah, you are correct.  The bad attendance does keep Skinner on the down low.  This is absolutely true.  They are absolutely right.

 

I just don't see it that way.  What does our lousy home attendance have to do with Skinner being a known/unknown quantity by fans in other cities who fill or come very close to filling their barn all season?  They know who he is.   My friends in Montreal and Toronto bring up Skinner (and now Aho) as in 'what a waste he plays for a losing team' not who's Skinner.  Edmonton, which is just a few miles south of purgatory on the map has McDavid. It wouldn't matter if 50 people came to their games, we would know who McDavid his, same as Syd in Pit.  I just think this was more a case of a goofy announcer comment.

[wxray1]

10 minutes ago, raleighcaniac said:

.  I just think this was more a case of a goofy announcer comment.

This is where we need to remind ourselves how blessed we are with Forslund (and Kaiton).  These guys do their homework.  John especially.

 

I can't see him making such a comment.  He's really good about respecting the other teams and their fan bases.  I remember how he tip-toed around the issues with the Rexall center in Edmonton, for example, with much compassion for all involved.

 

OK.  I've said my piece.  Time for some hockey.

[raleighcaniac]

Agreed Xray re our broadcast team. I hate the Boston announcing tandem. Whenever one of their guys gets into a fight they are brutal with their homer assessment. I've always felt Johnny and Tripp while defending our guys be it a play or a fight will always call a spade a spade.

Edited September 28, 2017 by raleighcaniac

[raleighcaniac]

On a different note any thoughts on our goaltending rotation in pre-season as we head into regular season?  I guess its a safe bet Darling gets the last start but am wondering if two starts in 7 games was enough work? I think this has been BP's achilles heal to some extent in how he has rotated goalies in past years although admittedly he maybe has not had a lot to work with either with starter or backup.  Did we give too much pre-season ice to the younger crop of keepers v. getting Darling into 3 games? Didn't see last nights contest. How many of the 4 goals were actually on Cam v team play?

Edited September 28, 2017 by raleighcaniac

[Whaler1]

Two out of seven starts doesn't sound too bad for Darling. imo. He should be used to that considering the most he has ever played in a season is 32 games. PB probably just wants to make sure Darling doesn't get burned out too early if he plans on using him more than that. 

[super_dave_1]

22 minutes ago, Whaler1 said:

Two out of seven starts doesn't sound too bad for Darling. imo. He should be used to that considering the most he has ever played in a season is 32 games. PB probably just wants to make sure Darling doesn't get burned out too early if he plans on using him more than that. 

 

For heaven's sake, I hope Darling gets more than 32 starts, or it looks bad.

[remkin]

The other thing is that Darling was nursing an injury. Probably ideally he would have gotten a couple of partial games in, but I agree with Whaler in that he is used to not getting the primary net.

 

I also agree though with raleighcaniac, that I'm not sure our regulars got enough ice time though, especially all as one unit.

 

BP has had a soft spot for Cam (as has every other coach). I really really like BP, and he's a brilliant hockey mind, and I'm some guy, but I still don't  agree with him on everything. This constant insistence by him, serial GM's, John Forslund and serial coaches, that Cam is a clear #1 goalie has been a mistake. To me, the problem is that Cam has the form that they are looking for, and has outrageously good games, even stretches. This combined with his salary, and shaky back ups, and a mediocre or worse defense allowing him cover, has given him the inside track despite long periods of bad play, essentially every year of his career to this point.

 

We finally have a guy who should be all accounts be the guy. Even Cam admitted it himself, he is preparing to be the backup. But BP insisted on acting like there had to be a battle for the crease. OK, fine, say that. But he better not actually DO that.

 

Our first 4 games are so spread out, and the 5th still after a day off, that personally I don't want Cam to get the crease until game #5 vs Calgary at the soonest. The first back to back is not until game #8. Give Cam game #5, 9, and 14. Let Darling play the other 11. As the year goes on work Cam into more, but establish Darling at the start. That would be my plan.

 

Darling is the man. If Cam ends up being the man, well at some point the combined data points of every year since 2010-11 should let us know how that will end.

 

I think Peters knows this and is just using standard coaching techniques and giving respect to long timer and great guy Cam, but if he starts platooning these guys or pulls Darling after a subpar outing and starts riding Cam again.....no. Just no.

[Whaler1]

31 minutes ago, super_dave_1 said:

 

For heaven's sake, I hope Darling gets more than 32 starts, or it looks bad.

 

I hope so too. Was just trying to point out that him starting in only a few games is nothing unusual in Darling's case and should have no impact on him taking the starter job. I'd be more concerned if BP plans on him being the starter and plays him every chance he gets before the (very long) season even gets on the way. 

[remkin]

I will say that while I've always thought Ward needed regular play to be good (and this has given me pause about him as a backup), the point has been made that Cam has had really nice stretches where it could be argued he tired due to being overworked. If he could find a way to stay sharp with less work, he could have a really nice season as a backup.

[legend-1]

Cam looked surprised on the few saves I saw him make. Darling's gotta be ready because Cam's body language doesn't suggest to me he's going to be able to bail Darling out if he Lacko Tacko's his way onto the team.

 

If you even wanna say Cam bailed Lack out, was more like he played a little less crappy then him. 

[raleighcaniac]

How many of the 4 goals last night were directly on Cam versus the Team?

[KJUNKANE]

Two different subjects. !st on Darling. Watching him the other night after the Edmonton game. My Gosh, he is HUGE!! Saying that, and often hearing that the way to attack a large goalie is around his feet. And to my eye, in that game, he looked a little uncomfortable when the puck came in low? Did anyone else notice, and/or feel this might be of some concern? Further, if this is his Achilles heel(see what I did there), could it be that because he was a backup in Chicago, could it be that it was not exploited as much as would be possible when his tendencies become more familiar in a much larger sampling?

 

On the subject raised a few back, that of the Oilers' broadcaster commenting on Skinner's ranking, or lack thereof, being a product of low attendance, I fully agree with raleighcane that one has nothing to do with the other. Ergo, Skinner plays at least once in every other venue, and in many more than once every year. Obviously, that comment was just at the very least, Empty Gas, and more likely another underhanded dig at anything hockey related, OUTSIDE THE CANADIAN BOUNDARY, being inferior? Further, its not the fan base, but sorry media reporting outside John and Chuck K(as well as Tripp for those that think he also).  

 

 

[remkin]

I only caught part of each game, but what I heard, I'm more glad than ever we have John and Tripp.

 

I don't know if any of us caught enough of the game to form and opinion on Cam and softies. The two I saw, one was a powerplay play that he had really no chance on, and the other was the McDavid one on one vs. Fluery. It was a good shot from a superstar, though from a bit out, and probably stoppable, yet not really soft.

 

The thing to me is that there are just plain soft goals, and there are spectacular saves, but in between are also goals that are good shots that "could" have been stopped that Cam doesn't stop, and those are harder to be sure of. One of the many things that make rating goalies so difficult at times, and driving one back to stats. Those "could" have stopped goals factor into that low save percentage as much as the softies, but they're harder to be sure of.

 

My guess is we see great Cam, good Cam, mediocre Cam and bad Cam throughout the year. If we seen them in roughly equal proportion, we'll be good so long as Darling is for real and the team is for real. If the back up can go .500 that's usually good enough.

 

I'd love for a sort of resurgence of rested back up Cam to 2010-11 levels, but not sure that's very realistic. 

[top-shelf-1]

The question of whether Cam can hang in this year is why we got Smith and bid Leights sayonara, IMO. Smith has been a yeoman keeper in the A and is 27. He's earned a shot as a backup.

[bluedevil58]

I don't know what it is.  But the thought of Ward is goal often or in the odd chance he is the starter simply terrifies me.  I would like nothing more than for Carolina to one day have their own version of a Hasek, Roy, Brodeur, or Price.  Wishful thinking I o is but we are long over due for a legit goalie...

[gocanes0506]

With TT and Stempniak out do we see:

 

Kuokkanen-Rask-Williams

Aho-Staal-Lindholm

Skinner-Ryan-Necas

Nordy-Kruger-Jooris/PDG

 

Slavin-Pesce

Hanifin-Faulk

Fleury-TVR

 

Darling

 

OR we could see Skinner slide up to the Rask line and have Ryan centering the youngsters.  Also we could see the Slavin-Faulk and Hanifin-Pesce pairings. We may see Lindholm with Rask if Rask continues his faceoff struggles.

[top-shelf-1]

20 minutes ago, gocanes0506 said:

With TT and Stempniak out do we see:

TT? What did I miss??

[remkin]

Sort of asking the same question in the off season thread.

 

So, Gocanes, you think Necas sticks?

 

And I am also panicking about the mention of TT. That guy has looked very very good. I hope he's not out.

[gocanes0506]

49 minutes ago, top-shelf-1 said:

TT? What did I miss??

 

According to BPs audio post game TT is injured and will miss the final game 

[gocanes0506]

49 minutes ago, remkin said:

Sort of asking the same question in the off season thread.

 

So, Gocanes, you think Necas sticks?

 

And I am also panicking about the mention of TT. That guy has looked very very good. I hope he's not out.

 

I don't think he will.  He has shown solid O flashes that really make you consider his potential.  In the end he hasn't been consistent or even productive enough to warrant a year loss of his ELC.  

 

Kuokkanen is fairly polished and going to lose a year anyways.  Might as well bring him up. That way if Stempniak's injury is longer than 10 games we can give Kuokkanen more time with no lasting contract issue.