Playoff picture discussion thread (standings on first page)

[dinz]

if u playing your game,a s canes have, doesnt matter whos in goal.. and brodeur hasnt looked unbeatable... let the chips fall where they may.. play good , disciplined hockey, and i like our chances..

[ericncsu]

Exactly. This is why you don't judge a team based on one game. That Atlanta game was bad...but they had just won 4 of the last 5, and have gone 9-1-2 since. Tearing your hair out over that one looks pretty silly now, eh?

I already ate some crow over this one, but I reacted the exact same way. I said the season was over we were missing the playoffs and it was done.. but heres the reason why, as I already mentioned in another thread. Cam had played like 12 games in a row, was kicking major tail and then just absolutely laid and egg and collapsed in that atlanta game. 5-0? 5-1? whatever the final score was.. I knew the coaches would continue to ride Cam into the ground and I was waiting for us to lose another 4 games in a row after that which would solidify us into that 10th 11th slot... so what does Cam do? Like the clutch performer he is, goes out and wins 4 or 5 games in a row, gets us solidly in 8th place, and then goes on this amazing 5 game run thats going now which elevated us to 5th. Cam has really knocked it out of the park lately.

As far as it looks now, Buffalo is probably done, 7 points out of 8th (and 11 behind us in 5th) with 9 games to play. Not completely "eliminated" yet, but upcoming April games against Boston, Washington, New Jersey and Carolina could spell disaster if they lose all 4 of those.

Florida is teetering right there on the edge, 2 points back.. but 3-4-3 in their last 10? Like Tripp said a couple nights ago.. they are just not "getting it done"

The Rangers have rebounded, 6-3-1 in their last 10. 2 points ahead of Montreal and only 2 points behind Carolina. They might hold on to a spot.

Looks like Montreal and Florida will be fighting for 8th, while Carolina, Pittsburgh and the Rangers jockey for those 5,6,7 spots.

I would love to see a Philly/Pittsburgh first round matchup, and I think Carolina matches up well with the Caps, so Pitt 5, Car 6 is a good spot I think, I wont be too upset if it ends that way. Granted if we can grab 4th and gain home ice that would be killer also.

[TSA]

if u playing your game,a s canes have, doesnt matter whos in goal.. and brodeur hasnt looked unbeatable... let the chips fall where they may.. play good , disciplined hockey, and i like our chances..

When the Canes play a smart and tight defensive game like they did against Ottawa, who's in goal on the other end of the ice has little to do with the play on their end of the ice. Marty Brodeur or even Patrick Roy would have little say about what pucks may or may not go into the Canes net.

I can agree that the offensive numbers can be effected by who's in goal but I dont think its fair to put the recent successes this month on just facing back up goalies.

[iamafirehazrd]

When the Canes play a smart and tight defensive game like they did against Ottawa, who's in goal on the other end of the ice has little to do with the play on their end of the ice. Marty Brodeur or even Patrick Roy would have little say about what pucks may or may not go into the Canes net.

I can agree that the offensive numbers can be effected by who's in goal but I dont think its fair to put the recent successes this month on just facing back up goalies.

The teams play is not because of the fact they've been playing backup goalies, but it is something to keep in mind. Yes the canes have been on fire, but should they make the playoffs, will they continue to win 7 of 10 facing non backups?

I'm not saying they can't keep it up in the playoffs but I would be very surprised if facing other playoff teams with their starters if they didn't cool down a bit off their winning pace. But in the playoffs you only need to play a game above .500 hockey in each to keep the party going. So a cool down off a torrid pace isn't going to get you eliminated, as long as you bring your A game every night.

[StaalFTW2]

I just loved how Majority of you guys, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, doubted they could make the playoffs or at give a good run. You doubted the team you blogged about, cheered for, and loved. Now everyone is back on the band wagon again! If you get pissed about the message then most likely you are the one that is two faced about your team!! Go back and look at previous posts and see how you bad mouthed the team! I understand most of you don't have Hockey sense but, that was ridiculous what I saw!! Anyway getting off the soapbox!! Just sick of Fair Weather Fans!!

GO CANES!!!!

[StaalFTW2]

Take a look- we are NOT in the playoffs. (respect fro the hockey gods) The doubters still have a point.

Sorry the crystal ball does not reveal all. (Cole,Coach Change,Jokinen etc.)

In like Flynn I have no doubt about it!!!!

[cc]

I just loved how Majority of you guys, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, doubted they could make the playoffs

GO CANES!!!!

Take a look- we are NOT in the playoffs. (respect fro the hockey gods) The doubters still have a point.

Sorry the crystal ball does not reveal all. (Cole,Coach Change,Jokinen etc.)

[iamafirehazrd]

I just loved how Majority of you guys, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, doubted they could make the playoffs or at give a good run. You doubted the team you blogged about, cheered for, and loved. Now everyone is back on the band wagon again! If you get pissed about the message then most likely you are the one that is two faced about your team!! Go back and look at previous posts and see how you bad mouthed the team! I understand most of you don't have Hockey sense but, that was ridiculous what I saw!! Anyway getting off the soapbox!! Just sick of Fair Weather Fans!!

GO CANES!!!!

When people were saying that, the canes had yet to demonstrate that they could play with fire consistently and gave no indications that they would turn a corner. They were headed towards 9th or 10th place unless something changed. And something obviously changed, this is not the same team as far as confidence and style of play that was on the ice in mid February or before. They did turn the corner, which surprised me.

Doubting the team is not being a fair weather fan. Paying no attention when they loose and being their "biggest fan ever" when they start winning is being a fair weather fan.

[TSA]

I just loved how Majority of you guys, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, doubted they could make the playoffs or at give a good run. You doubted the team you blogged about, cheered for, and loved. Now everyone is back on the band wagon again! If you get pissed about the message then most likely you are the one that is two faced about your team!! Go back and look at previous posts and see how you bad mouthed the team! I understand most of you don't have Hockey sense but, that was ridiculous what I saw!! Anyway getting off the soapbox!! Just sick of Fair Weather Fans!!

GO CANES!!!!

Its not necessary to insult others on the board to make your point.

[TSA]

The teams play is not because of the fact they've been playing backup goalies, but it is something to keep in mind. Yes the canes have been on fire, but should they make the playoffs, will they continue to win 7 of 10 facing non backups?

I'm not saying they can't keep it up in the playoffs but I would be very surprised if facing other playoff teams with their starters if they didn't cool down a bit off their winning pace. But in the playoffs you only need to play a game above .500 hockey in each to keep the party going. So a cool down off a torrid pace isn't going to get you eliminated, as long as you bring your A game every night.

I understand and Im not saying they can keep it up either. Im just saying that there's many reasons you can point to that explain the recent ressurgence of this team, and it wouldnt be fair to give all the credit to the fact that we're seeing back up goalies. Its no different as just saying that the Canes just played horrible in a loss and not giving any credit to the team that beat them.

Either way, we all can agree that not too long ago, many of us thought that seeing the Canes holding the 5th seed for the playoffs with 2 weeks to go in the regular season, would have been quite a stretch.

[super_dave_1]

If this team can continue to play as it has lately, is a 4th seed possible?

*Philly has Boston, Florida, Ottawa, Rangers twice, Islanders twice, and Toronto twice.

*Philly has 3 games in hand, but I'd think that there are some losses sprinkled in there. Boston is Boston. Florida and NYR are in the playoff hunt. The Islanders are dangerous right now.

*5 of these 9 games are on the road.

*The combined record for these teams for the last 10 games is 47-35-8 (counting twice the teams they play twice).

If a few of these are losses and the Canes can continue playing hot, could they make up the 1 point we are currently behind? If Philly takes there foot off the gas at all, we may get an extra game at home in the first round and we know old PK could use the money to resign Cole or Ruutu.

Just thinking out loud.

[colliefan]

Don't think a fourth seed is feasible; most likely the Canes will get a sixth or seventh seed.

[Wolfer]

I just loved how Majority of you guys, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, doubted they could make the playoffs or at give a good run. You doubted the team you blogged about, cheered for, and loved. Now everyone is back on the band wagon again! If you get pissed about the message then most likely you are the one that is two faced about your team!! Go back and look at previous posts and see how you bad mouthed the team! I understand most of you don't have Hockey sense but, that was ridiculous what I saw!! Anyway getting off the soapbox!! Just sick of Fair Weather Fans!!

GO CANES!!!!

You mean like your post #40 in this very same thread

Put a fork in us we are done!! We won't make a move and we aren't consistent enough to make a run.

[super_dave_1]

Don't think a fourth seed is feasible; most likely the Canes will get a sixth or seventh seed.

You are probably right about the 4th seed, but it's a slow day and I have to excercise my mind.

[fromRaleigh]

I just loved how Majority of you guys, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, doubted they could make the playoffs or at give a good run. You doubted the team you blogged about, cheered for, and loved. Now everyone is back on the band wagon again! If you get pissed about the message then most likely you are the one that is two faced about your team!! Go back and look at previous posts and see how you bad mouthed the team! I understand most of you don't have Hockey sense but, that was ridiculous what I saw!! Anyway getting off the soapbox!! Just sick of Fair Weather Fans!!

GO CANES!!!!

Yeah! You tell 'em, son!

[cc]

You mean like your post #40 in this very same thread

Ouch.

[bigbander]

Nice article by Allan Muir...

I didn't post the rest of the article as it was not Canes related.

Enjoy.

===========================

"Not a chance."

That was the frank assessment of Carolina's playoff potential just a couple weeks back. And it came from someone affiliated with the team.

Of course, if he were speaking on the record, he would have offered up the standard "We're still in the hunt. Taking it one game at a time." But given the freedom to voice his honest opinion, well, there was no reason to fake enthusiasm for a team that appeared to be headed for a third straight DNQ.

Not that the Hurricanes were bad. They were like most teams living on the fringes of playoff contention: inconsistent. Night to night, you didn't know what you'd get from them. Every time you thought they'd turned the corner -- a gutsy 4-3 win in San Jose in early February seemed like a good building block -- they'd follow up with a couple of limp efforts (losing at home 5-0 to the Panthers and 5-1 to the Blue Jackets).

With six weeks to go, the Hurricanes entered March like lambs. Amazingly, they're about to leave it like lions.

While Eastern contenders Montreal, Florida and Buffalo seem content to wait for their opponents to take two steps back, Carolina's making bold strides forward. The Canes have tied their franchise record with nine consecutive home victories, and have a chance to break it on Thursday against the Rangers. If they win on Saturday in New Jersey, their 10-1-2 month will go down as the best March in club history.

While top contenders like Boston and Washington struggle down the stretch, the Hurricanes finally discovered that extra gear, setting themselves up to be a team no one really wants to face in the first round.

No one should compare this group to the one that won the Stanley Cup in 2006, at least not yet, but there's reason to believe it could enjoy a productive spring. For one, Cam Ward's been magnificent, starting 22 straight and putting up the best numbers of his career.

"He was always technically sound, but I really like the way he battles," said an Eastern Conference scout. "You can see his lateral movement has improved . . . [and so has] his rebound control. He's not looked on as one of the real elite goalies because there's nothing spectacular about his game. But, you know, he's won it all before. That tells you all you need to know about his ability to compete."

The forward group is nowhere near as imposing as the one from 2006, when the Canes featured three legitimate scoring lines. But since the deadline acquisition of Erik Cole, the offense has more balance. They're not just scoring more often -- 50 goals so far this month -- there's more grit and speed, two measures that were clearly lacking earlier in the season. Cole gets some of the credit for that, and for helping offensive centerpiece Eric Staal find the consistency that was lacking in his game. So does Tuomo Ruutu, who has become the wrecking ball that Andrew Ladd never was.

And then there's Rod Brind'Amour. The captain was under heavy fire, and deservedly so, for his play much of the season. Speed and defensive intensity, the two hallmarks of his career, seemed to have vanished from his repertoire in the wake of a September procedure on his left knee. A 29-game goalless drought and a minus-27 rating made the case that the captain was ready to be put out to pasture, but the 38-year-old has finally rounded into form over the last month. He's got the old jump in his legs, he's a plus-player since the calendar turned, and he remains among the best in the faceoff circle.

But the key to Carolina's turnaround is at the blueline. Joe Corvo, Joni Pitkanen and Anton Babchuk lack the defensive presence of Aaron Ward, Mike Commodore and Bret Hedican from the glory season, but they boast the transition skills and ability to shoot the puck that their predecessors lacked. And that's what makes them the ideal complement to this forward group. They not only get the offense kick-started from the back end, their deficiencies force the forwards to be more conscious of their own defensive responsibilities. It's an odd but effective symbiotic relationship that has them within a point of fourth place in the East.

With just six games left on the schedule, it's unlikely they will catch the Flyers and grab home ice in the first round. But you have to say this about the revived Hurricanes: they've got a chance.

[mluther9]

You mean like your post #40 in this very same thread

he must have been lacking hockey sense that day

[pilige]

Right now the standings in the east are mostly based on what the Pens do. If the lose a couple games they will stay as they are, but if they keep winning like they have been the Canes will drop to 6th. To be honest, i would like the Canes to play the capitals right now, but im not gnna look at the opponent until after these next 2 weeks

[JLP]

Nice article by Allan Muir...

I didn't post the rest of the article as it was not Canes related.

Enjoy.

===========================

"Not a chance."

That was the frank assessment of Carolina's playoff potential just a couple weeks back. And it came from someone affiliated with the team.

Of course, if he were speaking on the record, he would have offered up the standard "We're still in the hunt. Taking it one game at a time." But given the freedom to voice his honest opinion, well, there was no reason to fake enthusiasm for a team that appeared to be headed for a third straight DNQ.

Yeah, saw this. He wins the award for "Best Use of Anonymous Sources to Dig Yourself Out of a Bad Call". Two weeks before this he wrote the following:

"Carolina Hurricanes

Currently: Eighth place, 78 points

Last 10: 6-3-1

Remaining: 12 games -- 8 at home, 7 vs. teams below them in the standings

The Skinny: The savvy re-acquisition of Erik Cole at the deadline lit a spark under Eric Staal and helped power Carolina to a three-game win streak that saw them outscore their opposition 20-6. Rod Brind'Amour, who spent most of the season looking for directions, suddenly has four goals in four games and looks like the force he was the last time the Canes made the playoffs.

Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and they reverted to their kinder, gentler, losing ways against the Hawks and Stars -- two teams struggling through some tough times of their own. The problem: a near total absence of physical play and a forward corps that seems all too happy to dance around the perimeter waiting for scoring chances to magically appear instead of creating them by going hard to the net.

Cam Ward's doing his best to keep them alive down the stretch, continuing what's shaping up to be a career-best season. But without consistent offensive help, and with a schedule that looks like it's going to work against them (with two against the Caps and three against the Devils), he's going to hard-pressed to carry the load.

The Verdict: They're too soft and the schedule's too hard. The streak of postseason disappointment continues."

Oops.

[Diane-1]

"The Verdict: They're too soft and the schedule's too hard. The streak of postseason disappointment continues." Oops.

"Oops" is right, LOL. What was that guy smoking?? Most of the teams we're playing against would LOVE to have a schedule like ours at this point of the season.

On another note (Playoff related), did I mention how much I LOVE seeing the "Streak" column that's included in the NHL Standings? It makes it clear just how good our team is right now (Six Wins). The only team that comes close, in both conferences, is the St. Louis Blues, who have 5 wins.

[Canes06cup17]

Many fans (myself included) get a little negative when things go bad but most of us don't give up on the team. There are some bad apples who are negative all or most of the time. I love the way we are playing and I'm sure the winning will cause some fans to jump on the bandwagon. I welcome them because some of them will get a taste of caniac fever and become all the time fans like myself and many others. The next step after becoming a Caniac is becoming a puck head who can't get enough of hockey even if the Canes aren't playing I love the Canes and I love hockey.

[colliefan]

I know that playoff hockey should market itself, but this is the time for the Canes marketing department to use the $9.99 and the VIC card discounts to sell-out the RBC center on Thursday night. In fact, there is no excuse for the four remaining games not to be sell-outs.

[Ichigo-0]

he must have been lacking hockey sense that day

that's why we watch/listen to 82 a season, no ones perfect every day

[ericncsu]

Right now the standings in the east are mostly based on what the Pens do. If the lose a couple games they will stay as they are, but if they keep winning like they have been the Canes will drop to 6th. To be honest, i would like the Canes to play the capitals right now, but im not gnna look at the opponent until after these next 2 weeks

I like our chances against the Caps as well. Honestly though, the way we have been playing lately (6 wins in a row, like 9 or 10 straight at home) I like our chances to matchup with just about anyone. The Bruins have struggled, the Devils have stumbled slightly, Washington has even struggled a little.

Thursday's game against the Rangers will be huge as they are 2 points behind us. They can tie us but not overtake us with a win, and even 1 point (OTL) will keep us ahead of them. That could help decide 6/7th place if Pitt passes us with a win tomorrow.