Anybodyhome

... At the schedule thru the end of the month. When is the last time we saw the Canes lose an entire home stand? It may very well happen over the next 2 weeks when the Canes play the Rangers in NY and come home for 4 games against the same Rangers, Leafs, Bruins and Tampa Bay. Sadly, I think this also mark the beginning of the end of the Canes season. After a win today in Philadelphia, I don't see the Canes winning either game against NY simply because they haven't been able to beat NY for the better part of 3 seasons. Add Toronto to the list of teams Carolina hasn't figured out and you suddenly have 3 losses in a row and 4 losses in 5 games. Not only do I think the Canes will lose the Metro division lead by the end of the month, I also believe they'll drop to 3rd behind NY when the regular season ends. Given this scenario, the Canes will limp into the playoffs as #4 seed overall and the #3 seed in the Metro, which would put them against either NY or NJ in the 1st round. The future does not look bright, folks. I, for one, do not think I'll be buying any playoff tickets this post season. Another disappointing end to what started as a promising season. If there is a ray of hope somewhere, it may be in the belief the Canes can win out after their loss to Tampa Bay on the 28th. On paper, they should be favored against every opponent they face until the end of the season.

Aho & Jarvis have disappeared, Svech is done and you're left with no one to shoot the puck except the d-men from the point. I'm out guys, will check in for the Flyers game.

Skjei has found his sweet spot.

Was deflected in front. Drury lost his guy. Not on the goalie.

I think Martinook stays on the Staal checking line and the 4th line gets a new guy. Drury and Noesen could be a very productive high- low tandem. Give them a vet winger and they'll put points on the board.

Tonight's lines: Forwards: Puljujarvi - Aho - Jarvis Teravainen - Kotkaniemi - Necas Martinook - Staal - Fast Noesen - Drury - Stepan Defense: Slavin - Burns Skjei - Pesce Gostisbehere - Chatfield/Coghlan Goalies: Kochetkov

In Net: Should the Canes stick to their every-other-game rotation between Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen, Kochetkov would be in line to start this evening. However, when Rod Brind'Amour was asked on Thursday about how he'll handle his goaltenders in this back-to-back situation, he insinuated that he would consider going with Andersen against his former club. Kochetkov received no goal support Sunday in New Jersey, taking a 3-0 loss in his most recent start. Speaking Of: Who starts for the Canes won't be known until at least 4:45 p.m. ET. Rod Brind'Amour's club will not hold a morning skate to start the day. Jack's Back With Authority: Andrei Svechnikov's injury allowed the Canes to recall forward Jack Drury from Chicago (AHL) and the 2018 second-round pick made an immediate impact on Tuesday with a third period goal. Centering a line of Derek Stepan and Stefan Noesen, Drury played 21 games with Carolina earlier in the season, before returning to the American Hockey League, where he produced 22 points in 29 games. Chatfield Maybe Ready To Go: After suffering an upper-body injury last Tuesday in Montreal, defenseman Jalen Chatfield could be back in the lineup as soon as tonight. Calvin de Haan and Dylan Coghlan have filled in next to Shayne Gostisbehere in his absence, but Chatfield was in a standard practice jersey Thursday, shedding the yellow no-contact sweater that he had been working in. Missing four games, the stretch has been the first time all season that #5 has not been in the lineup. Get On Them Early: The Canes have scored first in a league-leading 42 games this season. They're 34-4-4 when they score first, tied with the Bruins for the most wins in the NHL when striking first. The Impact Of A Ghost: Since Shayne Gostisbehere made his team debut on Friday, March 3, the Canes power play is 8/20. Even Better On The Kill: Tim Gleason's penalty kill has now gone 12 consecutive games without allowing a power play goal. The team's current run over that time is 28/28, just one game shy of the franchise's longest consecutive record. On The Other Side: Armed with a top-heavy offense, the Maple Leafs have also been very good on home ice this year. Their 24 wins in 36 games at Scotiabank Arena are tied with both the Canes and Lightning for the most at home thus far this season. Mitch Marner's 87 points rank tied for fifth among all skaters in the NHL, and he is one of four players that the roster touts who are averaging a point per game (or just about). Toronto is not just an offense-based club though, they allow just 28.9 shots per night, third in the Eastern Conference behind only the Canes and Devils.

He'll surely be back next season. With Fast, Staal, Statsny and Stepan all UFAs at the end of the year, I don't see how they don't keep him.

Without #37 in the lineup, the Carolina Hurricanes are even less a physical presence, if there is a lower standard. The Canes will take for more hits than they give and they lack a physical presence on the ice that gives some hesitation to opposing teams wanting to impose their physicality. Jordan Martinook and, to some extent, Stefan Noessen, will scrap with someone if the situation warrants. But Svech is the only guy on the roster who plays physical and still puts points on the board. I think if he would have been on the ice when Martinook took the leg-to-leg hit during the Jets game, there would have been a fight.

To be fair, Max came back on his time & terms. He was never pressured to come back when he did.

Opportunity has presented itself: Canes on the road in Toronto, next day in Philly followed by 2 games with the Rangers- one on the road and the next at home. Do the Canes seize the opportunity? Do they finally get the Ranger monkey off their back? Do they create some space between them and the Devils?

And, with those ticket prices, $20M of that $20.1M was probably the gate....lol.

Fug Ric Flair... and I don't have a clue about "professional wrestling."

Can we (Canes & PNC Arena) just end any and all references to Ric Flair now that he's all over Twitter in a Blues sweater attending their game at home last night. Not to mention that if the Canes and their fan base want to be at least a little more respected, then distancing yourselves from the corny redneck imagery might be a good idea.

Never mind, I found it..... Completely blown call. But the refs were horrible all night. The Jets were not called for a penalty in this game until the third period.

He came back after that hit he took to open the 2nd period, but I wonder if there's more to it today. By the way, I was at the game and didn't record the game, but how did Tripp react when #48 took that hit (penalty) and play was allowed to continue and the Jets ultimately scored? The crowd went nuts.

And the 3rd goal, to make it 4-3 in the 3rd, was a good play by the Jets, simple as that. The Jets player got deep with the puck and was forced to the side of the net, where he made a great pass across the crease. No way Freddie was getting across to make that save. So, yeah, 2 of the 3 goals scored by Winnipeg were legit and weren't likely to be stopped by many goalies in the league. Give the Jets some cred, guys. They're a legit team making a playoff push in a relatively weak west only a point behind the Avs. TBH, I had no expectations last night and they stepped up. The blue line was responsible for 2 of the Canes goals, and another line won the game. Third game in a row the top line was noticeably absent.

I'll watch the highlights, but seeing the whole ice, 2 of the Jets goals were thanks to the Canes leaving a guy alone getting inside the dots. Nothing most any goalie could have done. The Jets second goal I watched 3 Canes go to the puck while nobody was on the weak side and Ehlers buried it. Shot was a missile from the dot.

Was headed toward a career year. Fortunately he's locked up for the next several years and will return to becoming a true power forward. He could easily miss the first few months of next season as well.

I'll be there tonight as well. But, sadly, I've significantly tempered my expectations for this team.

As I stated in another thread, I've not been convinced this team is a serious Cup contender for the past 4 years, this year being no different. The Canes are still a piece or 2 away from being a dominant force in the league, and I'm not sure what those pieces are. Fact: Both Raanta and Andersen are UFAs at the end of the season. The Canes have not talked extension nor did it appear either of them were part of any trade talks. Even if they let one of the 2 walk in free agency, sign the remaining player and bring up Kochetkov, the goal tending is not much, if at all, improved. Fact: Even if Max Pacioretty stayed healthy, I'm not sure he alone was the difference maker that put this team over the top and makes them a Cup fave. Fact: Adding Ghostisbehere was a good move because, simply put, he's better than DeHaan and Coghlan. And the Canes are very fortunate Jalen Chatfield has played incredibly well for his first full season on the ice. But Ghost is not a point-a-game guy that pushes this team over the top, either. Fact: Poolparty may have some upside, but, to be honest, there's only one way for his trajectory to go at this point in his career. He is a draft bust (picked #4 overall after Auston Matthews, Patrick Laine and Pierre Luc Dubois in 2016) and adding him to the roster was comparable to the Panthers adding Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. Today, I have no confidence this the team with its current roster will finish atop the Metro. Although they can probably stay ahead of the Rangers, they'll likely enter the playoffs as a #3 seed behind NJ and Boston. They could get very lucky and have Svech back, provided his knee isn't going to need surgery, and get through the first round. But that will be an uphill battle and any success beyond the first round will be shocking.

The script to the Hurricanes annual playoff stretch is becoming all too common. Couple injuries; Andersen starts feeling the pressure and becomes a very average goalie, suffers an injury; the depth the team prides itself on does not produce and the big names on the roster stop scoring. Something is missing and none of us are seeing it. Although I firmly believe the team has been a piece or 2 away from being a dominant force in the league for a few years, there just seems to be something else missing. I've had no illusions this team in the last 4 years has been a serious Cup contender, but that one or two pieces seems to be the key, in my opinion.

I'm out, guys. I'll be at the Jets game Tuesday night with zero expectations.

Yes, it was.