Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Uh-Oh

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Tonight's Officials were Greg Kimmerly and Tim Peel, and they were absolutely brutal.  Your job boys, is not to be right all the time, which is impossible, but to be consistent.  If the hit on a chip and chase is interference in the second period, it needs to be interference in the third period.   Piss poor job boys.  Hang your heads in shame.

That, however, had little to do with the extent that the Hurricanes outplayed the Blue Jackets tonight, as they prevailed 4-2.  Out shooting the CBJ 37-19, the Hurricanes deserved the win.  Nick Foligno personally dragged the Jackets back into the game, scoring both goals, but the 2 goal clip that the CBJ have been scoring these last 6 games, all losses, ain't gonna get it done in the NHL.  McTanking for McDavid is all of a sudden a very real possibility for this team.

As is often the case in a death spiral such as this, individuals are trying too hard, Jack Johnson, and thus breaking down the system.  When we need to play a tight cohesive system in the face of injuries and adversity, players that care become a liability when they try to do too much.  Which pretty much sums up the last, empty net goal.   Everyone trying to do too much individually, which results in poor team play.  The Hurricanes at least played a team game, and all of a sudden are playing well and with confidence.  The Blue Jackets confidence is shaky at best.  Curtis McElhinney has been poor in goal.  I think HCTR needs to give the net to Forsberg until Bob returns, or CMac wins it back some how.  Or sign Marty Brodeur to be the back up.  He's looking for work.  CMac is just not looking solid early in the games, and it's costing us.  We score 2, his GAA is above 4.  Do the math.  It ain't working.

There is a lot of season left.  I really like how Wennberg's game is coming along.  I think he has made real strides in the last two games.  He really needs to pot a goal to get him going.

Joey needs to get used to the Nash treatment.  Other teams are gonna put 3 guys on you until we make them hurt for it.  A 6 game losing streak means they ain't hurting.  If you want to be worth $6 million, you have to learn to play through that.  I think you can, but dogging it back up the ice after they put 3 guys on you isn't playing through it.  Yeah it's hard.  Duh.  That's why they put 3 guys on you.  That means someone else is open though, and you have to learn to make them pay for that.  Nash never resolved that, and finally settled on the butt first move off the boards that would allow him to at least get to the middle of the ice one on three.  A crappy shot usually resulted.  Better to find the guy who they are leaving uncovered, which is a hell of a lot easier said than done if you are covered 1 on 3 I might add.  Easy for me to say, but I ain't making $3 million this year.  Bah.  Enough of that.  You'll work through it Joey.

We are not a good team now.  This does not mean they will be a bad team all season long, but it does mean that we have to start playing like a team.  We are not passing well now.  That's a symptom of the jumbled lines, and poor team play.

Classic line from my Buddy Bill:  You're never as bad as you think you are when your losing, you're never as good as you think you are when you are winning.  Probably true.

This team needs a win in the worst way right now, but it looks a long way off.  Last year, the Islanders suffered an injury to their top goal tender, and it cost them a playoff spot.  That's looking eerily familiar right now.  Not sure what else to say.

GO JACKETS!!

1 comment:

  1. Excellent comments. When you are not scoring, good goalkeeping is essential. Also, the penalties are killing us. They are wearing out the troops and the goalies. We need a lot of help.

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