GDT: cane's vs flyera - fire cam ward and ron hainsey into the sun

[Blueline Bomber]

I agree, but this team sucks. It would would be great if this team had great goaltending, had great scoring, had a great PP, could respond to adversity, etc.. but it is what it is....a bad team.

It's less about this year and more about the future. We have a lot of young players on the team that will (hopefully) be the building blocks for a good team in the future. One goal against shouldn't break down a team like it did against the Wild and again tonight. We can't have that become commonplace.

That may fall on Peters and his coaches for not getting their heads right.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

It's less about this year and more about the future. We have a lot of young players on the team that will (hopefully) be the building blocks for a good team in the future. One goal against shouldn't break down a team like it did against the Wild and again tonight. We can't have that become commonplace.

That may fall on Peters and his coaches for not getting their heads right.

I think it's on the players honestly. They've had a "fragile" mentality for multiple coaches.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I agree, but this team sucks. It would would be great if this team had great goaltending, had great scoring, had a great PP, could respond to adversity, etc.. but it is what it is....a bad team.

You think that was bad, wait until you see what a Jordan-Hanifin pairing looks like.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I think it's on the players honestly. They've had a "fragile" mentality for multiple coaches.

Could just be me, but never to this extent. In both games, their play did a complete 180 after the first goal against.

If they could simply find a way to maintain that level of play they've had to build those 2-0 leads, they could be earning wins rather than OTLs.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Could just be me, but never to this extent. In both games, their play did a complete 180 after the first goal against.

If they could simply find a way to maintain that level of play they've had to build those 2-0 leads, they could be earning wins rather than OTLs.

Or they could just win them 2-0 instead

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Could just be me, but never to this extent. In both games, their play did a complete 180 after the first goal against.

If they could simply find a way to maintain that level of play they've had to build those 2-0 leads, they could be earning wins rather than OTLs.

I remember way back when Justin Williams was here, and injured and on the radio talking about how the tea had a fragile mentality. Look at having 2 HOME games to clinch the playoffs and flopping. Look at any number of games they could/should have won and failed. IMO, it's no worse now than it has been.

 

[BrindAmours Army]

i'm sorry that i don't read every post you make. your constant, shameless ward apologia led me to believe that you think he's good, because most of the criticism here seems fairly reasonable to me. people are just saying that he's one of the worst goalies in the league, not that he deserves to be deported.

i luv you

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

#2gamePointStreak

 

[bleedgreen]

Ward didn't see the shot till it was on him. You can say he should've "anticipated" the perfect shot from Luke Schenn from the angle but...

I found what was disturbing was the way we took our foot off the pedal right after the second goal. We don't know how to play with a real lead, we're so unused to it.

Why didn't anyone step up to Gudas at any point?

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

general ratko "mladic" gudas

 

[Ole Gil]

You neutralize over aggression of team playing from behind by countering mistakes and converting into goals. But there are so many players on the team that are 0 offensive threat, it just becomes a shooting gallery.

Nobody is afraid to pinch because the skill coming back at them is so low, and the team is oddly slow up front as well. So worst case you give up a lumbering 2 on 1 thtll get botched most likely.

Theoretically, that'll change as the scrubs are dropped and replaced with 1st and 2nd rounders.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Playing a full 60 minute game is a clear issue for whatever the reason. It wasn't hard to imagine the 3rd period looking the way it did with only 5 defenseman and the Flyers seemingly make no effort in the 1st period and a half. How many times have we seen the Canes get railroaded early and then dominate when they are losing? It's the nature of the sport.

On another note, if like to see Terry in the press box for Malone Monday night. As bleed alluded to, would be nice to see someone with a set in the lineup for once.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Did you guys know the Canes have given up the least SOG per game in the league this season? With the D as it is that seems almost impossible doesn't it?

 

[AD Skinner]

Did you guys know the Canes have given up the least SOG per game in the league this season? With the D as it is that seems almost impossible doesn't it?

I really do hate to pile on Ward... But that stat combined with his awful save percentage pretty much solidifies him as one of the worst goalies in the league. I don't like that that's true but if you are facing less shots both per game and in total than your peers and still are saving a low percentage of them there's no other conclusion to draw.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I really do hate to pile on Ward... But that stat combined with his awful save percentage pretty much solidifies him as one of the worst goalies in the league. I don't like that that's true but if you are facing less shots both per game and in total than your peers and still are saving a low percentage of them there's no other conclusion to draw.

While that is mostly true, it's also not a guarantee. If a goalie consistently faces high quality chances, but a low amount of them, he'll likely have a worse SV% than a goalie that faces low quality chances, but a lot of them.

The first game of the year was a perfect example of this. We gave up very few chances, but the ones we gave up were high quality. Meanwhile, Howard faced a lot of rubber, but the quality of those shots were often quite poor.

I'm not saying that's true for Ward this year, as he's often giving up goals on low quality chances while facing little shots, but it does go against your "there's no other conclusion to draw."

At this point, we just have to hope one of our goaltenders steps up.

 

[bleedgreen]

I love that you guys think this has anything to do with Ward. And it just keeps building.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I love that you guys think this has anything to do with Ward. And it just keeps building.

Come on now, even as one of Ward's biggest fans, I can't deny he's been well off his game this year. He's not the ONLY reason this team is where they're at, but he's definitely A reason. At the moment, the only way we can win games is hope the offense scores 3 or more goals or hope Ward/Lack allow 1 or less.

Neither option seems any more likely than the other, and that's a major issue.

 

[AD Skinner]

That's all true, and like I said I hate the idea that he's washed up... It makes me feel old as hell and he seems like a stand up guy that I wouldn't wish that on.

But the whole Ward discussion feels at this point like talking about a bad quarterback on a bad team. If he throws 3 picks every game, at some point it stops mattering if they were receiver errors or defensive tips; it happens every game. Unless lack is battling some undisclosed injury (at this point, even if he is) there's no reason to keep starting Ward, they need to change something because this isn't working. 2 goals isn't always enough to win in the NHL but if you're consistently limiting the other team to less than 20 shots it should be in the realm of possibility.

 

[bleedgreen]

I don't think he's been off his game. I think he's basically exactly as good as he was in the time before he got hurt. He let these goals in then too. He makes so many saves all game and everything that goes by him is being picked apart on a level so far beyond what any goalie deals with in this league. He's taken us to OT two games in a row with a 2-2 score. How do you blame the goalie for getting you to OT at 2-2? Every goal we over examine, someone else would've stopped it. But that goalie would've let one of the other ones in. No one gives the guy credit for the good saves he makes to keep us in games. We're counting shots. That's embarrassing.

Regardless, we don't have anyone better. There's no savior on the horizon. I've been waiting for the staal/Ward era to end for years. I'm fine with it. The comments being made about Ward around here and comical analysis around it is just the same scape goating that happens here every year. He's Chad Larose. We aren't a good team. The whole team stepped back after we scored the second goal. I just hope he plays well enough for a good deadline price tag.

As for the shot count issue, didn't they out shoot us 11-3 in the third? That was the biggest shot differential of the game and they almost caught up.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Every goalie in the league makes difficult saves on a nightly basis. Stopping a few tough shots is not good enough.

If a team allows 20 shots and even ONE of those goes into the net when it should have been a routine save, that's a problem. That's basically giving away a third of the opponent's offensive production, unearned. You can't win in the NHL with that happening on a regular basis.

 

[TheOllieC]

quite a few players on this team are trash and cam ward is one of them

probably should just leave it at that

 

[The Stranger]

Every goalie in the league makes difficult saves on a nightly basis. Stopping a few tough shots is not good enough.

If a team allows 20 shots and even ONE of those goes into the net when it should have been a routine save, that's a problem. That's basically giving away a third of the opponent's offensive production, unearned. You can't win in the NHL with that happening on a regular basis.

You really think Ward has been giving up goals on what should be routine saves on a regular basis? It's subjective I suppose, but I don't see that.

Do you think Lack is better? Is there a pending free agent you see as a clear improvement?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I don't think he's been off his game. I think he's basically exactly as good as he was in the time before he got hurt.

The good thing is, you might be right.

The bad thing is, it means he's been an overvalued asset for pretty much his entire career.

 

[bleedgreen]

Oh I'm fine with saying that. Kinda my point really. He's the same goalie he's always been to me. He rarely loses us games. He never really stole that many for us either. He's just a solid goalie to me, more controlled and positional than athletic. You can beat him with a great shot, but not a lot of crap gets in. He keeps you in games. It's the same this year as most to me.

 

[tarheelhockey]

You really think Ward has been giving up goals on what should be routine saves on a regular basis? It's subjective I suppose, but I don't see that.

We're still talking about the last couple of games, right? If so the answer is yes.

Throughout most his career, it's never been irregular as he was always one to give up the odd softie. But he's declined noticeably from what he used to be.

Do you think Lack is better?

a) That's got not bearing on the quality of Ward's play.

b) I don't think we have a good gauge of Lack's abilities at all, considering he's only played 3.5 games spread out over more than a month.

Is there a pending free agent you see as a clear improvement?

Yes, but I don't see the relevance of that question. Are we in some sort of Stockholm Syndrome dynamic here, where we're not even allowed to think of moving on from Cam Ward anymore?