GDT: There is a game tonight

[Navin R Slavin]

I'm not hot on Cam, but that was three goals off of deflections, and two of them our own guys. Not really sure I can blame any of those on him.

 

[HisIceness]

Back 2 Life, Back 2 Reality.

 

[Joe McGrath]

If you're too stupid to understand that fluky bounces aren't on the goalie I honestly can't help you.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Ward should not start another game until Lack puts up a real stinker. I know all these goals were fluky bounces but when this happens to a certain player more often than it doesn't, a change needs to be made. I almost think Ward would prefer no one play defense in front of him.

You do realize this year, Lack's performed worse than Ward, right?

 

[The Faulker 27]

Watching this **** over and over is so painful.

 

[Wolfpuck]

Ward was fine. I can't pin any of the goals on him.

Maybe if we got more traffic in front of the net, we could get some "lucky" bounces.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I'm not hot on Cam, but that was three goals off of deflections, and two of them our own guys. Not really sure I can blame any of those on him.

You could try. You'd look dumb, but I'm sure you could try.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Meh, Ward wasn't bad. I don't think the Canes were that bad in the third. Sometimes stuff just happens.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Ward was fine. I can't pin any of the goals on him.

Maybe if we got more traffic in front of the net, we could get some "lucky" bounces.

We did. Eric's second goal.

 

[Wolfpuck]

This is one of those frustrating losses where you can't really fault the effort or any one player. Like the Caps game, sometimes you play solid and lose.

 

[The Faulker 27]

If you're too stupid to understand that fluky bounces aren't on the goalie I honestly can't help you.

I'm not saying Ward should have stopped the last goal but I'd hardly call a deflection a fluky bounce. Deflections are anticipated and stopped all the time in this league. Fluky bounces not as much. The last one, was in fact a deflection be it off his own player but bodies in front are bodies in front.

 

[Ole Gil]

Tough when your own guys are scoring on you.

This is what boggles my mind on these sv% posts. You can't hug the post short side and cover the far side of the net in case Justin Faulk kicks it there on a centering pass.

You can't cover the entire top of the net in case it gets bounced of Liles knee.

You can't challenge the shot and stop shots that go wide but are kicked back in behind you.

Cam made no mistakes tonight, and the team still gave up 3.

 

[HisIceness]

Watching this **** over and over is so painful.

It's incredibly frustrating. The win against Chicago could have been the building block for something good but no, Canes gonna Cane.

Games like these are why the team hasn't made the playoffs in 7 years, opportunities for winning streaks to possibly make some traction and give themselves a chance, and they just piss it away.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

When I looked at Cam's hex numbers earlier, the problem was that he was giving a (much) higher than average number of goals from distance.

None of these goals were from distance. They were all bounces in the slot, and pucks from the slot go in a relatively high percentage of the time. That's why you try to keep guys out of the slot, and why you try to get into the slot yourselves.

 

[Novacane]

This is the kind of game you lose because you have no offense

 

[Wolfpuck]

It's incredibly frustrating. The win against Chicago could have been the building block for something good but no, Canes gonna Cane.

Games like these are why the team hasn't made the playoffs in 7 years, opportunities for winning streaks to possibly make some traction and give themselves a chance, and they just piss it away.

The thing is, we would have been much better off had we lost to Chicago and won tonight, instead of the other way around. We're ****ing garbage against our own division, and that's why we stay buried in the standings.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

The thing is, we would have been much better off had we lost to Chicago and won tonight, instead of the other way around. We're ****ing garbage against our own division, and that's why we stay buried in the standings.

I know it's frustrating, but we weren't garbage tonight. We were unlucky.

 

[Wolfpuck]

I know it's frustrating, but we weren't garbage tonight. We were unlucky.

I meant our division record, but I agree about tonight.

Edit: 3-6-3 against the Metro (so, really 3-9 when you're trying to climb out of the pit)

Ugh

 

[HisIceness]

And see that's part of the problem. For some strange reason this team has a knack for beating teams they have no business beating, then they follow it up by playing a horrible game against a bottom feeder. And I'm not talking about tonight, but rather what's transpired since winning the Cup. There's no consistency other than mediocre consistency.

 

[AD Skinner]

Whether you can blame any of the goals on Ward has started to become irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. I agree that you can play well and still lose, but as has been mentioned, deflections in front are anticipated and stopped by lots of NHL goalies. None of these goals were complete softies but the fact remains that the goalie let in more than 10% of the shots he saw and in the NHL that is not acceptable game in and game out. Ward's sv% has been below .900 in 14 of his 27 starts this year. .900 itself is below league average (.916 according to hockey-reference.com)

It's not that I want to beat a dead horse, and yeah Lack has been worse, but I just don't see the point in continuing to play an old, broken down free agent to be when literally half the time he plays well below average. What's to gain?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

...and yeah Lack has been worse, but I just don't see the point in continuing to play an old, broken down free agent to be when literally half the time he plays well below average. What's to gain?

If you think you're in the playoff hunt, what's to gain is giving yourself the best chance to win games.

When you're no longer in the playoff hunt, I agree that you give the most starts to your likely future goaltender. But since we're not there yet, it's logical to give the most starts to the goaltender who seems most likely to help you win. The numbers say it's a tossup, and tonight was Cam's turn.

 

[The Faulker 27]

If you think you're in the playoff hunt, what's to gain is giving yourself the best chance to win games.

When you're no longer in the playoff hunt, I agree that you give the most starts to your likely future goaltender. But since we're not there yet, it's logical to give the most starts to the goaltender who seems most likely to help you win. The numbers say it's a tossup, and tonight was Cam's turn.

In a toss up, I'll take the goal tender that's 6'4 every time.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

gritty captain estaalo with the #leadership tonite i see

 

[Blueline Bomber]

In a toss up, I'll take the goal tender that's 6'4 every time.

And it wouldn't have anything to do with this?

Personally, I'm just tired of talking about Ward, watching Ward, hearing about Ward, just Ward. I'm guilty of certainly talking about him, and picking on him when I wouldn't pick on Lack but I'm really just ready for him to be gone. Even if that's not fair, and just an emotional reaction, it's where I'm at.

It's a toss-up only if you believe Lack hasn't been given a fair shake here, which there may be merit to. If you believe Lack would play better as the established starter instead of a backup, that's fair. But we can only judge them based off what they've done this year, and the fact of the matter is, Ward has outplayed Lack this year. For every good game Lack has had, Ward has had 3 or 4. And for every bad game Ward has had, Lack has followed suit.

 

[Hulkacaniac]

gritty captain estaalo with the #leadership tonite i see

He remembered he's gotta get traded to Montreal