There is nothing more exciting in sports than the last minute or so in hockey when one team is behind a goal and they pull their goalie, leaving an open net, so they can put an extra attacker on the ice. There is not waiting on the final pitch or hit as in baseball, the two minute drive in football, or the last minute of a basketball game where it can take 20 minutes to play with all of the timeouts being called. In hockey it is six attackers facing five of the opposition and a goalie going after him as hard as they can. It is a constant battle for the puck, the opposition trying to pepper the Goalie with shots, putting men in front of him hoping to get a rebound or a tip, and put in the game tying goal. The defense is trying to gain control of the puck with an open net to shoot at and at least kill some time by firing it to the other end of the ice.
The Carolina Hurricanes had a 3-2 lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets going into the last minute yesterday. Both teams were battling for the puck, the Blue Jackets kept firing shots at Anton Khudobin and he made several good saves. The Hurricanes had a couple of breakout opportunites with the best being Nathan Gerbe. He had a wide open net but one of the Blue Jackets Defenseman intercepted his shot before it got to the crease. The Hurricanes held on for a 3-2 victory but the energy by both teams in the last minute was amazing.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Analyzing The Carolina Hurricanes Trades
The Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis made a flurry of deals before the March 2nd trade deadline and the Hurricanes netted several draft picks and only one NHL player. They traded three veteran players in moves that seemed designed to dump salary and stock pile draft picks. It also signified that the Hurricanes are throwing in the towel on this season and getting some playing time for some of the younger players and see if they are going to fit into the Carolina Hurricanes future plans.
The Hurricanes traded Defenseman Tim Gleason to the Washington Capitals first. Gleason provided an element of toughness for the Hurricanes this season and led the team with 133 hits at the time of the trade. In return the Hurricanes got Defenseman Jack Hillen and a 2015 Fourth Round Draft Pick. In Hillen, the Hurricanes got a younger version of Gleason with the same skill set but not quite as tough. He has not shown the same willingness to drop the gloves when he has to as Gleason has. According to hockeyfights.com, Gleason has dropped the gloves 50 times in his career compared to once for Hillen.
The Hurricanes also traded Defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Los Angeles Kings for a prospect Defenseman Roland McKeown and a conditional First Round draft pick in 2015 or 2016. McKeown was the 50th overall pick by the Kings in 2014 and currently Captains the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.
The last trade the Hurricanes made was trading Left Wing Jiri Tlusty to the Winnipeg Jets for two draft picks- A conditional Fifth or Sixth Round Pick in 2015 and a Third Round Pick in 2016.
The Hurricanes lost an element of physicality with the trade of Gleason and the Hurricanes are not a physical hockey team. Sekera was coming off a career year in 2013-14 when he scored a career high 44 points but he had struggled to find his game this season, scoring only 19 points in 57 games. Tlusty had appeared in parts of six seasons with the Hurricanes but was also having a tougher time fitting into Head Coach Bill Peters system.
The end result is that the Hurricanes traded three NHL veterans for one veteran, a prospect, and four draft picks. The plus/minus to these trades may not be known for several seasons as the Hurricanes are destines to miss the playoffs once again.
The Hurricanes traded Defenseman Tim Gleason to the Washington Capitals first. Gleason provided an element of toughness for the Hurricanes this season and led the team with 133 hits at the time of the trade. In return the Hurricanes got Defenseman Jack Hillen and a 2015 Fourth Round Draft Pick. In Hillen, the Hurricanes got a younger version of Gleason with the same skill set but not quite as tough. He has not shown the same willingness to drop the gloves when he has to as Gleason has. According to hockeyfights.com, Gleason has dropped the gloves 50 times in his career compared to once for Hillen.
The Hurricanes also traded Defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Los Angeles Kings for a prospect Defenseman Roland McKeown and a conditional First Round draft pick in 2015 or 2016. McKeown was the 50th overall pick by the Kings in 2014 and currently Captains the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.
The last trade the Hurricanes made was trading Left Wing Jiri Tlusty to the Winnipeg Jets for two draft picks- A conditional Fifth or Sixth Round Pick in 2015 and a Third Round Pick in 2016.
The Hurricanes lost an element of physicality with the trade of Gleason and the Hurricanes are not a physical hockey team. Sekera was coming off a career year in 2013-14 when he scored a career high 44 points but he had struggled to find his game this season, scoring only 19 points in 57 games. Tlusty had appeared in parts of six seasons with the Hurricanes but was also having a tougher time fitting into Head Coach Bill Peters system.
The end result is that the Hurricanes traded three NHL veterans for one veteran, a prospect, and four draft picks. The plus/minus to these trades may not be known for several seasons as the Hurricanes are destines to miss the playoffs once again.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
A Good Week For The Hurricanes
The Hurricanes finished off a solid week with a 5-3 win over a good New York Islanders team yesterday. They had beaten the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 and the Washington Capitals 3-0 earlier in the week.
The five goals against the Islanders represents an offensive explosion for the Hurricanes. The goals came from some unlikely sources as Defensemen Michal Jordan and Brad Malone had goals and Center Jay McClement had two. The Hurricanes peppered the Islanders Goalie with 41 shots and was able to negate the Islanders team speed by keeping the pressure on the Islanders defense.
The week also saw a flurry of trades by Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis that resulted in Defensemen Andrej Sekera and Tim Gleason and Left Winger Jiri Tlusty leaving the team. The trades netted Defenseman Jack Hillen and Prospect Roland McKeown and four Draft Picks spread out over the next couple of years.
The five goals against the Islanders represents an offensive explosion for the Hurricanes. The goals came from some unlikely sources as Defensemen Michal Jordan and Brad Malone had goals and Center Jay McClement had two. The Hurricanes peppered the Islanders Goalie with 41 shots and was able to negate the Islanders team speed by keeping the pressure on the Islanders defense.
The week also saw a flurry of trades by Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis that resulted in Defensemen Andrej Sekera and Tim Gleason and Left Winger Jiri Tlusty leaving the team. The trades netted Defenseman Jack Hillen and Prospect Roland McKeown and four Draft Picks spread out over the next couple of years.
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