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.
Showing posts with label Anton Khudobin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anton Khudobin. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
The Hurricanes At The All-Star Break
The Carolina Hurricanes carry a 16-25-5 record (37 points) into the All-Star break. They have been playing much better of late going 6-3-1 over their last ten games. They only have more points than the Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers amd are tied with the Arizona Coyotes.
The Carolina Hurricanes biggest problem all season long has been goal scoring. They are 29th in the National Hockey League in Goals Scored ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Staal leads the team with 28 points but has been hot of late scoring 8 goals in his past 11 games. The Hurricanes and Eric Staal's recent hot streak coincide with the return of Jordan Staal from a preseason leg injury. He returned 10 games ago and has 6 points. Jordan Staal's return and getting other players such as Jeff Skinner back on track will be key for the Hurricanes in the second half of the season.
The Hurricanes best unit has been the Penalty Kill where they are 4th in the league at 87.0%. The unquestioned leader of the Penalty Kill Unit is Justin Faulk. He has the Hurricanes only two short handed goals on the season.
The Hurricanes goal tending tandem of Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are only allowing 2.5 goals per game and rank 11th in Goals Against Average.
In the games that I have seen, the Hurricanes have had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. They are consistently out shot by their opponents, and although they rank 13th in the NHL on the power play, they are not getting as many opportunities with the man advantage. They need to be able to put more pressure on the other team's defense and create more opportunities. That is as simple as it can get. Is it puck handling? Team speed? Decision making? not having an offensive mind set?
It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can carry the momentum of the last ten games into the second half of the season.
The Carolina Hurricanes biggest problem all season long has been goal scoring. They are 29th in the National Hockey League in Goals Scored ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Staal leads the team with 28 points but has been hot of late scoring 8 goals in his past 11 games. The Hurricanes and Eric Staal's recent hot streak coincide with the return of Jordan Staal from a preseason leg injury. He returned 10 games ago and has 6 points. Jordan Staal's return and getting other players such as Jeff Skinner back on track will be key for the Hurricanes in the second half of the season.
The Hurricanes best unit has been the Penalty Kill where they are 4th in the league at 87.0%. The unquestioned leader of the Penalty Kill Unit is Justin Faulk. He has the Hurricanes only two short handed goals on the season.
The Hurricanes goal tending tandem of Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are only allowing 2.5 goals per game and rank 11th in Goals Against Average.
In the games that I have seen, the Hurricanes have had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. They are consistently out shot by their opponents, and although they rank 13th in the NHL on the power play, they are not getting as many opportunities with the man advantage. They need to be able to put more pressure on the other team's defense and create more opportunities. That is as simple as it can get. Is it puck handling? Team speed? Decision making? not having an offensive mind set?
It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can carry the momentum of the last ten games into the second half of the season.
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