Red & Black Hockey
Entries with the tag: Cam+Ward
When will the nightmare end?
by David Lee on 11/07/09 at 11:39 PM ET
Comments (0)
On Saturday night, the Hurricanes lost more than just the game. For the third time in the last four games, they scored the “all-important” first goal. For the second time in as many nights, they led after one and looked great after two. For the twelfth time in a row, though, they ended up with a loss. Not only are the losses piling up, but so are the injuries. And tonight, the Canes suffered an injury loss that they can’t afford: Cam Ward.
Early in the first period, Ward was cut by the skate of Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash, who was skating through the goal crease. Although it was well inside the crease, the contact was incidental, and nobody will blame Nash for causing the injury. Ward had to be rushed to the hospital, where he was stitched up and where he will be held overnight.
In March of 2007, Ward suffered a similar injury in a game against the Rangers. The fear was that he was going to miss the remainder of the season and that he wouldn’t be able to play for Canada in the IIHF World Championships. He only missed three games and played very well in the IIHF tournament. Hopefully this fall, he’ll be able to make a similar speedy return to the lineup.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, injuries, losing+streak,
Ward stands on his head, but the Canes lose anyway
by David Lee on 10/17/09 at 09:35 PM ET
Comments (0)
On Saturday, the Hurricanes returned to “The Rock” for the first time since they stunned the Devils with two goals in the last 90 seconds of game 7 to steal the first round of the 2009 playoffs. The Devils in general, and Martin Brodeur specifically, had not been playing well at home, and it was a chance for the Hurricanes to get their two-week road trip off to a good start.
Both goaltenders played very well and Martin Brodeur got the shutout, beating the Canes 2-0 and coming within one shutout of Terry Sawchuk’s 103. He’ll get the spotlight, but Cam Ward also had a very good game that was for naught. Unfortunately for Ward, the Hurricanes record doesn’t indicate how well he’s been playing. If and when the Canes start scoring goals, Ward will get some more ticks in the W column. Everyone knows that the Canes’ losses aren’t because of Ward. Last season, the Hurricanes were shut out only once in the regular season. So far this season, they’ve already been shut out twice in just seven games.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils,
Ward extended
by David Lee on 09/30/09 at 08:55 PM ET
Comments (0)
For the second time in as many summers, Jim Rutherford has broken with tradition by signing a player to a big contract extension one year before he would become a free agent. Today’s big news was that Cam Ward’s contract was extended for six years at an average of $6.3M. He would have become a restricted free agent in July, but like Eric Staal last summer, JR wanted to get it taken care of. And we’re glad he did.
Starting with the 2010-11 season, Ward will be the third highest paid goaltender in the league and the second highest payed player on the Hurricanes. The team has made a major commitment to the two cornerstones of the franchise, and the significance isn’t lost on Ward.
“I realize I’m being paid to be an elite goaltender. I realize there’s added pressure that always comes with something like this.I do not want to shy away from it. If anything, I want to rise to the occasion.... I’m not going to get complacent. I want to get better and better and be one of those elite goaltenders in the NHL ”
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes,
Pens crush Canes 6-2, tighten noose.
by David Lee on 05/23/09 at 10:45 PM ET
Comments (2)
On Saturday night, the Penguins all but ended the Hurricanes postseason with a 6-2 whipping. Evgeni Malkin led the way with two goals and an assist and is looking very much like he could be the Conn Smythe winner. The Pens have a commanding 3-0 series lead in what was supposed to be a good series.
Despite scoring first and getting the home crowd going, the Canes were awful for the rest of the first period, allowing the Penguins to do what they do.
For the second game in a row, the story behind the story is that Carolina’s defense was horrible. On Malkin’s first goal, Tim Gleason made a pathetic attempt to clear the puck, putting it right on Malkin’s stick in the slot area. On Crosby’s goal, Joni Pitkänen let #87 just waltz right in, making no effort to stop Crosby or the fantastic pass from Billy Guerin. On Malkin’s second goal, it was again some sloppy play by Gleason.
Carolina gave up not one, but two goals in the last minute of the first period, and it seemed like the game was already over.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Evgeni+Malkin, Pittsburgh+Penguins, playoffs,
Ward, Canes shut out Bruins.
by David Lee on 05/03/09 at 11:36 PM ET
Comments (1)
On Sunday night, the Hurricanes played a much better game than they did on Thursday. In the end, the score was 3-0. The series is now tied at one and has become a best of five series where Carolina has the home ice advantage.
Cam Ward was absolutely on fire, completing his fourth career postseason shutout. Eric Staal decided to take things into his own hands, and as I said before, things can get ugly when that happens.
Now, it would be crazy for Carolina to break their arms patting themselves on the back. Carolina was indeed very good tonight, but the fact of the matter is that the Bruins were sloppy. At times, they were flat out bad. They looked like they were at McGreevy’s getting hammered until the wee hours this morning. If that’s indeed the case, a special thanks goes to their wonderful bartender Amanda.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chad+LaRose, Eric+Staal, Matt+Cullen, playoffs,
Bs take game one
by David Lee on 05/02/09 at 09:16 AM ET
Comments (0)
The Canes and Bruins opened their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Friday, and it was a solid victory for Boston. Just as the Devils did in game one of the first round, the Bruins won game one 4-1. The Bruins have won all five postseason games, and none of them have been close.
David Krejci started things off for the home team at 1:34, tipping a right point blast from Aaron Ward. Michael Ryder got the secondary assist. To me, it looked like Ward’s goal. However, they determined that it was touched by Krejci in the slot, and he gets the credit....
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Jussi+Jokinen, Marc+Savard, Phil+Kessel, playoffs, Tim+Thomas,
Canes win thriller, advance to conference semis
by David Lee on 04/29/09 at 12:25 AM ET
Comments (9)
Tuesday night was a do-or-die for the Hurricanes and the Devils. With 90 seconds to play, the Devils had a 3-2 lead in their own building and it looked grim for the Hurricanes. I had already started making mental notes for a Canes eulogy and for a concession letter to the gals at Interchangeable Parts.
But then....
The Canes decided that it wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. Nothing was going to be over until they decided it was. (please click the link if you don’t already get the joke)
Jussi Jokinen, the hero from the uber-dramatic game 4, scored a Finn-tastic (sorry) goal to tie it. The crowd at the Rock and the Devils on the ice were shell-shocked. Their shock turned to horror when Eric Staal fired a shot in from the right circle to win the game at 19:29 ....
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Jussi+Jokinen, New+Jersey+Devils, playoffs, Ray+Whitney, Tuomo+Ruutu,
Ward, Canes shut out Sabres
by David Lee on 02/15/09 at 09:02 PM ET
Comments (1)
One night after looking like the worst team in hockey, the Hurricanes came out and got an impressive and crucial road win by shutting out the Sabres 3-0.
Eric Staal was a one-man wrecking crew in the first period. He scored a power play goal by grabbing a puck out of the air, gloving it legally to himself, then firing a shot from the high slot. It hit a Buffalo player on the way in and got past Miller.
Later, with a delayed penalty in hand, Staal worked his way through a trio of matadors and fired a shot from the low slot off Miller. Chad LaRose pounced on the rebound to make it 2-0. Staal had the primary assist and Anton Babchuk got the other.
As bad as Carolina looked in the previous two games, they came out with a ton of jump in the first period and set the tone of the game.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal,
Cam Ward Wins Goaltender Duel
by David Lee on 01/31/09 at 11:04 PM ET
Comments (0)
On Saturday night, the Hurricanes again had a “must win” game at home against the hapless Thrashers. With goals by Matt Cullen and Ray Whitney and a shutout by Cam Ward, they got the job done. The 2-0 win was the third shutout of the season for Ward and the 101st win of his career.
I’ve seriously got to tip my hat to Atlanta netminder Kari Lehtonen. Without his brilliant play, it could have easily been 8-0.
Cam Ward was sharp in the shutout, but he only faced 19 shots. Lehtonen faced more than that in the first period alone.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Kari+Lehtonen, Matt+Cullen, shorhanded+goals,
Staal, Ward lead Canes over Pens
by David Lee on 01/20/09 at 10:40 PM ET
Comments (0)
On Tuesday, the Hurricanes used a 32-save outing by Cam Ward and Eric Staal’s 20th goal to outlast the Penguins 2-1 and catapult themselves back into the top eight in the East.
All season long, it’s been Good Canes/Bad Canes. Tonight, the “Good” Canes showed up and won their second straight game as they head into the ASG. Early in the game, it looked like Bad Canes, as they fell behind 1-0 early, then squandered a lengthy five-on-three in the first period. Carolina recovered with a gorgeous power play goal late in the first, then the game-winner by Staal at 8:01 of the second.
To finish the game, Carolina killed a four minute high-sticking minor that ended up being a six-on-four power play.
For the second straight night, Tuomo Ruutu did some of the unglamorous things very well, and deserves a boatload of credit.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Tuomo+Ruutu,
Ward, Canes shut out Leafs
by David Lee on 01/19/09 at 10:40 PM ET
Comments (0)
On Monday night, the Hurricanes did something they hadn’t done in nearly two weeks: they won. After losing five in a row including a pair of 5-1 undressings, the Canes finally got off the schneid. Cam Ward was brilliant between the pipes and the Canes got goals from Joe (s)Corvo and Chad ”Sharpie” LaRose to beat the Leafs 2-0. They will take their one game winning “streak” to Pittsburgh on Tuesday before taking an entire week off for the ASG.
Corvo’s power play goal was one of his patented laser beams from the top of the left circle late in the second. It was his fourth game-winning goal and his eighth marker overall. LaRose scored a back-breaking insurance goal with just four and a half seconds left in the second period. However, it was the Hurricanes penalty killing and the outstanding play of Cam Ward that took center stage.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chad+LaRose, Joe+Corvo., Joni+Pitkanen, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Canes lose fourth in a row
by David Lee on 01/16/09 at 02:34 PM ET
Comments (0)
On Thursday night, with a nearly full house, the Hurricanes lost a very exciting game 6-4 to the Leafs. The game was pretty much a microcosm of the Hurricanes season. Long stretches of disappointment punctuated with brief but intense moments of inspiration. It was also one of the most intense regular season games I’ve ever attended.
The Canes stood around for 37 minutes while the Leafs built a 4-0 lead. Then they got a fluky goal from Matt Cullen with about two to play in the second. The Canes came out on fire in the third, completely owning the first 12 minutes of the period. On second period markers from Tuomo Ruutu, Eric Staal and Scott Walker, Carolina climbed all the way back to tie the game. And then the wheels fell off.
Carolina gave up a four-on-three power play goal to Tomas Kaberle late in the third, then an empty netter from Jason Blake. It completed the hat trick for Blake and closed the scoring out at 6-4.
It was another painful loss, the fourth in a row. However, some good things did happen, even if that only lasted 14 minutes.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Jason+Blake, Ray+Whitney, Tim+Gleason, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Ward out, Williams maybe in
by David Lee on 12/01/08 at 05:49 PM ET
Comments (1)
On Monday, the Hurricanes got a bit of bad news and a bit of good news.
Cam Ward, who left Sunday’s game against the Ducks after the first period has been ruled out for at least a few games. He has, apparently, suffered a groin injury. Justin Peters has been called up from Albany to back up Michael Leighton.
The good news is that Justin Viva Williams may play this week, perhaps as early as Thursday against the Penguins. Williams suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon over the summer and was scheduled to be out for 4-6 months. He recovered way ahead of schedule and has been practicing with full contact for about a week.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, injuries, Justin+Williams,
Hurricanes win rough game on the Island
by David Lee on 10/25/08 at 11:31 PM ET
Comments (1)
On Saturday, the Hurricanes needed some big-time heroics from goaltender Cam Ward to hang on to a 4-3 victory. Although he was on the bench for the two previous games, he wasn’t the least bit rusty. He made 57 saves, including a stop on a penalty shot with less than one second to play in regulation. He was easily the game’s first star by anyone’s account. Except, of course, the Islanders radio network, which picks the “official” three stars. Somehow, they left Ward off the card entirely. Although the game ended well, it wasn’t all pie and cake for Carolina.
The Hurricanes got off to a good start, pushing off to a 2-0 lead early in the first. The last time the Hurricanes led a game 2-0 was March 28 of last season in a 7-1 win over the Thrashers. Throughout the second and third periods, the Canes committed one penalty after another, putting themselves perpetually on the PK. The good news is that the defense responded well to that, killing seven of eight penalties. But there was bad news They gave up a shorthanded goal, and they lost two players to injury.
Filed in: | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Sutter, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chad+LaRose, Doug+Weight, Eric+Staal, injuries, New+York+Islanders,
Canes lose, but look like ninjas doing it
by David Lee on 10/13/08 at 11:15 PM ET
Comments (4)
On Monday, the Hurricanes lost their first game of the season 3-1 to the Red Wings. Even though they lost the game, the Hurricanes can take some good things out of the game.
They also debuted their new alternate third sweater, which is actually a whole uniform. They looked stealthy and ninja-like with their black socks, black pants, black gloves, black sweater and black lids. I like the uniform in action even more than I thought I would. I wasn’t in the building tonight, but they looked sharp on teevee.
Unlike the first two games, Carolina actually looked good in all three zones in the first period. Like the first two games, they were scored upon first. Unlike the first two games, they were unable to come back.
Filed in: Carolina Hurricanes, NHL Hockey, game summary | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Sutter, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Detroit+Red+Wings, Ryan+Bayda, Ty+Conklin,
Canes close preseason with win
by David Lee on 10/05/08 at 06:16 PM ET
Comments (0)
After losing the first three exhibition games (and looking bad doing so) the Hurricanes rattled off three straight wins to finish the preseason. Carolina will start playing games that count on Friday with a home game against the Panthers.
Eric Staal and Ray Whitney scored today for a 2-0 shutout over the Preds. Cam Ward went the distance, making 31 stops with both teams pretty much fielding the “A team”.
For the first time all preseason, Rod Brind’Amour played. He skated 19 shifts for a total of 15:04 of ice time. He took just 13 of the faceoffs, compared to 17 taken by Brandon Sutter. This was pretty much the plan: to use him sparingly.
Filed in: Carolina Hurricanes | Red and Black Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Sutter, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Joni+Pitkanen, Patrick+Eaves, preseason, Rod+Brind'Amour,
