And It All Comes Down To This...(Sort Of)

Canes vs Capitals.

The Canes can clinch the Southeast Division, and the third overall seed in the East with a win tonight at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Who would have thunk it?...back when the Canes were sailing through October and early November, and the Capitals could not get out of their own way, that the Southeast division would come down to this, the 80th game of the 82 game schedule. But such it is.

Washington's rise since the sacking of Glen Hanlon and the promotion of longtime minor league coach Bruce Boudreau has been well documented, but is nonetheless amazing. The team has gelled around the spectacular play of Alexander Ovechkin (he would get my vote for league MVP hands down - if I had a vote of course) a stellar cast of young players, most of whom spent time with Boudreau at Hersey in the AHL, and a smattering of veterans. Trade deadline deals for the likes of Sergei Federov, Cristobal Huet and Matt Cooke added some much needed experience and grit to help put them over the top. Federov brings a championship pedigree to the team and has developed into a dependable two way player late in his career, after being known as one of the most proficient offensive players in the league for over a decade. He also serves as a wise mentor to fellow Russian phenoms Ovechkin and Alexander Semen. Huet has been stellar since arriving from Montreal, and has all but supplanted longtime Capitals mainstay Olle Kolzig between the pipes. Cooke has provided depth and toughness on the forward line. Youngsters Mike Green on defense, and rookie center Nicklas Backstrom have had breakout years as well for the Caps, who have won 12 of their last 16 games, including a 5-1 record on their recently completed 6 game road trip, to put themselves into playoff contention.

The Canes have also been playing great hockey since the All-Star break. Despite an incredible rash of injuries, with the likes of Rod Brind'Amour, Justin Williams, Chad LaRose, Matt Cullen, Ray Whitney and David Tanabe missing from the lineup for months at a time. Whitney and Williams are both likely to return to the lineup tonight (a simply amazing feat for Williams, who returns from an ACL injury that most thought would have him sidelined well into a playoff run, if he returned this season at all!), and LaRose made his comeback from a broken leg last week in Atlanta.

The Canes have maintained their lead in the Southeast division with a stellar run of hockey since the All Star break, with Eric Staal leading the way. Since winning the MVP at the All Star game, Staal has stepped up his play in Brind A'Mour's absence, and taken the leadership of the team on his shoulder. His play over the last two months is rivaled by only Ovechkin's throughout the league. Also contributing to the Canes success have been some incredibly shrewd moves by Canes GM Jim Rutherford. On January 8th he snagged Sergei Samsonov off re-entry waivers from Chicago. Samsonov had been languishing in near obscurity with the Blackhawks, his once great promise assumed by many to have been wasted. Since joining the Canes Samsonov has flourished, scoring 13 goals, and tallying 21 assists to revitalize his career. Rutherford also pulled off a deal with Ottawa a week ahead of the trade deadline to bring in Joe Corvo and Patrick Eaves. Corvo has been a hit on the Carolina blue line, providing much needed offensive punch, especially on the power play. Eaves has been injured, but has contributed when healthy, and looks to be a good pick up for the future. At the trade deadline, Rutherford also pulled the trigger on a deal with the Blackhawks to acquire Tuomo Ruutu, whose aggressive and hard hitting style of play immediately made him a fan favorite, and who has shown his offensive skills over the last few games. The Canes gave up some productive and very popular players in these deals - Mike Commodore, Corey Stillman, Andrew Ladd - all veterans of the Cup run in 2006, but all of the moves seem to have worked to perfection so far.

And one cannot forget the contribution of the River Rats. AHL call ups Keith Aucoin, Ryan Bayda, Wade Brookbank, Tim Conboy and Joe Jensen (also acquired in a minor league deal with Pittsburgh earlier in the season) have all made major contributions over the last few months. Not to mention the likes of Casey Boer, Brandon Nolan, Joey Mormina and Michael Leighton, all of whom came up at one point or another this season and acquitted themselves nicely.

It's been an amazing season full of ups and downs. But the Canes have been nothing if not tough and resilient. Tonight in Washington they can lock down their third Southeast Division crown in 4 years (ok, 5 if you count the lockout). And even should they lose, there is still a chance that they could make the playoffs - a regulation loss would leave them tied with Washington with two games to play, and they do hold the tie-breaker. Still, the way things were looking when Brind A'mour went down in a heap against Pittsburgh, I'm amazed they are still in this position at all. I thought it was all over.

Win or lose tonight I could not be more proud of my team.

That said, let's go take care of business and kick some Caps ass!

GO CANES!!

-m

FAVRE to retire...

Dude I'm serious...no really, it's all over the news...why would I make this up?...I'm not even a NFL fan...dude, why are you crying?...


Well, it seems like it's official...and he means it this time...Brett Favre is hanging up his cleats/spurs once and for all after 17 seasons in the NFL. And it only took what, 5 or 6 offseasons of suspense? The official reason given for why Favre decided this was the year to pull the plug? He's "tired". Good enough for me. I would imagine he is a little sore as well. And I'm not trying to be a smartass. He's earned the right to go out on his own terms.

You can pretty much count on SportsCenter being unwatchable tonight unless you happen to hail from Wisconsin. Of course, SportsCenter is pretty much unwatchable in the first place. On his radio show this morning Dan Patrick (who is no longer affiliated with ESPN) was taking calls and reading emails from distraught Cheese-Heads who had to "pull their cars over and burst into tears when they heard the news". Egads.

Yahoo sports has coverage here.

While Deadspin will have "more about this later". I can hardly wait.


Of course, I get most of my football news from The Guardian (UK), and you can find their coverage here.


John Madden is now expected to announce his retirement from broadcasting sometime within the next few days. At which point he will perform hara-kiri with a turkey leg.

Seriously though, today marks the end of an amazing career. Favre will go down as one of the all-time greats for sure. A supreme competitor, fearless, with a cannon for an arm and one of the most durable players of all time at his position. Perhaps the last of the wild-west gunslingers in the NFL. He, and his wildly entertaining brand of football, will be missed by fans and foes a like. Multiple MVPs and a Superbowl ring assure that a late summer trip to Canton, OH will be on his itinerary in the not too distant future.

Let the Aaron Rodgers era begin in Green Bay!!


-m

Hey Boston...

Thanks for nothing...and by nothing, I mean NOTHING.

Capitals 10
Bruins 2

How's that save percentage looking now Tim Thomas?

Even before watching last night's debacle, I was wondering to myself how the Bruins, who the Canes managed to dominate this season even when they were playing at their worst, could have possibly won 6 straight games and climbed as high as 6th place in the Eastern Conference? Had they been playing in the AHL for two weeks? That's all I can figure after Monday's debacle.

All props to the Capitals for absolutely pummeling an opponent who obviously had no interest in playing the game on Monday. And they did not even have to break a sweat to do so.

If there is any justice, the hockey gods will reward the Bruins for their lack of passion and lack of effort with a 10 or 12 game losing streak.

I'm not sure if this game can be used as an accurate gauge of how much the Capitals have improved with their trade deadline acquisitions, but they looked pretty darn impressive to me...at least we know they can find the net early and often when there's no defense to oppose them.


-m

...and the kitchen sink

Random thoughts on a spring-like Monday:

- The Tampa papers are awash with stories on the Canes diving to get penalties on Saturday night. What is it about Florida and sore losers? The bottom line from the rafters: Did the Cane's get the benefit of the doubt on a few calls? Sure. But when you are dominating the game the way the Canes were in the 2nd and 3rd periods, you are going to get the benefit of some calls. The Lightning were out-skated, out-hit and out-worked for the majority of the game. I noticed the difference in penalty calls, and was looking for a few make-up calls in the 3rd to even things out. But the fact of the matter is, the 'Ning did nothing in the 3rd to warrant a call. They basically rolled over like a team playing out the string. Big surprise. And now they want to whine about it. Whatever. When they are on their game, no one gets the benefit of calls more than St Louis and Levcavalier. They just didn't do anything on Saturday to deserve it.

- I've been really impressed with the contributions of the newcomers over the last few weeks. Has there been a better waiver wire claim in recent history than Sergei Samsonov? The River Rats have been amazing. Corvo, Ruutu and Eaves all got on the score sheet Saturday night. The energy and edge have been fun to watch. Let's hope they can all sustain it on the road.

= I'm bummed that I was unable to buy playoff tickets this year, but since I don't have a job at the moment, I was unable to make the commitment. Thankfully my regular season ticket plan was paid for before I became a "man of leisure". Unfortunately, my bank account is quickly approaching "unemployed". Here's hoping I'll be able to buy some playoff tickets a la carte when the time comes.

- There was a little speculation on Lord Stanley's Blog today regarding Ray Whitney's injury and status. Apparently a rumor was going around that Raymond had been to see a specialist regarding a possible infection in his leg. Coach Laviolette discarded these rumors, but would only say that Whitney was day-to-day (then again, aren't we all?).

- If Whitney is unavailable in Atlanta on Wednesday, the lineup is likely to remain as it was on Saturday night. I liked the pairing of Ruutu with Staal and Cole, and Patrick Eaves seems to be getting more and more comfortable with every game, playing on a line with Samsonov and Cullen. I was a little surprised with the defensive pairing of Corvo and Kaberle. Seemed a bit odd, to me at least, to pair up your two most offensive defensemen, outside of the power play. Especially when you are working with the minimum six man rotation. But once again Laviolette proves himself smarter than me. Go figure.

- Eric Staal has continued to improve his all around game. He's really stepped up in all phases since Brind A'Mour went down. Saturday he was rewarded with a three point night (1 goal, two assists). It was nice to see, but even when he has not shown up on the scoresheet, his effort has been there consistently of late and it really has seemed to rub off on his teammates. This guy is going to be wearing the "C" someday for this team, and it's nice to see him growing into the role.

- Since his arrival, Sergei Samsonov is tied with Eric Staal for total points on the team with 21. He matched Staal's three point effort on Saturday against the Lightning, with 2 goals and an assist of his own.

-m

Ladd Breaks Out

Reshuffled and promoted to a new line with Rod Brind'Amour and Sergei Samsonov (arguably Carolina's TOP line this season) after the departure of Cory Stillman, Andrew Ladd paid immediate dividends on Tuesday night in Boston, scoring two first period goals. It was a much needed quick start for the Canes, helping to quickly exorcise the demons from Saturday night's debacle in New Jersey.

Sergei Samsonov gave the Canes a 3-0 lead in the second period, continuing his amazing revival. Things got interesting late in the third when light scoring fourth line forward Shawn Thornton scored twice for the Bruins in less than 30 seconds. But the Canes were able to hold on in the end, earning a much needed two points and moving past the Washington Capitols for first place in the Southeast...for now.

Full Coverage HERE.

The Canes ended their last major road trip of the season at 2-3 over 5 games, which was probably not what they were hoping for but was much better than the 1-4 mark they were staring at when they arrived in Boston. They also clinched the season series with Boston (3-1), which could come in handy should the Cane's fail to capture the Southeast Division - Boston currently occupies the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, 1 point a head of the Hurricanes overall.

Joe Corvo made his Canes debut on the blue line, paired with Glen Wesley for most of the night, he logged 19:03 of ice time, was -1 in +/-, but did notch one secondary assist on Samsonov's game winning goal. Corvo also got time with the first team power play unit, manning the point with Eric Staal, but the Canes were 0-2 on the power play for the night. Overall it was an up and down performance for Corvo, who did seem to get more and more comfortable on the ice as the game wore on. His overall skill as a skater and his powerful shot from the point were evident on several occasions. Obviously it will probably take some practice and game time with his new teammates for things to gell completely.

The Canes also received a high energy effort, especially on the forecheck from the third line of Scott Walker, Keith Aucoin and the recently recalled Ryan Bayda.

Ray Whitney moved up to the "top" line with Eric Staal and Erik Cole.

Newcomer Patrick Eaves was a scratch with a bad shoulder.


-m


photo: Raleigh News & Observer