Canes 5, Wild 4 (SO)

That the good Captain...is not playing as we all have seenhim in the past 2-3 years. Yes the last 2 sets of injuries have sadly slowed down a guy who is used to running over folks like a euclid earth moving dump truck.
Some here call for his retirement in some form...some may even look at Rod as our own edition of Chelios...who never seems to want to go away ( according to some in the press that is) ! So now with all of that said, who does the Canes have if anyone who can and has all the "intangables" we fans know are going to be needednow and for the rest of th season & beyond ? hmmm Now that is a topic for a monday's debate...no ?

Go Canes !!

and this team needed one as badly as any sports team in recent memory. Overall the game didn't give me the confidence that they were turning things around, and further injuries clouded the future. I don't see Brind'Amour's minutes being reduced until Staal is back in the lineup. I agree with the analysis above, very well done procellae and abramsdoug.

Joni Pitkanen is, without a doubt, our best defenseman. He leaves the game and suddenly we can't clear the zone. That, combined with The Wild playing "3 goals down hockey," and we're running around in our own end — chasing a team that's taking chances all over the ice. Add to that a flukey tying goal and the way the Canes regrouped and found a way to win was impressive. This win is great for the team's psyche. Now, the concern is the team's physical condition. Winning without Ward and Staal is hard enough without adding Pitkanen to the mix. He's fast, smooth, a great outlet passer, solid in our end and an offensive threat. Let's hope he returns before we have to take A.Ward off the healthy scratch list — the thought of which makes me nauseous.

in the 3rd you think what the canes were doing the first 2 periods was going to be enough...but when the Wold score 2 goals n what 20 seconds...sorry team, that don't cut it !!! Again, happy as a clam in a chowder pot for the win...and the 4 horseman of the canes ( Whitney, Ruutu, Sutter,The Juice) can't carry the team the rest of the season...so step it up everybody...step it up !!!

Go Canes !!

I'm thrilled the Canes won, but they have so far to go. They started great, but just forgot to play defense later in the game -- unless you count three icings in a row.  They simply couldn't clear the puck from their zone, and Leighton isn't ready for that. Time after time he went down on one side of the net, and it was an eternity for him to get up - let alone get to the other post. Wide open net, multiple times -- good thing the Wild weren't quicker.  Maybe Barrasso can fix the problem, but I have my doubts.

Sutter saved the game when he slid through the crease *behind* Leighton, who was out of position, and down on the ice. He just seemed lost out there. He did fine in the shootout where being out of position after the save can't hurt.

I don't have the answers, but the Canes are going to have to put up a lot of goals to keep the wins coming. Ruutu, Whitney, Jokinen and Sutter are carrying the team, but we need more from everyone else. 

...it felt like they had just won the Stanley Cup. We can finally say something positive about the Canes!

Ruutu, Sutter, and Whitney were our best players by far. As they said on the 99.9 post game show, 3 of our goals wouldn't have happening if it weren't for Ruutu. He actually went to the front of the net on the power play, and our power play did well for once. Surprising coincidence? Sutter worked hard all game, as we have seen him do a lot recently. And Whitney, still playing injured, showed a great amount of leadership through the game. They also scored 4 goals in one game!

Now on to the negatives. We dominated the first period, and we were clearly making the Wild frustrated based on how many penalties they were taking. They started losing it in the 2nd, which was still even between both teams. Then they completely lost it in the 3rd. Again, they didn't play a full 60 minutes, and I believe that against a team that isn't last in the Western Conference, we would have regretting giving up a 4-1 lead (another negative of the night). I am not sure about Leighton tonight. He looked good in the first, but he really wasn't tested. The first goal wasn't his fault, but during the second, he started flopping around and making too many mistakes. Countless times he was out of position. He took forever to go post to post. He couldn't control rebounds. While it was not completely his fault (defense's too), he played a part in the loss of the lead. He did redeem himself in the SO., but it shouldn't have gotten that far. Also, we are down even more players to injuries...not good. Oh, and I need to add the negative that can be said almost every game: Rod Brind'Amour. The coaching staff finally reduced his minutes to 16 tonight. He is too slow to play more than that. Countless times I saw him trying to skate, but everyone sped by him. He also tripped over a puck as soon as he started the warm-up before the game.

In the end, this game means nothing if they do not build on it against Montreal. Hopefully this will be a confidence booster, seeing that they can win a close game after all.

What a great effort today! This is the kind of win that turns teams around. They played with passion, intensity, and determination! Bring up Boychuck! If they keep playing like they did today, imagine how great they'll be when Ward and Staal are back in the lineup! GO CANES!

A great team win and the streak has ended!!! Whitney, Sutter, Ruutu, Jokinen, Gleason all had great games. Perfect way to end a weekend. Now let's start a new kind of streak!