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Hurricanes 3, Devils 2
Submitted by chipalexander on 01/06/2009 - 20:13
Staff photo by Chris Seward
RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes reached the midpoint of the season Tuesday, taking a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the RBC Center to push their winning streak to a season-best four games.
Ray Whitney, Sergei Samsonov and Tuomo Ruutu scored the goals for the Canes. For Samsonov, it was his 200th NHL goal, while Whitney picked up his first goal in six games and Ruutu his first in seven games.
Samsonov goal gave the Canes a 2-0 lead after two periods. Samsonov was credited with his eighth goal of the season when the puck glanced off the stick of Devils defenseman Paul Martin in front of the crease.
Ruutu's goal at 9:58 made it 3-0. The Devils scored at 12:12 on the power play after Devils coach Brent Sutter pulled goalie Scott Clemmensen for an extra attacker, with Martin scoring.
Sutter pulled Clemmensen again after Samsonov picked up a penalty at 13:02 of the third.
The Canes scored 63 seconds into the game and maintained the 1-0 lead the rest of the first period.
Rod Brind'Amour made the pass from behind the net in front to Ray Whitney, who chipped the puck past goalie Scott Clemmensen.
It was Whitney's first goal was his 13th of the season. Brind'Amour earned his 17th assist and Justin Williams his fourth as the line -- put together by coach Paul Maurice against Tampa Bay on Saturday -- clicked again.
Samsonov scored on the power play after the Devils' Zach Parise was called for a delay of game penalty for flipping the puck over the glass. Joe Corvo had an assist on the goal, the Canes' fourth power-play score in the last three games.
Brandon Sutter made his first appearance 2 1-2 minutes into the game and was effective. His father, Brent, paced a little behind the Devils bench.
Sutter had a shot hit the post late in the second period after Samsonov's power-play goal.
Wade Brookbank and Frank Kaberle are scratches for the Canes. ... Wade's brother, Sheldon Brookbank, is a scratch for the Devils. ...
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Chip Alexander
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and was part of the coverage team for the Canes' Stanley Cup run in 2006. He can be reached at chip.alexander@newsobserver.com.
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Comments
Agreed!
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 23:08 — beer210That game was ENTERTAINING! I've been a fan of the NHL for at least 35 years and its all good - the Gretzky era, the dead puck era, the new NHL, the new new NHL - it doesn't matter, its still the best show available to us here in Raleigh! And aren't we lucky to have it here at all? Count your blessings - it could be all ACC basketball, all the time (not that there is anything wrong with that, I dig that too, but hockey is better in any form). Get over yourself, grab an $11 beer and let yourself have fun.
NJ Game
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 18:47 — larikatI had a great time at the game. I watched until the very last second. I had highs and lows, and was thrilled every time we scored, Cam made a save, and when WE WON THE GAME. The RBC has been more crowded lately, and the crowd at the game was really behind the Canes for that home ice advantage.
There are those who will complain no matter who they are with or where they find themselves. Sometimes they are just loud enough that you can't hear the happy people disagreeing with them. I think the people leaving the RBC were pretty happy last night.
Are you entertained?
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 16:34 — CanesRBoringAre you guys really entertained by this type of lock down hockey?
I mean 2 goals were sloppy and Canes capitalized on them. As for the win, the Canes went into lock down mode that almost created a Devils come back, it also created another brand of extreme boring hockey.
I am serious, discarding the excitement of being at a live game, does this type of non physical lock down hockey appeal to you all?
Do you feel that you are entertained and you are getting your money's worth? Is winning all that matters, in which a boring team play style is acceptable?
Of course you will say yes and rant and rave about how exciting Sutter and Bayda are [ignorance is bliss!], but man you guys should have seen a real hockey game: The Caps/Flyers.
It had all the elements of an exciting and intense game that most hockey fans would eagerly pay for. Bone crunching hits (no Canes don't have bone-crunching hits), hard fore checking, hard back checking, great skating and passing and yes dear I say...fights! Oh noooos...we at the Caniac nation are trying to cleanse this fighting behavior.
As the famed Gladiator Maximus asked the crowd: "Are you not entertained?!!!"
Ahhh...hemm............no.
CRB is boring
Thu, 01/08/2009 - 09:53 — CanenutWhat is boring is reading your comments each day. So you have a choice just like me, stop going to the games or be quite or in my case stop reading your comments or be bored to death reading them. I'll be happy to give you $10 for each of your seats. So please stop wasting our time with this constant complaining, the style of play will not nor should not change.
The object of the game is to get more pucks in the net then the other team, does it matter how that is done.
Same old, same old
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 20:28 — AN0NYM0USIsn't it ironic that the complaints that the Canes are boring are repeated, and repeated, and repeated, over and over and over again? Are you kidding me?
ps/ As a long time season ticket holder, I have no complaints with the way we have been playing--and winning--lately!
Lock Down Hockey CRB?
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 19:36 — JRs_FaultCRB,
First, I'm confused... did you watch the Caps/Flyers? It seems from your comments you didn't even watch the Canes game last night.
If there was a point where the Canes (and the Devils, for
that matter) were locking things down, it was in the first half of the
game, not after the Canes went up 3-0. There were as many chances/SOG
in the 3rd as the 1st two periods combined.
It doesn't seem to matter how the Canes play, you're going to complain, no... criticize, not only the team, but the fans who do watch/attend/enjoy games... you trotted out this same tired stuff even after the St. Louis game, which WAS a physical game. Â
 I appreciate hockey played in a number of styles. It seems that there is only one style that you want to see played and that you get any enjoyment from. Based on what you're saying, you must have absolutely hated pre-lockout / post-Gretzky era NHL games until the gloves dropped.
So really, why do you feel compelled to carry on this crusade here? I don't get it.
Many will disagree, but I too find the Canes too boring
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 17:20 — TheReaper49A little extreme, but I agree to an extent. It’s funny because in this case, you will get a lot of folks who say “Yes, winning is all that matters.” However, if we were the Broad Street Bullies and gooning our way to victories, these same people would be saying “I’d rather be winning with class.”Â
In my case, I pay big bucks every year for Season Tickets. I do so to be entertained by watching hockey. To me, hockey involves a certain level of “tenacity and pugnaciousness” as Brian Burke put it when taking over the Leafs. We don’t have that. The Canes display none of that. There is very little checking and almost no aggressiveness (proactive or even reactive). If you are winning, or even losing, exciting 5-4 games, you can overlook the absence of any sort of physical hockey. When you are grinding through games dominated by defense, where your offense is opportunistic in nature, you have to have to be physical in nature or risk being horrendously boring.Â
Canes games are on the verge of resembling those lifeless, snoozefests under the previous incarnation of Maurice that were so dull the cameras had to sweep far and wide to find a fan not yawning, chatting to a neighbor, or … gasp … reading a book or texting.  It is really hard to justify shelling out big dollars for a product billed as entertainment when it is often anything but entertaining. ÂÂ
Jersey's power play
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 15:42 — capannolaI'll agree it was a gutsy move by Sutter......and it paid off. But NJ should not have even been on a power play. It should have been 4-on-4 hockey. Did everybody else (along with the refs) miss Jamie Langenbrunner cross checking Cam Ward right in front of the goal???? TWICE!! That's why Corvo (or whoever it was) went after him in the first place, starting the whole scrum.........
Empty netters
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 11:46 — Biff_BeersIn the last 4 games, the Canes have stared at an empty net for 4:00 against the Devils, 1:29 against the Lightning, 0:27 against the Blues, and 0:39 against the Thrashers without scoring an empty net goal. I appreciate the Canes' efforts to make every last second of the hockey game exciting (and still win, of course). If Florida trails after 2 periods on Thursday night, Vokoun and Anderson should hit the showers and go home.
#16 hits the post
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 07:12 — CanenutGood observation and Brandon hits the post. That line will be scoring soon, they are working so hard. Loved how Chuck said that is the earliest he has seen a goalie pulled in his 30+ years of hockey. I would not be suprised to see more coaches doing that in the future.
What do you have to loose?
Numbers...
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 00:55 — jaydeemacHmm, goals 1, 2 and 3 were scored by numbers 13 (Whitney), 14 (Samsonov) and 15 (Ruutu) respectively.
Brent was smart
Tue, 01/06/2009 - 22:52 — esteban1949from the coaching aspect, as Chuck k pointed out that NJ had nothing to lose by pulling the goalie like they did both times. A slick move indeed ! We will have to file that play so one day we too can try and do that ! A classy idea to keep the pressure on Cam Ward.
Go Canes !
Goes to show how much Coach
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 00:59 — jaydeemacGoes to show how much Coach Sutter believes in his players....
According to
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 07:10 — esteban1949Coach Sutter..they had nothing to lose, as they were desperate. If NJ Devils had tied it up and the game went into OT, Coach Sutter would have been a hero to the owners of the team. Again i do agree with Chuck Kaiton, It was a very good move ...so anybody bring me back a 3.00 Hot Dawg ...all the way ??
Go canes !!