OTTAWA -- The Hurricanes, facing a team on the ropes, suffered another knockout of their own tonight, losing 5-1 to the Senators in a game full of defensive breakdowns and offensive frustration.
The loss gave the Canes an 0-3 road trip and was their second straight 5-1 setback.
The Canes couldn't solve rookie Sens goalie Brian Elliott, who was making his second straight start after being called up from the AHL, when they had good chances early. As the game wore on, the chances diminished. Carolina had only three shots on goal in the third period and finished with 24 to Ottawa's 40.
Still, the Hurricanes were in it until the final minute of the second period. They spotted Ottawa two goals but made it 2-1 in the second, and you-know-who scored the goal. Joe Corvo, of course. The former Senator unloaded a bomb from the left circle on the power play for his fifth goal in three games against Ottawa since the trade in February.
But Antoine Vermette's goal with just 26 seconds left in the second, just as a power play expired, pushed Ottawa ahead 3-1. Vermette scored after Chris Neil did most of the hard work, putting a shot on net, grabbing the rebound, swinging behind the net and making the setup pass.
Mike Fisher and Chris Phillips finished the scoring in the third.
Dany Heatley made it 1-0 early with a shot from the slot as Jason Spezza rushed the puck down the right wing, drawing defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Joni Pitkanen and leaving Heatley unchecked for the shot and score at 3:45.
A turnover by defenseman Niclas Wallin then resulted in the second Sens' goal. Dean McAmmond sped in and managed to get the puck past Cam Ward at 11:09 for his second goal of the season — the first came Oct. 25.
Ward had made a pair of remarkable saves to keep the score 1-0, but the second Sens' goal was of the soft variety. Later in the first, Ward had his mask knocked off on a blast by Alexandre Picard.
Elliott made a nice save on a Tuomo Ruutu shot in the first. Rod Brind'Amour also hit the post as the Canes finished the period with 13 shots.
Defenseman Tim Gleason was a scratch for the Canes along with Wade Brookbank. Gleason should be available for Thursday's game against Toronto in Raleigh.
Tickets were still available at game time for tonight's game, a sure gauge of how the Sens had been playing.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
No trade
Thu, 01/15/2009 - 06:06 — CanenutDo not forget that Wallin has a no trade clause that he exercised 2 summers ago.
Wallin and Kaberle
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 20:08 — CassiusKingIf one or both of those pukes aren't scratched for someone young that cares to skate, hit and play, we will continue to be beaten like a drum. Those two are totally worthless and makes the Brindy problem and our goaltending so much worse. What a disgraceful performance Nick, you should refund a games pay for that .....
Wallin and Kaberle Scratched for the Remainder of the Year
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 21:23 — abramsdougI agree. There is zero purpose served in having Wallin and Kaberle on the ice. Wallin started out the season playing well; but he has been worse than awful since he returned from his injury. With teams looking for a defense men who can skate and pass, the fact that Kaberle went through waivers without being claimed says all that needs to be said. You can't give Kaberle away even on a fire sale basis. As fans, we can tell one thing without doubt -- whether players are going through the motions or whether players want to hit, skate, and hustle.
Man it smells in here
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 20:01 — CassiusKingWho Wallined?
FWIW
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 14:15 — justpassinthruAs a long time Canes fan and former pSTH, I can't stomach much more of this..... Sorry for the negativity.. but here goes.Canes are a Joke... it is so over. They look like a AHL team... I watched Dallas and Detroit, Monday night. There is no comparison.. light years better than the Canes.. and Stahl is stalled again.. $5M a yr.. for what; to get into the mix when he feels like it?? Mow's trying hard but not sure anything is going to get fixed. They can't pass crisply, they can't skate the puck across the blue line, they can't play physical, and last but not least, their goal tending is iffy at best!! I could go on but you get my point.....What blew my mind last night, from the lips of Mr. Tripp, "THE FN SUN IS ALWAYS SHINING", Tracy, is the graphic showing the Canes are 9-2 when playing teams that are below .500! Then he added that they are 11-2 if you count St. Louis.. WHAT? Where is the graphic that shows how they play against teams that MATTER? Oh wait, that would not paint a happy face!There I feel so much better!Go Canes!!
play
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 11:28 — louis12580It looked like progress was being steadily made, until now. The team has taken a couple of giant steps back and now with Florida about to have 3 games in hand (how they get a week in between games is beyond me), and Pittsburgh showing signs of life, it is going to be difficult to stay 7th or 8th. Maybe it is time to cut their losses and part with Kaberle and Wallin. The bad part is that the team will still be responsible for their salaries for the remainder of the year. Maybe bring Rodney and Borer/Carson back up for the rest of the year. Conboy would be nice, but while he'd be a physical presence it's still about getting the puck out of the zone.
Shame on you
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 09:37 — HockeydogI don't get it. Since Maurice has taken over the team slowly shed it's poor, gambling habits acquired under Laviolette and became a responsible team. They looked 10 times better once they absorbed Mo's system. In the last 3 games they forgot about that system that had served them well and regressed to the team Laviolette left behind. How is that a coaching issue? That is a player issue. The players dropped a system they proved they could play and do well with. Maybe in Boston they got out muscled but the next two losses were pure lack of execution of the system. Maurice addressed this in his TV interview last night. Blame the players for that last two losses, not a coach who has clearly made a positive impact since taking over. Don't even blame Rutherford for the last two losses, this team had the players to win those. Again the team will need more beef to beat a Boston club, but not Fla or the Senators. I don't recall fans looking for Maurice's job during the 4 game win streak. Quite frankly Paul turned the team around much quicker than anyone truly in the know would have expected.
During that streak Mo stated the true test of confidence would be when the boys hit a rough spot. Well they hit it and more work is left to be done. A more realistic test will be what happens once they play better and then hit the next rough spot.
Be Realistic
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 13:21 — Richie7No one was complaining about Laviolette's system on the way to the Cup either! The past 2 years we have been dessimated with injuries and still missed the playoffs by 2 pts or less so do not blame that on the coach or his "system" either.
There was a little lift from the change in coaches and now it looks as if that is done. We will see what happens from here. A lack of energy, effort, chemistry whatever you want to call it is the reason the team was not playing well under Laviolette and it is now apparently still present. Difference is now they are playing a more tight defensive game either way a 5-1 loss is a 5-1 loss. Does not matter what system is played, if effort is not there results will not be there period.
For the Record everyone likes to win but I have not found anyone that was excited with Maurice coming back. Sorry but that is just the truth, with Laviolette providing the most exciting Hockey that has been seen at the RBC a re-run of Maurice is just not that easy to be excited about.
Laviolette
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 15:55 — HockeydogThe NHL has changed since the Canes cup run. A small agressive fast team was the way to go coming out of the lockout but with the obstruction/hooking/interference calls now leveling off the game has changed. That is why Lavi was the coach to have 3 years ago and not today with his gambling style. I found his Canes team exciting too. It was exciting to see how many breakaways our goalies could endure. Base comments on basic hockey knowledge and not emotional fair weather hystyeria. And Staal is a man, not a chainsaw.
Staal? Never mentioned him in my post
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 16:28 — Richie7I agree that the NHL has reverted back to a more pre-lockout style of officiating but throwing Laviolette under the bus when it is far from obvious that his Style was the problem, makes little sense to me. Yes the team was performing poorly and I understand why a change was made, but pretending that the only issue was the previous coach and his style or "System" is short sighted to say the least.
Usually a change is made to "spark the team" go in a different direction whatever cliche you choose, only problem here is bringing back the old coach is hardly seen as going in a new direction or creating energy (at least with the fan base). Throw that decision in with as you say the reverting of the NHL back to pre-lockout hockey and that does not create a happy feeling with a lot of fans, including myself.
not you
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 17:30 — Hockeydogsomeone else spelled it Stahl, I was just poking fun and responding to all posts I read.
I do agree that Lavi was not the only person keeping this team fromn playing better. But what we saw during that 4 game streak was good and there is no reason the players can't keep that up
Painful 3 games
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 09:23 — wxray1I think everyone is in agreement about this pain because it was 3 games in a row that the Canes had their hat handed to them. 3 ugly ones. 3 they never seemed to be in. 14-4 in goals. Ouch.
The Canes have not really put many teams away this season. They've been put away frequently. I think the series of close wins since Coach Mo started finally caught up to them, both mentally and physically. They have no killer instinct, yet curl in a ball when they are being killed -- which they now seem to sense after goal 1.
Funny, the team and players like to talk about "consistency." Well, I've seen consistency the last few games, and it ain't pretty. Yikes.
Third Period
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 09:06 — WAStoutWhat was up with all the dump-and-chase in the third??? It was heart-breaking...I felt like we were going to lose but I was hoping for a couple of more goals at least.
We would dump and lose the puck every single time. Can't get shots on goal like that.
Come on Mo. You are losing them fast.
All talk and no results.
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 09:05 — schladThe Canes did the exact same thing last night, that they have done for the last two seasons. Last night was supposed to be a game between two desperate teams and only one team showed up. All the pre game press was "We know Ottawa is gonna play like (this)" and "We know we have to do (this)". What happened? They knew exactly what they had to do and did not or could not do it. It's been that way now for 2 1/2 seasons. The team has no fire, no grit and no jam. And, frankly, I grow weary of them. They play a boring style of hockey which is only acceptable to watch if you are going to win with it.
Who Should be the next Coach?
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 08:23 — Richie7and should it be now or in the off season?
Pushover
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 07:29 — NetMinderThe Canes are clearly a pushover for any team with even moderate size. LaRose plays his ass off, but when push comes to shove he's shrugged off like a flea or splatted against the boards. Even our big guys aren't really big vis-a-vis the rest of the league. We are getting "out-physicaled" every time ... by Florida, by Boston and, last night, by a team that's third from the bottom in the East. Mo says that the Canes are getting all sorts of quality chances ... that they have to work their way through this ... that he likes the effort. The problem is, Mo, we're getting our ass handed to us and we're so battered and bruised by the third period, our opponents take it to us. This summer, didn't JR say he was going after size down the middle and size on the blue line? Aside from Staal (who's really getting pounded lately), we have Cullen and Roddy, neither of whom is particularly big, and Sutter who needs to put on thirty pounds or so. Our blue liners are a little bigger, but with a couple of exceptions ... Gleason and Wallin (when they're healthy) ... aren't all that physical. Corvo and Babchuk are generating some offense and playing solid and Ruutu throws his weight around ... after that, we're a bunch of little guys with skill and speed who get hammered by bigger teams ... and waiting in the wings is Zach Boychuk (all 5'9" 180 lbs. of him). C'mon, we don't need to bring up Brookbank or some other lightweight tough guy to protect our little guys. We need bigger, stronger, more physical players ... period. Until then, the Canes are cannon fodder for any team with any size.
Getting Mopped Around the Ice
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 08:10 — abramsdougExactly. Teams are mopping the ice with the Hurricanes because we lack at least one more player large enough and fiesty enough to hammer our opponents. Ruutu is great, but he needs more support in the hitting side of things. Without the addition of some more first rate players who love to hit, I think the Hurricanes are done for the year. Sadly, it seems to me Brind'Amour is being pushed around like a 170 lb rookie. It's like watching a punch drunk former world heavyweight champion refuse to quit boxing. I don't like seeing it for many reasons, including the fact I really dislike feeling this way about Brind'Amour who has been one of my sports heros. Now I just feel sorry for him and want him to retire with dignity. I think Glen Wesley did things correctly. I really wanted him to stay one more year; with Brind'Amour I now find myself wishing he had retired already so we could hang his jersey on the rafters and remember him at the top of his game. Instead, I think of him as a pro player hanging on beyond his time and dragging down the team. It's a shame for everybody.
I Agree
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 11:29 — beachsth...I agree with what you say. But to make matters worse, for TV games we have to listen to Tripp tell us how well things are going - when they're clearly not! I don't think it's a good sign that we're only down by 2 going into the third period, but really hustled the last few minutes of the second...or how confident Cam looks sliding from side to side - even though the team defense stinks. He makes the games tougher to take!
...The players sure say all the right things, but for 3 seasons now, we sure don't 'walk the walk.'
It's getting old and not fun....
agreed
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 08:25 — rmmeliMy son and I watch him play and feel the same way. We would much rather remember him for all those games during the Stanley Cup season when he led this team from the front and won games virtually single-handedly. Now he can't lead from the front because he is palpably too slow. When they moved Cullen to the second line (oops we don't call it the second line do we) there was a marked increase in speed of both Whitney and Williams. Brind'Amour was a great player (his is the only autograph on my jersey) but unfortunately his star is waning.
Our team- Our Tradition ?
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 06:25 — esteban1949After watching last nights game it seems the team and fans were served up with a Mighty Mo sandwhich,a footlong too, ( full of bologna)and we chocked on it! And I agree with Irbefan.And had a thought,and yes, I know that this on paper or on the ice would look rather silly...but why not make up a lne of say Pikanen,Corvo,Seidenberg,Ruutu,LaRose...and swap out Joni with Cullen one time, then with LaRose and etc...heck at this stage in the second half of the season,it couldn't hurt could it ? Yep too much of a "Mighty Mo" sandwhich also gives ya alot of gas too...anyone bring the "beano" (shameless plug") I am plum out !! Go leafs..whoops wrong team...
Team
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 00:59 — irbefanIt tearing my heart to sit and watch this team perform to so miserably once again. I thought that maybe the focus and the drive would be there this season for the 'Canes after missing the playoffs by a mere 2 points last year. So much for our season guys. I will still watch every game on TV and will be driving 3 1/2 hours to go see Glen Wesley's number go to the rafters and drive 3 1/2 hours back to go to classes the next day. I will still wooooo after every CAROLINA HURRICANES GOAL!!!! But I no longer look forward to game time as I once did. I no longer believe in this team and I will no longer defend and fight for the 'Canes.
Thanks guys for ruining what could have been a promising season. Thanks to Patrick Eaves, Rod Brind'amour, Nic Wallin, and Kaberle for underachieving the entire season and thanks to Rutherford, Karmanos, and Maurice for monopolizing the team and sending us into downward spiral.
Something needs to change and I am afraid the next move will be drastic. If we have fallen off the map towards trade deadline, I fear that wholesale changes will take place and we lose the keys to our team in exchange for draft picks and salary space. I, for one, don't want to see Joni Pitkanen, Joe Corvo, Seidenberg, Ruutu, LaRose, or Cullen depart the team for a 4th rounder and future considerations.
Go Canes...Go Away Canes we saw tonight!
Gentle Breeze
Wed, 01/14/2009 - 00:56 — AN0NYM0USHurricanes? This Nor'easter (aka road trip to Ottawa and Boston) put us in a Tropical Depression. We don't have much time to turn things around--Toronto on Thursday and then we're gone for 2 weeks. If we don't win some games and start playing Canes hockey, no one will be home when the Team returns to the RBC Center at the end of the month.
Hurricanes, where are you?
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 23:32 — CaniacLady17What has happened to our team???? For a few games, our guys were skating aggressively, getting to the net, shooting, and winning games. Looking Good!! Now, it looks like the guys are just skating with little hustle. I LOVE the Hurricanes but watching the team lose games that they SHOULD HAVE WON is almost too hard to bear....
Thanks, "SCORVO," for another awesome goal tonight!
This is Rutherford's team.
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 22:28 — bppackThis is Rutherford's team. Two coaches have been unable to win with it. This will be 3 years in a row out of the playoffs. Who is he going to blame now?
A Joke of a Game
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 22:08 — abramsdougThe Hurricanes have now put together three back to back miserable performances. Tonight wasn't NHL hockey by the Hurricanes. It's a joke. It's also clear that teams now first focus on out-hitting the hurricanes, which unfortunately for the Hurricanes is easy for other teams to accomplish. It's back to a team showing no heart, no drive, no intensity. I can't imagine why Maurice does not call up Conboy and some of the Rats and let folks like Kaberle and Wallin watch the game from the stands. They spent most of the game watching the Sens skate around them. The Hurricanes ought to have more pride than to dive for cover in a game like today's.
You got it right
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 22:18 — rmmeliNo fight, no desire....where are the leaders in this team. Brind'Amour/Staal...where are you? They are just going through the motions. As for Kaberle and Wallin, you are spot on. I don't think Wallin has looked right since he came back from his last injury. Kaberle is just going through the motions.
Here we go again
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 20:44 — rmmeliLooks like the game plan once again is to make the opposition look good. Wallin is definitely working to that plan.
Paul Maurice
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 19:38 — ScrapperWay to adress the teams needs coach. I hope you aren't around much longer. I can't stand this crap where you have to drop the golves and score the goals on this team because you have no one to watch out for you. Maurice gave Belak the shaft all season last year and now Brookbak gets the same. I hope you're happy Rutherford. With an injury plagued team for two seasons now, you don't take the precautionary measures to prevent any injuries at the hands of another player. It's obvious from the debate that most fans think the team is too soft and you ignore it still. Doesn't really feel like it's "Our Team" right now.