Am I having a nightmare or is it really Wednesday night, and the Blues are beating us this badly??? I say Staal needs another Staal (or Staal-like) to play with!!!
What's up with Ward this year? I drafted him in my fantasy league so I've been paying attention to him and have noticed that he's been struggling. Is it him or the team in front of him (like what's happening with Vokoun)?
What's up with Ward this year? I drafted him in my fantasy league so I've been paying attention to him and have noticed that he's been struggling. Is it him or the team in front of him (like what's happening with Vokoun)?
It's a nice mix. He's given up some soft goals, but then again who doesn't, but we've also had enough defensive breakdowns to last a season already.
What's up with Ward this year? I drafted him in my fantasy league so I've been paying attention to him and have noticed that he's been struggling. Is it him or the team in front of him (like what's happening with Vokoun)?
Ward isn't struggling at all in my opinion, simply put, it is the team infront of him. One of, if not the only reason we've been able to win 2 games and get to a shootout 2 times and overtime once, is because of Ward. If this team was playing good hockey, Ward's stats would be very, very impressive right now, I don't doubt that for a second. Even the fact a lot of our games have been close, falls as a 'Thank You' to Cam.
So yes, to answer your question, my opinion is it is most certainly the team infront of him. Which is a shame because he is playing quite well.
Ward is playing better (generally) that it may appear. He's played 11 straight now and should be getting a night off, and I bet he getsb one now this weekend.
Someone remind me why we needed Aaron Ward back again. I love the guy, but geez! It's not just him I know.
This does feel eerily like 2004ish, when we got lots of shots, few goals, and Paul was tuned out by the boys. I hope thats not it, but the storyline is sure familiar.
Booed off the ice lustily after two ,maybe that'll shake somebody loose.
Ward isn't struggling at all in my opinion, simply put, it is the team infront of him. One of, if not the only reason we've been able to win 2 games and get to a shootout 3 times is because of Ward. If this team was playing good hockey, Ward's stats would be very, very impressive right now, I don't doubt that for a second.
So yes, to answer your question, my opinion is it is most certainly the team infront of him. Which is a shame because he is playing quite well.
So you think it'll all come around? Is it a system thing or a personnel thing?
So you think it'll all come around? Is it a system thing or a personnel thing?
It's a coaching thing. If there's a goal given up, no matter whether or not it's Ward's fault, the team will just stop playing. And once they do that, it's 5-on-Ward, and Ward typically doesn't wind up looking too pretty in that situation.
So you think it'll all come around? Is it a system thing or a personnel thing?
Ward started hot, but the general malaise of the team has infected him just as surely as it has the rest of the team. Ward runs very much with the emotion of the moment, despite what some would have you believe. The same reason he gets up for big games is the same reason he falters in October behind teams that lack urgency like this one does.
Many think that the Hurricanes go as Cam Ward goes. I am more inclined to think that the Hurricanes go as Eric Staal goes because when the effort in front of Ward is balls out, he's money. When everybody is gliding, then Ward glides too. You can see it in the way he works his crease and the way he reacts after goals. Night and day right now from the start of the year.
Staal right now is putting in a laughable effort. I think he wants a vacation in February and he's about to get his wish.
So you think it'll all come around? Is it a system thing or a personnel thing?
At this point it looks like a roster problem to me. The fact we've been through 2 coaches yet the same piss poor, negative bad habbits follow this team tells me a lot. Sloppy, lack of interest, sluggish, piss poor play follows this group year after year. We're in our 4th consecutive season after our Cup win in '06 and it always seems to be the same with this group, they just can't put it together. We had a brilliant run last season, but it shouldn't be forgotten for most of the season we were quite brutal and many were calling for a tank and rebuild. We hit a stride and ran with it, got lucky, played well.
All in all it is hard to say if this team will come around based on the past 3 seasons before this one, I have my doubts. It just seems all to familiar to what has made this team unsuccessful and I don't know if I can see them putting it together. I think a lot of it is mental and it revolves around the core guys who have been here and continue to lose. Once we start losing, we have a very difficult time battling back. It's almost as if when we lose the mindset of the entire team goes into "Oh no, here we go again" and they simply can't snap out of it. I am giving them until the 25-30 game mark before I draw my line and take a stance. But as of right now, through almost 11 games, very little has changed. The negative in that for me, is it resembles all to well of what we've seen out of this team the past 3 seasons. (Minus our run at the end last year.)
I say Staal needs another Staal (or Staal-like) to play with!!!
