Schizophrenic Canes are Back!

So I got the points spread correct yesterday, but the final was higher by both teams. Toronto still won by two, but just 6-4.

Where were the Canes in the first 40 minutes of hockey? They easily fell to an almost insurmountable 4-1 deficit to the leafs by the end of the 2nd period. Then, something happened in the 2nd Intermission and the Canes came out with a buzz.

Apparently, Mo said some unprintables to his listless players and for some reason they responded. The Canes notched 3 goals in about 7 minutes to mount a comeback and tie the game. You could tell they wanted to win. You could see how they manhandled the Leafs for 10 minutes in the 3rd period. They then realized who they were, forgot about getting their ass kicked by Mo in the 2nd Intermission and returned to the lazy team we know.

Once tied, why try for the win? Might as well hold on for OT and at least get 1 point. That seems to be the Canes mantra when they manage to come from behind and tie it. They let off the gas. They fall back and play a very conservative game. Well, they did that last night and on a deflection that Ward let pop over his glove The leafs went ahead with a little over five minutes to go. Jason Blake added the empty netter for his hat trick on the night.

For the past 2 and a half years, this is the team we have lived with in Raleigh. A team that plays listless uninspired hockey for 30-50 minutes of the game, digs themselves into a hole and then tries to dig out. It shows glimmers of a dominant team at times. It's erased 2, 3, 4 goal deficits in games. Why can't they show this dominance on a consistent basis?



More on our classy owner later.